Identifier vocabulary data access method and system

Abstract

A method of organizing, managing, and providing interactive access to data in a database is disclosed, along with a program and a system for implementing the method. Associations between each data Item and at least one ItemSelector are established and stored. A predefined (but modifiable) Vocabulary of ItemSelectors sufficient to describe each Item of the database is created. Presently selected Items are described by a combination of associations defined by an appropriate Boolean combination of each ItemSelector in a presently selected set of ItemSelectors. A user controls the presently selected set by adding an ItemSelector from a presented group, or by removing a previously selected ItemSelector. The system ideally makes available to the user all relevant ItemSelectors—those which, if added to the presently selected set, would result in a set that describes at least one extant data Item. The system ideally makes all presently selected Items available to the user.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A computer implemented method of determining ItemSelectors, associated with Items in a database, which can be logically added to a first query comprised of one or more ItemSelectors belonging to a disjunctive group and at least one other ItemSelector, said method comprising:
 creating a modified query, obtained from the first query by removing the ItemSelectors belonging to the disjunctive group;   determining ItemSelectors of the disjunctive group which are associated with Items matching the modified query.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising presenting a list of the ItemSelectors of the disjunctive group which are associated with Items matching the modified query and a count of Items associated with each of those ItemSelectors. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising presenting at least some of the ItemSelectors of the disjunctive group as selectable choices. 
     
     
         5 . A computer implemented method of determining a relevant group of search terms descriptive of a first facet of Items in a database, which can be logically added to a first query comprised of one or more search terms disjunctively joined and at least one other search term, the at least one other search term descriptive of a second facet of Items in the database, said method comprising:
 creating a modified query, obtained from the first query by removing the one or more search terms forming the set of disjunctively joined search terms;   determining search terms descriptive of the first facet of Items of the database which are as those associated with Items matching the modified query.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  further comprising presenting the determined search terms as selectable choices together with the count of associated Items. 
     
     
         7 . A computer implemented method of searching a set of logically related records in a database, the method comprising:
 associating a plurality of logically related records to form an Item;   associating a plurality of ItemSelectors with the Item;   creating a search query, comprised of a plurality of ItemSelectors descriptive of a plurality of Item facets, logically matching at least one Item in the database.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein a set of references to the records associates the records forming an item. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising determining Items matching the search query. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising determining available ItemSelectors as those ItemSelectors which can be logically added to the search query to form a new query which matches at least one Item. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7  in which records are joined to form Items by matching values of ItemSelectors associated with the records. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the Item comprises references to each logically related record. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising evaluating the search query and determining the matching items. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising creating a new record from the existing records in the data. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the search query is a result of user choices. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the user choices are guided by the computer. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the user is guided by limiting user choices to only relevant ItemSelectors. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising enabling a user to view information contained in the database by presenting a vocabulary of ItemSelectors and counts of Items associated with each ItemSelector where each ItemSelector is descriptive of some facet of a particular Item or is contained in the particular Item. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  further enabling a user to view ItemSelectors sorted by counts of Items associated with each ItemSelector. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13  further enabling a user to view updated ItemSelectors, together with the counts of Items associated with each ItemSelector, following the evaluation of a query. 
     
     
         21 . The methods of  claim 20  wherein ItemSelectors having a count of Items associated with that ItemSelector equal to zero are made not viewable by the user.