Apparatus and Method for Displaying Records Responsive to a Database Query

Abstract

An apparatus and method for simultaneously displaying both record names and the associated files responsive to a user's search over a database. A user conducts a routine search query over a database or group of databases of records containing, for example, text documents, or alphabetical concordances thereof. The search engine returns a list of records responsive to the user's query. In contrast to the standard list of record identifiers, the apparatus displays both the identifiers and selected portions of those records or other useful information, as defined by the user, facilitating quick review. The user is able to sort the list of these responsive records in a variety of ways, either before the search, or within the list of results, to expedite review. The apparatus identifies records that have been reviewed previously by marking them as “viewed” links. Finally, when reviewing any responsive record in full, the complete list of records is displayed in a side panel, in a way that still allows resorting by the user. This side panel display may be re-sorted “on the fly.” It also allows the user to see the identifiers of records anywhere in the list, and to easily jump, such as with a single mouse click, to any record in the list.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to provisional application No. 60 / 164,549, filed Nov. 10, 1999, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. This application also relates to co-pending application Ser. No. ______, filed on even date herewith, entitled “Improved Relevance Sorting for Database Searches,” the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention pertains to the field of computerized information search, display, and retrieval systems and methods. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method of expediting the review of records responsive to such a search, by more efficiently displaying, representing, sorting, and navigating such responsive records. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] For centuries, researchers have pored over books, reading document after document to inform their knowledge of a certain field. These searches ar...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010] The present invention also provides a mechanism for displaying a list of records responsive to a user's search that includes user-defined portions of responsive records. Providing more information in a list of responsive records reduces the need to access the full text of records in order to determine whether the record is relevant to the user's research.

[0011] The invention also reduces the user's need to switch back and forth between lists of identifiers of responsive records and the full body of those records, by displaying fields or other portions of the records in the list of responsive records along with the record identifiers, and by displaying the list of responsive records (e.g., by displaying their identifiers) along with the display of a portion of any responsive record, such as displaying the record in full.

[0019] In another class of embodiments, the results of prior searches, either by the same user, by similar users, or by all users, are tracked. In one embodiment, the number of times a record is returned by a search for given terms or keywords is recorded in a table or array in a manner in which the number is linked to the search terms or keywords. Using this table or array, it is possible to perform a search of a database by returning records that were frequently returned by other similar searches (e.g., those using the same or similar terms or keywords) without actually performing a Boolean search. In another embodiment, the results of similar searches are used to supplement the results of performing a standard Boolean search. In another embodiment, the table or array of similar results is used to modify the relevance of records. If a record is found with high frequency on that table, its relevance score is increased, affecting the position in which it, its identifier, or some other element, will be displayed. All of the embodiments involving the array or table containing counts of the number of times each record is returned by similar searches may be enhanced by tracking instances in which the record was not only returned as responsive to a search, but also was selected by the user. In this embodiment, for example, the search would be counted in the table or array only if the user actually printed, downloaded, or read the record in full.

[0028] The user could scroll up and down the list, reviewing both the titles (or other identifiers of responsive records) and the relevant portions of those documents. The user could re-sort the list on the fly, by any information in the list. She could also change the amount or type of text, fields, or other portions of records displayed in the list. This allows the user, at a glance and without accessing the documents in full, to better evaluate the usefulness of her query, and to evaluate which records are important to the research task at hand more efficiently.

Problems solved by technology

These searches are time-consuming and cumbersome, frequently involving the review of documents that are not on point failure to locate relevant documents.

More complex databases often contain a large number of files, with each file itself containing many, many records of both fixed and variable-width elements in a variety of formats.

Despite great advances in computer-assisted research, reviewing responsive records remains time consuming, inefficient, and dreadfully dull.

Searches yield sets of responsive records that are both underinclusive and overinclusive—queries do not return important records that are not literally responsive to a user's Boolean request, and they often return irrelevant records that are incidentally responsive to a user's query.

A further disadvantage with typical computerized research systems is that search engines will return a list of only the titles or other identifiers of responsive records, which tells very little about the contents of those records.

Review of results involves a lot of toggling back and forth between a list of responsive records and the full body of the records themselves, and especially with slow connections to the Internet, this can be time consuming.

A further disadvantage of current computerized research systems is that users frequently retrieve the same records, over and over, in subsequent searches.

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