Patent Document ID: 7617183
Application ID: 09721806

Base Claim:
1. A method of processing a database service query, comprising: receiving a service query, obtaining a sum of terms associated with the service query by expanding at least one nested term into one or more un-nested terms, evaluating the sum of terms as a plurality of SQL instructions, wherein the sum of terms comprises one or more positive terms and one or more negative terms, determining a plurality of results associated with the sum of terms by executing, using a processor, the SQL instructions, collecting, into a first list, any of the results associated with the one or more negative terms, collecting, into a second list, any of the results associated with the one or more positive terms while omitting from the second list any of the results that are in the first list, and providing one or more of the results from the second list to a user.

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Claim 9:
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining a sum of terms comprises: identifying at least one term associated with at least one NOT operator; and expanding the at least one term associated with at least one NOT operator into at least one negative term and at least one positive term.