Patent
1995-07-18
1998-04-07
Black, Thomas G.
395615, G06F 1730
Patent
active
057375950
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a distributed database system and database receiver therefor, which has particular, but not exclusive, applicability to data broadcasting or datacasting communications media.
BACKGROUND ART
The closest system known to the applicant is a system often referred to as "teletext". The teletext system utilises the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of a television transmission for the purposes of broadcasting predetermined blocks of text material. The blocks of text are organised as pages where each page provides one screen of text material. The text format for each page is fixed as are the total number of pages of text material. The pages are broadcast repeatedly consecutively. Noted defects of this kind of system include the rigidity of the text in its page format and also the significant delays that can be encountered whilst a user waits for a requested page to come around to its time for re-transmission.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a system by which a database can be distributed from a central station with thematically linked data to one or more users at remote locations and where the user can autonomously group the received data for interpretation according to the demands of the user in an efficient and fast manner compared with prior art systems. channel capacities.
Throughout this specification the term "data" is to be interpreted broadly to include all forms of information, whether it is to be output to the user as text, graphics, video, audio and whether the data is for the purposes of presentation to the user or whether the data has a functional purpose or computational purpose eg. forms part of a system header, a system programme component or the like.
Similarly, the term "database" is to be interpreted broadly as a general source and/or repository, however accessible, of data as defined in its broadest form above.
In accordance with one broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a distributed database system comprising: making available at least portions of said data in accordance with the demands of a user of a said receiver station; accumulated data from said database for constituting a database, ready for distribution; processing means for extracting said data from said data store and generating a sequential data stream therewith for distribution; and transmission means for encoding and transmitting said sequential data stream; and transmitted data so as to reconstitute said data therefrom; input means for a user of said receiver station to input user commands in respect of the demands of the user to said receiver station; receiver processing means for constituting a database from said data having regard to said user commands; memory means for storing data for constituting said database; and means for communicating selected data in direct response to said user commands.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a database receiver for a distributed database system of the type defined in the preceding aspect of the invention comprising: receiver to reconstitute database data therefrom; said database receiver in respect of the demands of the user; regard to said user commands; direct response to said user commands.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for providing a distributed database for access and searching by a user comprising: users; for selective storage of the data the demands of the user; and to the user.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for receiving distributed database data and selectively communicating the sane to a user comprising: therefrom; user; commands; direct response to the user commands to the user.
In a further broad form of the invention, there is provided a distributed database system comprising a primary database which is in communication via communication means with a plurality of remote subscriber stations; each remote subscriber station in
REFERENCES:
patent: 5019963 (1991-05-01), Anderson et al.
patent: 5560038 (1996-09-01), Haddock
patent: 5604867 (1997-02-01), Harwood
Chatfield Robert Jeffries
Cohen Thomas Andrew
Black Thomas G.
Ho Ruay Lian
Io Research Pty. Limited
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