Abstract: A method and apparatus for representing and navigating search results from a database on a computer system. A graphical user interface is generated to receive user input including a data source to search for information and a query indicating information which is desired from the data source. The user input is transmitted to the data source, the search is performed and information responsive to the query resulting from the search is received from the data source. The search results include characteristics of the responsive information. The responsive information is clustered into a plurality groups based on selected characteristic information and the user may select at least one group of the responsive information to be displayed.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for converting information from a text format to an audio format using distributed processing. A first set of computer readable program instructions receive information from a data source, convert the information from the text format to an intermediate format, and transmit the information in the intermediate format to a second data processor. A second set of program instructions, executable on the second data processor, are also included to convert the information from the intermediate format to the audio format. The first set of program instructions are executed on a remote, or server side, data processor, while the second set of program instructions are executed on a client side data processor. The first set of program instructions expand the information in the text format into phonemes using a grapheme to phoneme dictionary. The second set of program instructions convert the phonemes to audio output signals.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for representing and navigating search results from a database on a computer system. A graphical user interface is generated to receive user input including a data source to search for information and a query indicating information which is desired from the data source. The user input is transmitted to the data source, the search is performed and information responsive to the query resulting from the search is received from the data source. The search results include characteristics of the responsive information. The responsive information is clustered into a plurality groups based on selected characteristic information and the user may select at least one group of the responsive information to be displayed.