Importance

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Abstract

A system enables a user to retrieve information from a plurality of commercially available databases. The user gains access to the system with a personal computer equipped with a modem, or with any other terminal capable of sending and receiving data over telecommunications lines. The system presents the user with a sequence of menus which ask the user to specify an area of interest. The choices presented to the user are programmed to cover virtually the entire field of human knowledge. After the user has chosen the area of interest, the system automatically selects a database to be searched. The user then enters a specific search request, and the system translates the format of the request into a format which is appropriate for the database selected. The system establishes communication with the database, downloads the information received from the database, and terminates the link with the database. The user is then able to browse electronically through the information received, without incurring the added expense of maintaining communication with the database.

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First Claim