United States Patent (19)
`Jones et al.
`
`US006026429A
`Patent Number:
`11
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`6,026,429
`*Feb. 15, 2000
`
`54 SEAMLESS INTEGRATION OF INTERNET
`RESOURCES
`
`56)
`
`References Cited
`
`75 Inventors: David R. Jones; Gregory S. Gerard,
`both of Columbus; Julie H. Hanley,
`Middletown, all of Ohio
`
`rr. A
`73 Assignee: America Online, Inc., Dulles, Va.
`*
`Notice:
`This patent issued on a continued pros
`ecution application filed under 37 CFR
`1.53(d), and is subject to the twenty year
`patent term provisions of 35 U.S.C.
`154(a)(2).
`
`21 Appl. No.: 08/967,431
`22 Filed:
`Nov. 10, 1997
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`63 Continuation of application No. 08/476,711, Jun. 7, 1995
`abandoned.
`pp
`2
`---2 v wt... •
`2
`2
`51 Int. C.7
`A47C 27/14
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`5,500,929 3/1996 Dickinson ............................... 395/160
`5,528,757 6/1996 Yamasaki ........
`... 395/700
`5,530,852 6/1996 Meske, Jr. et al. ..................... 395/600
`5,572,643 11/1996 Judson .................................... 395/793
`
`- - -
`-
`Primary Examiner William Grant
`ASSistant Examiner McDievnel Marc
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Standley & Gilcrest LLP
`
`ABSTRACT
`57
`A mechanism for Seanilessly Searching and accessing infor
`mation available through the Internet and other resources is
`disclosed. The present invention maintains a database of file
`objects available from numerous Sources. The present inven
`tion updates the database periodically to ensure the accuracy
`and completeness of it. The present invention also may
`
`C - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -709.201.707 3: 707 ? O
`
`acceSS and retrieve data from numerous Sources when
`
`52)
`
`O X
`
`O
`
`-- O - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
`
`f '75. 'E', prompted by a Sige and Simple command initiated by the
`
`395500 600
`58) Field of Search
`395/700, 145-161, 200.03, 200.09, 148,
`188, 189, 200.31, 200.49; 707/3-10, 4,
`5, 6; 709/201, 202, 206, 218; 705/26, 27
`
`2
`
`CMBASED
`NTERACTIVE
`FRONTEND
`
`6
`
`NWOCATION
`
`AUNCHER
`
`RESOUTION
`SERVER
`
`REQUEST
`
`INVOCATION
`
`SEARCREQUEST
`SEARCHRESULTS
`
`REFORMATED SEARCHREQUEST
`
`SARC ENGINE
`CONRO
`
`COMMERCIA
`SEARCHENGINE
`AP
`
`NFORMATION
`REPOSTORY
`
`ATERNAVE FILE
`FINDERTONFORMATION
`REPOSITORY
`CONVERSONUTTY
`
`SECUREDINTERACTIVE
`MANtENANCE
`PROGRAM
`
`NEW
`AA 3O
`
`CURRENT
`AA
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`BM Fles
`DAABASE
`
`
`
`
`
`PRODUCT
`MANAGER
`
`28
`
`user. The user is shielded from the quirks and intricacies of
`various information Sources.
`
`24 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets
`
`-
`
`8
`
`NWOCATION
`
`CGSCRIPT
`
`NWOCATION WWW BASED
`NTERACTIVE
`FRON END
`
`TARGE
`ARTICLE, PAGE,
`SAP
`
`SEARCH REQUEST
`SEARCH RESULTS
`
`DYNAMIC
`
`CG SCRP8;
`DATA CONVERSION
`PROGRAMS
`
`EEASE RAW DAA
`CONVERTER
`
`EXERNAL
`DATABASE OCC
`ORINTERNALYE
`LOWPAGES)
`
`
`
`
`
`DAY
`BACH
`Update
`
`NEW
`DAA
`
`UPDATE
`TRANS
`ACONS
`
`CURRENT DAA
`FROM FG. A
`(1
`
`NRACTIVE ENTRY/
`MANTENANCE
`APPLICAONS)
`
`CHANGES
`
`PRODUCT
`SUPPORT,
`SYNOPS, ETC,
`
`
`
`CANGES
`
`Petitioners Microsoft Corporation and HP Inc. - Ex. 1034, p. 1
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 15, 2000
`
`Sheet 1 of 4
`
`6,026,429
`
`2
`
`(A)
`
`6
`
`CIM BASED
`NTERACTIVE
`FRONT END
`
`NVOCATION
`
`LAUNCHER
`
`
`
`RESOLUTION
`SERVER
`
`REQUEST
`
`NVOCATION
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`SEARCH REQUEST
`SEARCH RESULS
`
`REFORMATED SEARCH REQUEST
`SEARCH RESULTS
`
`
`
`
`
`E
`SEARCH ENGIN
`CONTROL
`
`COMMERCIAL
`SEARCH ENGINE
`AP
`
`NFORMATION
`REPOSITORY
`
`IBM FLE
`FNDER
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`BM FILES
`DATABASE
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`ALTERNATIVE FILE
`FNDER TO INFORMATION
`REPOSITORY
`CONVERSION UTILITY
`
`
`
`
`
`PRODUCT
`MANAGER
`
`EDTS
`
`SECURED INTERACTIVE
`MANTENANCE
`PROGRAM
`
`
`
`NEW
`DATA 3O
`
`CURRENT
`DATA
`
`28
`
`A72 /4
`
`TO FIG. B.
`
`Petitioners Microsoft Corporation and HP Inc. - Ex. 1034, p. 2
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 15, 2000
`
`Sheet 2 of 4
`
`6,026,429
`
`-
`
`NVOCATION
`
`
`
`
`
`NVOCATION
`
`CG SCRIPT
`
`TARGET
`ARTICLE, PAGE,
`PSAP
`
`SEARCH REQUEST
`SEARCH RESULTS
`
`8
`
`WWW BASED
`INTERACTIVE
`FRONT END
`
`EYNAMIC
`PAGE
`
`
`
`CG SCRIPT 8
`DATA CONVERSION
`PROGRAMS
`
`BATCH
`DATABASE
`CONVERTER
`
`RAW DATA
`
`
`
`
`
`EXTERNAL
`/ DATABASE (OCLC
`OR INTERNALYE
`LOW PAGES)
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`DALY
`BATCH
`UPDATE
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`CHANGES
`
`
`
`
`
`UPDATE
`TRANS
`ACTIONS
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`CURRENT DATA
`FROM FG. A
`
`INTERACTIVE ENTRY/
`MANTENANCE
`APPLICATION(S)
`
`CHANGES
`
`
`
`
`
`PRODUCT
`SUPPORT,
`SYNOPS, ETC.
`
`CHANGES
`
`6
`
`A/G/A
`
`Petitioners Microsoft Corporation and HP Inc. - Ex. 1034, p. 3
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 15, 2000
`
`Sheet 3 of 4
`
`6,026,429
`
`54
`
`44
`
`FTP CLIENT
`
`42
`
`40
`
`USENETCLIENT
`
`50
`
`XCLIENT
`
`Fig.2
`
`48
`
`CLIENT
`
`TELNET
`
`WEB CLIENT
`
`Petitioners Microsoft Corporation and HPInc. - Ex. 1034, p. 4
`
`Petitioners Microsoft Corporation and HP Inc. - Ex. 1034, p. 4
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Feb. 15, 2000
`
`Sheet 4 of 4
`
`6,026,429
`
`
`
`>-
`1.
`C
`2
`a
`
`Petitioners Microsoft Corporation and HP Inc. - Ex. 1034, p. 5
`
`

`

`6,026,429
`
`1
`SEAMLESS INTEGRATION OF INTERNET
`RESOURCES
`
`This application is a file wrapper continuation of appli
`cation Ser. No. 08/476,711 filed Jun. 7, 1995 now aban
`doned.
`
`2
`based Service provider and work with a cryptic prompt.
`Generally, users See a set of application programs that enable
`one to use the network. Some of these programs boast the
`ability to provide easy access to the greatest number of
`resources, but none provide a method of incorporating all
`available Search programs or resources into one universal
`resource access System.
`The Internet provides the ability to access mailing lists.
`Mailing lists are subscriber listings of publicly available
`discussions by people who share common interests. A mail
`ing list is an e-mail address that redistributes all mail Sent to
`it back out to a list of addresses. AS an example, those people
`interested in general information about a Subject area may
`access the mailing list and Subscribe to that list that posts
`messages concerning that Subject area. In the future, post
`ings to that list will be sent to that and all other subscribers.
`The user may then, at his leisure, read all or Some of those
`postings. The user may even reply to a posting by Sending
`a message to all Subscribers or to the Specific author of the
`posting. Each mailing list is focused upon a specific hobby
`or interest area and provides the user with the ability to
`easily keep up-to-date on a chosen topic.
`Similar to mailing hosts, the Internet provides USENET.
`The USENET is a worldwide network of newsgroups on
`thousands of Subjects which can be accessed by newsreader
`programs. For commercial dial-up users, USENET news
`groups seem familiar in many ways. They are discussion
`areas where ideas can be exchanged. A user can post a
`message on-line and read the responses to it that build up
`over time. A user can Subscribe to a particular newsgroup,
`page through it using a Software reader, organize the mes
`Sages according to threads, add messages commenting on
`what people have said, and ask questions.
`The Internet provides a program called FTP, or File
`Transfer Protocol. FTP is a way of sending files between
`computers. FTP provides interactive capabilities that allow
`the user to log on to a remote computer and prowl around in
`its directories to locate a file and have it sent. The process is
`Slow and complex. Unlike commercial Services Such as
`CompuServe E), there are few menus to guide the user, and
`even at the largest archival Sites, Software can be challenging
`to locate by type or description. Also unlike commercial
`services, FTP sites have other purposes for existing. They
`are working Systems that have resources that are not
`designed for access by the general public and are not
`“user-friendly.” FTP sites do not have easy-to-use interfaces
`similar to the CompuServe Information Manager(R). There is
`another difference between commercial on-line Service
`libraries and the FTP sites of the Internet. CompuServe's
`Forums(E) are run by System operators. The System operator
`keeps a close check on the files uploaded to libraries, to
`make Sure they contain no viruses, to ensure that they work,
`and to determine that they’re worthwhile. They also make
`Sure that the available programs are current versions. Soft
`ware at FTP sites, on the other hand, may or may not receive
`this kind of scrutiny.
`To improve and Simplify access to these files available via
`FTP an indexing tool called Archie was developed. Archie
`servers store information on what is available at FTP sites in
`regularly updated Servers. A user can Telnet to an Archie
`Server and Search the database. Archie allows Searching for
`entries containing a particular Search String, and it can
`provide other information which can be useful in the search
`for Specific files. Archie also maintains a Software descrip
`tion database that holds the names and descriptions of
`Software packages. To obtain the located resource, however,
`a user must leave Telnet and must Set up a FTP Session to get
`the file.
`
`BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE
`INVENTION
`The present invention relates generally to a System for use
`in on-line research, and more particularly, to a computer
`System that enables a user to have access to information
`available via the Internet and other resources in an environ
`ment which provides Seamless integration of all Such infor
`mation.
`The Internet is a connection of many individual campus,
`State, regional and national computer networks into one
`Single logical network all Sharing a common addressing
`scheme. Most of these networks have publicly accessible
`information. This information includes electronic journals,
`mailing lists, electronic books, programs, pictures, encyclo
`pedias and dictionaries and many other resources Such as
`articles and legislative databases just to name a few. Some
`databases exist Solely to archive academic information
`eXchange. These databases and networks house a great deal
`of information that can be of great benefit to those that have
`the ability to access it. However, a lack of an easy way to
`access information has been a bottleneck that has prevented
`people from utilizing the information.
`Users of commercial dial-up Services are accustomed to
`one-stop shopping. These users generally sign on to the
`Service and, through the use of navigation aids, Search and
`retrieve relevant information. These commercial Services
`have navigation aids or programs dedicated to providing
`easy access to information. These Searches, however, are
`limited to the centralized computer databases of that com
`mercial Service or to databases that are connected directly to
`that Service. If the user wants to access information available
`via the Internet, the user must enter an area that allows
`access to the Internet via a specialized gateway. These
`gateways generally require the user to utilize protocols of
`the Internet, such as FTP, Telnet and USENET, which
`provide only very basic finctions through a cryptic command
`format. These functions may include electronic mail file
`transfer and remote login. Electronic mail allows people to
`Send messages to one or more people, to deliver text files, to
`retrieve information by automated computer programs like
`LISTSERV (through a gateway to BITNET), and more. File
`transfer may occur through a process called file transfer
`protocol, or FTP. This process allows one to log on to remote
`computers and use the resources in directories that network
`administrators have made available to the public to acceSS
`publicly available documents or programs. Remote login or
`Telnet, provides the ability to connect to a remote computer
`and work with it interactively. Through Telnet, one can log
`into directories of remote computers, Such as library catalogs
`of distant universities, and Search for relevant information.
`During a Telnet Session the user's computer Serves as a
`terminal of that remote computer. Each of these programs
`provide minimal access to focused resources and can be
`confusing to the user. Moreover, to implement a complete
`Search of information the user must master each method and
`individually Search each Service.
`The connections provided by Internet acceSS providers
`generally give few indications to the user about what to do
`to access information. Most users, log on through a UNIX
`
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`Petitioners Microsoft Corporation and HP Inc. - Ex. 1034, p. 6
`
`

`

`3
`There are other search tools available to the Internet user.
`These tools include programs called Gopher, WAIS, World
`WideWeb, Veronica, etc. These programs attempt to address
`the problem of having a multitude of databases, with mul
`tiple redundant files of Several versions located around the
`World. However, even with these tools, a user attempting to
`locate and download required information has been
`described as being faced with a task Similar to a perSon
`trying to find a bathroom in a house with 250,000 unmarked
`doors. The user will eventually find that file but will be
`required to spend considerable amounts of time and will be
`required to have an inordinant amount of patience and
`persistence.
`Gopher allows a user to browse the Internets resources in
`many forms. Gopher provides a menu of available options
`and allows the user to acceSS Several different Services or
`programs. There are Several ways of accessing a gopher
`Server, Such as a local client program or via a Telnet Session.
`Gopher clients also provide the ability to Search for Specified
`terms. Gopher utilizes Archie to locate files via FTP and is
`therefore subject to Archie's limitations. Gopher provides
`abundant materials to Search but does not provide an easy
`method of accessing all materials from one Screen.
`Another program has been created in an attempt at Solving
`this problem. Veronica provides a keyword search of the
`titles of Gopher items. Unlike Archie, Veronica provides the
`ability to directly access and obtain desired files without
`transferring into FTP.
`The Internet offers Wide Area Information Servers, or
`WAIS, for on-line text searching. A user is permitted to
`Search for a combination of keywords by Sending Search
`strings to the appropriate WAIS servers. WAIS locates
`documents that contain the Specified keywords and infor
`mation is returned in hierarchical order based on frequency
`of each keyword and the distance between keywords within
`each document. WAIS is based on the client/server model
`and allows the user's computer to mimic a client and acceSS
`the server where the data is stored. WAIS allows the ability
`to specify multiple databases to be Searched Sequentially.
`The World Wide Web, or WWW, is a hypertext project
`that linkS key concepts and thus allows a user to browse
`resources available on the Internet. WWW is similar to
`WAIS but utilizes a hypertext system to link documents
`together. Some WWW browsers use a graphical interface
`but Some utilize a textual interface. In general, users may
`access a WWW client, select a number that instructs the
`client to access the document corresponding to the number.
`In a graphical interface users may simply point and click to
`move from document to document.
`The present invention may provide a means for Searching
`all resources on the Internet with one Search command. The
`present invention may maintain a database of references
`available from numerous Sources on the Internet and pro
`vides a method for acquiring those resources. The present
`invention may update the database periodically to ensure the
`accuracy and completeness of it. The present invention may
`have the ability to Search through databases constructed
`using the tools described above either simultaneously or
`Selectively. The present invention may have a modular
`Structure to it that allows for new Internet Search and acceSS
`tools to be added or removed as it is deemed proper. The
`present invention may provide “one-stop’ Shopping for
`researchers that Shields users from the intricacies of
`accessing, Searching and retrieving information through
`numerous methods. Utilizing the present invention the user
`may, with a Single Search, acquire a lst of all available
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`6,026,429
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`4
`resources on a desired topic. The user may then access the
`information directly through a Seamless interface that
`Shields the user from the quirks of various Internet Systems.
`The present invention may utilize an interactive front-end
`which Serves to obtain the user's request along with perti
`nent filtering or Search miting Stipulations. The interactive
`front-end may then access a Search engine to perform the
`Search and then may display the results received from the
`Search engine.
`Preferably, the Search engine of the present invention
`performs the information Search. It may perform this Search
`by Searching a local information repository consisting of
`database objects representing information from various
`Sources, Such as FTP sites and CIS Forums(E). The search
`engine preferably has the ability to reformat the Search
`request in order to invoke other helper tasks Such as a local
`or remote file finder.
`The present invention may utilize an information reposi
`tory that contains information concerning location.
`Preferably, the information repository consists of a set of
`relational database tables defining information Source
`objects. Each object may contain a class, keyword,
`description, location and other Similar data for use in both
`locating the object in a Search and for accessing it if it is
`Selected. Additionally, the information repository may con
`tain Subjective evaluations of the quality of information.
`Preferably, the information repository Serves as an interme
`diate database that will allow a search of information
`available via the Internet and other Sources while not requir
`ing individual Searches on the Internet for each access of the
`information repository. This conserves Internet resources by
`minimzing the number of accesses by those Searching for
`information. The information repository may be updated
`periodically and at times when the activity on the Internet is
`low.
`The information repository may be updated by Several
`different update mechanisms. There may be an update
`mechanism for each Source of information which feeds the
`information repository. For example, general Internet infor
`mation may be provided via Suppliers independent of the
`entity maintaining the information repository Such as the
`Internet Yellow PagesC). Additional information may come
`from local forums or system operators. Mall information
`may also be provided by product managers or perhaps by
`merchants. Some mechanisms may be interactive while
`others might run as background jobs pulling information
`from remote Internet Sites. Each individual mechanism is
`preferably responsible for converting the information from
`its raw Source into the format required by the information
`repository.
`A library of routines may also be provided to add, delete
`and maintain entries within the information repository.
`In general, the present invention provides the ability to
`Search and access information acroSS the Internet and other
`Sources with one Search request. Thereby obviating the need
`to Search using Several Separate Search programs and acceSS
`ing Several different databases. The present invention also
`provides SeamleSS integration of all Internet resources. The
`user of the present invention need not know where the
`information is located or how it was accessed.
`These and other advantages will be apparent from the
`following detailed description of the invention, drawings,
`and claims.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`The various features and advantages of the present inven
`tion may be more readily understood with reference to the
`
`Petitioners Microsoft Corporation and HP Inc. - Ex. 1034, p. 7
`
`

`

`S
`following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
`accompanying drawings, wherein Ike reference numerals
`designate like Structural elements, and in which:
`FIG. 1 is a Schematic chart showing a first Section of one
`embodiment of the present invention;
`FIG. 2 is a schematic chart of the second section of the
`embodiment of FIG. 1; and
`FIG. 3 is a schematic chart of an information repository
`of the present invention.
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENT(S)
`Referring to FIG. 1, a Schematic diagram of a preferred
`embodiment of the present invention 10 is shown. An
`interactive front end 12 is utilized to obtain the user's
`request along with pertinent filtering and/or limiting stipu
`lations. The interactive front end may invoke the Search
`engine 14 and display the results returned by the Search
`engine. The interactive front end may also invoke a launcher
`16 to launch the appropriate applications to access any item
`selected by the user from the search results. The present
`invention may separate these functions from the Search
`engine to allow more than one front end to be utilized. A web
`browser front end 18 may be provided for users accessing
`the present invention directly from the Internet rather than
`through a dedicated interactive front end.
`The interactive front end 12 may provide simple keyword
`Searching using one, two or three keywords combined using
`either OR or AND logic. The user may have the option to
`call up a dialog to determine what parts of the dataSpace are
`to be included in the Search. The user may search any
`combination of dataSources Such as local files, forums or
`Internet resources through the Web, UseNet news groups,
`FTP or Telnet sites to name a few. For instance, a user that
`is interested in Stereos might like to know which Stores in an
`electronic mall Sell StereoS and which ForumE) message are
`as pertain to Stereos but might not care about Forum(R) files
`Sections that deal with Stereos. On the other hand, a user
`researching a term paper probably would not care to Search
`the electronic mall. The interactive front end 12 may be
`designed to Store each user's individual preferred Set of
`default resources to Search.
`The user may also be provided the ability to set hits on
`how extensive or how long the Search will operate. The user
`may be allowed to Set a maximum time on the Search and a
`maximum number of items to retrieve. AS the information
`repository 20 grows and more and more object Sources are
`included and as more helper tasks are added to the Search
`engine 14 the time required to perform a complete Search
`may become quite lengthy. The ability to query information
`provider databases can significantly add to this problem. To
`prevent Such long Searches, the user may be provided the
`option of limiting the time for the Search.
`Once the information is retrieved from the information
`repository 20 via the search engine 14 the results may be
`displayed to the user who may then be provided the oppor
`tunity to Select an item and either access it directly, narrow
`the Search by returning to the Search Selection dialog, or
`obtain a more detailed description of the item The detailed
`description may be displayed in a text box to allow local
`printing. Any related objects within the database may be
`indicated to the user to provide the option of also accessing
`them.
`Preferably, the interactive front end is configured to
`determine which application to invoke based on the class,
`Sub-class and universal resource locator information
`
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`6
`retrieved as part of the Search results. By isolating this
`function from the information repository database it
`becomes possible for the same object to be accessed by
`totally different interfaces which invoke different applica
`tions to access the object. Preferably, the information reposi
`tory is responsible for identifying what the object is and it is
`the job of the interactive front end to determine the best
`method of accessing the object or to call upon another
`application to make that decision.
`The search engine 14 may be utilized to perform the
`actual Search of the information. The Search engine may
`accomplish this task by Searching its own local information
`repository 20 that consists of a database of objects repre
`Senting information Sources ranging from FTP Sites to local
`Forums(R). The search engine 14 may also have the ability to
`reformat the Search request in order to invoke helper tasks
`Such as a file finder 22. The Search engine may also have the
`ability to call helper conversion tasks to extract pertinent
`information from existing databases on a batch basis to load
`this information into the information repository database 20.
`The present invention may be initially implemented with
`only a local repository and a single helper task and the
`ability to access additional helper tasks could be added as the
`product grows and matures.
`The information repository 20 may consist of a set of
`relational database tables defining information Source
`objects. The information repository 20 for each object may
`contain a class, keywords, description, location and other
`Similar data for use both in locating the object in a Search and
`for accessing it if it is selected. Preferably, the information
`may contain a Subjective evaluation of the quality of infor
`mation available in each particular object. The information
`repository will serve to combine information gathered from
`a number of Sources.
`The present invention preferably has Several update
`mechanisms available. There may be one update mechanism
`for each Source of information that feeds the information
`repository. For example, general Internet information may
`be Supplied by an outside Supplier Such as O.C.L.C. or the
`Internet Yellow Pages(C) 24. Information may be supplied by
`forums or by system operators 26. Mall information may be
`provided by product managers 28 or by merchants. Some
`update mechanisms might be interactive while others might
`run as background jobs pulling information from remote
`Internet sites. Preferably, each mechanism is responsible for
`converting the information from its raw Source into the
`format required by the information repository. A library of
`routines 30 may also be provided to add, delete and maintain
`entries within the information repository.
`Once a Search has been performed the user may be
`provided with a list of data Sources that meet the require
`ments of the Search. The present invention allows the user to
`Seamlessly access the Source and retrieve the data merely by
`choosing the data the user desires and by invoking a simple
`retrieve command. Each data Source listing has location and
`retrieval information associated with it. If a user invokes a
`retrieve command the launcher 16 may then acceSS any of
`several clients shown generally at 40. The launcher 16 may
`access a USENET client 42, an FTP client 44, a WEB client
`46, a TELNET client 48 as well as any other appropriate
`client 50. As an example, launcher 16 may access an FTP
`client 44 which in turn accesses an FTP Server 52 which
`may retrieve the data file from a database 54. Through use
`of the present invention the user need not be required and
`preferrably may not even realize that the data file originated
`from a Source remote from the dial-up Service through the
`Internet.
`
`Petitioners Microsoft Corporation and HP Inc. - Ex. 1034, p. 8
`
`

`

`7
`Referring to FIG. 3, the information repository 20 is
`shown in schematic form. The information repository 20
`contains locator information that permits efficient and quick
`Searches of available data Sources and provides locator
`information which may be displayed to the user and/or
`utilized by the present invention to acceSS data. Preferably,
`the information repository consists of 4 relational database
`tables. A primary database 32 may be used to Store
`classification, identification, and Statistical information per
`taining to the object. The information Stored by the primary
`database may contain the fields displayed in Table 1.
`
`6,026,429
`
`8
`keywords with products by creating a many to many rela
`tionship with between keywords with primary or text tables.
`Separate keyword tables may be created to provide non
`English language Support for keyword lookup. Table 3
`contains possible fields for use in a keyword database.
`
`5
`
`TABLE 3
`
`Key Field Name Contents
`
`Format
`
`Size
`
`Yes OIC
`
`Yes Key Word
`
`Numeric
`
`Object Instance Code -
`an arbitrarily assigned
`identification code
`Keyword which pertains to Alphanumeric 16
`the object associated
`with OIC.
`
`4
`
`Size
`
`4
`
`15
`
`The information repository 20 may also contain a text
`database 36. The text database may exist in a one to one
`relationship with the prnmary table and may be used to
`isolate text descriptions from the primary table So that
`multiple language Support may be provided, if desired, by
`using multiple instances of the text table. Table 4 contains
`example fields for a text database of the present invention.
`
`25
`
`TABLE 4
`
`Key Field Name Contents
`
`Format
`
`Size
`
`Yes OIC
`
`Title
`
`35
`
`40
`
`Description
`
`UpTitle
`UpDesc
`
`4
`
`Alphanumeric 50
`
`Object Instance Code - an Numeric
`arbitrarily assigned
`identification code
`Object name of title for
`display in selection list
`box. In mixed case for
`display.
`Description of the object.
`In mixed case for display
`Alphanumeric 50
`Title in all uppercase for
`searching.
`Description in all uppercase Alphanumeric 512
`for searching.
`
`Alphanumeric 512
`
`The information repository of the present invention may
`also contain a See Also database 38. The See Also database
`may be used to establish a many to many relationship
`between a particular primary table entry and other primary
`table entries. Using the method one entry can reference
`another for such purposes as linking FTP sites to their mirror
`Sides or establishing a connection to a disclaimer. The See
`Also table may also be used to link two entries which are
`related in some manner. Table 5 shows some possible fields
`for the See Also database. Possible Category codes for the
`See Also table of the present invention are listed in Table 6.
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`TABLE 5
`
`Key Field Name Contents
`
`Format
`
`Size
`
`60
`
`Yes OIC
`
`RefCIC
`
`65
`
`Category
`
`Object Instance Code - An Numeric
`arbitrarily assigned
`identification code.
`OIC code for the object
`being referenced as a
`“see also
`See Also Category Code
`
`Numeric
`
`Alphanumeric 4
`
`1.
`
`1.
`
`Alphanumeric 4
`Alphanumeric 4
`Alphanumeric 255
`
`TABLE 1.
`
`Key Field Name Contents
`
`Format
`
`Yes OIC
`
`Yes
`Yes
`
`Class
`SubClass
`Identifier
`
`Rating
`
`WalidDate
`
`ExpireDate
`
`InvokeDate
`
`MTD Count
`
`YTD Count
`
`SeeAlsoFlag
`
`Object Instance Code - An Numeric
`arbitrarily assigned code to
`serve as a unique database
`key.
`Primary Object Grouping
`Secondary Object Grouping
`URL based object identi
`fier. A contrived may be
`created for internal
`products.
`Ranking on scale from 1 to
`10 with higher being better.
`Will not be available in
`all cases but could be used
`in conjunction with the
`Internet Yellow Pages.
`Date information was last
`known to be valid
`Date information should be
`considered suspect and
`potentially deletable
`Date object was last
`invoked
`Number of times invoked
`this month
`Number of times invoke
`this year
`Indicates presence of data
`in the see also database
`for this object.
`
`Numeric
`
`Date
`
`Date
`
`Date
`
`Numeric
`
`Numeric
`
`Boolean
`
`4
`
`4
`
`1.
`
`A sample listing of possible Class and SubClass identifiers
`for the Prrnary database is available in Table 2. Additional
`Class and SubClass identifiers may be used as necessary.
`
`TABLE 2
`
`Class
`
`SubClass Refers to:
`
`FRUM
`
`FTP
`
`TNET
`
`FRUM A Forum (E) as a whole
`MSGA A Forum (E) message area
`LIBA
`A Forum (R) library area
`FILE
`A Forum (R) library file
`SITE
`A FTP site as a whole
`DR
`A directory at an FTP site
`FILE
`A file at an FTP site
`SITE
`A Telnet site as a whole
`PRGM
`An executable application at a Telnet site
`PAGE
`a HTML page
`HTTP
`LIST
`An Internet mailing list
`MLST
`NGRP
`A UseNet newsgroup
`UNET
`MENU A gopher menu
`GOPH
`MALL STOR
`A store in the electronic mall
`DEPT
`A department within an electronic mall store
`ARTC
`An article page
`DAP
`A DAP menu page
`EM
`An enhanced menu page
`PSAP
`An executable program
`TEXT
`A displayable text file
`GIF
`A displayable GIF file
`
`PAGE
`
`PSAP
`DISP
`
`The information repository 20 may also contain a key
`word database 34. The keyword database may associate
`
`Pe