Patentamt

a i s c h e Patent
J E u r o p European s Office
Office europeen des brevets (TT) Publication number : 0 5 8 0 536 A2

@ EUROPEAN PATENT A P P L I C A T I O N

@ Application number: 93480077.2 @ Int. CI.5: G06F 1 5 / 2 0

(22) Date of filing : 15.06.93

(§) Priority: 22.07.92 US 918865 (72) Inventor : Eisen, Ivan

6400 Oakview Drive
Flower Mound, TX 75028 (US)
@ Date of publication of application : Inventor : Murphrey, Stephen W.
26.01.94 Bulletin 94/04 329 Double Tree Drive
Highland Village, TX 75067 (US)
@ Designated Contracting States :
DE FR GB (74) Representative : de Pena, Alain
Compagnie IBM France Departement de
(R) Applicant : International Business Machines Propriete Intellectuelle
Corporation F-06610 La Gaude (FR)
Old Orchard Road
Armonk, N.Y. 10504 (US)

@) Method and apparatus for automatically building bibliographies in a multi-media environment.

(57) An automatic bibliography builder is provided

for use in a computer system. While browsing
through a reference (text, audio, video, etc.), an IBibliography ■H-DIPI
author may select the reference for use in a 1. BookOne. - -52
bibliography. The present invention automati- 2. Magazine One.
3. Video One.
cally obtains the necessary data, i.e., title, para-
graph, page, etc., and places the properly 32
formatted data into a bibliography file. Upon -50
completion of the research, the author will then 54
have a correctly formatted and complete bib-
liography for direct use in an authored docu- IBrowser.Book OneI E
ment or as a record of the research.
58- "The graph in Figure 4shows what
happens whenweride ot constant
power into different winds coming
from various directions. For example,
lei's consider riding at 20 mph.
Thespeed multiplier for ozero
wind(20 mphx20 percent) on our
bike speed. At a 40-degree wind
angle, our speed reduces to 0.9 of
our original riding speed, or 18mph.
H»' I1 e
CM FIG. 3
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 1 EPO
This invention relates in general to computer soft-
ware, and in particular to a method and apparatus for
automatically building a bibliography in a multi-media
computer environment.
The creation of a bibliography for use in a publish-
ed document is a well-known and often undesirable
chore to authors of all sorts. While conducting re-
search, an author is currently required to manually
keep track of reference materials. Typically, this re-
quires a hand written or typed list of references which
includes the title, author, published date, page, para-
graph, and etc. for each reference. Such manual list-
ing can often result in the loss of the list which then
requires the author to relocate the references. Addi-
tionally, manual listing frequently results in incorrect
or insufficient bibliographic information. The author
would then again be required to return to the referenc-
es to write down the additional or correct information.
With the advent of on-line libraries and multi-me-
dia computer systems, increasing amounts of re-
search can be done on-line. Thus, all the needed in-
formation for a bibliographic entry is available to the
writer on-line. However, there is currently no known
method for automatically extracting the needed infor-
mation for a bibliographic entry or for placing such in-
formation into a bibliography list. Thus, there is a
need for a method and apparatus which automatically
creates a bibliography.
The present invention provides a method and ap-
paratus for automatically preparing a bibliography
which substantially reduces or eliminates the manual
procedures of the prior art. The present invention al-
lows the computer to extract the appropriate biblio-
graphic information and to automatically create the
bibliographic entry for a bibliography.
In accordance with one aspect of the present in-
vention a method of preparing a bibliography on a
computer system is provided. A reference is first se-
lected for entry into the bibliography. Reference data
is automatically formatted into a bibliographic entry
and then the entry is automatically transferred to a
bibliography list.
If a specific page, paragraph, etc. of the refer-
ence is to be indicated in the bibliography, the author
may simply mark the passage using any appropriate
method such as a mouse, keyboard, a light pen, etc.
The appropriate information will then be properly in-
dicated in the bibliography. In addition, a viewer will
be able to see a bibliographic reference while review-
ing an authored document.
The present invention provides a technical ad-
vantage of automatically creating a bibliography with-
out the need for manual extraction of bibliographic
data. It is a further technical advantage that a viewer
will be able to link to and view a bibliographic refer-
ence during review of an authored document by click-
ing on the bibliographic entry.
For a more complete understanding of the pres-
30 536 A2 2
ent invention and advantages thereof, reference is
now made to the Detailed Description taken in con-
junction with the attached Drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a data proc-
5 essing system in accordance with the present in-
vention;
Figure 2 is a graphical illustration of one embodi-
ment of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a graphical illustration of a bibliogra-
10 phyformed in accordance with the present inven-
tion;
Figure 4 is a flow diagram for initiation of the pres-
ent invention;
Figure 5 is a flow diagram representing imple-
15 mentation of the present invention;
Figure 6 is a flow diagram representing the ac-
tions of the present invention in a reference; and
Figure 7 is a flow diagram representing the ac-
tions of the present invention in a reference when
20 an on-line viewer of the finished document starts
in a media editor/browser.
Referring to Figure 1, there is shown, in block di-
agram form, a data processing system 10 according
to the present invention. The system 10 includes a
25 processor 12, which includes a central processor unit
(CPU) 14 and a memory 16. Additional storage, in the
form of a hard disk storage 18 and a diskette device
20, is connected to the processor 12. The diskette de-
vice 20 receives a diskette 22 which has computer
30 program code recorded thereon that implements the
present invention in the system 10. The system 10
also includes user interface hardware, including a
mouse 24 and a keyboard 26 for allowing user input
to the processor 12 and a display 28 for presenting
35 visual data to the user. The system 10 may also in-
clude a printer 30. Although not shown, it is to be un-
derstood that the system 10 may be provided with an
interconnection to external sources through such as,
for example, a local area network, a wide area net-
40 work, or a modem.
Referring to Figure 2, a screen 32 such as may
be found on the display 28 (see Fig. 1) is shown. As
an author does research using the system 10, a
browser window 34 will be used to review references
45 on-line. Although not shown, it is to be understood
that additional windows could be utilized on the sys-
tem 10 and that the reference material may comprise
text, audio, video and/or any combination thereof, i.e.,
multi-media.
so During research, a second window 36 is opened
in accordance with the present invention. The second
window 36 provides the commands to build a biblio-
graphic entry. For example, the following commands
may be provided: "Add Reference," "Delete Refer-
55 ence," "Save," and "End Without Saving." Within the
window 36, there will also be a representation of the
bibliographic data corresponding to the reference be-
ing reviewed in window 34.
2
 3 EP 0 580 536 A2
Referring to Figure 3, after completing research
and selecting "Add Reference" command 38 from win-
dow 36, a bibliography 50 will be produced. The bib-
liography 50 will contain a listing, in the proper format,
of all references selected by the author. References
may include books, magazines, audio tapes, videos,
and etc. The present invention also allows the author
to select from the bibliography 50 one of the biblio-
graphic entries by any appropriate method such as,
for example, a bibliographic entry identified by the ref-
erence numeral 52 in Figure 3. By selecting the bib-
liographic entry 52, the reference corresponding
thereto will appear in an additional window 54. Then
by using a multi-media footnote control such as dis-
closed US application serial number 91 8,502 filed by
I. Eisen and S. Murphrey entitled, Dynamically Creat-
ed Footnote Control Using a Multi-Media Develop-
ment System, US application serial number 918,479
filed by I. Eisen and S. Murphrey entitled, Method and
Apparatus for Multi-Media Footnote Control Created
Through User Input, and US application serial number
91 8,866 filed by I. Eisen, S. Murphrey, F. Fandrickand
S. Parikh entitled, Method and Apparatus for Creating
a Multi-Media Footnote Control in Video Data.
If a particular page, paragraph, etc. is to be spe-
cifically indicated in a bibliographic entry, the author
merely marks the selected portions of the reference
by highlighting, as indicated by reference numeral 58,
with any appropriate method. For example, the au-
thor may highlight the selected portions with a
mouse, a light pen, a keyboard, a touchscreen or a
voice activated device.
Referring to Figure 4, a flowchart illustrating the
initialization of the bibliography builder in accordance
with the present invention is shown. In block 60, the
bibliography builder screen is shown. At 62, further in-
structions are then awaited.
Referring to Figure 5, a flowchart illustrating the
flow of the present invention for building a bibliogra-
phy is illustrated. At block 64, the bibliography builder
receives focus (i.e., identifies the last document or
reference being viewed in the browser). At block 66,
the present invention saves the handle of the last
screen with focus. At decision block 68, the present
invention awaits selection of an appropriate command
from the author. If the author selects the command
"Add Reference" 69, current document information is
requested from the last focus at block 70. At decision
block 72, it is then determined whether or not a reply
is received. If the response to decision block 72 is yes,
document information is added to the bibliography
structure at block 74. If the response to decision block
72 is no, the author is notified that no document is be-
ing read at block 76. Subsequent to block 74 and
block 76, the present invention waits for further infor-
mation at 78.
If the author selects "Save" 79, the bibliography
master file is updated at block 80. At decision block
4
82 it is then determined whether or not to continue. If
the response to decision block 82 is yes, the present
invention waits for further author input at 78. If the re-
sponse to decision block 82 is no, the present inven-
5 tion terminates at 84.
If the author selects "End Without Saving" 83 at
decision block 68, the present invention proceeds to
terminate at 84.
If the author selects "Delete Reference" 85 at de-
10 cision block 68, the current document information is
requested from the last focus at block 86. At block 88,
it is determined whether or not a reply is received. If
the response to decision block 88 is no, the author is
notified that no document is being read at block 90.
15 The present invention then waits for further input at
92. If the response to decision block 88 is yes, the ref-
erence is removed from the bibliographic structure at
block 94. The present invention then waits for further
author input at 96.
20 Referring to Figure 6, the flow of the present in-
vention within a browser window is illustrated. At
block 100, a message is received requesting the cur-
rent document information. At block 102, the biblio-
graphic structure is created (i.e., book name, volume,
25 chapter, and etc.). At block 104 the bibliographic
structure is sent to the bibliography builder. The pres-
ent invention then continues at 106.
Referring to Figure 7, the flow of the present in-
vention is illustrated when a user is in a previously
30 authored document and wants to view a bibliographic
reference. At block 100, the user activates a biblio-
graphic entry as a link marker. It is then determined
at decision block 102 whether or not a multimedia
connection exists. If the response to block 102 is yes,
35 the multimedia connection is activated (passing the
bibliography data) at block 104. If the response to de-
cision block 102 is no, a "not connected" message is
displayed to the user at block 106. The present inven-
tion then waits at 108.
40 The present invention simplifies the manual in-
tensive chore of creating bibliographies. By taking ad-
vantage of data that is already known by the comput-
er system being used, bibliographic entries can be au-
tomatically created and formatted. The entries can
45 then be transferred to a separate file for creation of a
bibliography which may then be placed into an auth-
ored document or merely retained for further re-
search. As a result of the present invention, an au-
thor/researcher will need no longer find themselves
so having to redo research as a result of
lost/incorrect/incomplete bibliographic information.
Claims
55
1. Amethod of creating a bibliography on a comput-
er system, comprising the steps of:
selecting a reference being viewed on the system
3
 5 EP 0 580 536 A2 6

for entry into a bibliography file on the system;
automatically formatting said reference into a bib-
liographic entry; and
automatically transferring said entry to said bib-
liography file.
2. The method of Claim 1, further comprising the
step of:
marking selected portions of said reference in
said file.
means for marking selected portions of said ref-
erence for identification in said file.
13. The system of Claim 11, wherein said means for
5 marking comprises:
means for highlighting said portions.
14. The system of Claim 12, wherein said means for
highlighting comprises:
10 a mouse.

3. The method of Claim 2, wherein said step of 15. The system of Claim 12, wherein said means for
marking comprises: highlighting comprises:
highlighting said portions. a keyboard.
15
4. The method of Claim 3, wherein said step of high- 16. The system of Claim 12, wherein said means for
lighting comprises: highlighting comprises:
dragging a mouse over said portions. a light pen.

5. The method of Claim 3, wherein said step of high- 20 17. The system of Claim 12, wherein said means for
lighting comprises: highlighting comprises:
marking with selected keystrokes of a keyboard. a touchscreen.

6. The method of Claim 3, wherein said step of high- 18. The system of Claim 12, wherein said means for
lighting comprises: 25 highlighting comprises:
designating with a light pen. a voice activated device.

7. The method of Claim 3, wherein said step of high- 19. The method of Claim 11, wherein said means for
lighting comprises: auto matically formatting comprises:
touching said portions on a touchscreen. 30 means for automatically collecting appropriate in-
formation from said reference.
8. The method of Claim 3, wherein said step of high-
lighting comprises:
orally instructing a voice activated device.
35
9. The method of Claim 1, wherein said step of au-
tomatically formatting comprises:
automatically collecting appropriate information
from said reference.
40
10. The method of Claim 1, further comprising the
steps of:
selecting one of said created bibliographic en-
tries; and
automatically presenting said reference corre- 45
sponding thereto.

11. A computer system for creating a bibliography,

comprising:
means for selecting a reference being viewed on 50
the system for entry into a bibliography file on the
system;
means for automatically formatting said refer-
ence into a bibliographic entry; and
means for automatically transferring said entry to 55
said bibliography file.

12. The system of Claim 11, further comprising:

4
 EP 0 580 536 A2

HARD DISK
STORAGE

Bibliography Builder!

BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR "FILENAME"

ADD
38 ll nrr
REFERENCE •? ll
AninTrn 7,
• CHAPTER
REF 1, 46
DELETE DATE,... •36
40 ■32
REFERENCE

44- END WITHOUT

SAVE 42 SAVING

Page 7 t
The graph in Figure 4 shows what
happens when we ride at constant
power into different winds coming
from various directions. For example, •34
let's consider riding at 20 mph.
The speed multiplier for a zero
wind (20 mph x 20 percent) on our
bike speed. At a 40-degree wind
angle, our speed reduces to 0.9 of
our original riding speed, or 18 mph.
^

FIG. 2
 EP 0 580 536 A2

Bibliography i H l l O 0
1. Book One... ■
■52
2. Mogazine One.
3. Video One...

•50

54

Browser.Book One 0 0

'""The graph in Figure 4 shows what

happens when we ride at constant
power into different winds coming
from various directions. For example,
let's consider riding ot 20 mph.
The speed multiplier for o zero
wind (20 mph x 20 percent) on our
bike speed. At a 40-degree wind
angle, our speed reduces to 0.9 of
our original riding speed, or 18 mph.

FIG. 3

MESSAGE RECEIVED
REQUESTING "CURRENT •100
DOC" INFORMATION

CREATE BIBLIOGRAPHY
STRUCTURE I.E. BOOK, 102
60 SHOW BIBLIOGRAPHY
BUILDER SCREEN VOLUME, CHAPTER ETC.

62 SEND BIBLIOGRAPHY
WAIT STRUCTURE TO 104
BIBLIOGRAPHY BUILDER
FIG. 4

( CONTINUE ^
106

FIG. 6

6
 EP 0 580 536 A2

64- BIBLIOGRAPHY BUILDER

RECEIVES FOCUS

66- SAVE HANDLE OF LAST

SCREEN WITH FOCUS

85 69
S /
86 DELETE REFERENCE ADD REFERENCE

REQUEST CURRENT REQUEST CURRENT

DOCUMENT INFORMATION /END DOCUMENT
FROM LAST FOCUS WITHOUT INFORMATION
SAVING UPDATE AND/
FROM LAST FOCUS
S OR CREATE
83 BIBLIOGRAPHY
MASTER FILE

REMOVE REFERENCE 84
FROM BIBLIOGRAPHY A ADD DOCUMENT
STRUCTURE (terminate) INFORMATION TO
BIBLIOGRAPHY
^ 90 76 STRUCTURE
96 WAIT
A
NOTIFY AUTHOR NOTIFY AUTHOR
"NO DOCUMENT "NO DOCUMENT
BEING READ" BEING READ"

92 - C J i L J r ^ i T V
f i g , 5 78

100- USER ACTIVATES BIBLIOGRAPHY

ENTRY AS A LINK MARKER

102
DOES
<MULTIMEDIA CONNECTION
104 EXIST
106
A _
A _
ACTIVATE MULTIMEDIA CONNECTION
(PASSING BIBLIOGRAPHY DATA) DISPLAY "NOT CONNECTED" MESSAGE

I
1
108
X WAIT ) F j Q 7