Patent ID: 7305401

Claim:
A method of performing a research task within a searchable database comprising the steps of: a. utilizing a research module to correlate a search criteria to the searchable database for generating one or more matching items, wherein each matching item corresponds to a segment of the searchable database, further wherein the research module includes a keyword search, a hierarchical search, and a dichotomous key search; b. utilizing the research module to correlate a subsequent search criteria to one of the matching items for generating one or more subsequent matching items, wherein each subsequent matching item is a sub-segment of the matching item used to generate the subsequent matching item, and further wherein the subsequent search criteria is a selective one of the search criteria and a different search criteria; and c. repeating step (b) until the research task is completed such that each utilization of the research module includes availability of the keyword search, the hierarchical search, and the dichotomous key search at any location, including at any displayed page, within the searchable database, wherein the keyword search, the hierarchical search and the dichotomous key search are available at any displayed page within the searchable database without requiring user input.