Searching content on web pages

• US 20060242128A1
• Filed: 03/01/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goel, Surendra
• Granted Patent: US 7,558,805 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Performing a search to identify web sites that relate to a search term based on text within the web sites includes receiving at least one search term that then is compared with electronic information within at least one electronic information store to determine whether matches exist. The electronic information within the at least one information store may include text and/or full text displayed by different web pages from different web sites. Results based on the matches that are determined to exist are displayed. The results include at least one website identifier. The search may be performed by a web host having members and may further include automatically scanning and storing the text of a website when the website is accessed by a member of the web host. The stored text may be compared against received search terms.

Claims

1. A method for populating at least one memory store, wherein the method is performed by a web host having members, the method comprising:

automatically scanning text of a web site when the web site is accessed by a member of the web host; and

storing the text of the web site that was automatically scanned for comparison against search terms that are received.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying the web site being accessed by a member of the web host; and

determining whether the text of the web site was previously stored;

wherein the automatically scanning and storing include automatically scanning and storing the text of a web site only when the text of the web site is determined not to have been previously stored.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein determining whether the text of a web site has been stored comprises using a web site address corresponding to the web site.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein determining whether the text of a web site has been stored comprises:

scanning the text of the web site being accessed; and

determining based on the text of the web site whether the text of the web site was previously stored.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the text of the web site previously stored are related to the text of the web sites previously accessed by members of the web host.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising:

identifying web sites provided by a listing service;

determining whether the text of the web sites provided by the listing service were stored previously; and

automatically scanning and storing the text of the web sites that were determined not to have been stored previously.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein identifying web sites provided by a listing service comprises doing so periodically.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically scanning text comprises automatically scanning the full text of a web site when the web site is accessed by a member of the web host.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically scanning text comprises automatically scanning the full text of at least a web site provided by a listing service that has not been accessed by a member of the web host.

10. A computer program, stored on a computer readable medium for populating at least one memory store, comprising instructions for:

automatically scanning text of a web site when the web site is accessed by a member of a web host; and

storing text of the web site that was automatically scanned for comparison against search terms that are received.

11. The computer program of claim 10 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a propagated signal.

12. The computer program of claim 11 wherein the propagated signal comprises a carrier wave.