Method for searching from a plurality of data sources

PROVIDING A SEARCHBASE OF A PLURALITY OF
DESCRIPTIVE PACKETS, EACH ASSOCIATED WITH
AN INFORMATION SOURCE
401

SEARCHING THE SEARCHBASE TO IDENTIFY INFORMATION SOURCES WHICH POTENTIALLY COULD SATISFY THE SEARCH CRITERIA 404

TRANSFORMING THE SEARCH REQUEST INTO QUERIES IN THE LANGUAGES CAPABLE OF QUERYING THE IDENTIFIED INFORMATION SOURCES

405

QUERYING THE IDENTIFIED INFORMATION SOURCES
TO OBTAIN INFORMATION SATISFYING THE
SEARCH CRITERIA
406

RECEIVING INFORMATION SATISFYING THE
SEARCH CRITERIA FROM THE
INFORMATION SOURCES
407

PROVIDING A SEARCHBASE OF A PLURALITY OF
DESCRIPTIVE PACKETS, EACH ASSOCIATED WITH
AN INFORMATION SOURCE
501

RECEIVING FROM A USER A SEARCH REQUEST SPECIFYING SEARCH CRITERIA 502

TRANSFORMING THE SEARCH REQUEST INTO QUERIES IN THE LANGUAGES CAPABLE OF QUERYING THE IDENTIFIED INFORMATION SOURCES

503

QUERYING THE IDENTIFIED INFORMATION SOURCES
TO OBTAIN INFORMATION SATISFYING THE
SEARCH CRITERIA
504

RECEIVING INFORMATION SATISFYING THE
SEARCH CRITERIA FROM THE
INFORMATION SOURCES
505

IDENTIFYING TO THE USER THE INFORMATION
SOURCES FROM WHICH INFORMATION
SATISFYING THE SEARCH CRITERIA WAS
RECEIVED
506

PROVIDING A SEARCHBASE OF A PLURALITY OF
DESCRIPTIVE PACKETS, EACH ASSOCIATED WITH
AN INFORMATION SOURCE
601

RECEIVING FROM A USER A SEARCH REQUEST SPECIFYING SEARCH CRITERIA 602

TRANSFORMING THE SEARCH REQUEST INTO
AN INQUIRY CAPABLE OF
SEARCHING THE SEARCHBASE
603

SEARCHING THE SEARCHBASE TO IDENTIFY INFORMATION SOURCES WHICH POTENTIALLY COULD SATISFY THE SEARCH CRITERIA

604

IDENTIFYING TO THE USER THE INFORMATION SOURCES WHICH POTENTIALLY COULD SATISFY THE SEARCH CRITERIA

605