Electronic library

Claim 2

The method of claim 1 including the step of providing the organization, accessibility, and electronic appearance of a library.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1 including the step of providing access to screen icons and addressing dynamic development information.

Claim 4

In a electronic workstation device having a keyboard and display screen desktop, the technique of providing a library metaphor with associated icons for accessing information, the metaphor including a central library having a collection of books including reference books, a project library having a collection of books including reference books, an electronic card catalog having book filing information comprising the steps of: accessing the electronic card catalog to obtain information about the books and the contents of the books, accessing a book of references to books in either the central library or the project library, accessing a given book in either the central library or the project library, and viewing said given book on the display screen desk top.

Claim 5

The method of claim 4 including the steps of making selected modifications to elements of said book and automatically providing said selected modifications to the electronic card catalog

Claim 6

An electronic library metaphor on a computer workstation that includes a shared books with data base metaphor, a reference books metaphor, and a card catalog metaphor in one system, including large object oriented data bases organized and accessed in an exclusive environment and means to access screen icons, means to create a visual hierarchy of related and shared objects, and means to allow mutually exclusive access to the metaphors within the library.

Claim 7

In an electronic workstation device having a keyboard and display screen desktop,, the workstation being electrically interconnected to a shared data base, the shared data base including a central library having a collection of books and an electronic card catalog accessible to a plurality of users, the screen display desktop being provided with a plurality of window options for access to the data base, a method of access to the data base comprising the steps of: accessing the electronic card catalog to obtain information about the books, and their contents selecting a given book in the central library, determining that said given book in the central library is accessible, and viewing said given book on the display screen desk top.

Claim 8

The electronic workstation device of claim 7 wherein the shared data base includes a collection of reference books, the reference books available to said plurality of users.

Claim 9

The electronic workstation device of claim 7 wherein the shared data base includes a project library having a collection of books including reference books, the project library including the collection of books and reference books being accessible by reference to the electronic card catalog.

Claim 10

The method of claim 7 including the steps of making selected modifications to elements of said book and automatically providing said selected modifications to the electronic card catalog.

Claim 11

In a electronic workstation device having a keyboard and display screen desktop, the workstation being electrically interconnected to a shared data base, the shared data base including a central library having a collection of books and an electronic card catalog accessible to a plurality of users, the shared data base including a collection of reference books, the reference books available to said plurality of users, the screen display desktop being provided with a plurality of window options for access to the data base, a method of access to the data base comprising the steps of: accessing the electronic card catalog to obtain information about the books, selecting a given book in the central library, determining that said given book in the central library is accessible, and making selected modifications to elements of said book and automatically providing said selected modifications to the electronic card catalog.

Claim 12

In a library metaphor in an electronic workstation device having a keyboard and display screen desktop, the workstation being electronically interconnected to a remote, shared data base, the screen display desktop being provided with a plurality of window options for access to the data base through the use of screen icon representations, the shared data base and the workstation device combining to provide a metaphor for accessing the information in the data base, the metaphor including a collection of books, a method of access to the data base comprising the steps of: entering a quick query access mode, selecting an information management window to provide a plurality of book related prompts and filing attribute prompts, selecting a given book or file for access, and optionally displaying a plurality of icons representing attributes of the book.

Claim 13

In a library metaphor in an electronic workstation device having a keyboard and display screen desktop, the workstation being electrically interconnected to a shared data base, the screen display desktop being provided with a plurality of options for access to the data base through the use of screen text and icon representations, a method of access to the data base comprising the steps of: entering an access mode, selecting an information query to provide a plurality of text or graphic symbol up fields, or table element prompts, providing search text or comparison criteria for the information query, selecting a least one of said plurality of prompts to display additional prompts, initiating a common search of the shared data base according to selected prompts, and displaying the results of the search of the shared data base on said display screen.

Claim 14

In a electronic workstation device having a keyboard and display screen desktop, the workstation being interconnected to a shared data base, the screen display desktop being provided with a plurality of options for access to the data base through the use of screen icon representations, the shared data base and the workstation device combining to provide for the accessing of the information in the data base, a method of access to the data base comprising the steps of: entering query access mode, selecting an information management window to provide a plurality of prompts and filing attribute prompts, selecting a given document for access, and optionally displaying a plurality of icons representing attributes of the document.

Claim 15

In a electronic workstation device having a keyboard, mouse pointer, and display screen desktop, the workstation providing a library metaphor including a reference book metaphor and a card catalog metaphor the method of creating graphics comprising the steps of: creating a frame on a portion of the display by use of the keyboard for graphic models, selecting a properties function to set frame properties and represent a plurality of graphic techniques by icons, selecting one of said icons to select a particular one of said plurality of graphic techniques, with text or comparison criteria representing a plurality of associated objects for said particular one of said plurality of graphic techniques, and selecting a sequence of said associated objects in order to produce a graphic model and providing textual attachments related to selected associated objects.

Claim 16

In a library metaphor in an electronic workstation device having a keyboard and display screen desktop, the workstation being electrically interconnected to a shared data base, the screen display desktop being provided with a plurality of options for access to the data base through the use of screen text and icon representations, a method of access to the data base comprising the steps of: entering an access mode, providing search text or comparison criteria for the information query, selecting at least one of said plurality of document abstraction prompts to display additional prompts, initiating a common search of the shared data base according to selected graphic symbol prompts and search text, and displaying the results of the search of the shared data base on said display screen.

Claim 17

The method of claim 16 wherein the document abstraction prompts as VP Fields.

Claim 18

The method of claim 16 wherein the document abstraction prompts are table element.

Claim 19

The method of claim 16 wherein the document abstraction prompts are text or graphics.

Claim 20

The method of claim 16 wherein the document abstraction prompts are a combination of text or graphics, VP Fields, and table elements.