Agent-based on-line information retrieval and viewing system
DCFirst Claim
1. A device for providing a plurality of local users with information stored remotely on a network, the device comprising:
- a rule generation unit configured to define, for each of the plurality of local users, a set of search rules applicable to a predefined subject; and
a search agent configured to retrieve information on only the predefined subject from a database on the network based on each set of search rules and to store the retrieved information in a local database.
16 Assignments
Litigations
2 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A Subject-specific Information Retrieval and Viewing System (SIRViS) enables multiple users of a local computer system to access information stored remotely on a wide area network. The SIRViS is designed to retrieve and display to a user information relating to a particular, predefined subject area. The SIRViS includes a graphical user interface including a control panel and a content viewer. The control panel enables each local user to define a unique set of search rules for locating information on the particular subject area stored in one or more remote databases across the network. The control panel provides each set of search rules to a search agent, which accesses content in the remote databases according to the search and stores the information in a local database, including maintaining the overall structure in which the data was stored in the remote database and associating retrieved information with particular sets of search rules. Any of the local users can use the content viewer to access and display information stored in the local database relating to the particular subject area and to that particular user. The local processing system may include multiple SIRViS, each of which is customized to retrieve and display information in a different subject area.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A device for providing a plurality of local users with information stored remotely on a network, the device comprising:
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a rule generation unit configured to define, for each of the plurality of local users, a set of search rules applicable to a predefined subject; and a search agent configured to retrieve information on only the predefined subject from a database on the network based on each set of search rules and to store the retrieved information in a local database. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A processing system for providing a plurality of local users with information stored remotely over a network, the system comprising:
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a first user interface for enabling each of a plurality of local users to define a different corresponding set of search rules applicable to a predefined subject; a search agent configured to receive each set of search rules and to automatically retrieve information on only the predefined subject from a database on the network based on each set of search rules and to store the retrieved information in a local database; and a second user interface for enabling each of the plurality of local users to access from the local database a portion of the information on the predefined subject associated with the corresponding set of search rules. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A local computer system connected to a plurality of remote computer systems on a network, the local computer system comprising:
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a plurality of user interface units configured to receive user inputs, each user interface unit associated with a different one of a plurality of subject areas, each user interface unit further configured to receive, from each of a plurality of users, a separate set of search rules relating to the associated subject area; a plurality of agents, each agent associated with one of the subject areas, each agent configured to retrieve information related to the associated subject area from at least one of the remote computer systems based on at least one specified set of search rules and to store the retrieved information in a local database; and a plurality of viewing units, each viewing unit configured to retrieve information from the local database corresponding to one of the subject areas in response to inputs from any of the plurality of users and to display the retrieved information. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of providing a plurality of local users with information stored remotely on a network, the method comprising:
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for each of the plurality of local users, generating a unique set of search criteria relating to a single, predefined subject; retrieving information relating to only the predefined subject from a database on the network based on each set of search criteria; and storing the retrieved information in a local database accessible to the plurality of local users. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method of providing a plurality of local users with information stored remotely over a network, the method comprising:
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using a computer system on the network to receive a set of user inputs from each of the plurality local users, each set of user inputs for creating a set of search rules for the corresponding local user for a predefined subject; retrieving information relating to only the predefined subject from a remote database on the network; storing the retrieved information on the predefined subject in a local database; receiving a set of user inputs from one of the local users; and responding to the set of user inputs by retrieving from the local database a portion of the information on the predefined subject, the portion corresponding to the set of search rules associated with said one of the local users, and by outputting the information to said one of the local users. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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32. A processing system for providing a plurality of local users with records stored remotely, the processing system comprising:
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a first user interface to enable each of a plurality of local users to define a different corresponding set of search rules applicable to a predefined subject; a remote database having a plurality of records with a structure; a search agent to receive each set of search rules and to automatically retrieve records on only the predefined subject from the remote database based on each set of search rules and to store the retrieved records in a local database with the same structure as the remote database; and a second user interface to enable each of the plurality of local users to access from the local database a portion of the records on the predefined subject associated with the corresponding set of search rules.
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33. A method of providing a plurality of local users with information stored remotely on a network, the method comprising:
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receiving from a plurality of user interface units a corresponding set of search criteria; generating unique sets of search criteria relating to predefined subjects; retrieving from a remote structured database on the network only those records relating to the predefined subjects based on the unique sets of search criteria; storing on a local computer system the retrieved records in the same structure as the remote structured database; and presenting to the plurality of user interface units records retrieved from the local computer system corresponding to the set of search criteria.
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Specification