Method, device and software for querying and presenting search results

• US 20050050014A1
• Filed: 08/29/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kittleg Holdings LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Vortaloptics, Inc.
• Inventors: Gosse, David B., Feindel, Tym D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,440,964 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method, device, and software for presenting search results obtained from a plurality of databases, based on an end-user specified query, is disclosed. In an embodiment, the search results are combined from results from a first index and results from a second index. The first index comprises a plurality of index entries modifiable by an administrator, and the second index comprises a plurality of index entries that are not modifiable by the administrator. In the combined search results, any search result from the second index for which an associated key field is identical to the associated key field of a matching search result in the first set of search results is discarded in favor of the matching search result in the first set of search results.

Claims

1. A method of presenting search results in a response to an end-user query, said search results being combined from results from a first index and results from a second index, said first index comprising a plurality of index entries modifiable by an administrator, said second index comprising a plurality of index entries that are not modifiable by said administrator, said index entries of said first index and said second index each having an associated key field, said method comprising:

(i) querying index entries of said first index using said query to extract a set of first search results, each including a value of said associated key field, each of said first search result associated with a quality of match;

(ii) querying index entries of said second index using said query to extract a set of second search results, each including a value of said associated key field, each of said second search result associated with a quality of match;

(iii) combining said first and second set of search results to generate a list of matching search results, in which any search result from said second index for which an associated key field is identical to the associated key field of a matching search result in said first set of search results is discarded, in favor of said matching search result in said first set of search results.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said index entries comprises at least one keyword, and said querying index entries of said first index comprises matching keywords in a query to said at least one keyword for each of said index entries in said first index.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of said at least one keyword is associated with a weight, and said quality of match is calculated by summing weights for each of said one keyword that matches a keyword in said query.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said associated key field of each said search result obtained from said first index identifies a uniform resource locator (URL), and said associated key field of each said search result obtained from said second index identifies a URL.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of said index entries comprises at least one keyword, and said querying index entries of said first index comprises matching keywords in a query to said at least one keyword for each of said index entries in said first index.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of said at least one keyword is associated with a weight, and said quality of match is calculated by summing weights for each of said one keyword that matches a keyword in said query.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said combining in (iii) comprises utilizing said quality of match to present an ordered listing of URLs identified in each of said search results in said list of matching search results.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising excluding search results having a predetermined quality of match from being presented as part of said ordered listing.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said predetermined quality of match is a null value.

10. A computing device comprising a processor and computer readable memory, said memory storing

a first index and a second index, said first index comprising a plurality of index entries modifiable by an administrator, said second index comprising a plurality of index entries that are not modifiable by said administrator, said index entries of said first index and said second index each having an associated key field,

search engine software adapting said device to

(i) query index entries of said first index using a query to extract a set of first search results, each including a value of said associated key field, each of said first search result associated with a quality of match;

(ii) query index entries of said second index using said query to extract a set of second search results, each including a value of said associated key field, each of said second search result associated with a quality of match;

(iii) combine said first and second set of search results to generate a list of matching search results, in which any search result from said second index for which an associated key field is identical to the associated key field of a matching search result in said first set of search results is discarded, in favor of said matching search result in said first set of search results.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein each of said index entries comprises at least one keyword, and said search engine software further adapts said device to query index entries of said first index by matching keywords in a query to said at least one keyword for each of said index entries in said first index.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein each of said at least one keyword is associated with a weight, and said search engine software further adapts said computing device to calculate said quality of match by summing weights for each of said one keyword that matches a keyword in said query.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein said associated key field of each said search result obtained from said first index identifies a uniform resource locator (URL), and said associated key field of each said search result obtained from said second index identifies a URL.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein each of said index entries comprises at least one keyword, and said search engine software further adapts said device to query index entries of said first index to match keywords in a query to said at least one keyword for each of said index entries in said first index.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein each of said at least one keyword is associated with a weight, and said search engine software adapts said computing device to calculate said quality of match by summing weights for each of said one keyword that matches a keyword in said query.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein said search engine software further adapts said computing device to combine said first and second set of search results from said each of said qualities of match to present an ordered listing of URLs identified in each of said search results in said list of matching search results.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein said search engine software further adapts said computing device to exclude search results having a predetermined quality of match from being presented as part of said ordered listing.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein said predetermined quality of match is a null value.

19. A computer readable medium, storing computer executable instructions that when loaded at a computing device comprising a processor and processor readable memory storing a first index and a second index, said first index comprising a plurality of index entries modifiable by an administrator, said second index comprising a plurality of index entries that are not modifiable by said administrator, said index entries of said first index and said second index each having an associated key field, adapt said computing device to:

(i) query index entries of said first index using a query to extract a set of first search results, each including a value of said associated key field, each of said first search result associated with a quality of match;

(ii) query index entries of said second index using said query to extract a set of second search results, each including a value of said associated key field, each of said second search result associated with a quality of match;

(iii) combine said first and second set of search results to generate a list of matching search results, in which any search result from said second index for which an associated key field is identical to the associated key field of a matching search result in said first set of search results is discarded, in favor of said matching search result in said first set of search results.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein each of said index entries comprises at least one keyword, and said computer executable instructions further adapt said computing device to query index entries of said first index to match keywords in a query to said at least one keyword for each of said index entries in said first index.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein each of said at least one keyword is associated with a weight, and said computer executable instructions further adapt said computing device to calculate said quality of match by summing weights for each of said one keyword that matches a keyword in said query.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein said associated key field of each said search result obtained from said first index identifies a uniform resource locator (URL), and said associated key field of each said search result obtained from said second index identifies a URL.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein each of said index entries comprises at least one keyword, and said computer executable instructions further adapt said computing device to query index entries of said first index comprises code for matching keywords in a query to said at least one keyword for each of said index entries in said first index.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein each of said at least one keyword is associated with a weight, and said computer executable instructions further adapt said computing device to calculate said quality of match by summing weights for each of said one keyword that matches a keyword in said query.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein said computer executable instructions further adapt said computing device to utilize said quality of match to present an ordered listing of URLs identified in each of said search results in said list of matching search results.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein said computer executable instructions further adapt said computing device to exclude search results having a predetermined quality of match from presentation to said end-user.

27. The computer software program product of claim 26, wherein said predetermined quality of match is a null value.