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US5504890A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

System for data sharing among independently-operating information-gathering entities with individualized conflict resolution rules

Assignee: NEOLITHIX LLC
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Filing: 1994-03-17
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Granted: 1996-04-02
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Expires: 2014-03-17
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Abstract

Abstract A system is provided for sharing data among cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors. Each contributor maintains a database with information therein which pertains to monitored entities. The information is arranged in data fields. In each database, a contributor-specific subset of the data fields is identified which contains information about the monitored entities which is uniquely associated with a particular one of the cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors. For each database, a monitored-entity subset of data fields is identified which contains information about the monitored entities which is not uniquely associated with one of the cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors, and which appears in the databases. A viewing prioritization rule set is derived for each of the cooperating but independently-operating data-gathering contributors. A record management program is provided which is executed by a data processing system. The record management program includes a search routine which responds to a search query of a particular contributor by retrieving data. The data processing system further includes a view routine which assembles data for display in accordance with the viewing prioritization rule set associated with the contributor, and which automatically resolves conflicts between information in the monitored-entity subset of data fields in accordance with the viewing prioritization rule set.

Inventors

  • 👤 Michael D. Sanford

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-27 12:37
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/20; G06F16/24; G06F16/248; G06F16/25; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S706/00; Y10S706/902; Y10S706/934; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99931; Y10S707/99933; Y10S707/99939; Y10S707/99941; Y10S707/99944; Y10S707/99945

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.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4604686A Cited
US5369763A Cited
US5305196A Cited
US5283856A Cited
US5241675A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1999-04-02 1999-10-02 2000-04-02 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2003-04-02 2003-10-02 2004-04-02 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2007-04-02 2007-10-02 2008-04-02 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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