Patent · US Expired

Methods and system for using web browser to search large collections of documents

US6055538A · kind A · utility

191Cited by
7References
2Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 22, 1997
Grant dateApr 25, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 22, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S707/99943
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system for rapidly and easily searching large collections of documents using standard web browser programs as the user interface. The present invention parses a collection of text documents to identify symbols therein and builds a database file which identifies the file and line locations of each symbol identified. The database file is constructed to permit rapid searching for symbols to permit interactive use of the present invention as a search tool. A database client process interacts with the web browser via standard CGI techniques to convert browser commands and queries into appropriate server process requests. A server process receives such requests and manipulates the database files in response to the requests. Query results returned to the client process are then reformatted by the client process to return a document with hypertext links in place of search keys located in the database (e.g., an HTML page). The system of the present invention thereby provides for rapid searching of large collections of text documents which is not coupled to a specific toolset used to create any one of the documents and which uses a simple and well-known user interface, namely: web browsers…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.