Search engine for remote access to database management systems

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

On the past, there has been a long felt need for world-wide access to information in a speedy, cost effective and convenient manner. The present invention addresses this need. While the invention will be described herein in connection with an object oriented database management system, certain features and aspects of the invention have broader application.

In an object oriented database management system, it is often advantageous to provide access to knowledge base over a communications circuit that has a finite bandwidth. The communications circuit, for example, may be a local area network ("LAN"), a wide area network ("WAN"), or the internet. Suitable communications circuits can permit access to a knowledge base for remote locations that may be separated by great distances. However, speed is an important consideration that must be adequately addressed in any practical system in order for it to be successful. Although improvements in network protocols and speed have been the focus of much attention, nevertheless networks have limitations on the amount of traffic and the throughput that can be accommodated. Performance may be adversely impacted by delays inherent in moving large amounts of data over such a communications circuit. The performance problems with, for example, the Internet persist even as network transmission speeds and capacity are increased. The Internet may be compared to a multi-lane highway. Increases in speeds may be analogized to raising the speed limit on a highway. Increases in capacity may be analogized to widening the highway to provide more lanes. Yet, the highway may still slow to a crawl during rush hour. The problem is that as quickly as additional lanes can be built, the number of cars using the highway increases just as fast or faster. Similarly, the number of users of the Internet has grown almost exponentially, resulting in an increase in the amount of data that must be transported by the network during a given period of time. Therefore, performance and speed remain important issues that must be addressed regardless of incremental improvements in the speed or capacity of the Internet or other networks.

Remote access to a database such as an object oriented knowledge base may be achieved over a communications circuit. It is desirable to provide a system for remote access that provides great flexibility and speed. A suitable search engine and interface are needed for remote access. For example, a need exists for a system that allows an object oriented database system to be accessed in a manner which permits guided iterative queries at speeds and performance levels that are consistent with cost effective, time efficient and productive use of such data, for example, by engineering and design personnel, and other customers in general. Un particular, a search engine is needed to permit guided iterative queries of an object oriented database system over the Internet, in a seamless environment that permits navigation of the World Wide Web (sometimes referred to simply as "the Web") via hypertext links in HTML documents in conjunction with queries of the object oriented database system.

There are many examples where a search engine such as that provided by the present invention is needed. One example may be a new product design project where the major components need to be specified in a time efficient manner, and it is necessary or desirable to research what components are available.

For example, an electronic product may need a series of integrated circuits (IC's) that will boost performance beyond the current design--and beyond the professed operation of a new product that a competitor has just announced. Even if, for example, a supplier such as National Semiconductor has just come out with a new IC that would work, the information concerning such a brand new component available from a supplier would not be found in any of the data books available at the offices of the engineers and designers of the product. Alternatively, at the temperature tolerances a new product needs, the designers and engineers may not be able to find a databook for available components that states exactly how given components of interest will perform. In the past, it was typically necessary to order preliminary data sheets, (which typically are incomplete in nature and sometimes inaccurate), order some samples of components that appeared to be suitable, design them in, prototype the product, test it, and hope that the silicon produced still met what the original specification sheets said. This may consume valuable time, and delay the introduction of a new product.

In the past, this scenario may have been repeated in many companies because of a lack of timely, accurate and complete information on available components and parts that are commercially available for use in a particular design of a new product. In addition, there has been a long felt need for engineers and designers to have access to this information without having to know any part numbering sequence, data sheet naming scheme or description text. They needed to have access to information about products based on how they think about them--i.e., accessing the information according to the attributes of the component or product that is needed. For IC's, it may be power levels, tolerances, and package types; for office supplies it may be product type, size and cost, an so forth.

It is desirable for engineers and designers to get access to this information almost instantly. In the past, searching through catalogs has been cumbersome and time-consuming. Maintaining an up-to-date library of catalogs at the office of the engineer or designer has been relatively costly and time-consuming. Obtaining up-to-date information by calling a sales representative of a supplier has not been entirely satisfactory, and further consumes time. There has been a need to minimize the time required to search for and find each component that is needed for a product design, so that the engineers and designers can get on with the useful work that they need to do to produce a new product.

Engineers and designers need to be able to successively narrow their search for a needed component, and to be able to quickly look for substitutes if they do not find what they originally requested. And they need to have access to any information unique to them as a customer, such as special pricing, delivery times, or even preannounced components or parts available only to strategic customers. Moreover, engineers and designers have needed access to such component and design information to be provided at little or no cost, for example, as an extension of their relationship with the vendors of the components.

The above described examples are sufficient to demonstrate that prior art methods have not been entirely satisfactory. However, the present invention has broad application beyond the limited examples discussed above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention involves the use of executable content (for example, Java.TM. applets) downloadable over a network or a wide area network (such as the Internet or the World Wide Web) to local processing equipment in order to enable interactive search of a remotely located information repository such as an object oriented database which must be accessed over a communications channel having limitations on bandwidth and throughput.

The present invention may be advantageously used in a database management system to facilitate efficient and speedy remote access to, for example, an object oriented database or schema over a communications circuit having a limited bandwidth or throughput capability. The present invention reduces or eliminates time consuming transmission of unnecessary digital information over the communications circuit and allows access to information in a database in conjunction with executable applets while providing the ability to navigate and access resources available over the communications circuit.

The present invention provides engineers and designers with the possibility that they can get direct access to their key supplier's data on-line, via the Internet. Not only is this information typically accessible at any time day or night, but it is data far richer than what is typically published in a static databook, catalog or product brochure. And such information can be absolutely current and up-to-date.

A preferred embodiment has been implemented in a product offered under the trademark "Krakatoa.TM.", available from CADIS, Inc. of Boulder, Colo., which utilizes a language and runtime system distributed by Sun Microsystems under the name "Java.TM.."

For example, a Java.TM. implementation of a