[54] METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY
OBTAINING AND PRESENTING DATA
FROM MULTIPLE DATA SOURCES
[75] Inventors: Aleksander Szlam. Norcross; James E. Owen. Smyrna, both of Ga.
[73] Assignee: Inventions, Inc.. Norcross, Ga.
[21] Appl. No.: 441,83©
[22] Filed: May 16,1995
[51] Lit CI.6 H04M 3/22
[52] U.S. CI 379/142; 379/96; 379/112;
379/122; 379/127; 379/201; 379/265
[58] Field of Search 379/201.202,
379/265. 266, 122. 96. 136. 213. 218. 214, 247. 309, 112. 34. 35. 113. 84, 88. 97, 219, 220. 142. 67; 375/279, 127, 112, 196. 94. 96. 212; 395/200.03. 200.09. 600; 370/60.
62
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
4.656.623 4/1987 Dalby, Jr. et al 370/60
4.656.624 4/1987 Collins et al 370/60
4,757,267 7/1988 Riskin 379/113
4,774,655 9/1988 Kollin et al 364/200
5,001,710 3/1991 Gawrysetal 379/142
5,008,930 4/1991 Gawrysetal 379/212
5,012,512 4/1991 Basso et al 379/96
5,181,238 1/1993 Medamana et al 379/94
5,239,577 8/1993 Bates et al 379/196
5^87,403 2/1994 Atkins et al 379/127
5,311,572 5/1994 Friedes et al 379/67
5,408,528 4/1995 Carlson et al 379/142
5,416,833 5/1995 Harper et al 379/265
5,448,632 9/1995 Iyob et al 379/112
5,465286 11/1995 dare et al 379/265
5,479,497 12/1995 Kovarik 379/34
5,481,603 1/1996 Gutierrez etal 379/127
5,506,897 4/1996 Moore et al 379/127
5.509,058 4/1996 Sestak et al 379/279
5,533,108 7/1996 Harris et al 379/265
Primary Examiner—Krista M. Zele
Assistant Examiner—Scott Wolinsky
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Jones & Askew. LLP
[57] ABSTRACT
A method for automatically obtaining, consolidating and displaying the information from a plurality of information sources. An agent workstation receives the initial information item and then sends this information item to the sources specified, receives additional information items from these sources, and displays or presents the information items received. If the initial information item is not adequate to obtain all of the information items desired then the information items received from one source are also used to obtain other information items from other sources so that all of the desired information items are obtained.
19 Claims, 10 Drawing Sheets
