Method and apparatus for searching for information in a network and for controlling the display of searchable information on display devices in the network

• US 5,623,652 A
• Filed: 07/25/1994
• Issued: 04/22/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: McLeod, Kenneth C., Casseres, David, Vaughan, Gregory B., Vora, Kumar A.
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US08/280,274
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600
• US Class Current: 707/742
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/33 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/332 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method an apparatus for maintaining information in a network of computer systems and for controlling the display of searchable information. The apparatus includes a first processor having a first display device and being coupled to an information storage device having information stored in at least one information source, where the first processor is coupled to a network. An input device is coupled to the first processor, where the input device is for selecting the information source to provide a selected information source which is to be unavailable for searching. A second processor having a second display device is coupled to the network to communicate with the first processor. The second display device is for displaying an indicia of information source, where the second display device displayed the indicia of the information source when the information source has not been selected by the input device. When the input device has selected the information source the indicia at some point in time after the information source has been selected is no longer displayed on the second display device. The method includes displaying on a first display device to a first indicia which corresponds to an information source stored on an information storage device. The method further includes displaying on the second display device a second indicia corresponding to the information source, this second indicia being displayed when the information source is not selected by the input device. When the information source is selected, at some time after selection, the second indicia is longer displayed on the second display device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for searching for information in a network of data processing systems, said apparatus comprising:

a first processor having a first display device and being coupled to an information storage device having information stored in at least one information source, said first processor being coupled to said network;

an input devices coupled to said first processor, said input device for selecting said at least one information source to provide a selected information source which is to be unavailable for searching;

a second processor having a second display device for displaying an indicia of said at least one information source, said indicia representing said at least one information source, said second display device displaying said indicia of said at least one information source when said at least one information source is not selected, said second processor being coupled to said network to communicate with said first processor, said indicia, after said at least one information source is selected, not being displayed on said second display device;

wherein said first processor performs at least one maintenance operation on said information source while said information source is not available for searching and wherein said indicia, as displayed on said second display, does not comprise said at least one information source, and

wherein said information comprises a plurality of documents having data in character format and wherein said information is stored in a plurality of information sources, each comprising a group of documents within a file directory; and

wherein said maintenance operation comprises one of;

(a) indexing said plurality of documents to create an indexed list of words;

(b) adding additional documents to said plurality of documents;

(c) removing certain documents from said plurality of documents;

(d) compressing an indexed list of words;

(e) adding additional documents to said plurality of documents and thereafter indexing said plurality of documents; and

(f) removing certain documents from said plurality of documents and thereafter indexing said plurality of documents.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said information source is selected to be made available after said maintenance operation has been performed.