Report:PatBase/Search Interface/Login and Logout

Login and Logoff

Usually a routine feature for most web-based search tools, the login page for PatBase contains system information and notices, as well as several other important features.

The logon page.

Firstly, underneath the “username” and “password” fields there is another field, called “subaccount.” This is where a user would enter a specific billing code, to track searching hours for billing purposes. Although PatBase is actually not a pay-as-you-go service, this feature is for searchers wishing to bill clients for database time. Users may even define their own pricing scales for use of PatBase (e.g. $1 per minute, $2 for every record displayed, etc.). Anyone billing another party for search work may want to utilize these features for administrative/accounting purposes. For more information, see Other Features, at the end of this article.

Below the subaccount field, there are usually two checkboxes present. The first is a straightforward “Remember my login information” box. The second, named “Continue last session,” is more critical. Forgetting to check this box before the next log-in will completely erase the last session’s search history from the system’s log (note: the default settings from the last log-in are preserved. So if a user begins a session with the box unchecked, at the next log-in the box will default to unchecked). If this search history was not pre-saved before the last session ended, there is no way to recover it, with one caveat (explained further in the notes section^[1]).

Editor's Note:

Many PatBase users have unfortunately forgotten to check this box after an unexpected logoff (session timeouts occur automatically after 20 minutes of inactivity), and as a result their previous work was erased. This failure to automatically preserve a search history can be considered an unnecessary disadvantage of the system.

Depending on the security needs of the user, logon can occur over a normal connection, or a secure SSL connection; each is accessed via a slightly different login URL. To indicate that logon will be secure, a security logo will appear on the logon screen (see the figure above). If security needs are low, PatBase login can occur automatically by IP address recognition, as part of the subscriber’s service agreement.

Finally, a small Japanese flag at the bottom of the screen links to the Japanese logon interface. Although their icons do not appear here, a 2008 PatBase update introduced interfaces for the system in French and German.

Log-off is performed via the floating menu bar which appears at the top of every screen. This bar allows the user to quickly navigate to the main menu, the search form, the search history, the saved results folders, the document order screen or the pop-up help guide, and it also contains the Log-off command. Not logging off properly will result in an alert message for the user the next time he or she attempts to log-in.

Editor's Note:

A number of minor complaints about PatBase stem from features connected to the logon screen. The first is the ability to permanently delete any unsaved search history by forgetting to check “continue saved session” on the logon screen, which is an unnecessary pitfall that the system developers should fix.

Second, the system times out automatically after 20 minutes of inactivity, which can cause problems for searchers who need to pause their searches. To recover a search session without losing their place in a hit list where they were browsing, users can open a new browser window and log in to PatBase from the new window; the old window should then resume functionality.

Notes

1. ↑ The caveat to this rule: after logging on without checking the "continue last session box," as long as no new search query has been executed, users may be able to log-off and re-log-in with the proper box checked. This will recover the last session's history.