Patent Document ID: 5537590
Application ID: 08102581

Base Claim:
1. An apparatus for analyzing an array of data stored in a quantitative database, comprising: a memory for storing said data of said quantitative database as a table in a relational database; a computer coupled to said relational database and having a display and having an input device for receiving user input, said computer for execution of one or more programs so as to process data from said quantitative database; a first program in execution on said computer for controlling said computer to receive user input defining one or more analysis rules to be performed on a subset of data, also specified by said user input, from said array of data stored in said quantitative database and for controlling said computer so as to analyze selected ones of said user specified subset of data items in accordance with selected ones of said one or more user specified analysis rules so as to generate one or more diagnostic records the text of which is also defined by said user input, each diagnostic record corresponding to a possible result of the application of a particular user specified analysis rule to the corresponding user selected subset of items of data from said array of data in said quantitative database, and wherein said first computer program controls said computer so as to automatically generate one or more link pointers for each said diagnostic record, each said link pointer linking a diagnostic record to the corresponding user selected subset of items of data from said quantitative database from which said diagnostic record was generated; and a second program in execution on said computer for controlling said computer so as to store each said diagnostic record in a diagnostic database in said memory and wherein said link pointer associated with each diagnostic record is programmable by said user, and wherein said first program includes one or more routines for controlling said computer to display at least first and second windows on said display, and for controlling said computer to display in said first window at least some of said items of data from said quantitative database and for controlling said computer to display in said second window at least some of said diagnostic records, and further comprising one or more routines in said first computer program for controlling said computer to display a pointer in said second window and to receive and process user data controlling the position in said second window of said pointer such that any diagnostic record displayed in said second window may be selected by said user using said pointer, and when any said displayed diagnostic record in said second window is so selected, for controlling said computer to display in said first window the corresponding subset of data items from said quantitative database associated by one or more of said link pointers with the selected diagnostic record.

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Claim 4:
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second program includes a routine to store all said link pointers generated by said second program in carrying out processing defined by the user selected ones of said analysis rules to be executed, the resulting link pointer or pointers being stored in said memory, each said link pointer relating a particular user selectable subset of data in said quantitative database to a particular corresponding diagnostic record.