Method and apparatus for selectively augmenting retrieved information from a network resource

• US 6,523,022 B1
• Filed: 07/07/1999
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allen Hobbs
• Inventors: Hobbs, Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): JUNG, DAVID YIUK
• Application Number:
  US09/348,813
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-206, 709/100-332
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/332 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

An apparatus and corresponding method for selecting multimedia information, such as video, audio, graphics and text residing on a plurality of Data Warehouses, relational database management systems (RDMS) or object-oriented database systems (ODBA) connected to the Internet or other network, and for linking the multimedia information across the Internet, or other network, to any phrase, work, sentence and paragraph of text; or numbers; or maps; charta, and tables; or still pictures and/or graphics'"'"' or moving pictures and/or graphics; or audio elements contained in documents on an Internet or intranet web site so that any viewer of a web site, or other network resource, can directly access updated information in the Data Warehouse or a database in real time are disclosed. The apparatus and corresponding method each: (i) stores a plurality of predetermined authentication procedures (such as user names and passwords) to gain admittance to Data Warehouses or databases, (ii) stores the Universal Resource Locators of intranet and Internet addresses of a plurality of expert-predetermined optimum databases or Data Warehouses containing text, audio, video and graphic information, or multimedia information relating to the information on the web site or other network resource; (iii) stores a plurality of expert-predetermined optimum queries for use in the search engines of each of the pre-selected databases, each query representing a discrete searchable concept as expressed by a work, phrase, sentence or paragraph of text, or any other media such as audio and video on a web site, or other network resource; and (iv) presents to the user the results of a search of the Data Warehouse or database through a graphical user interface (GUI) which coordinates and correlates viewer selection criteria with the expert optimum remote database selection and queries.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically augmenting the contents of at least one file of information on a first network resource, the information file having at least one link, comprising the steps of:

(a) creating at least one request corresponding to the at least one link;

(b) coupling at least one query argument with the at least one request;

(c) sending the at least one request and the at least one query argument to a database;

(d) causing the database to search for at least one record that satisfies the at least one query argument;

(e) providing a display for viewing by a user, the display being subdivided into a plurality of displays; and

(f) displaying the at least one record that satisfies the at least one query argument in at least one of the plurality of displays.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the subdividing portion of step (e) further comprises the step of overlaying the plurality of displays on the display.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(g) providing a series of symbols in a second of the plurality of displays for enabling the user to select one of a plurality of databases.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of displays is selected from the group consisting of:

windows, frames, inline frames, dynamic framesets, layers and applets.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the windows further include pop-up windows and fixed windows.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

(h) subdividing the display into a second plurality of displays which replace the plurality of displays; and

(i) providing a list of index terms in at least one window of the second plurality of sections, the index terms for selecting the at least one link in the at least one file of information on the first network resource.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises the step of:

(b1) coupling at least one authentication argument to the at least one query argument and the at least one request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) is performed by a browser, further wherein the at least one request comprises a request header specifying:

(a) a purpose of the request;

(b) a network address of a second network resource to which the request header is applied;

(c) a file name for at least one application that is stored on the second network resource; and

(d) an argument that acts as a key in a table lookup and corresponds to the at least one link.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the request header is sent to the second network resource via collaborative information systems transmission protocols used on a network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the collaborative information systems transmission protocols used on a network include the combination of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Transmission Control/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second network resource, in response to receiving the at least one request, executes the at least one application and sends at least one embedded application to the browser.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one embedded application is executed on the browser and causes the browser to subdivide the display into the plurality of windows.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one embedded application that is executed on the browser causes the at least one record that satisfies the at least one query argument to appear in the largest window of the plurality of windows.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one embedded application that is executed on the browser causes a plurality of buttons corresponding to a plurality of arguments for selecting a plurality of databases to appear in at least a second window of the plurality of windows.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one embedded application that is executed on the browser causes an excerpt of text that includes the at least one link in the at least one file of information to appear in at least a third window of the plurality of windows.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one embedded application that is executed on the browser causes information associated with the source of the at least one file of information to appear in at least a fourth window of the plurality of windows.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one request comprises an argument that acts as a key in a table lookup and the scripted language or the at least one embedded application is executed on the browser and correlates in the table lookup the key with one of a plurality of expert predetermined optimum values, each expert predetermined value comprising a network address for a database, a query argument, and an authentication argument.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the key can be used to create a window for viewing by the user, the window presenting the user with a menu of choices for further areas of research pertaining to the key.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the user by selecting one of the choices causes the scripted language or the embedded application that is executed on the browser to match a key, corresponding to one of the choices in a table lookup, with a request header comprising:

(a) a purpose of the request;

(b) a network address for a third network resource to which the request header is applied;

(c) a file name for an application that is stored on the third network resource;

(d) a query argument; and

(e) an authentication argument; and

causes the embedded application that is executed on the browser to send the request header to the third network resource.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one embedded application requests one of the plurality of expert predetermined optimum values and a plurality of the keys, associated with the link, from the second network resource.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one embedded application that is executed on the browser matches one of the expert predetermined optimum values with the key in the table lookup selected from the group consisting of a hash table, an associative array and a linked list.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one embedded application that is executed on the browser generates at least a request header comprising:

(a) a purpose of the request;

(b) a network address for a third network resource to which the request header is applied;

(c) a file name for an application that is stored on the third network resource;

(d) a query argument and (e) an authentication argument.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises the step of:

(b1) executing an application on a second network resource, the application causing the coupling of the at least one authentication argument and the at least one query argument with the at least one request.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the application that is executed on the second network resource uses a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) protocol.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the application that is executed on the second network resource uses a gateway interface selected from the group consisting of non-Common Gateway Interface (CGI) program object oriented communications protocols and non-CGI program server extensions.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

(b2) determining whether an authentication of the user is needed before the at least one request is sent to the second network resource; and

(b3) performing the authentication of the user if the authentication of the user is required.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one request comprises an argument that acts as a key in a table lookup and wherein the application executes on the second network resource and correlates to the table lookup the key with one of a plurality of expert predetermined optimum values, each expert predetermined value comprising a network address for a database, a query argument, and an authentication argument.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the key can be used to create a window for viewing by the user, the window presenting the user with a menu of choices for further areas of research pertaining to the key.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the user, by selecting one of the choices, causes the application that is executed on the second network resource to match a key, corresponding to one of the choices in the table lookup, with a request header comprising:

(a) a purpose of the request;

(b) a network address for a third network resource to which the request header is applied;

(c) a file name for an application that is stored on the third network resource;

(d) a query argument; and

(e) an authentication argument; and

causes the application on the second network resource to send the request header to the third network resource.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the application that is executed on the second network resource matches one of the expert predetermined optimum values with the key in the table lookup selected from the group consisting of a hash table, an associative array and a linked list.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the application that is executed on the second network resource modifies the at least one record that satisfies the at least one query argument.

32. The method of claim 23, wherein the application that is executed on the second network resource causes a browser to subdivide the display into the plurality of windows.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein the application executing on the second network resource causes the at least one record that satisfies the at least one query argument to appear in the largest window of the plurality of windows.

34. The method of claim 23, wherein the application that is executed on the second network resource causes a plurality of buttons corresponding to a plurality of arguments for selecting a plurality of databases to appear in at least a second window of the plurality of windows.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the plurality of buttons comprise arguments that act as keys in a table lookup, with each of the keys corresponding to a specific link in the at least one file of information on the first network resource.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the application that is executed on the second network resource causes an excerpt of text that includes the at least one line in the at least one file of information to appear on at least a first, second or third window of the plurality of windows.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the application that is executed on the second network resource causes information associated with the source of the at least one file of information to appear in at least a first, second, third or fourth window of the plurality of windows.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the user may cause through an object within the display to increase and decrease the viewing area of any one of the plurality of windows.

39. The method of claim 23, wherein step (b1) is executed on a browser by a scripted language or an embedded application.

40. The method of claim 1, wherein the database authenticates the user when the user executed a search, and returns to a second network resource the at least one record that satisfies the at least one query argument.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one link is identified by one or more icons.