User interface system and method for traversing a database
First Claim
1. A method for a user of a computer system to traverse a database to retrieve an electronic document stored in said database, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a hypertext-type database, said hypertext-type database including a plurality of hypertext-type nodes, said plurality of hypertext-type nodes corresponding to a plurality of electronic documents, wherein each of said plurality of hypertext-type nodes may be selectively linked to others of said plurality of hypertext-type nodes;
b) providing a set of descriptive index terms;
c) indexing said hypertext-type database by assigning a unique first subset of said descriptive index terms to each electronic document of said plurality of electronic documents;
d) receiving user input that selects a second subset of said descriptive index terms;
e) comparing said first subset of descriptive index terms of said plurality of electronic documents with said second subset of said descriptive index terms;
f) producing a list of electronic documents based on said comparing step e), said list of electronic documents having a first electronic document that represents a user'"'"'s position within the hypertext-type database;
g) receiving user input that selects a selected electronic document from said list of electronic documents; and
h) changing said user'"'"'s position within the hypertext-type database to correspond with said selected electronic document.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A user interface system and method for traversing a database. In one aspect the present invention includes providing a plurality of command options, each of the command options represented by a set of descriptive option index terms characterizing that command option. The set of descriptive option index terms characterizing the command options selected by a user are compared with sets of document index terms. Each set of document index terms being compared characterizes an electronic document in a hypertext-type database which is selectively linked in that database with the user'"'"'s present position. The comparisons result in a ranked list of the selectively linked electronic documents. The electronic documents are ranked in accordance with the relevancy of each document with respect to the selected command option. In another aspect of the invention, a plurality of command options are generated and displayed on a computer controlled display system (CCDS), each command option being represented by a portrayed character or personality associable to the user as being biased toward a particular type of information. Each of the command options represent a set of option index terms which characterize that particular command option. The set of option index terms characterizing the command option presently selected are compared with sets of document index terms. Each set of document index terms characterize an electronic document located within the database. The comparisons result in a ranked list of electronic documents, the documents being ranked in accordance with the particular bias of the portrayed character or personality.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method for a user of a computer system to traverse a database to retrieve an electronic document stored in said database, said method comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a hypertext-type database, said hypertext-type database including a plurality of hypertext-type nodes, said plurality of hypertext-type nodes corresponding to a plurality of electronic documents, wherein each of said plurality of hypertext-type nodes may be selectively linked to others of said plurality of hypertext-type nodes; b) providing a set of descriptive index terms; c) indexing said hypertext-type database by assigning a unique first subset of said descriptive index terms to each electronic document of said plurality of electronic documents; d) receiving user input that selects a second subset of said descriptive index terms; e) comparing said first subset of descriptive index terms of said plurality of electronic documents with said second subset of said descriptive index terms; f) producing a list of electronic documents based on said comparing step e), said list of electronic documents having a first electronic document that represents a user'"'"'s position within the hypertext-type database; g) receiving user input that selects a selected electronic document from said list of electronic documents; and h) changing said user'"'"'s position within the hypertext-type database to correspond with said selected electronic document. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method for retrieval of documents from a database, said database comprised of a plurality of electronic documents, each of said plurality of electronic documents capable of being selectively linked with other of said electronic documents, said method comprising the steps of:
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a) defining a set of descriptive index terms for said plurality of electronic documents; b) indexing said database by assigning a unique first subset of descriptive index terms to each of said electronic documents; c) receiving input that indicates selection of a second subset of said descriptive index terms from a plurality of unique second subsets of said descriptive index terms; d) comparing said first subset of descriptive index terms of said electronic documents with said second subset of said descriptive index terms; e) generating a list of said electronic documents based on comparisons of step d), said list including a present position document; f) receiving input that indicates selection of a desired electronic document in said list of said electronic documents; g) retrieving said desired electronic document, said desired electronic document becoming the present position document. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for a user of a computer system to traverse a hypertext-type database, said hypertext-type database including a plurality of hypertext-type nodes, said plurality of hypertext-type nodes corresponding to a plurality of electronic documents, wherein said plurality of hypertext-type nodes are linked to each other by a plurality of links, said method comprising the steps of:
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a) indexing said hypertext-type database by assigning to each electronic document of said plurality of electronic documents a subset of descriptive index terms from a set of descriptive index terms; b) receiving user input that selects a selected subset of descriptive index terms of said set of descriptive index terms by performing the steps of b1) generating a plurality of subsets of descriptive index terms of said set of descriptive index terms; b2) displaying a plurality of selectable user interface objects, wherein each of said plurality of selectable user interface objects corresponds to one of said plurality of subsets; and b3) receiving user input that selects one of said plurality of selectable user interface objects; c) receiving user input that selects a selected electronic document of said plurality of electronic documents as a current document; d) traversing the hypertext-type database by performing the steps of d1) generating a list of documents that contains only those documents that are directly linked to said current document through said plurality of links; d2) generating a ranking for each document in said list of documents by comparing the subset of descriptive index terms that are assigned to each electronic document in said list of documents with said selected subset of descriptive index terms; d3) generating a ranked list of documents based upon rankings generated in step d2; d3) receiving input selecting an electronic document from said ranked list of documents; and d4) establishing said electronic document that was selected from said ranked list of documents as said current document. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for retrieval of documents from a database, said database comprised of a plurality of electronic documents, each of said plurality of electronic documents capable of being selectively linked with other of said electronic documents, said method comprising the steps of:
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a) defining a set of descriptive index terms for said plurality of electronic documents; b) indexing said database by assigning a first subset of descriptive index terms to each of said electronic documents; c) generating a plurality of second subsets of descriptive index terms of said set of descriptive index terms; d) displaying a plurality of selectable user interface objects, wherein each of said plurality of selectable user interface objects corresponds to one of said plurality of second subsets; e) receiving user input that selects a selected user interface object of said plurality of selectable user interface objects; f) establishing said second subset of descriptive index terms that corresponds to said selected user interface object as a selected subset of descriptive index terms; g) comparing said first subset of descriptive index terms of said electronic documents with said selected subset of descriptive index terms; h) generating a list of said electronic documents based on comparisons of step g); i) receiving input that indicates selection of a desired electronic document in said list of said electronic documents; and j) retrieving said desired electronic document.
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Specification