US 5,826,263 A · Data management, display, and retrieval system for a hierarchical collection

Abstract

The present invention provides a data management system realizing simple, clear, and easily understandable display and operation. The data management system is applicable, for example, to management of name cards. In management of name cards, name card data (101) includes a plurality of name card records (100). A card summary record (110, 112) prepared as title data includes a card ID and part of item data included in each name card record (100). Each summarized card data (111, 113) includes a plurality of card summary records (110, 112) collected according to a predetermined condition, and is placed into a certain card box (120, 121). Each card box has a characteristic name such as `business` or `private`. Visually hierarchical display of data in the form of a card box list, a target list including a plurality of target data, and individual name card data helps the user clearly understand the whole data display and data retrieval. This allows quick access to a desired name card. The target list is data having a fixed length and used on a memory, thereby realizing high-speed data retrieval and display. The system of the invention further includes a data maintenance mechanism and an auto-dialing mechanism.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A data management system for managing a plurality of data sets where each data set includes a plurality of items, said data management system comprising:

sequence modification means for modifying a sequence of said plurality of data sets according to a certain item included in each data set;
arrangement data memory means for, with respect to at least a portion of said items included in said data sets, storing data representing an arrangement which complies with an external agreement on data to be input to said items, said external agreement being a customizable structure under user control;
and
priority order specification means for, when instructed to modify the sequence of said plurality of data sets according to said arrangement stored in said arrangement data memory means, activating said sequence modification means to modify the sequence of said data sets according to said stored data.

1 more element

A data management system for managing a plurality of data sets wherein each data set includes a plurality of items, said items including at least a company name data element, a division data element, and a position data element respectively including specified items of a company name, a division, and a position, said data management system comprising:

sequence modification means for modifying a sequence of said plurality of data sets according to a certain item included in each data set;
and
priority order specification means for, when said plurality of data sets include data representing a predetermined arrangement providing a certain priority order, activating said sequence modification means to modify said sequence of data sets according to the specific items in an order of the company name, the division, and the position, said priority order specification means including:
first means for modifying said sequence of data sets in a predetermined preferential order of positions;
and
second means for, when an affix is attached to a certain position, determining a type of said affix attached to said certain position and arranging said affix-attached certain position before or after said certain position without the affix according to the type of said affix.

3 more elements

A data management method for managing a database, the data management method comprising the computer controlled steps of:

storing a plurality of data sets, each data set including a certain item to which an affix may be attached;
providing a predetermined arrangement for ordering the plurality of data sets according to the certain item included in each data set;
and
modifying a sequence of the plurality of data sets by evaluating the certain item included in each data set in order to arrange the plurality of data sets according to the predetermined arrangement, the modifying including performing the following substeps for each of the plurality of data sets:
determining whether an affix is attached to the certain item;
and
when an affix is attached to the certain item, determining a type of the affix attached to the certain item and arranging the data set into a first position different from a second position into which the data set would be arranged into if the affix was not attached to the certain item.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Data management, display, and retrieval system for a hierarchical collection

Life of this patent

Data management, display, and retrieval system for a hierarchical collection

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20