Knowledge management tool for providing abstracts of information

• US 6,564,209 B1
• Filed: 03/08/2000
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture LLP (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Dempski, Kelly L., Kurth, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Application Number:
  US09/520,586
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 707/203, 707/3, 707/7, 707/103, 709/207, 717/11, 345/356
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/345 Summarisation for human users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system, method and article of manufacture are provided for providing an abstract for data. First, a request for information from a user is processed. Data relating to the user request is searched for in at least one information repository. The results of the search are presented to the user. One or more abstract databases are searched for abstracts of the search results. Links to the abstracts of the search results are displayed. Selection of one of the links to the abstracts by the user is recognized and the abstract associated with the selected link is displayed.

Claims

1. A method for providing and searching abstracts of data, comprising the steps of:

(a) processing a request for information from a user;

(b) searching for data relating to the user request in at least one information repository;

(c) presenting results of the search to the user;

(d) searching at least one abstract database for abstracts of the search results;

(e) displaying links to the abstracts of the search results, wherein the links to the abstracts containing the text string are placed into a category and marked with an icon that represents the category, wherein the categories may be selected from a group of categories including a person category, a document category, a topic category, a client category and a project category;

(f) allowing the user to search the abstracts of the search results for a text string; and

(g) displaying links to the abstracts containing the text string.

2. A method for providing abstracts of data, comprising the steps of:

(a) processing a request for information from a user;

(b) searching for data relating to the user request in at least one information repository;

(c) presenting results of the search to the user;

(d) searching at least one abstract database for abstracts of the search results;

(e) displaying links to the abstracts of the search results, wherein each abstract found is placed into a category and marked with an icon that represents that category, wherein the categories may be selected from a group of categories including a person category, a document category, a topic category, a client category and a project category;

(f) recognizing selection of one of the links to the abstracts by the user; and

(g) displaying the abstract associated with the selected link.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the abstract database is installed on a user station on which the search results are output.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the user is prompted to install the abstract database if the abstract database is not installed on the user station.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the user may select one of a plurality of abstract databases for installation on the user station.

6. A method as recited in claim 2, further comprising the step of checking for an updated version of the abstract database before searching the abstract database for the abstracts of the search results.

7. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the abstract is sent to the user utilizing a mailback function.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of allowing the user to bookmark a predetermined abstract.

9. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium for providing abstracts of data, comprising:

(a) a code segment that processes a request for information from a user;

(b) a code segment that searches for data relating to the user request in at least one information repository;

(c) a code segment that presents results of the search to the user;

(d) a code segment that searches at least one abstract database for abstracts of the search results;

(e) a code segment that displays links to the abstracts of the search results, wherein each abstract found is placed into a category and marked with an icon that represents the category, wherein the categories may be selected from a group of categories including a person category, a document category, a topic category, a client category and a project category;

(f) a code segment that recognizes selection of one of the links to the abstracts by the user; and

(g) a code segment that displays the abstract associated with the selected link.

10. A computer program as recited in claim 9, wherein the abstract database is installed on a user station on which the search results are output.

11. A computer program as recited in claim 10, wherein the user is prompted to install the abstract database if the abstract database is not installed on the user station.

12. A computer program as recited in claim 10, wherein the user may select one of a plurality of abstract databases for installation on the user station.

13. A computer program as recited in claim 9, further comprising a code segment that checks for an updated version of the abstract database before searching the abstract database for the abstracts of the search results.

14. A computer program as recited in claim 9, wherein the abstract is sent to the user utilizing a mailback function.

15. A system for providing abstracts of data, comprising:

(a) logic that processes a request for information from a user;

(b) logic that searches for data relating to the user request in at least one information repository;

(c) logic that presents results of the search to the user;

(d) logic that searches at least one abstract database for abstracts of the search results;

(e) logic that displays links to the abstracts of the search results, wherein each abstract found is placed into a category and marked with an icon that represents the category, wherein the categories may be selected from a group of categories including a person category, a document category, a topic category, a client category and a project category;

(f) logic that recognizes selection of one of the links to the abstracts by the user; and

(g) logic that displays the abstract associated with the selected link.

16. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein the abstract database is installed on a user station on which the search results are output.

17. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein the user is prompted to install the abstract database if the abstract database is not installed on the user station.

18. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein the user may select one of a plurality of abstract databases for installation on the user station.

19. A system as recited in claim 15, further comprising logic that checks for an updated version of the abstract database before searching the abstract database for the abstracts of the search results.

20. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein the abstract is sent to the user utilizing a mailback function.