Method for implementing search engine

• US 20040260688A1
• Filed: 06/07/2004
• Published: 12/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xylon LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Hayley Logistics LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Gross, John N.
• Granted Patent: US 7,685,117 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A system and method for implementing/influencing a search engine which provides search results to users based on characteristics of certain trendsetter web pages identified on the Internet. The trendsetter web page are determined by studying historical adoption behavior of a group within the universe of websites, or by reference to known indicia.

Claims

1. A method of influencing behavior of an electronic World Wide Web (WWW) Internet search engine, which search engine is used for identifying search items in response to a query from an online network user, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) compiling a set of trendsetter webpages, said set of trendsetter webpages being groups of one or more webpages characterized as relatively early adopters of items that later become relatively popular within an electronic community;

(b) measuring a trendsetter rating for a first search item identified in said trendsetter webpages;

(c) responding to query from a user for search items at least in part based on said trendsetter rating for said first search item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said trendsetter webpages are aggregated to identify trendsetter websites.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said trendsetter websites are ranked and identified in an online viewable list.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said items are uniform resource locators (URLs).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said items are electronic documents.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said items are hypertext links to electronic documents.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said items are products.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said items are services.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said trendsetter rating for said first item is computed by evaluating an adoption time for said first item across as set of webpages.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said trendsetter rating is scaled in accordance with an adoption rank achieved by a webpage.

11. The method of claim 1, further including a step:

measuring a change in prevalence rate for the first search item among the trendsetter web pages for a newly introduced item.

12. The method of claim 11 further including a step:

generating a popularity prediction rating for the newly introduced item.

13. A method of classifying World Wide Web pages, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) identifying a set of WWW pages;

(b) extracting a set of early adopter WWW pages from said set of WWW pages, which set of early adopter WWW pages are determined by ranking said set of WWW pages in accordance with a time in which they first make a reference to a predetermined set of items.

14. The method of claim 13, further including a step:

generating a demand score identifying a predicted demand for a selected item by measuring a prevalence rate for such selected item across said set of early adopter WWW pages.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said demand score is used to compile a set of search items responsive to a search query presented to a search engine.

16. The method of claim 13, further including a step:

identifying said predetermined set of items by computing which of a group of items have achieved a prevalence rate on said set of WWW pages which exceeds a threshold value.

17. The method of claim 13, further including a step:

identifying said predetermined set of items by identifying which of a group of items have achieved a popularity rating on the Internet which exceeds a threshold value.

18. The method of claim 13, further including a step:

monitoring said set of early adopter WWW pages to identify new references to new items.

19. The method of claim 13, further including a step:

increasing a ranking for a web page in response to a search request posed to a search engine when said web page is from said set of early adopter WWW pages.

20. A method of influencing behavior of an electronic search engine system, which search engine is used for providing results to queries initiated by a community of online users of the World Wide Web, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) identifying trendsetter web pages, said trendsetter web pages being characterized as relatively early presenters of content related to items that later become relatively popular as measured by interest demonstrated by online users for such items;

(b) measuring a trendsetter web page rating for a particular item;

(c) modifying a search result provided by the search engine to an online user based on said trendsetter web page rating;

wherein said trendsetter web page rating is used, at least during certain time periods, for influencing which search results are presented to a user query.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said trendsetter web pages are grouped into sets in accordance with a plurality of different categories of items.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a different set of trendsetter web pages can be used on search by search basis.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein said trendsetter web pages are grouped into sets in accordance with a plurality of different categories of online users.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein said trendsetter web pages are web pages affiliated with one more individuals identified as trendsetters.