DATABASE ACCESS SYSTEM

• US 20070156677A1
• Filed: 02/19/2007
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Relativity Display, LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alberti Anemometer LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Szabo, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,801,896 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3323 using document space presentation or visualization, e.g. category, hierarchy or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

An improved human user computer interface system, wherein a user characteristic or set of characteristics, such as demographic profile or societal “role”, is employed to define a scope or domain of operation. The operation itself may be a database search, to interactively define a taxonomic context for the operation, a business negotiation, or other activity. After retrieval of results, a scoring or ranking may be applied according to user define criteria, which are, for example, commensurate with the relevance to the context, but may be, for example, by date, source, or other secondary criteria. A user profile is preferably stored in a computer accessible form, and may be used to provide a history of use, persistent customization, collaborative filtering and demographic information for the user. Advantageously, user privacy and anonymity is maintained by physical and algorithmic controls over access to the personal profiles, and releasing only aggregate data without personally identifying information or of small groups.

Claims

1. A human-computer user interface method, comprising the steps of:

(a) defining a user interface for interacting with objects having associated a resource locators;

(b) searching for objects from a set of indexed objects with a search engine, based at least in part on a user input, and returning at least respective resource locators of objects corresponding to the user input;

(c) presenting to the user a hierarchal object comprising at least three levels of a taxonomic hierarchy each containing at least one object corresponding to the user input, and at least one level having at least two objects, the objects being taxonomically organized based on a content associated with a respective object; and

(d) providing a third party subsidy based on a set of separate objects, presented within the taxonomic hierarchy based on a relation of a taxonomic classification of the separate objects and the levels of the taxonomic hierarchy containing at least one object corresponding to the user input.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the separate objects are properly classified within a same taxonomic classification as at least one object corresponding to the user input.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the separate objects have a taxonomic classification which is proximate to that of at least one object corresponding to the user input.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hierarchal organizational structure comprises a tree structure displaying at least three hierarchal levels within a graphic user interface.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hierarchal organizational structure comprises a hyperbolic tree structure.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hierarchal organizational structure comprises a display generated by an applet, wherein a user interaction results in a reorganization of information within the display without requiring further interaction with the search engine.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the hierarchal object comprises at least one object which is displayed and at least one object which is not displayed, further comprising the step of receiving a user manipulation through the user input and displayed the previously not displayed object.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of selectively charging a third party subsidy for presentation of an object in dependence on whether the object is a displayed object or a not displayed object.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of selectively charging a third party subsidy for presentation of an object in dependence on a taxonomic context of object presentation.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of selectively charging a third party subsidy based on a value of a commercial transaction with the user predicated on a display of the object.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hierarchal object comprises a state independent information object.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of ranking members of the set of objects corresponding to the user input within a single hierarchal class based on a correspondence to the user input.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a ranking method preference from the user for a ranking objects corresponding to the user input.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of graphically representing a history of access to the objects presented through the user interface.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of manipulating an object within the taxonomic hierarchy through a graphic user interface, and requesting information content corresponding to the manipulated object based at least its respective resource locator.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of defining a user profile, for modifying the selection of objects corresponding to the user input by the search engine.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of defining a user profile, for modifying the taxonomic hierarchy.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of returning the resource locators of objects corresponding to the user input as at least data for an applet interactively presenting the objects in a graphic format and responding to user interaction with the presented objects through a graphic user interface.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one object has an associated digital rights rule, further comprising the step of applying digital rights rules to control use the at least one object by the user.

20. A computer readable medium having stored thereon program codes for controlling a processor to perform the method according to claim 1.

21. A system, comprising:

(a) a search engine interface, for communicating a user input defining a search for objects from a set of indexed objects with a search engine, receiving from the search engine at least respective resource locators of objects corresponding to the user input from the search engine, and at least one third party subsidy object selected from a set of separate objects, presented within the taxonomic hierarchy based on a relation of a taxonomic classification of the third party subsidy object and the levels of the taxonomic hierarchy containing at least one object corresponding to the user input; and

(b) a user interface for receiving the user input, presenting to the user a hierarchal object comprising at least three levels of a taxonomic hierarchy, each level containing at least one object corresponding to the user input, and at least one hierarchal level having at least two objects, the objects being taxonomically organized based on a content associated with a respective object, and interacting with objects having associated a resource locators.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the at least one third party subsidy object is properly classified within a same taxonomic classification as at least one object corresponding to the user input.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein the at least one third party subsidy object has a taxonomic classification which is proximate to that of at least one object corresponding to the user input.

24. The system according to claim 21, wherein the taxonomic hierarchy comprises a tree structure displaying at least three hierarchal levels within a graphic user interface.

25. The system according to claim 21, wherein the taxonomic hierarchy comprises a hyperbolic tree structure.

26. The system according to claim 21, wherein the taxonomic hierarchy comprises a display generated by an applet, wherein a user interaction results in a reorganization of information within the display without requiring further interaction with the search engine.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein the hierarchal object comprises at least one object which is selectively displayed in dependence on a user input received after the object is received from the search engine.

28. The system according to claim 21, further comprising a communication port for communicating with an accounting database for financially accounting for presentation of a third party subsidy object to the user.

29. The system according to claim 21, wherein representations of the resource locators of objects corresponding to the user input are interactively presented by an applet through a graphic user interface.