Patent ID: 6134547
Filing Date: 2000-10-17
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
A computerized method for user-interactive searching, retrieving and previewing of multimedia content in a retail environment using hardware and software including an interface configured and arranged for displaying a plurality of input screens and result screens, said input screens for receiving information to be searched from a user's interaction with said interface and said result screens for displaying retrieved data items on said interface, and a computer processor, said method comprising the steps of:providing a plurality of related databases for storing a plurality of data items, each of said data items being one of text, graphic, image, video, animation and audio data, each of said data items being stored as a record identified by a pointer, each said record having at least one field permitting a plurality of other pointer entries for relating said record to other data items identified by said other pointer entries;displaying an input screen on the interface for inputting the information to be searched in response to the user's interaction therewith;identifying whether the information to be searched corresponds to any of said data items;automatically modifying the information to be searched if no data items corresponding to the information to be searched are identified until at least one data item corresponding to the information to be searched is identified, includingidentifying searchable terms in said records of data items;identifying one or more searchable terms in the information to be searched;performing a Boolean ""and"" operation on each of said terms in the information and identifying records containing all of said terms in the information;if no records corresponding to the information are identified by said Boolean ""and"" operation, performing a Boolean ""or"" operation on each of said terms in the information and identifying records containing any of said terms in the information;if no records corresponding to the information are identified by said Boolean ""or"" operation, performing a ""seek"" operation in said databases on each of said terms in the information and identifying records containing any of said terms in the information; andif no records corresponding to the information are identified by said ""seek"" operation, winnowing back each of said terms in the information one character at a time and performing a ""seek"" operation on each of said winnowed back terms until at least one record corresponding to said winnowed back terms in the information is identified;retrieving, said at least one data item corresponding to the information to be searched;displaying said at least one data item corresponding to the information to be searched on a result screen of the interface; anddisplaying at least one of said other data items identified by said other pointer entries contained in said at least one field of said record of said at least one data item corresponding to the information to be searched.