Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
126 words
An apparatus for sharing data among a plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors, each maintaining a database with information therein pertaining to a plurality of monitored entities arranged in a plurality of data fields, comprising: (a) a data processing system; (b) a record management program which is executed by said data processing system, and which includes at least: (1) a search routine which responds to a search query from a particular contributor by retrieving data; and (2) a view routine which assembles data for display in accordance with a particular viewing prioritization rule set associated with said particular contributor, and which automatically resolves conflicts between information in a monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields in accordance with said particular viewing prioritization rule set.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
126 words
An apparatus for sharing data among a plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors, each maintaining a database with information therein pertaining to a plurality of monitored entities arranged in a plurality of data fields, comprising: (a) a data processing system; (b) a record management program which is executed by said data processing system, and which includes at least: (1) a search routine which responds to a search query from a particular contributor by retrieving data; and (2) a view routine which assembles data for display in accordance with a particular viewing prioritization rule set associated with said particular contributor, and which automatically resolves conflicts between information in a monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields in accordance with said particular viewing prioritization rule set.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
An apparatus for sharing data according to claim 1, wherein said record management program further includes: (3) a view rule library with a plurality of particular prioritization rule sets therein, each being associated with a particular one of said plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data gathering contributors.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus for sharing data according to claim 1, wherein said record management program further includes: (3) an identification block generator which generates a unique identifier for each of said plurality of monitored entities in said databases of said plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-generating contributors.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus for sharing data according to claim 1, wherein said monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields comprises a plurality of biographical data fields which pertain to said plurality of monitored entities.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
56 words
An apparatus for sharing data according to claim 1, wherein said record management program further includes: (3) means for directing information from said data processing system to said particular contributor including information contained in (a) a contributor-specific subset of said plurality of data fields and (b) said monitored-entity specific subset of said plurality of data fields.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
238 words
A method of sharing data among a plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors, each maintaining a database with information therein pertaining to a plurality of monitored entities arranged in a plurality of data fields, comprising the method steps of: (a) identifying for each database a contributor-specific subset of said plurality of data fields which contains information about said plurality of monitored entities which is uniquely associated with a particular one of said plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors; (b) identifying for each database a monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields which contains information about said plurality of monitored entities which is not uniquely associated with a particular one of said plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors and which appears in a plurality of said databases; (c) deriving a viewing prioritization rule set for each of said cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors; (d) providing a data processing system; (e) providing a record management program which is executed by said data processing system, and which includes at least: (1) a search routine which responds to a search query from a particular contributor by retrieving data; and (2) a view routine which assembles data for display in accordance with a particular viewing prioritization rule set associated with said particular contributor, and which automatically resolves conflicts between information in said monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields in accordance with said particular viewing prioritization rule set.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
238 words
A method of sharing data among a plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors, each maintaining a database with information therein pertaining to a plurality of monitored entities arranged in a plurality of data fields, comprising the method steps of: (a) identifying for each database a contributor-specific subset of said plurality of data fields which contains information about said plurality of monitored entities which is uniquely associated with a particular one of said plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors; (b) identifying for each database a monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields which contains information about said plurality of monitored entities which is not uniquely associated with a particular one of said plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors and which appears in a plurality of said databases; (c) deriving a viewing prioritization rule set for each of said cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors; (d) providing a data processing system; (e) providing a record management program which is executed by said data processing system, and which includes at least: (1) a search routine which responds to a search query from a particular contributor by retrieving data; and (2) a view routine which assembles data for display in accordance with a particular viewing prioritization rule set associated with said particular contributor, and which automatically resolves conflicts between information in said monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields in accordance with said particular viewing prioritization rule set.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method of sharing data according to claim 6, wherein said record management program further includes: (3) an identification block generator which generates a unique identifier for each of said plurality of monitored entities in said databases of said plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-generating contributors.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method of sharing data according to claim 6, wherein said monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields comprises a plurality of biographical data fields which pertain to said plurality of monitored entities.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
117 words
A method of sharing data according to claim 6, further comprising: (f) directing a search query from a particular contributor to said data processing system for information about a particular one of said plurality of monitored entities; (g) utilizing said data processing system for retrieving data pertaining to said particular one of said plurality of monitored entities; (h) utilizing said data processing system for determining if conflicts exist between information in said monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields; (i) utilizing said data processing system for automatically resolving conflicts which exist between information in said monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields; and (j) directing information from said data processing system to said particular contributor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method of sharing data according to claim 9, wherein said step of directing information comprises: directing information from said data processing system to said particular contributor including information contained in (a) said contributor-specific subset of said plurality of data fields and (b) said monitored-entity specific subset of said plurality of data fields.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
269 words
A method of sharing data among a plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors, each maintaining a database with information therein pertaining to a plurality of monitored entities arranged in a plurality of data fields, comprising the method steps of: (a) identifying for each database a contributor-specific subset of said plurality of data fields which contains information about said plurality of monitored entities which is uniquely associated with a particular one of said plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors; (b) identifying for each database a monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields which contains information about said plurality of monitored entities which is not uniquely associated with a particular one of said plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors and which appears in a plurality of said databases; (c) deriving a viewing prioritization rule set for each of said cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors; (d) providing a data processing system; (e) providing a record management program which is executed by said data processing system, and which includes at least: (1) a search routine which responds to a search query from a particular contributor by retrieving data; and (2) a view routine which assembles data for display in accordance with a particular viewing prioritization rule set associated with said particular contributor, and which automatically resolves conflicts between information in said monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields in accordance with said particular viewing prioritization rule set; (f) applying said view routine to said plurality of data fields to generate at least one one-dimensional database with inconsistencies being resolved in accordance with a particular viewing prioritization rule set.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
269 words
A method of sharing data among a plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors, each maintaining a database with information therein pertaining to a plurality of monitored entities arranged in a plurality of data fields, comprising the method steps of: (a) identifying for each database a contributor-specific subset of said plurality of data fields which contains information about said plurality of monitored entities which is uniquely associated with a particular one of said plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors; (b) identifying for each database a monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields which contains information about said plurality of monitored entities which is not uniquely associated with a particular one of said plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors and which appears in a plurality of said databases; (c) deriving a viewing prioritization rule set for each of said cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors; (d) providing a data processing system; (e) providing a record management program which is executed by said data processing system, and which includes at least: (1) a search routine which responds to a search query from a particular contributor by retrieving data; and (2) a view routine which assembles data for display in accordance with a particular viewing prioritization rule set associated with said particular contributor, and which automatically resolves conflicts between information in said monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields in accordance with said particular viewing prioritization rule set; (f) applying said view routine to said plurality of data fields to generate at least one one-dimensional database with inconsistencies being resolved in accordance with a particular viewing prioritization rule set.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method of sharing data according to claim 11, wherein said record management program further includes: (3) an identification block generator which generates a unique identifier for each of said plurality of monitored entities in said databases of said plurality of cooperating but independently-operating data-generating contributors.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method of sharing data according to claim 11, wherein said monitored-entity subset of said plurality of data fields comprises a plurality of biographical data fields which pertain to said plurality of monitored entities.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
82 words
A method of sharing data according to claim 11, further comprising: (g) directing a search query from a particular contributor to said data processing system for information about a particular one of said plurality of monitored entities; (h) utilizing said data processing system for retrieving data pertaining to said particular one of said plurality of monitored entities from a particular one of said at least one one-dimensional data set; and (i) directing information from said data processing system to said particular contributor.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method of sharing data according to claim 14, wherein said step of directing information comprises: directing information from said data processing system to said particular contributor including information contained in (a) said contributor-specific subset of said plurality of data fields and (b) said monitored-entity specific subset of said plurality of data fields.