US 5,715,443 A · Method and apparatus for searching for information in a data processing system and for providing scheduled search reports in a summary format

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing information in a data processing system which is coupled to an information storage device having information stored therein. The method includes defining on a first processor a first search request which includes at least one parameter which specifies a first desired type of information, then performing a first search using the first request to determine whether the first type of desired information is stored in the information storage device. While performing the first search the first processor executes another process associated with searching for information in the data processing system. This other process typically includes defining a further search request and performing a further search using the further search request while the first search is being performed. The apparatus of the present invention includes a first processor coupled to the information storage device and a second processor coupled to a network to the first processor. An input device is coupled to the first processor which is used to define a first search request. According to another aspect of the invention, a first search request may be defined and the performance of the first search request may be scheduled such that a first search may be performed at a first scheduled search time or a report of the first search may be retrieved at a first scheduled time. A report in summary format is generated following performance of the first search at the first scheduled search time.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for processing information in a data processing system which includes an information storage device having information stored in said information storage device, said method comprising:

defining a first search request, said first search request including at least one first parameter which specifies a first type of desired information;
performing a first search using said first search request at a first deferred time;
generating a first report in summary format, said first report showing a first result of performing said first search at said first deferred time;
displaying said first report in summary format on a display device and wherein said summary format differs from a format of a search report from an executed search request which is not deferred;
wherein said first information comprises a plurality of documents having data in character format, and wherein said summary format includes at least two of the following items for each document shown in said first report:
(a) at least a portion of the document title;
(b) at least a portion of the document file name;
(c) at least a portion of the first paragraph in the document;
(d) name of a directory containing the document;
(e) a date the document was added to the directory containing the document;
(f) a date the document was last modified;
and (g) the author of the document.

9 more elements

An apparatus for processing information in a data processing system comprising:

an information storage device having information stored in said information storage device:
a first processor coupled to said information storage device;
a first input device coupled to said first processor, said input device for defining a first search request which includes at least one first parameter which specifies a first type of desired information and includes scheduling data for scheduling performance or retrieval of a first search:
a first memory coupled to said first processor said first memory for storing said first search request, said first processor using said first search request to perform, at a first deferred time, said first search of at least a first portion of said information to determine whether said first type of desired information is stored in said information storage device, said first processor generating a first report in summary format, said first report showing a first result of performing said first search at said first deferred time;
a first display coupled to said first processor, said first processor displaying on said first display said first report and wherein, said information comprises plurality of documents having data in character format and wherein said summary format differs from a format of a search report from an immediately executed search request;
wherein said summary format includes at least two of the following items for each document shown in said first report:
(a) at least a portion of the document title;
(b) at least a portion of the document file name;
(c) at least a portion of the first paragraph in the document;
(d) name of a directory containing the document;
(e) a date the document was added to the directory containing the document;
(f) a date the document was last modified;
and (g) the author of the document.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for searching for information in a data processing system and for providing scheduled search reports in a summary format

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for searching for information in a data processing system and for providing scheduled search reports in a summary format

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20