System and method for data retrieval and collection in a structured format
US7020667B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 18, 2002 |
| Grant date | Mar 28, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 12, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S707/99955
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A data collection and retrieval system and associated method allow the capture and replication of data presented at various Web pages into a database application through text parsing of the HTML source code of that document. The system allows the user to select one or more Web pages containing data of interest; to specify exactly which data within any page is to be captured; to specify how frequently data is to be collected; and to specify the conditions for collection and retrieval. The advantage of the system is realized through efficient, automated data collection that would otherwise be impractical. The system includes an initialization stage and an automatic execution stage. The initialization stage provides the user interface which allows the user to select the source file that contains data the user wishes to copy, target database that will receive the data, and timing criteria for automatic transfer of data. The automatic execution stage automatically transfers the data from the source file to the target database as instructed by the user in the initialization stage.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.