System and method of searching for electronic data

• US 20020065819A1
• Filed: 10/12/2001
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoshiura, Hiroshi, Aoshima, Hirokazu, Kikuta, Atsushi, Kamada, Eiichi
• Granted Patent: US 6,879,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A search service that takes security into consideration is provided efficiently. When a search center 1 receives a search request from an information browsing apparatus 4, then, the search center 1 searches for URLs that are associated with a search condition included in the above-mentioned search request, from a search database that registers URLs of Web pages, associating those URLs with respective search conditions. Then, the search center 1 presents the information browsing apparatus 4 with link information to the detected URLs. At that time, when the search request includes not only the search condition but also a condition that authorization by an authorization center (or centers) 2₁-2₃ is given, then, URLs that are registered in the search database being associated with the above-mentioned search condition, and at the same time, registered in said authorization center (or centers) 2₁-2₃ are searched for, and link information to the detected URLs is presented to the information browsing apparatus 4. Each authorization center 2₁-2₃ registers URLs of Web pages opened to the public by information disclosing persons who have passed examination by the authorization center in question.

Claims

1. An electronic data search system for presenting an information browsing person with information having links to electronic data satisfying a search condition received from said information browsing person, comprising:

a search center and at least one authorization center, wherein;

said search center comprises;

a search database in which an address of electronic data opened to the public by an information disclosing person is registered, being associated with a search condition of said electronic data;

a search request receiving means for receiving a search request, which includes a search condition, from a terminal of an information browsing person;

a search means for searching for an address of electronic data that is registered in said search database being associated with a search condition included in a search request received by said search request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person, and for presenting the terminal of said information browsing person with information having a link to the electronic data of the detected address; and

said at least one authorization center comprises an authorization registration means for registering an address of electronic data opened to the public by an information disclosing person who satisfies predetermined authorization conditions, in an authorization database;

wherein;

when a search request, which is received by said search request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person, includes not only a search condition but also a condition that authorization by a certain authorization center is given,

then, said search means searches for addresses of electronic data that are registered in said search database being associated with said search condition, and, registered in the authorization database of said authorization center, and

said search means presents information having links to the electronic data at the detected addresses, to the terminal of said information browsing person.

2. A electronic data search system according to claim 1, wherein:

said authorization center further comprises a cancelled authorization registration means for registering an address of electronic data deleted from said authorization database, in a cancelled-authorization database;

said search center further comprises a cache means that periodically accesses said authorization database of each authorization center, obtains contents of said authorization database of each authorization center, and hold the obtained contents in a storage device provided to the cache means itself; and

when a search request received by said search request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person includes not only a search condition but also a condition that authorization by a certain authorization center is given, then, said search means searches for address of electronic data that are registered in said search database being associated with said search condition, and, registered in said authorization center'"'"'s authorization database held in said storage device by said cache means, and further, not registered in the cancelled-authorization database of said authorization center; and

then, said search means presents information having links to the electronic data at the detected addresses, to the terminal of said information browsing person.

3. A electronic data search system according to claim 1, wherein:

said search request receiving means displays a search screen on a display device provided to a terminal of an information browsing person who has accessed said search center, with said search screen being for receiving designation of a search condition for electronic data and designation of necessity of authorization by each of said at least one authorization center; and

said search request receiving means receives a search request from the information browsing person through said search screen.

4. A electronic data search system according to claim 1, wherein:

said authorization center further comprises;

a mark issuing means for issuing an authorization mark having a link to said authorization center itself, to an information disclosing person who opens electronic data of which an address is registered in said authorization database through said authorization registration means, and for permitting display of said authorization mark on said electronic data;

a verification request receiving means for receiving a verification request that includes an address of electronic data, from a terminal of an information browsing person; and

a verification means for verifying that an address of electronic data, which is included in a verification request received by said verification request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person, is registered in said authorization database, and for presenting a result of verification to the terminal of said information browsing person; and

in response to an information browsing person'"'"'s operation of selecting an authorization mark displayed together with browsed electronic data, a terminal of said information browsing person transmits an authorization request that includes an address of said electronic data, to an authorization center linked to said authorization mark.

5. A electronic data search system according to claim 1, wherein:

said authorization center further comprises a mark issuing means for issuing an information disclosing person, who opens electronic data of which an address is registered in said authorization database by said authorization registration means, with an authorization mark embedded with an electronic watermark of signature information for said electronic data or for information relevant to said electronic data, and for permitting display of said authorization mark on said electronic data; and

in response to an information browsing person'"'"'s operation of selecting an authorization mark displayed together with browsed electronic data, a terminal of said information browsing person extracts signature information embedded as electronic watermark information in said authorization mark, and uses the extracted signature information to verify said electronic data.

6. A electronic data search system according to claim 1, wherein:

said electronic data is Web data; and

said address is a URL.

7. A search apparatus for presenting an information browsing person with information having links to electronic data that satisfy a search condition received from said information browsing person, comprising:

a search database in which an address of electronic data opened to the public by an information disclosing person is registered, being associated with a search condition of said electronic data;

a search request receiving means for receiving a search request, which includes a search condition, from a terminal of an information browsing person;

a search means for searching for an address of electronic data that is registered in said search database being associated with a search condition included in a search request received by said search request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person, and for presenting the terminal of said information browsing person with information having a link to the electronic data of the detected address; and

an access means for accessing an authorization center that has an authorization database in which an address of electronic data opened to the public by an information disclosing person satisfying predetermined conditions is registered;

wherein,

when a search request, which is received by said search request receiving means from a terminal of an information browsing person, includes not only a search condition but also a condition that authorization by an authorization center is given,

then, said search means searches for addresses of electronic data that are registered in said search database being associated with said search condition, and, registered in the authorization database of said authorization center, and

said search means presents information having links to the electronic data at the detected addresses, to the terminal of said information browsing person.

8. A registration apparatus for registering information disclosing persons who satisfy predetermined authorization conditions, comprising:

an authorization database,

an authorization registration means for registering an address of electronic data opened to the public by an information disclosing person who satisfies predetermined authorization conditions, into said authorization database; and

an access control means for permitting access to said authorization database by the search apparatus of claim 7.

9. A method of searching for electronic data, in which an electronic data search apparatus is used to search for addresses of electronic data that satisfy a search condition received from an information browsing person, and information having links to the electronic data at the detected addresses is presented to said information browsing person, comprising:

a receiving step, in which a search request including a search condition is received from a terminal of an information browsing person; and

a search step, In which a search database, which registers addresses of electronic data opened to the public by information disclosing persons, associating said addresses with respective search conditions of said electronic data, is searched for electronic data'"'"'s addresses associated with said search condition included in said search request received from the terminal of the information browsing person in said receiving stop, and information having links to electronic data at the detected addresses is presented to the terminal of said information browsing person;

wherein,

said search apparatus is connected through a network to an authorization center that registers addresses of electronic data opened to the public by information disclosing persons satisfying predetermined authorization conditions, in an authorization database; and

in said search step, when the search request, which is received from the terminal of the information browsing person in said receiving step, includes not only the search condition but also a condition that authorization by the authorization center is given, then, electronic data'"'"'s addresses that are registered in said search database being associated with said search condition, and, registered in the authorization database of said authorization center are searched for, and information having links to electronic data at the detected addresses is presented to the terminal of said information browsing person.