Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-13
2001-12-11
Mizrahi, Diane (Department: 2171)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06330567
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a searching system, and more particularly, a searching system for searching desired files and their file paths on a hard disk of a personal computer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Files in a computer's hard disk are arranged in a hierarchical tree structure to form a directory system. Access to files is often managed through use of a FAT (file allocation table). This directory system consists of a root directory at the topmost point of the tree structure which may also serve as the label of the hard disk. A plurality of subdirectories are located subordinate to the root directory within which are the computer files. Each file and directory connects to its parent directory and adjacent subdirectories in the FAT through a specific path pointer.
To locate a particular file, the computer system sequentially searches each path in the tree-like structure of the directory system of the hard disk. The general search program can also find adjacent subdirectories and the path pointer of parent directories in the FAT. In this way, desired files are found with all associated parent hierarchical directories.
The efficiency of computer systems is impaired by performance of time-consuming mechanical procedures involving reading data from or writing data to a hard disk and sequential data searches. Due to the present complexity and increased storage capacity of hard disks, users may become overwhelmed by the large numbers of files and not be informed about detailed path information or directory names. In a prior art searching operation, even for a very small file, the user would have to perform a time-consuming mechanical search operation on the large hard disk that would waste time and cause potential damage to the magnetic head of the hard disk.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a primary objective of the present invention to provide a searching system to rapidly locate files or their file paths on a hard disk of a personal computer system to solve the above mentioned problem.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a searching system for searching filenames and file paths of files stored in a personal computer's hard disk. The searching system comprises:
a filename file for recording filenames of files in the hard disk;
an index file for recording file paths of the files recorded in the filename file; and
a search program for searching the filenames recorded in the filename file according to at least one search parameter provided by a user to generate a filename output, and searching the file paths for the filenames contained in the output by using the index file to generate an index output.
It is an advantage of the present invention that the searching system utilizes a prestored filename file and index file for quickly finding the corresponding information of the filenames in these two files instead of on a larger hard disk drive.
This and other objectives and the advantages of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after having read the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment which is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5226176 (1993-07-01), Westaway et al.
patent: 5787461 (1998-07-01), Stephens
patent: 5819261 (1998-10-01), Takahashi et al.
patent: 5890169 (1999-03-01), Wong et al.
patent: 5909540 (1999-06-01), Carter et al.
patent: 5948062 (1999-09-01), Tzelnic et al.
patent: 6026474 (2000-02-01), Carter et al.
patent: 09810961 (1998-08-01), None
“How to Use Microsoft Windows NT4 Workstation” by Jacquelyn Gavron et al., pp. 36-43, Jan. 1996.*
“Mastering Windows 3.1 Special Edition” by Sybex, pp. xiii-xiv and pp. 101-145, Jan. 1993.
Hsu Winston
Mizrahi Diane
Tornado Technologies Co., LTD
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