United States Patent
`
`[19]
`
`Williams, Jr.
`
`[11] Patent Number:
`
`6,108,686
`
`[45] Date of Patent:
`
`Aug. 22, 2000
`
`US006108686A
`
`“Intermind Announces Approval of First Patent Applica-
`tion,” dated Oct. 7, 1997, downloaded from http://www.in-
`termind.com/inside/press_rel/100797_allow.html, 3 pages.
`“About
`Intermind’s Channel Communications Patents,”
`downloaded
`from http://www.intermind.com/materials/
`patentideschtml on Feb. 27, 1998, 5 pages.
`“Frequently Asked Questions about Intermind’s Patents,”
`downloaded
`from http://www.intermind.com/materials/
`patent,faq.html on Feb. 27, 1998, 9 pages.
`Primary Examiner—Mehmet B. Geckil
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Blakely, Sokoloff, Taylor &
`Zafman LLP
`
`[57]
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A Subject-specific Information Retrieval and Viewing Sys-
`tem (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 includ-
`ing 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.
`
`33 Claims, 6 Drawing Sheets
`
`[54] AGENT-BASED ON-LINE INFORMATION
`RETRIEVAL AND VIEWING SYSTEM
`
`[76]
`
`Inventor: Henry R. Williams, Jr., 11 Broadway,
`Third Floor, New York, N.Y. 10004
`
`[21] Appl. No.: 09/034,773
`
`[22]
`
`Filed:
`
`Mar. 2, 1998
`
`Int. Cl.7 .................................................... .. G06F 15/16
`[51]
`[52] U.S. Cl.
`......................... .. 709/202; 709/203; 709/217
`[58] Field of Search ................................... .. 709/202, 203,
`709/217; 707/1-6, 10, 516, 104
`
`[56]
`
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`2/1998 Freadman ............................... .. 355/6.3
`5,722,041
`10/1998 Vora et al.
`..
`. 707/10
`5,819,273
`12/1998 Shoham ........... ..
`707/5
`5,855,015
`7/1999 Syeda—Mahmood
`707/3
`5,920,856
`10/1999 Rogers et al.
`.. 709/200
`5,974,441
`11/1999 Slotznick . . . . . . . . . . .
`. . . .. 705/26
`5,983,200
`11/1999 Syeda—Mahmood ...................... .. 707/3
`5,983,218
`6,009,422 12/1999 Ciccarelli
`.................................. .. 707/4
`6,029,165
`2/2000 Gable ........................................ .. 707/3
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`
`
`Sameer Madan, “Search the Web without a Headache,” PC
`World (India), pp. 40-41, Feb. 1998.
`Lingnau et al, “An HTTP-based Infrastructure for Mobile
`Agents,” http://www.w3.org/Conferences/WWW4/Papers/
`150/, pp. 1-15, 1995.
`Patricia Smith, “Web Compass Takes Web Searching in the
`Right Direction,” Seybold Report on Desktop Publishing,
`vol. 10, No. 10, pp. 1-9, 1996.
`Egyhazy et al, “Intelligent Web Search Agents,” http://
`csgrad.cs.vt.edu/ntplunket/article.html, pp. 1-23, no date.
`
`
`
`Search Rules L
`User 1 Rules
`User 2 Rules
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`
`User 1 Content
`User 2 Content
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`
`Control Panel
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`User n Content
`Local Database
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`Remote
`
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`Content
`Database
`
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Aug. 22,2000
`
`Sheet 1 of6
`
`6,108,686
`
`Content
`
`Server
`
`Internet
`
`I A S
`
`Server
`
`FIG. 1
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Aug. 22, 2000
`
`Sheet 3 of 6
`
`0001,6
`
`6006,
`
`Database 30
`
`Remote
`
`Database
`
`FIG. 3
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Aug. 22,2000
`
`Sheet 4 of6
`
`6,108,686
`
`Content Viewer Control Panel
`
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Aug. 22,2000
`
`Sheet 6 of6
`
`6,108,686
`
`Control
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`6,108,686
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`1
`AGENT-BASED ON-LINE INFORMATION
`RETRIEVAL AND VIEWING SYSTEM
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention pertains to the field of computer
`networking. More particularly, the present invention relates
`to techniques for retrieving and viewing information on a
`wide area network.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`Anumber of technologies are currently available to allow
`consumers to access information stored remotely on net-
`works such as the Internet, corporate intranets, etc.
`Browsers, for example, are a well-known class of software
`applications which enable computer users to download
`hypertext pages and other types of data from the World Wide
`Web and other remote sources. Another, more recently
`developed information access technology is commonly
`referred to as “push” technology. With push technology, a
`remote server generally gathers information on various
`topics from remote databases, packages the information into
`subject groupings called “channels”, and automatically
`downloads selected channels to the user’s computer. The
`user does not need to search for or request the information.
`The retrieved information may be automatically stored
`locally on the user’s computer, such that the user can browse
`the information off-line at a time of his own choosing.
`While information access technology has made signifi-
`cant advances, conventional information access tools have
`several problems, which prevent consumers from obtaining
`the full benefit of on-line information. One problem is the
`speed at which remotely stored information can be delivered
`to a user. Although the achievable data rates are generally
`increasing, very high speed data connections, such as T1
`lines and the like, tend to be too expensive for individual
`consumers to afford and therefore tend to be limited mainly
`to commercial uses. Further, steadily increasing delays due
`to increased network usage contribute to the speed problem.
`Push technology and local caching may be partial solu-
`tions to the speed issue. However, these solutions do not
`address a second problem, which is organization.
`In
`particular, conventional technologies, such as browsers and
`push technology, generally are focused on presentation
`rather than organization. Consequently, these technologies
`often do not provide information to a user in such a manner
`that it can be easily assimilated. This problem of organiza-
`tion is analogous to the notion of clipping articles out of a
`newspaper. Over time, a person may find a large number of
`newspaper articles interesting and therefore clip them out for
`future use. However, if the person ever wanted to see, for
`example, all of the articles from a particular newspaper, by
`a particular writer, and written in a particular month, he
`might find it difficult to sort through all of the accumulated
`articles. Essentially the same problem exists with regard to
`on-line information retrieved using conventional tools, such
`as Web browsers and push technology. Web pages, for
`example, have traditionally been designed to be pleasing in
`appearance, but not necessarily the most effective means of
`conveying large volumes of information to a user. Push
`technologies provide some improvement in organization by
`using channels or the like, but generally do not provide a
`user-friendly way for a person to access large volumes of
`stored information in the event that he wishes to archive the
`information for later use.
`
`Hence, it is desirable to provide a technology for access-
`ing information stored remotely on a network, such as the
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`Internet, which overcomes the above noted disadvantages of
`conventional information access technologies. In particular,
`what is needed is an information access technology which
`provides a user with improved speed of access and improved
`organization of the delivered information.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention includes a method of providing
`multiple local users with information stored remotely on a
`network. For each of the local users, a unique set of search
`criteria is generated relating to a single, predefined subject.
`Information relating to only the predefined subject
`is
`retrieved from a database on the network based on each set
`of search criteria, and the retrieved information is stored in
`a local database accessible to the local users. In particular
`embodiments,
`the present
`invention may include a user
`interface which enables each of the local users to access,
`from the local database, the information on the predefined
`subject and associated with the corresponding set of search
`criteria. Also, in particular embodiments the information is
`stored in the remote database according to a particular
`structure, and the search agent stores the information in the
`local database according to the same structure. Other fea-
`tures of the present invention will be apparent from the
`accompanying drawings and from the detailed description
`which follows.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`The present invention is illustrated by way of example
`and not
`limitation in the figures of the accompanying
`drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements
`and in which:
`
`FIG. 1 illustrates a client computer system connected to a
`number of remote server computer systems on the Internet.
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary
`architecture for any of the computer systems of FIG. 1.
`FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a subject-specific
`information retrieval and viewing system (SIRViS).
`FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating certain functions of
`a SIRViS in greater detail.
`FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a local computer
`system including a number of SIRViS.
`FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a SIRViS including
`a reporting unit and an update unit.
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`An agent based on-line information retrieval and viewing
`system is described. In the following description, for pur-
`poses of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth
`in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present
`invention.
`It will be evident
`to one skilled in the art,
`however, that the present invention may be practiced with-
`out these specific details. In other instances, well-known
`structures and devices are shown in block diagram or other
`symbolic form in order to facilitate description of the present
`invention.
`
`The present invention pertains to a technique for enabling
`multiple users of a local computer system to retrieve infor-
`mation stored in one or more remote servers on a network,
`such as on the Internet. As will be described, the present
`invention includes a Subject-specific Information Retrieval
`and Viewing System (SIRViS), which enables multiple users
`of a local computer system to access information stored
`remotely on the network. The SIRViS is designed to retrieve
`and display information relating only to a particular, pre-
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`defined subject area, in a manner that is tailored to each of
`multiple local users. The SIRViS generally includes a
`graphical user interface (GUI) and a search agent. Acontrol
`panel component of the GUI enables each local user to
`define his own unique set of search rules for locating
`information on the particular subject area stored in one or
`more remote databases on the network. The control panel
`provides each set of search rules to the search agent. The
`search agent
`then automatically accesses content
`in the
`remote databases according to the search and stores the
`information in a local database. The search agent may
`retrieve the information periodically or at specified days or
`times, for example. Using a content viewer component of
`the GUI, each local user can access information stored in the
`local database relating to the particular subject area and
`corresponding to his own set of search rules. The local
`storage of retrieved information improves the overall speed
`of access perceived by the user.
`In contrast with conventional
`
`information access
`
`techniques, such as Web browsers and push technology, the
`search agent stores information in the local database using
`the same organizational structure in which the information
`was stored in the remote database. This structure is selected
`
`in advance to be suitable for effectively conveying informa-
`tion on the predefined subject area to a user in a format that
`can be easily assimilated. The present
`invention is not
`limited to use with any particular type of data structure.
`However, the designer of a given SIRViS will have knowl-
`edge of the data structure used in the appropriate remote
`databases and will design the search agent and the content
`viewer to be compatible with this structure. Thus,
`the
`maintenance of the structure of the retrieved information and
`
`the subject-specific nature of the SIRViS improve the orga-
`nization of information delivered to the user, in comparison
`to traditional techniques.
`FIG. 1 illustrates a network configuration in which the
`present
`invention can be employed. In FIG. 1, a client
`computer system 1 is connected to one or more remote
`server computer systems (“content servers”) 2 by the Inter-
`net 3. The client system 1 may have multiple users who wish
`to access, from time to time, information stored in databases
`on the content servers 2 relating to various topics, such as
`news, cooking, weather, sports, etc. Accordingly, one or
`more SIRViS operating in the client system 1 allow the users
`to access that information. In the description which follows,
`it
`is generally assumed that a SIRViS is embodied as
`application software which executes on the client computer
`system 1. Note, however, that a SIRViS and any component
`thereof can alternatively be embodied in hardware or in a
`combination of hardware and software.
`
`Associated with the present invention is a proprietary,
`subscription information access service (IAS). The IAS
`creates and maintains multiple SIRViSs, each custom-
`designed to retrieve and display information on a specific
`subject. Each SIRViS maintains knowledge of the locations
`of one or more particular databases on its associated subject
`in one or more particular content servers 2. A user of the
`client system 1 subscribes to the IAS to receive at least one
`SIRViS for accessing information on the remote content
`servers 2. Accordingly, the IAS maintains one or more server
`computer systems (“IAS server”) 4 connected to the Inter-
`net. One or more appropriate SIRViS can be downloaded to
`the client system 1 from the IAS server 4 via the Internet 3.
`The client system 1 may also have a direct (e.g., dial-up)
`connection to the IAS server 4, through which a SIRViS can
`be downloaded to the client system 1. Alternatively, one or
`more SIRViS can be loaded into the client system 1 from a
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`portable storage medium, such as a magnetic disk or tape, a
`magneto-optical (MO) storage device, or any of various
`types of optical storage media, such as Digital Versatile Disk
`(DVD) or compact disk ROM (CD-ROM).
`Which particular SIRViSs are loaded into the client sys-
`tem 1 depends on which topics interest the users of the client
`system 1. The users’ interests may be determined in any of
`various ways, a discussion of which is not necessary for
`purposes of practicing the present
`invention. After each
`SIRViS is loaded into the client system 1, each SIRViS
`independently executes on the client system 1 to provide the
`local users with access to information stored on the content
`severs 2, in a manner which will be described.
`Note that each of the computer systems shown in FIG. 1
`may represent a number of interconnected computer sys-
`tems. For example, although the IAS server 4 is shown as a
`single computer system, it may actually comprise multiple
`computer systems, which may be connected to each other on
`a local area network (LAN) coupled to the Internet 3, or
`which may be geographically separated and connected to the
`Internet 3 at different locations. Similarly, the client system
`1 or any of the content servers 2 may represent multiple
`computer systems connected to each other on a LAN,
`corporate intranet, or the like.
`FIG. 2 illustrates,
`in block diagram form, a computer
`system architecture that
`is representative of any of the
`computer systems shown in FIG. 1. The system shown in
`FIG. 2 represents a conventional personal computer (PC).
`Note, however, that many other architectures and types of
`systems may be employed without departing from the scope
`of the present
`invention. Any of the computer systems
`represented in FIG. 1 may be a less conventional type of
`computer system. For example, the client system 1 may be
`a “set-top box” type of processing system that uses a
`standard television set as a display device.
`The computer system of FIG. 2 includes a central pro-
`cessing unit (CPU) 10, random access memory (RAM) 11,
`read-only memory (ROM) 12, each connected to a bus
`system 18. The bus system 18 in FIG. 2 may represent one
`or more buses connected to each other through various
`bridges, controllers and/or adapters, such as are well-known
`in the art. For example, the bus system 18 may include a
`system bus which connects CPU 10 to RAM 11 and which
`is connected through an adapter to one or more expansion
`buses, such as a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
`bus. Also coupled to the bus system 18 are a mass storage
`device 13, a keyboard 14, a pointing device 15, a data
`communication device 16, and a display device 17.
`The pointing device 15 may be any suitable device for
`enabling a user to position a cursor or pointer on the display
`device 17, such as a mouse, trackball, touchpad, stylus with
`light pen, or the like. The display device 17 may be any
`suitable device for displaying alphanumeric, graphical and/
`or video data to a user, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a
`liquid crystal display (LCD), or the like. Mass storage
`device 17 may be any suitable device for storing large
`volumes of data, such as a magnetic disk or tape, an MO
`storage device, or any of various types of optical storage
`media, such as DVD, CD-ROM, etc. Data communication
`device 19 may be any device suitable for or enabling the
`computer system to communicate data with a remote com-
`puter system over communication link 5, such as a conven-
`tional
`telephone modem, a cable television modem, an
`Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) adapter, a Digi-
`tal Subscriber Line (xDSL) adapter, or the like.
`The elements shown in FIG. 2 perform their conventional
`functions known in the art. In particular, mass storage 13 is
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`used to provide non-volatile storage of software instructions
`and data, whereas RAM 11 is a system memory for provid-
`ing temporary storage of the data and the software instruc-
`tions when executed by the CPU 10. Software instructions
`for implementing the SIRViS and other aspects of the
`present
`invention may be downloaded to mass storage
`device 13 and/or RAM 11 from a remote server via the
`network connection 5.
`FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the SIRViS of the
`
`present invention. As noted, the SIRViS may be embodied as
`software executing on the client system 1. Hence, in FIG. 3,
`SIRViS 22 is shown as stored within a memory 20 in the
`client system 1. Memory 20 may represent RAM 11 or mass
`storage device 13 in FIG. 3, for example, or a combination
`of those elements. Note that while various functions are
`
`attributed in this description to the SIRViS and its
`components, in the case of a software embodiment,
`it is
`actually the execution by a processor (e.g., CPU 10) of
`software instructions representing the SIRViS and its com-
`ponents which causes the described functions to occur.
`The SIRViS 22 includes a GUI 24 and a search agent 25
`configured to cooperate with each other. The GUI 24
`includes a control panel component 26 and a content viewer
`component 27. The control panel 26 allows each user of the
`client system 1 to create his own unique set of
`configurations, or search rules, which are stored within the
`client system 1. Thus, each member of a family having a
`home PC, for example, can define his or her own set of
`search rules for accessing information on a particular subject
`area. The control panel 26 may also provide various other
`functions for allowing a user to control and maintain the
`SIRViS 22. The control panel 26 interacts with users via
`dialog boxes and other features associated with conventional
`windows-based environments. These features may be
`manipulated by the user using well-known techniques, such
`as the manual positioning of a pointer or cursor on a display
`device using a mouse, trackball, touchpad, or other pointing
`device.
`
`In alternative embodiments, search rules may not be
`specified explicitly by a user. Instead, search rules may be
`generated automatically based on observations of the users’s
`actions, such as which types of on-line information the user
`accesses most frequently. In that case, such observation
`and/or rule generation functions may be performed by the
`control panel 26, by a dedicated rule generation component
`within the SIRViS, or by an entity separate from the SIRViS
`22.
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`uses each set of search rules to access information on a
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`predefined subject area in one or more remote databases 34.
`The remote databases 34 are stored in one or more of the
`
`remote content servers 2 (see FIG. 1). The search agent 25
`may access the remote databases 34 at regular, predefined
`intervals or at pre-specified days or times. The agent 25
`stores the retrieved information in a local database 30. In
`
`doing so, the search agent 25 creates an association in the
`local database 30 between stored groups of information and
`the corresponding set of search rules used to retrieve the
`groups of information, thereby associating information with
`particular users.
`The search agent is generally described herein as residing
`on the client system 1. Note, however, that in alternative
`embodiments of the present invention, the search agent 25
`may be located remotely from the client system 1 and/or
`separate from the GUI 24. For example, the search agent 25
`might be local to a remote database 34 and therefore might
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`reside in one of the remote content servers 2. In that case,
`communication between the search agent 25 and the GUI 24
`may take place over the Internet 3.
`The local database 30 is a structured database (e.g.,
`relational, object oriented, etc.), which allows structured,
`field-based queries, such as in a structured query language
`(SQL) database (as opposed to text searches). The local
`database 30 may be located within the client system 1, as
`shown in FIG. 3, although that is not necessarily the case.
`However, the local database 30 is much “closer” to the client
`system 1 in terms of data access time than are the remote
`databases 34. The local database 30 may be stored in a mass
`storage device, such as mass storage device 13 in FIG. 2.
`When a user wishes to view the retrieved data for the
`
`defined subject area, the user invokes the content viewer 27,
`which accesses the information from the local database 30
`
`and displays it to the user. The content viewer 27 provides
`a conventional windows-based environment to interact with
`
`the user. In certain embodiments, the content viewer 27 may
`provide an environment in which the user identifies himself
`or is automatically identified by the client system 1, and the
`user, from the point of identification, is presented with, or is
`only allowed access to, content collected based on his or her
`own set of search rules for the given subject area.
`Hence, each SIRViS 22 is custom designed to retrieve and
`display to a user information relating to a particular subject
`area. Accordingly,
`the control panel 26, agent 25, and
`content viewer 27 are specifically designed to access a
`specific class of information stored according to a particular,
`predefined structure. Specifically,
`the control panel 26 is
`custom designed to enable multiple users to each specify
`their own set of search rules for the particular subject area.
`The agent 25 is designed to use these sets of search rules to
`retrieve a specific type of information from the predefined
`remote databases 34 and to store that information in the local
`
`database 30 using the same data structure in which the data
`is stored in the remote databases 34. The agent 25 therefore
`maintains knowledge of which remote databases to search.
`Such knowledge may be in the form of a simple stored list
`of paths to one or more data files. The content viewer 27 is
`designed to have knowledge of this data structure and to
`retrieve the information from the local database 30 accord-
`
`ingly. The content viewer 27 is further designed to retrieve
`stored information associated with a particular user (i.e.,
`information retrieved using a particular set of search rules).
`Referring now to FIG. 4, when a user invokes the SIRViS
`22 for the first time after it is loaded into the client system
`1, the user accesses the control panel 26 to define his set of
`search rules for the relevant subject area. The control panel
`26, therefore, maintains a dataset 40 containing the search
`rules for all of the authorized users of the client system 1.
`The agent 25 accesses the dataset 40, selects the set of rules
`for a particular user, retrieves information from the remote
`database 34, and stores the information within the local
`database 30, including associating the retrieved information
`with a particular user (or set of search rules).
`In one
`embodiment, the agent 25 searches the remote database 34
`on behalf of one or more users regardless of whether the
`client system 1 is currently in use by any user; hence,
`searches are generally performed automatically. Searches
`may be performed periodically or at specified days or times.
`However,
`it is also contemplated that the agent 25 may
`initiate a search of the remote databases 34 directly in
`response to a user request.
`The client system 1 may include more than one SIRViS,
`each of which relates to a different subject area. Thus, as
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`shown in FIG. 5, the client system 1 may include a number
`of individual SIRViSs, 22-1, 22-2, .
`.
`.
`, 22-N, each of which
`relates to a particular subject area. Each of the SIRViSs 22-1
`through 22-N is configured to access data from a particular
`group of remote databases 34-1, 34-2,
`.
`.
`, 34-N,
`respectively, and to store that
`information in the local
`database 30. If desired, multiple local databases may be
`used, such as one for each SIRViS.
`Because information is retrieved by the SIRViS automati-
`cally and stored in the local database, the speed at which a
`user can access and view this information is improved in
`comparison with conventional
`technologies. Moreover,
`because each SIRViS is customized to retrieve information
`for a particular subject area and to retain the structure in
`which that information is stored, the information is stored in
`the local database in a far more organized manner than with
`conventional
`information retrieval
`tools. The present
`invention, therefore, allows a user to access information on
`a given topic much more quickly and easily than with
`conventional information access tools.
`
`In addition to the functions described above, a SIRViS
`may include the capability to automatically update itself in
`order to identify newly available remote databases or to
`provide improved functionality. Thus, referring to FIG. 6, a
`SIRViS 22b according to one embodiment
`includes an
`update unit 44, in addition to the components mentioned
`above. The update unit 44 causes the SIRViS 22b to auto-
`matically update itself when an updated version is available,
`such as when the list of remote databases has been updated
`or when the program code has been improved. When a more
`updated version of the SIRViS is available, the update unit
`44 automatically causes the update to be downloaded to the
`client system 1 from a remote server. The update unit 44 may
`automatically query the IAS server 4 to determine if an
`update is available, or it may simply wait for a message from
`the IAS server 4 indicating that an update is available.
`Updating the SIRViS 22b may entail replacing or modifying
`the entire SIRViS 22b or particular components of the
`SIRViS 22b, such as the agent 25, the control panel 26,
`and/or the content viewer 27.
`A SIRViS of the present invention may also include the
`capability to record accesses by a given user to particular
`pieces of content stored in a local database, and to report
`these accesses, either in real-time or in batch mode, to some
`remote database, such as the system server 4, or one of the
`content servers 2. This information may be used by the IAS
`or third parties to maintain user profiles. Accordingly, as
`shown in FIG. 6, the SIRViS 22b of the present invention
`includes a reporting unit 42 for performing these recording
`and reporting functions. Note that while the reporting unit 42
`and the update unit 44 are shown as components of the
`SIRViS 22b, alternatively they may be provided as separate
`entities which function independently of the SIRViS 22b.
`Thus, an agent based on-line information retrieval and
`viewing system has been described. Although the present
`invention has been described with reference to specific
`exemplary embodiments,
`it will be evident
`that various
`modifications and changes may be made to these embodi-
`ments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of
`the invention as set forth in the claims. Accordingly, the
`specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustra-
`tive sense rather than a restrictive sense.
`What is claimed is:
`
`1. A device for providing a plurality of local users with
`information stored remotely on a network, the device com-
`prising:
`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
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`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.
`2. Adevice according to claim 1, further comprising a user
`interface configured to enable each of the plurality of local
`users to access, from the local database, the information on
`the predefined subject associated with the corresponding set
`of search criteria.
`3. Adevice according to claim 1, wherein the search agent
`is further configured to create an association in the local
`database between the retrieved information and particular
`ones of the local users based on the set of search rules used
`to retrieve the information.
`
`4. Adevice according to claim 1, wherein the information
`is stored in the remote database according to a structure, and
`wherein the agent is further configured to store the infor-
`mation in the local database according to said structure.
`5. A processing system for providing a plurality of local
`users with information stored remotely over a network, the
`system comprising:
`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 co