Searching in a computer network

• US 20050120016A1
• Filed: 11/16/2004
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Midgley, Nicholas J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,563 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 16/9532 Query formulation

Abstract

The invention allows a user to enter a search criteria in a search form once and search multiple web services, search engines and web pages without the need for repeatedly re-creating the search criteria for each web service or search engine because of different and varying supported formats. Once the user has defined their search query, the search query is passed to a query manager in the browser application for formatting the search criteria into a generic query format. The generic query format provides a unified and generic interface to all other query mechanisms supported by different web services, search engines and web pages.

Claims

1. A method for processing a search query with one search format entered by a user into a web browser, said method comprising the steps of:

translating the user'"'"'s search query from said one search format into a generic query with a generic format different than said one search format;

translating the generic query to a second search format of a web service, said second search format being different than said one search format and said generic format; and

sending the search query in said second search format to said web service for searching.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

translating the generic query to a third search format of another web service, said third search format being different than said one search format, said generic format and said second search format; and

sending the search query in said third search format to said other web service for searching.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 further comprising the step of aggregating responses from the first said web service and said other web service.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of sending to said web service a request to identify a query search format required by said web service, before the step of translating the generic query to said second search format of said web service

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 further comprising the step of receiving from said web service, in response to said request, an identification of parameters of said second search format, and wherein the step of translating the generic query with said generic format to said second search format comprises the step of parsing said generic query to identify said plurality of parameters of said second search format.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 wherein in response to receipt of the identification of parameters from said web service which are current and differ from search query parameters previously identified from said web service, the further step of automatically updating the parameters for said web service used in the translating step to comply with the current parameters.

7. A method as claimed in claim 4 further comprising the step of receiving from said web service, in response to said request, an identification of parameters of said second search format, and wherein said parameters comprise a search term, an exclude term, a boolean term, a file type term, and a chain term.

8. A system for processing a search query with one search format entered by a user into a web browser, said system comprising:

means for translating the user'"'"'s search query from said one search format into a generic query with a generic format different than said one search format;

means for translating the generic query to a second search format of a web service, said second search format being different than said one search format and said generic format; and

means for sending the search query in said second search format to said web service for searching.

9. A system as set forth in claim 8 further comprising:

means for translating the generic query to a third search format of another web service, said third search format being different than said one search format, said generic format and said second search format; and

means for sending the search query in said third search format to said other web service for searching.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9 further comprising means for aggregating responses from the first said web service and said other web service.

11. A system as claimed in claim 8 further comprising means for sending to said web service a request to identify a query search format required by said web service, before translating the generic query to said second search format of said web service

12. A system as claimed in claim 11 further comprising means for receiving from said web service, in response to said request, an identification of parameters of said second search format, and wherein the means for translating the generic query with said generic format to said second search format comprises means for parsing said generic query to identify said plurality of parameters of said second search format.

13. A system as claimed in claim 12 wherein in response to receipt of the identification of parameters from said web service which are current and differ from search query parameters previously identified from said web service, means for automatically updating the parameters for said web service used in the translating step to comply with the current parameters.

14. A system as claimed in claim 11 further comprising means for receiving from said web service, in response to said request, an identification of parameters of said second search format, and wherein said parameters comprise a search term, an exclude term, a boolean term, a file type term, and a chain term.

15. A computer program product to process a search query with one search format entered by a user into a web browser, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium;

first program instructions to translate the user'"'"'s search query from said one search format into a generic query with a generic format different than said one search format;

second program instructions to translate the generic query to a second search format of a web service, said second search format being different than said one search format and said generic format; and

third program instructions to send the search query in said second search format to said web service for searching; and

wherein

said first, second and third program instructions are recorded on said medium.

16. A computer program product as set forth in claim 15 further comprising:

fourth program instructions to translate the generic query to a third search format of another web service, said third search format being different than said one search format, said generic format and said second search format; and

fifth program instructions to send the search query in said third search format to said other web service for searching; and

wherein

said fourth and fifth program instructions are recorded on said medium.

17. A computer program product as claimed in claim 16 further comprising sixth program instructions to aggregate responses from the first said web service and said other web service;

and wherein said sixth program instructions are recorded on said medium.

18. A computer program product as claimed in claim 15 further comprising fourth program instructions to send to said web service a request to identify a query search format required by said web service, before translating the generic query to said second search format of said web service;

and wherein said fourth program instructions are recorded on said medium.

19. A computer program product as claimed in claim 18 further comprising fifth program instructions to receive from said web service, in response to said request, an identification of parameters of said second search format, and wherein the second program instructions parse said generic query to identify said plurality of parameters of said second search format;

and said fifth program instructions are recorded on said medium.

20. A method as claimed in claim 18 further comprising fifth program instructions, in response to said request, to receive an identification of parameters of said second search format, and wherein said parameters comprise a search term, an exclude term, a boolean term, a file type term, and a chain term;

and said fifth program instructions are recorded on said medium.