Computer system

Abstract

An electronic catalogue is implemented on a server computer by a software component which functions as a catalogue system and an associated database. The catalogue contains details on a set of individual products. The database contains a set of tables, which contain data items relating to the products. A set of first, second and third order templates are also stored in the database. Each second order template is subordinate to an associated first order template and each third order template is subordinate to an associated second order template. The electronic catalogue can be accessed via the public Internet from a client computer. When the user of the client computer wishes to retrieve information on a particular product, the client computer transmits a request to the server computer. The server computer uses the request to retrieve a first order template 150 . The catalogue system then uses control information contained in the first order template 150 together with a request received from the client computer to search the tables in its database for data items relating to the selected product. Control information in the tables searched also specify a set of second order templates 152, 154, 156, 158 and 160 , and a set of third order template 162, 164, 166, 168 and 170 . These templates are retrieved by the catalogue system from the database. It then uses the retrieved data items together with the retrieved templates to create an information page containing data on the selected product. In this information page, the first order template 150 defines the overall format of the page, the second order template defines the format of respective parts of the page and each of the third order template defines the format of a portion of a part of the page covered by an associated second order template 160.

1 . A method of generating an information page in a computer system, said computing system including a database stored in said computer system, said database comprising a set of templates and a set of data tables each of which contains a set of data items, said method comprising the steps of: 
 selecting a first order template;    performing a search on said database using at least one input parameter to retrieve a set of data items;    selecting at least one second order template, the or each second order template being subordinate to the first order template; and    creating an information page containing the data items retrieved in the search;    the first order template defining the overall format of the information page, and the or each second order template defining the format of an associated part of the information page.    
     
     
         2 . A method of generating an information page as claimed in  claim 1 , in which, in said step of selecting at least one second order template, the or each second order template is selected by using control information contained in one of said tables.  
     
     
         3 . A method of generating an information page as claimed in  claim 1  or  claim 2 , including the additional step of: 
 selecting at least one third order template, the or each third order template being subordinate to an associated second order template;  
 the or each third order template defining the format of a portion of a part of the information page defined by its associated second order template.  
 
     
     
         4 . A method of generating an information page as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the parameters used to retrieve said set of data items are obtained from an input command entered by a user and control information contained in said first order template.  
     
     
         5 . A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which said data tables include a first table containing data items belonging to a first class of information, a second table containing data items belonging to a second class of information, and a table linking the data items in the first table with the data items in the second.  
     
     
         6 . A method of generating an information page as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which said database contains data on a set of related products or services, and the information page contains a set of data items relating to one of said categories.  
     
     
         7 . A method of generating an information page as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which said database contains data on a set of related products or services, and the information page contains a set of data items relating to one of said products or services.  
     
     
         8 . A computer system for generating an information page, said computer system including a database stored on said computing system, said database comprising a set of templates and a set of data tables each of which contains a set of data items, said computer system being arranged to perform the operations of: 
 select a first order template;    perform a search on said database using at least one input parameter to retrieve a set of data items;    select at least one second order template, the or each second order template being subordinate to the first order template; and    create an information page containing the data items retrieved in the search;    the first order template defining the overall format of the information page, and the or each second order template defining the format of an associated part of the information page.