Method and apparatus for performing supplemental searches over a network
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A method for searching a database, comprising the steps of:
- operating a first application program, the first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
receiving a command from a user during operation of the first application program to initiate a search of a selected search term, said search being launched from said first application program and said search being performed on a background thread on said database over a network;
initiating said search using a search tool responsive to said received command without preempting said fist application program; and
providing access to results of said search to said user.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus are disclosed for cooperating with a first software program to perform a supplemental search over the Internet or another public network. A supplemental search is performed in the background to obtain desired information, while the user continues the primary task of creating, for example, a document. The user does not have to divert his or her attention from the primary task of creating the document to manually initiate a search. An illustrative word processing application program spawns a background thread in a multithreaded environment to perform the supplemental search using a browser, while the word processing application program maintains continuous control until the search results are obtained and viewed by the user. A supplemental search can be performed on a given topic (i) when requested by a user, or (ii) automatically, if a predefined condition, such as the occurrence of an apparently improper data element that fails to satisfy the requirements of a spelling or grammar database, is detected in a document of an application program. Thus, the invention can be configured to perform Internet-based spelling or grammar checking and automatically detect the adoption of new words or phrases and changes in acceptable grammar usage. In addition, the word processing application program automatically determines if a document being created corresponds to one or more predefined categories. If a document being created corresponds to a predefined category, the document can optionally be provided to an expert associated with said identified category for review.
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Citations
76 Claims
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1. A method for searching a database, comprising the steps of:
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operating a first application program, the first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
receiving a command from a user during operation of the first application program to initiate a search of a selected search term, said search being launched from said first application program and said search being performed on a background thread on said database over a network;
initiating said search using a search tool responsive to said received command without preempting said fist application program; and
providing access to results of said search to said user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for searching a database, comprising the steps of:
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operating a first application program, the first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
receiving a command from a user during operation of the first application program to initiate a search of a selected search term, said search being launched from said first application program and said search being performed on a background thread on said database over a network using a search tool;
initiating said search using a background thread using said search tool responsive to said received command while said first application program maintains control; and
providing access to results of said search to said user. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A system for searching a database, comprising:
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a memory for storing computer-readable code; and
a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to;
operate a first application program, the first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program, receive a command from a user during operation of the first application program to initiate a search of a selected search term, said search being launched from said first application program and said search being performed on a background thread on said database over a network;
initiate said search using a search tool responsive to said received command without preempting said first application program; and
provide access to results of said search to said user.
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17. A system for searching a database, comprising:
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a memory for storing computer-readable code; and
a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to;
operate a first application program, the first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
receive a command from a user during operation of the first application program to initiate a search of a selected search term, said search being launched from said first application program and said search being performed on a background thread on said database over a network using a search tool;
initiate said search using a background spread using said search tool responsive to said received command while said first application program maintains control; and
provide access to results of said search to said user.
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18. A method for searching a database, comprising the steps of:
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selecting a search term in a document of a first application program said first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
initiating from said first application program, on a background thread over a network, a search of said search term using a search tool, while continuing to work in said document while said search is performed; and
receiving access to results of said search. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for searching a database, comprising the steps of:
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selecting a search term in a document of a first application program said first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
initiating from said first application program, on a background thread over a network, a search of said search term using a search tool, while said first application program maintains control; and
receiving access to results of said search. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method for searching a database, comprising the steps of:
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operating a first application program, the first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
determining if a predefined condition has occurred in the first application program;
initiating from the first application program, on a background thread over a network, a search in said database responsive to said predefined condition using a search tool without preempting said first application program; and
providing access to results of said search to a user of said first application program. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A method for searching a database, comprising the steps of:
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operating a first application program, the first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
determining if a predefined condition has occurred in the first application program;
initiating from the first application program, on a background thread over a network, a search responsive to said predefined condition using a search tool executing on a background thread while said first application program maintains control; and
providing access to results of said search to a user of said first application program. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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61. A system for searching a database, comprising:
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a memory for storing computer-readable code; and
a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to;
operate a first application program, the first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
determine if a predefined condition has occurred in the first application program;
initiate from the first application program, on a background thread over a network, a search in said database responsive to said predefined condition using a search tool without preempting said first application program; and
provide access to results of said search to a user of said first application program.
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62. A system for searching a database, comprising:
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a memory for storing computer-readable code; and
a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to;
operate a first application program, the first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
determine if a predefined condition bas occurred in the first application program;
initiate from the first application program, over a network, a search responsive to said predefine condition using a search tool executing on a background thread while said first application program maintains control; and
provide access to results of said search to a user of said first application program.
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63. A method for searching a database, comprising the steps of:
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determining if a document of a first application program is related to one or more predefined categories by launching a search from the first application program on a background thread over a network;
providing said document to an expert of said category for review; and
providing results of said review to a user. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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70. A system for searching a database, comprising:
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a memory for storing computer-readable code; and
a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to;
determine if a document of a first application program is related to one or more predefined categories by launching a search from the first application program on a background thread over a network;
provide sad document to an expert of said category for review; and
provide results of said review to a user.
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71. An article of manufacture comprising:
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a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;
a step to operate a first application program, the first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
a step to receive a command from a user during operation of the first application program to initiate a search of a selected search term, said search being performed on said database;
a step to initiate from the first application program, on a background thread over a network, said search using a search tool responsive to said received command without preempting said first application program; and
a step to provide access to results of said search to said user.
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72. An article of manufacture comprising:
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a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;
a step to operate a first application program, the first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
a step to receive a command from a user during operation of the first application program to initiate a search of a selected search term, said search being performed on said database using a search tool;
a step to initiate from the first application program, on a background thread over a network, said search using a background thread using said search tool responsive to said received command while said first application program maintains control; and
a step to provide access to results of said search to said user.
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73. An article of manufacture comprising:
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a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;
a step to operate a first application program the first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
a step to determine if a predefined condition has occurred in the first application program;
a step to initiate from the first application program, on a background thread over a network, a search in said database responsive to said predefined condition using a search tool without preempting said first application program; and
a step to provide access to results of said search to a user of said first application program.
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74. An article of manufacture comprising:
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a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;
a step to operate a first application program, the first application program being selected from a group consisting of a word processing program, a spreadsheet program and a database management program;
a step to determine if a predefined condition has occurred in the first application program;
a step to initiate from the first application program, on a background thread over a network, a search responsive to said predefined condition using a search tool executing on a background thread while said first application program maintains control; and
a step to provide access to results of said search to a user of said first application program.
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75. An article of manufacture comprising:
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a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;
a step to determine if a document of a first application program is related to one or more predefined categories by launching a search from the first application program on a background thread over a network;
a step to provide said document to an expert of said category for review; and
a step to provide results of said review to a user.
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76. A method for searching a database, comprising the steps of:
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operating a first application program that is not a browser;
receiving a command from a user during operation of the first application program to initiate a search of a selected search term, said search being performed on said database;
initiating from the first application program, on a background thread over a network, said search using a search tool responsive to said received command without preempting said first application program; and
providing access to results of said search to said user.
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Specification