Abstract manager system and method for managing an abstract database

• US 5,905,979 A
• Filed: 07/02/1996
• Issued: 05/18/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Barrows, Sue Ellen
• Primary Examiner(s): Kulik, Paul V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Application Number:
  US08/673,868
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 707/9, 707/100, 707/1, 707/500, 707/501, 707/513
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/345 Summarisation for human users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

An abstract manager system (12) and method for managing an abstract database (40) are provided. The abstract manager system (12) may be implemented using a computer that includes a mass storage device (44) and a processor (34). The processor (34) is responsive to one or more computer files stored in the mass storage device (44) such as an abstract manager program (32). The processor (34) is responsive to generate an abstract manager input form (96) and to receive input abstract information in the abstract manager input form (96). The processor (34) is also responsive to generate a record in an abstract database (40) that includes the input abstract information and to generate a file, such as an abstract file of abstract files (42), that includes the input abstract information.

Claims

1. A computerized method for processing information, comprising the steps of:

receiving input information from an operator through an operator input apparatus;

automatically combining the input information with further information, the further information being in a format understandable by a parser;

generating a file which contains the combined input information and further information, the file being in a format understandable by a parser;

storing the file in a storage medium which is accessible to a network; and

providing a predefined template which includes the further information in a predetermined format;

wherein said step of automatically combining is carried out by inserting the input information into the predefined template at a predetermined location therein.

2. A computerized method according to claim 1, including the step of maintaining in the storage medium a plurality of files which each conform to the predefined template, which each have the further information therein in the predetermined format, and which each have respective different input information therein at the predetermined location in the predefined template.

3. A computerized method according to claim 1,

wherein the input information includes a plurality of items of information;

and

wherein said step of automatically combining is carried out by inserting each of the items of input information into the predefined template at a respective predetermined location therein.

4. A computerized method according to claim 1,

including the step of providing a plurality of predefined templates which each include information in a respective predetermined format that is understandable by a parser;

including the step of allowing an operator to select one of the predefined templates; and

wherein said step of automatically combining is carried out by inserting the input information into the selected template at a predetermined location therein.

5. A computerized method according to claim 1, wherein said input information includes an abstract relating to material external to the file containing the input information.

6. A computerized method according to claim 5, wherein said abstract includes identification of at least one item from the set consisting of:

an author, a title, a publisher, a publication, a publication date, a volume number, a page number, a summary, a media type, availability information, classification information, status information, and organization identification information.

7. A computerized method according to claim 1, wherein said further information is in a hypertext mark-up language format.

8. A computerized method according to claim 1,

including the step of maintaining in the storage medium a plurality of files which each conform to the predefined template;

including the step of maintaining in the storage medium a database having a plurality of records which each correspond to a respective one of the files and which each contain the input information from the corresponding file; and

including after said receiving step the step of creating in the database a record which includes the input information received during said receiving step.

9. A computerized method according to claim 8, including the steps of:

selecting and retrieving a record from the database;

displaying the input information from the retrieved record on a display of the operator input apparatus;

altering the displayed input information in response to further operator input from the operator input apparatus;

storing the updated input information in the selected record of the database;

automatically combining the updated input information with the further information;

generating a file which contains the combined updated input information and further information, and which is in a format understandable by a parser; and

storing in the storage medium, in place of the file corresponding to the selected record, the file which contains the combined updated input information and further information.

10. A computerized method according to claim 8, including the further steps of:

accepting search criteria from the operator through the operator input apparatus;

searching the database for records which meet the search criteria; and

displaying a list of the records which met the search criteria during said searching step.

11. A computerized method for processing information, comprising the steps of:

receiving input information from an operator through an operator input apparatus;

automatically combining the input information with further information, the further information being in a format understandable by a parser;

generating a file which contains the combined input information and further information, the file being in a format understandable by a parser; and

storing the file in a storage medium which is accessible to a network;

wherein said receiving step includes the steps of;

displaying an input form on a display of the operator input apparatus; and

displaying the input information entered by the operator at a predetermined location on the input form.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a storage medium; and

a file generator program stored on said storage medium and operative to;

receive input information entered by an operator;

automatically combine the input information with further information, the further information being in a format understandable by a parser;

generate a file which contains the combined input information and further information, the file being in a format understandable by a parser;

store the file in a storage device;

effect the combining of the input information with the further information by inserting the input information at a predetermined location in a predefined template, the predefined template including the further information in a predetermined format; and

maintain in the storage medium a plurality of files which each conform to the predefined template, which each have therein the further information in the predetermined format, and which have respective different input information therein at the predetermined location in the template.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said program is further operative to:

maintain is the storage medium a database which includes a plurality of records each corresponding to a respective one of the files stored in said storage medium, each of the records having therein the input information from the corresponding file.