Patent Document ID: 8161044
Application ID: 11258130

Base Claim:
1. A method, comprising: creating a user profile which includes interests of a user to succinctly provide a basis that defines user preferred categories; defining the user preferred categories associated with a plurality of taxonomies prior to conducting a search of a database; storing the defined user preferred categories such that the user preferred categories can be used subsequently in conducting a fast path search, wherein the user preferred categories are recorded and automatically added to a list associated with the user; selecting a fast path searching operation that allows the search of the database to be conducted as the fast path search in only the defined user preferred categories; conducting the fast path search of the database located on a server using a displayed control to search the user preferred categories, the search being within a plurality of the user preferred categories based upon search criteria by comparing the search criteria to content information within each of the user preferred categories; displaying on a workstation search results associated with each of the user preferred categories which have matching criteria based on the conducted fast path search; displaying the user preferred categories in an expanded manner to show sub categories of the user preferred categories and to show the user preferred categories in a hierarchical relationship; during the displaying of the user preferred categories, displaying the plurality of taxonomies associated with the results; using the server to define one or more common categories found within multiple searches as the user preferred categories; and using the server to provide a prompt, which allows one or more previously conducted multiple searches to be added to the user preferred categories.

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Claim 13:
13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising creating a user profile and associating the user preferred categories with the user profile; and during the displaying of the user preferred categories and the taxonomies: displaying a control for selecting the fast path searching operation; displaying a control for manually designating the user preferred categories; and displaying a control to directly add a category to user preferred categories.