Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Remote data accessing
Reexamination Certificate
1996-09-20
2001-02-13
Dinh, Dung C. (Department: 2757)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Remote data accessing
C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C705S014270
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189029
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to an internet software tool. More particularly, the present invention relates to a Web survey tool that utilizes the distributed access afforded by the internet or local area networks (LANs) to collect and tabulate user answers to survey questions or afford remote modification of relational database tables.
BACKGROUND ART
The internet is a global collection of computer networks that provides individual users the ability to access internet services including the world wide web (Web). With internet access, individual users may, among other functions, send electronic mail (also known as “email”) to other users and remotely login to high power computers known as servers connected to the internet. Connecting to the internet requires a modem, a software communication package and a personal computer system as is well known in the art.
The Web is a collection of Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) servers that incorporate text, graphics, audio files, video and information in other formats. Web browsers such as NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR enable users to locate and connect to a Web page. “NETSCAPE ” and “NAVIGATOR” are claimed to be trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation of Mountain View, Calif. Before the Web page may be located however, it must first be created in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), which is the standard language of the Web, and posted on a server, a process that costs several hundreds of dollars and consumes several hours of programming effort. Such costs are usually tolerable if the information contained on the page does not change over a long period of time or if only a few pages need are to be created. However, if the information is dynamic, the costs associated with updating the information can quickly escalate as can the time required to update the information. Similarly, if multiple pages need to be created, the costs associated with the creation will quickly increase.
If the Web page is intended to perform interactive functions, such as survey a class of users on a selected topic, a webmaster, that is an individual responsible for maintaining the computer server and the web pages stored in the server's memory, must develop Perl scripts for each web page, a slow and time consuming task. Further, the webmaster must also develop a relational database comprising a plurality of tables and interface the tables with the scripts to collect users responses, another time consuming task. Accordingly, if several surveys are contemplated, it is desirable to create a software tool that eliminates significant involvement by the webmaster in creating and posting the surveys.
It would also be desirable to permit remote users the ability to access database information over the internet so as to facilitate commercial transactions or dissemination of information via dynamic Web pages. For example, airline reservations, banking transactions and corporate or government database transactions over the internet require the user to have restricted access to large data sets which are often configured as a relational database.
While current internet technology permits the user to transfer sets of data from the Web server to their computer, the user's computer must have sufficient computer processing power and data storage capacity to store and manipulate the information. In addition, the user must often times download entire files when only a small amount of information is required. Such transfers are time consuming and decrease the available bandwidth of the internet. Further, if the user does not have the proper application software, including the proper version of software, the downloaded file may not be useable. In many situations, the owner of the database may not desire users to have complete copies of the database. Accordingly, such owners may simply provide a limited subset of information to a Web page in the hopes that such information satisfies the needs of a majority of users.
Unfortunately, it is impractical to design a permanent Web page with data that is constantly changing due to the difficulty in time and effort that would be necessary to maintain an up-to-date Web page. Further, it is desirable to ensure that users will have access to the data sets while preventing unauthorized modification of the database.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a software tool which permits creation of surveys and the automatic collection and tabulation of survey results corresponding to user responses. Using the tool, a survey can be easily created by authorized groups or individuals without involvement by a webmaster. Once created, the survey is posted at a Web site address and the Universal Resource Locators (URL) is sent to one or a selected group of computer users by electronic mail or broadcast by other means, such as, for example, by advertisements or by telephone. With a Web client, or browser, users may access the survey page at the URL and complete the survey over the Web.
Surveys are constructed by a creator entering the text comprising the survey questions. The form of the questions may include at least seven different question types such as, radio (e.g., a multiple choice question with a single answer), multiple choice with multiple answers, input (with a defined input field size and type) short answer text (with a defined field length), scaled response (e.g., answer selected from among five options such as “strongly disagree,” “disagree,” “neutral,” “agree,” “strongly agree”), Yes/No, or left/right, text areas with various number of columns and rows, and the like.
Survey results are collected in a relational database as each user completes the survey. Thereafter, the survey creator can access the results and apply statistical tools or other analytical software applications to data mine the tabulated results.
By way of example, if a corporate work group desires to find out how many employees are satisfied with the company's medical plan, a survey containing specific questions regarding employee use and experiences in dealing with the plan's administrators may be generated by a creator and posted to the Web page. Advantageously, the creator is not required to understand the technical requirements of creating a Web page.
By broadcasting a company-wide electronic mail message, the Web address and notice of the availability of the survey is transmitted to the intended survey user. Responses are tabulated and used, for example, to identify under-used benefits, inefficiencies in the plan's administration, or to determine whether the plan is meeting the needs of employees and their families.
By way of further example, if a customer service work group is interested in customer feedback on, for example, the company's current products, a survey containing specific questions for the company's products may be created and posted to a Web page. Customers may be informed of the availability of the survey by electronic mailing, product updates that are mailed via the postal service or through other readily apparent means.
In another preferred embodiment, the software tool may be utilized to access, via the Web, remote servers running relational databases. Rather than creating a series of survey questions designed to merely collect and tabulate information, the Web page contains questions that will permit the user to access selected data sets comprising a relational database and obtain information therefrom. Alternatively, the user may be permitted to modify one or more of the data sets comprising the database based on information supplied by the user to complete a transaction.
For example, the user may be able to obtain airline schedule and fare information by accessing the Web page for a particular airline once the URL is known or located. After establishing connection, a series of questions may be presented to the user which may include, by way of example, “Do you wish to obtain fare quotations for domestic or international flights?” Rather than merely tabulating the response, the presen
Dinh Dung C.
Silicon Graphics Inc.
Wagner , Murabito & Hao LLP
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