Lotus Development Corporation

William T Gross

David A Rolfe

Lawrence S Gross

Stephen A Klein

Lee Hasiuk

Steve Colwell

A text search and retrieval system which builds an index representing every word in stored files created by a variety of applications, searches for requested words using the index and ranks the files based on the relative strength of match with the search request. From a display of the ranked filenames, the user can select a file, whereupon the file is tested to determine which one of a plurality of file viewers to deploy. The corresponding viewer is automatically loaded and used to display consecutive screens of information from the selected file. Further searching within the file is accomplished within the context of the viewer by matching character strings of a new search request with words in the items of the file produced by the viewer. To work on a file in view, the user can invoke the software application which created the file by loading the application corresponding to the viewer along with the desired file, without abandoning the search system.

Search and retrieval system

The present invention provides apparatus and methods for determining the boundaries of arbitrarily shaped regions on a computer display system having a central processing unit (CPU). The CPU is coupled to a display having a plurality of selectively enabled and disabled display elements arranged in a matrix, whereby each display element is identified by a unique X,Y address. A memory coupled to the CPU includes a plurality of memory cells, wherein the cells correspond to a display element on the display. An initial X,Y address is selected on the display by a user employing a cursor control to identify an area on the display where the boundaries of a region are to be determined. The initial X,Y address selected by the user is defined as a seed cell. The CPU determines if the initial seed cell corresponds to a disabled memory cell and blank (disabled) display element, and in such event increments the initial X,Y address to search outwardly a predetermined maximum distance to adjacent memory cells until an enabled (non-blank) cell is located. This enabled cell is set as a new seed cell. The CPU then searches radially outward in M directions from the new seed cells X,Y address for N consecutive disabled (blank) memory cells and sets in each of these directions the last non-blank (enabled) memory cell prior to the N consecutive disabled cells, as boundary cells. An initial rectangular region is defined through at least two of these boundary cells, and the CPU determines if P consecutive rows and columns of blank (disabled) memory cells bound the initial rectangular region. If not, the CPU selectively extends the boundaries of the initial rectangular region in X and Y directions until the region is bounded by P consecutive rows and columns of disabled cells. Accordingly, the boundaries of a region on a display are determined.

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Montrose, CA, United States of America

William T Gross