User friendly data base access

Patent 4531186 Issued on July 23, 1985. Estimated Expiration Date:

January 21, 2003. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

Database set condition test instruction
Patent #: 4042912
Issued on: 08/16/1977
Inventor: Bachman , et al.

Database instruction unload
Patent #: 4044334
Issued on: 08/23/1977
Inventor: Bachman , et al.

Data base conversion system
Patent #: 4205371
Issued on: 05/27/1980
Inventor: Feather

Method and means for interrogating a layered data base
Patent #: 4422158
Issued on: 12/20/1983
Inventor: Galie

Data processing systems and methods Patent #: 4445171
Issued on: 04/24/1984
Inventor: Neches

Inventor

Knapman, John M.

Application

No. 06/459792 filed on 01/21/1983

US Classes:

707/5, Query augmenting and refining (e.g., inexact access)707/2Access augmentation or optimizing

Examiners

Primary: Zache, Raulfe B.
Assistant: Niessen, William G.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

International Class

G06F 17/30 (20060101)

Abstract

Data base administrator (10) creates program communication blocks (11), and programmer (12) writes programs (13) using the program communication blocks (PCBs) to store data in bulk storage device (14). A user (15) not having data processing skills or experience is enabled by means of a utility to access data in bulk storage device (14) via the PCBs (11). The utility first reads the data base descriptions (DBDs) and PCB source statements and constructs a data directory, consolidating access paths into entry data bases which are displayed to the user (15) as a menu. The utility then evaluates all possible access paths that will satisfy a user query, weights them according to their efficiency, and selects the best.