Patent ID: 7103589

Claim:
A method for providing a search output responsive to a query, comprising: maintaining a search-routing database; receiving a query from a user, said query comprising search request data in a plurality of search request fields of predetermined types; selecting the search request data in at least one of the search request fields; searching said search-routing database for one or more database identifiers, based on the selected search request data, each of said one or more database identifiers identifying one or more first databases; routing the query to a selected one of the one or more first databases identified by said one or more database identifiers and to one or more second databases associated with the one or more first databases; searching a selected one of the one or more second databases for database records responsive to the query; searching a selected one of the one or more second databases for an update record responsive to the query; determining whether a delete indicator is made in the update record; and including in a search output the records responsive to the query except at least one or more of the database records which correspond to the update record when the delete indicator is made in the update record.