Appeal 2007-1341
Application 09/894,065
to a database containing information about network devices.
(Abstract; Fig. 1.) "The database stores a filter metadata table that
describes criteria by which the information in the database can be
filtered to establish groups of the devices." (Abstract; Figs. 1-3.)
McCormack teaches that "[t]he filter mechanism receives a set of
user-entered criteria, selected from among the filter criteria, that
define a group of the devices" (Abstract; Figs. 2-3) and that "[t]he
database provides a dynamic view of network devices that meet the
user-entered criteria" (Abstract; Fig. 3). The mechanisms taught by
McCormack "can accommodate different devices as well as changes
in existing devices and introduction of new devices." (Abstract.)
2. McCormack teaches that a filter dialog is built based upon values of
filter attributes that are stored in a Filter Metadata table. (Col. 4,
ll. 62-64.) A query is constructed based on user-selected filters and
applied to a database of network device information. (Col. 5, ll. 1-3.)
Results of the query are presented to the user in a "view" of a group of
selected network devices. (Col. 5, ll. 3-5.) If no value is stored in the
Filter Metadata table for a particular attribute, then that attribute may
be omitted from the results or "view" of the network presented to the
user. (Col 10, ll. 40-44.) McCormack teaches that the form and
content of the "view" presented to the user can be changed by
selecting different values in a filter dialog or by changing the contents
of the Filter Metadata table. (Col. 11, ll. 21-24.) Thus, the filter
5
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013