Method and system for periodically updating data records having an expiry time

• US 5,987,464 A
• Filed: 07/25/1997
• Issued: 11/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MEC Management, LLC (Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota)
• Original Assignee: Eric Schneider
• Inventors: Schneider, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US08/900,437
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 707/200, 707/202, 707/103, 707/10, 707/104, 395/329, 395/51, 395/333, 395/701, 395/500, 395/375, 380/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24539 using cached or materialised query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24549 Run-time optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method and system for information delivery of a computer system. The method includes the steps of storing a first data including a program and potentially reusable data on a storage medium of a computer system. In turn, a second data including control data is subsequently stored on the same storage medium as the first data. The contents of the control data is unknown at the time the first data was stored. The control data corresponds to a subset of the potentially reusable data. The program is executed and combines the control data and the potentially reusable data to create on the storage medium of the computer system a third data including newly indexed available information. Information is delivered by sending a plurality of transmissions where known data is sent in advance to minimize the subsequent delivery of unknown control data that becomes known based upon a future event.

Claims

1. In a computer network having a provider computer system and a subscriber computer system having a storage facility with an executable computer program and at least one data file having potentially reusable data stored therein and at least one communication link connecting the provider computer system and the subscriber computer system, a computer implemented method comprising the steps of:

a) periodically downloading, from said provider computer system, first data comprising newly issued data having at least one issue date and at least one expiry date;

b) periodically downloading second data, from said provider computer system, including control data, said control data indicating whether the second data is to be maintained in a subset of the records of the at least one data file, said control data corresponding to at least one record of the potentially reusable data; and

c) executing said computer program on said subscriber computer system to combine said second data with the at least one data file to create third data of new use comprising updated subset of said potentially reusable data, wherein said third data includes at least one data file of newly issued information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second data is unknown at the time of storing the first data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating the third data includes the step of executing the program for combining the second data with the at least one data file to form at least one newly indexed data file.

4. The method of claim 3, further including the step of using a search engine to search and retrieve from the third data or the newly issued data.

5. The method of claim 1, further including the step of executing the program to configure, query, browse, select, report, archive, order, or hyperlink to the internet from the third data or the newly issued data.

6. The method of claim 1, further including the step of executing the program to create new potentially reusable data by combining the newly issued data and all records of the potentially reusable data which do not correspond to the control data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the third data is automatically created upon delivery of the second data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the third data is automatically filtered and displayed by a preset user defined query upon creation of the third data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the third data includes newly indexed available information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data and the second data are received during the same download.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second data further includes news and advertising data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second data is received first and used to create the third data for displaying the third data or the news and advertising data while the first data is still downloading.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage medium is a hard drive.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said storage includes a portable storage medium comprising a hidden partition comprising storage space inaccessible to conventional programs and not reducing conventional storage capacity of the portable storage medium, wherein the control data is stored thereon.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said potentially reusable data includes information such as but not limited to patents, trademarks, domain names, copyrights, real estate, job descriptions, resumes, coupons, advertising, personal ads, rules, regulations, citations, press releases, and confidential information.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said potentially reusable data is partitioned by issue date or by date of potential expiration.

25. A computer readable medium having executable computer instructions that executes the method steps of any claims 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or 10 or 12 or 14 or 15 or 16.

17. A computer apparatus for periodically updating files on a computer network comprising a provider computer system and a subscriber computer system having a storage facility with an executable computer program and at least one data file having potentially reusable data stored therein and at least one communication link connecting the provider computer system and the subscriber computer system comprising:

a) means for periodically downloading, from said provider computer system, first data comprising newly issued data having at least one issue date and at least one expiry date;

b) means for periodically downloading second data, from said provider computer system, including control data, said control data indicating whether the second data is to be maintained in a subset of the records of the at least one data file, said control data corresponding to at least one record of the potentially reusable data; and

c) means for executing said computer program on said subscriber computer system to combine said second data with the at least one data file to create third data of new use comprising updated subset of said potentially reusable data, wherein said third data includes at least one data file of newly issued information.

18. The computer apparatus of claim 17, wherein the third data is automatically updated upon delivery of the second data.

19. The computer apparatus of claim 17, wherein the third data is automatically filtered and displayed by a preset user defined query upon update of the third data.

20. The computer apparatus of claim 17, wherein the third data includes newly indexed available information.

21. The computer apparatus of claim 17, wherein the storage medium is a hard drive.

22. The computer apparatus of claim 17, wherein said storage includes a portable storage medium comprising a hidden partition comprising storage space inaccessible to conventional programs and not reducing conventional storage capacity of the portable storage medium, wherein the control data is stored thereon.

23. The computer apparatus of claim 17, wherein said potentially reusable data includes information such as but not limited to patents, trademarks, domain names, copyrights, real estate, job descriptions, resumes, coupons, advertising, personal ads, rules, regulations, citations, press releases, and confidential information.

24. The computer apparatus of claim 17, wherein said potentially reusable data is partitioned by issue date or by date of potential expiration.