US 5,157,783 AGranted

Data base system which maintains project query list, desktop list and status of multiple ongoing research projects

AssigneesWang Laboratories, Inc., West Publishing Company

InventorsBrian P. Anderson, Barbara C. Sangster, Richard Kasson, Shirley A. Zierke, Gerald V. Peterson, Charles E. Shapiro, J. Scott Daup

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Abstract

Research apparatus for performing research on books stored either locally on magnetic or optical media or remotely in an on-line data base. A user of the research apparatus performs research in a project whose state is automatically saved on non-volatile storage, permitting a user to suspend and resume work on the project. The project state includes a list of the books being used by the project and for each book, the last location read and the last query executed on the book. The user selects one book as the current book, and when the selection is made, the research apparatus automatically displays text from the current book which contains the last location read. If there was a query active, the research apparatus automatically re-executes the query. If the current book is stored on an on-line data base, the research apparatus automatically establishes a connection with the on-line data base. Each book has an ordered document list of the documents in the book, and movement through a displayed book is governed by the order of the documents. Execution of a query on a book produces a subset list of documents satisfying the query which is ordered like the document list. The publisher of the book may further provide alternate orders for the document list. Further features of the project state include a list of all the queries made in a project and a list of display states which may be restored by the user.

Claims31

Dependent claims

Apparatus for performing plural research projects with respect to information contained in a reference library of books, said apparatus comprising, in combination;

display means;
input means for receiving inputs from a user;
readable database storage means for storing the test content of said reference library of books;
readable and writable storage means for storing library information concerning at least selected books in said reference library, and for further storing project state information for each given one of said research projects, said project state information specifying, combination;
the names of the books selected from said library for use in connection with said given project,
the identification of the particular book currently selected for review in connection with said given project, and
the location within said particular book of the specific text passage most recently displayed on said display means in connection with said given project;
and
processing means coupled to said readable book storage means, said readable and writable storage means, said display means, and said input means, said processing means comprising, in combination
means responsive to an input from the user indicating resumption of work on a given project for automatically causing the display means to display a visual representation of at least a portion of said project state information, including the names of said books previously selected for use in connection with said given project,
means responsive to an input from the input means requesting display of a visual representation of said particular book currently under review for causing said display means to display a visual representation of a specific text passage,
means responsive to a current book selection input from the user for altering the project state information for said given project to identify a newly selected book as the particular book currently under review,
means responsive to a select from the library input from the user which specifies an additional book in said reference library for transferring information concerning said additional book from said stored library information to said stored project state information for said given project.

10 more elements

Apparatus for performing research upon a reference collection of books, said apparatus comprising, in combination,

display means;
input means for receiving inputs from a user;
readable book storage means for storing;
a) the text of each book in said reference collection, and
b) searchable information relating to at least a subset of books in said reference collection, said searchable information enabling the test within those books within said subset which match a query to be more rapidly identified;
readable and writable storage means for storing project state information for each of plural research projects performed on said apparatus, the project state for a given project including:
a) an indicator of a current location in the specific book most recently reviewed in connection with said given projects, and
b) a list of the queries previously used in connection with said given project of the named stored books which may be searched by means of a query and have been so search in the project includes the last query used to search the book;
and
processor means coupled to said display means, said input means, said readable book storage means, and said readable and writable storage means, said processor means comprising, in combination,
a) means responsive to a first input from the user for causing said display device to display a list of said research projects,
b) means responsive to a second input from the user for selecting a specific one of said projects displayed as the current project,
c) means responsive to a third input from the user for displaying the list of queries previously used in connection with said selected current project,
d) means responsive to a fourth input from the user for selecting a specific query from said displayed list, and
e) means responsive to a fifth input from the user for executing the specific query selected from the display list
whereby queries previously composed in connection with a project can be readily re-executed to return said research apparatus to a desired prior state.

13 more elements

Apparatus for performing research upon a reference collection of books, said apparatus comprising, in combination,

display means;
input means for receiving inputs from a user;
readable book storage means for storing:
a) the text of each book in said reference collection,
b) searchable information relating to at least a subset of books in said reference collection, said searchable information enabling the text in those books within said subset which match a query to be more rapidly identified;
and
c) a set of predefined queries for searing said subset of books,
readable and writable storage means for storing project state information for each of plural research projects performed on said apparatus, the project state for a given project including:
a) a list of the queries previously used in connection with said given project, and
b) an identification of the last query executed in the course of said given project;
and
processor means coupled to said display means, said input means, said readable book storage means, and said readable and writable storage means, said processor means comprising, in combination,
a) means responsive to a first input from the user for causing said display device to display a list of said research projects,
b) means responsive to a second input from the user for selecting a specific one of said projects displayed as the current project,
c) means responsive to a third input from the user for displaying the list of queries previously used in connection with said selected current project,
d) means responsive to a fourth input from the user for selecting a specific query from said displayed list or form said set of predefined queries,
means responsive to editing inputs from the user for modifying the specific query selected, and
f) means responsive to a fifth input from the user for executing the query as modified,
whereby queries previously composed in connection with a project can be readily re-executed to return said research apparatus to a desired prior state, and said predefined queries previously executed may be executed in modified form to provide enhanced search results.

16 more elements

An computer information retrieval system comprising, in combination,

at least one keyboard for accepting inputs from a user, said inputs including:
a) project information designating each project to be performed on said information retrieval system,
b) queries expressed as search requests executable by said information retrieval system,
c) book selection requests, and
d) list display requests,
means for visually displaying data to the user specified by said list display requests,
readable reference database storage means for storing:
a) plural books, each of said books comprising plural documents, and each document comprising natural language text,
b) an ordered book list containing descriptive information on each of said plural books,
c) an ordered document list for each given one of said books containing bibliographic information on each of the documents contained within said given book, and
d) search information for at least a subset of said books which may be rapidly searched by a query to identify documents within said subset of books containing text which matches the criteria specified in said query,
readable and writable storage means responsive to said inputs for automatically storing and updating:
a) a project list containing descriptive information including said project information for each of plural projects previously or currently being performed on said system,
b) a desktop list for each given one of said projects which identifies each of the books selected for use in connection with said given project by book selection requests accepted from the user during the course of said given project,
c) a project query list for each of said projects which specifies the content of prior queries previously executed in the course of each said project, and
means for responsive to user request for selectively displaying the contents of any selected one of said lists whereby, for any one of said projects, the user may visually display the status of and the prior results achieved by any of said projects.

13 more elements

Apparatus for performing plural research projects each involving the performance of searches for specified information in a reference library of books composed of natural language text, said apparatus comprising, in combination,

a computer system including a keyboard for accepting input information from a user, means for visually displaying output information to the user, optical drive disk drive means for reading information stored on interchangeable optical disks, and a magnetic disk drive for reading information from and writing information to a writable disk,
a collection of optical disk volumes for storing said library of books, each given one of said disk volumes storing book files and an install file, said install file including a descriptive identification of said given disk volume and a description of each book stored on said given disk volume,
means for transferring the information contained in the install file of available ones of said interchangeable disks to a library list stored on said writable disk,
means for accepting from the user a project description for each of said research projects and for transferring said project description to a project list on said writable disk,
means responsive to an input from the user for displaying information from said library list,
means responsive to an input from the user for selecting one or more books identified in said library list for use in connection with a selected one of said research projects and for transferring the information concerning the selected books from said library list to a desk top list for said selected research project, the desk top lists for said plural research projects being recorded on said writable disk, and
query handling means responsive to input information from the user for formulating queries for specific text information and for executing said queries by searching for said specific text information in source books selected from the books specified on the desk top list for said selected one of said projects, said searching being accomplished by reading information from those optical disk volumes designated for said source books, said query handling means including means for displaying a mount request to the user whenever the next selected source book to be searched is recorded on a disk volume which is not mounted on said optical disk drive means.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.