Method and apparatus for information retrieval

• US 20050010556A1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Web-Track Media Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Web-Track Media Pty., Ltd.
• Inventors: Phelan, Kathleen
• Application Number:
  US10/496,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20050010556A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A method for automated search and retrieval of information available on a networked database, the method including the steps of providing search topic information, providing a target information resource location, spidering or dividing the target information resource location for further resource locations that are likely to lead to relevant information, and retrieving information from the target information resource location or from a relevant one of the further resource locations.

Claims

1. A method for automated search and retrieval of information available on a networked database, the method including the steps of

providing search topic information,

providing a target information resource location,

spidering or dividing the target information resource location for further resource locations that are likely to lead to relevant information, and

retrieving information from the target information resource location or from a relevant one of the further resource locations.

2. A method according to claim 1 in which the networked database is the Internet.

3. A method according to claim 2 in which the retrieved information is analysed analyzed.

4. A method according to claim 3 in which an alert is provided to an entity as a result of the analysis.

32. Apparatus to implement the method of claim 1.

33. A computing machine operable to implement the method of claim 1.

5. A method for automated searching and retrieval of information, performing real time selection and retrieval of the information.

6. A method according to claim 5 in which the information is archived for subsequent analysis.

7. A method according to claim 6 including the step of establishing one or more target resource locations from which information is to be searched and retrieved.

8. A method according to claim 7 in which the target location includes a URL which is spidered by the system to identify underlying links.

9. A method according to claim 8 in which the spidering step is performed in a plurality of passes, each pass being targeted toward certain links, and each pass ignoring links that are unlikely to be relevant.

10. A method according to claim 9 including the step of retrieving information from links that appear relevant.

11. A method according to claim 10 including the step of assigning or attaching metadata to each item of information to create a database record.

12. A method according to claim 11 in which the database records are archived.

13. A method according to claim 12 in which retrieved information which is not in a textual format is converted to an editable raw-text data type.

14. A method according to claim 13 including the step of analyzing retrieved text against predetermined rules to recognize desired matches.

15. A method according to claim 14 in which the rules are used to implement a criterion against which retrieved items of information are compared to determine their relevance to various topics and therefore the manner in which the information should be indexed, or possibly discarded.

16. A method according to claim 15 in which the rules include one or more of literal string (key word) matches, regular expression matches, string patterns or occurrences of text, or other linguistically defined criteria to recognize desired matches.

17. A method according to claim 16 including the step of discarding or stripping all extraneous information from the information that is retrieved including HTML tags, images and the like.

18. A method according to claim 17 in which relevant information which is the subject of a new record is stored with associated metadata.

19. A method according to claim 18 in which each record is a distinct and unique item in the database or archive and is assigned a unique identifier.

20. An automated information search and retrieval system in which real time selection and retrieval of the information occurs.

21. A system according to claim 20 including provision for archiving the retrieved information in a readily accessible manner.

22. A system according to claim 21 in which the information is searched and retrieved from the Internet.

23. A system according to claim 22 including means for establishing one or more target resource locations from which information is to be searched and retrieved.

24. A system according to claim 23 including means for spidering a target resource location to identify underlying links.

25. A system according to claim 24 including means for retrieving information from links.

26. A system according to claim 25 including means for assigning or attaching metadata to each item of information to create a database record.

27. A system according to claim 26 including means for archiving retrieved information for later analysis.

28. A system according to claim 27 including means for converting retrieved information which is not in a textual format to an editable raw-text data type.

29. A system according to claim 28 including means for providing text data from non-text sources including hard copies by conversion to text using optical character recognition processors and audio format using speech recognition applications.

30. Apparatus to implement the system of claim 20.

31. A computing machine operable to implement the system of claim 20.

34. A computing machine operable to implement the apparatus of claim 30.