Enhanced buyer-oriented search results

• US 20070179942A1
• Filed: 01/27/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richard A. Heggem
• Original Assignee: Richard A. Heggem
• Inventors: Heggem, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 10,534,820 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A system and architecture for enhancing search results generated by an Internet search engine, so that those search results include enhanced buyer-oriented information, is disclosed. According to one aspect, a list of search results generated by an Internet search engine comprises one or more search results that are associated with one or more URLs in a set of URLs. For each such URL, seller-specific information, which may be based on and/or comprise ratings that are associated with registered selling entities that are associated with that URL, is presented in association with that URL'"'"'s corresponding search result in the list of search results. A user who submitted query terms, based upon which the list of search results was generated, can use the presented rating information to determine which of the search results to investigate further.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing Internet search results, the method comprising the machine-implemented steps of:

generating, based at least in part on a list of search results generated by an Internet search engine, seller-specific information that is associated with one or more selling entities that are associated with at least a portion of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that is associated with a search result in the list of search results;

wherein the seller-specific information comprises one or more ratings that are based on input from one or more buying entities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the seller-specific information is performed by the Internet search engine, and wherein the Internet search engine generates a search results page that comprises the seller-specific information before sending the search results page toward a browser.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of search results is based on one or more query terms that a person supplied to the Internet search engine, and wherein the step of generating the seller-specific information is performed by a toolbar application that executes on a computer from which the person entered the one or more query terms, and wherein the toolbar application adds the seller-specific information to a search results page generated by the Internet search engine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the seller-specific information comprises:

one or more ratings of the one or more selling entities;

one or more ratings of one or more companies with which the one or more selling entities are associated; and

one or more ratings of one or more products with which the one or more selling entities are associated;

wherein the one or more ratings of the one or more selling entities differ from the one or more ratings of the one or more companies; and

wherein the one or more ratings of the one or more selling entities differ from the one or more ratings of the one or more products.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the seller-specific information comprises a number of the one or more selling entities.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of search results is based on one or more query terms that a person supplied to the Internet search engine, and wherein the seller-specific information indicates how many of the one or more selling entities satisfy filter criteria that are specified by the person.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the seller-specific information indicates a filter score.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of search results is based on one or more query terms that a person supplied to the Internet search engine, and wherein the seller-specific information indicates how many selling entities passed, and how many selling entities failed, one or more hard filters that are specified by the person.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the seller-specific information indicates how many of the one or more selling entities are currently involved in ongoing relationships that permit buying entities also involved in those ongoing relationships to rate, in the future, selling entities that are involved in those ongoing relationships.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of search results is based on one or more query terms that a person supplied to the Internet search engine, and wherein the seller-specific information indicates how many buying entities in a specified set of trusted buying entities have previously interacted with the one or more selling entities, wherein the composition of the specified set of trusted buying entities is specified by the person.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the machine-implemented step of sorting the list of search results based at least in part on at least a portion of the seller-specific information.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the machine-implemented step of excluding one or more search results from the list of search results based at least in part on at least a portion of the seller-specific information.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the machine-implemented step of generating a search results page that comprises a link that, when activated, causes an e-mail message to be generated, wherein the e-mail message comprises an invitation to register as a selling entity.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the machine-implemented step of generating a search results page that comprises a link that invites a user to register as a buying entity in order to obtain access to customized features.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the URL is a particular URL, and further comprising the machine implemented steps of:

determining a set of selling entities that are associated with a URL that is the same as the particular URL; and

determining a set of selling entities that are associated with a URL that consists only of a domain name of the particular URL.

16. A method for enhancing Internet search results, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing an account for a selling entity;

establishing an association between the selling entity and a first URL specified by the selling entity;

establishing an account for a buying entity that differs from the selling entity;

establishing an association between the selling entity and a rating given to the selling entity by the buying entity;

receiving a set of query terms from a user'"'"'s Internet browser;

generating, based at least in part on the set of query terms, a list of Internet search results, wherein a particular search result in the list is associated with a second URL;

determining whether at least a portion of the second URL matches the first URL;

in response to determining that at least a portion of the second URL matches the first URL, inserting, into a search results page that indicates the particular search result, rating information that is based at least in part on the rating given to the selling entity by the buying entity; and

sending the search results page to the user'"'"'s Internet browser.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

establishing an association between the user and one or more filter criteria;

establishing an association between the selling entity and one or more selling entity attributes; and

in response to determining that at least a portion of the second URL matches the first URL, inserting, into the search results page, information that is based on an extent to which the selling entity attributes satisfy the one or more filter criteria.

18. A method for determining fees for link activations, the method comprising the steps of:

in response to a buying entity'"'"'s activation of a link on a search results page, determining an extent to which attributes associated with the buying entity satisfy criteria associated with a selling entity that is associated with a URL for a search result that corresponds to the link; and

determining, based at least in part on said extent, an amount of a fee that will be charged to the selling entity in exchange for the buying entity'"'"'s activation of the link.

19. A method for selectively presenting search results, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a set of search results in response to a buying entity'"'"'s submission of one or more query terms to an Internet search engine;

before presenting search results to the buying entity, determining whether attributes associated with the buying entity satisfy criteria associated with a selling entity that is associated with a URL that is associated with a particular search result in the set of search results; and

in response to determining that the attributes do not satisfy the criteria, preventing the particular search result from being presented to the buying entity.

20. A machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

generating, based at least in part on a list of search results generated by an Internet search engine, seller-specific information that is associated with one or more selling entities that are associated with at least a portion of a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that is associated with a search result in the list of search results;

wherein the seller-specific information comprises one or more ratings that are based on input from one or more buying entities.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the step of generating the seller-specific information is performed by the Internet search engine, and wherein the Internet search engine generates a search results page that comprises the seller-specific information before sending the search results page toward a browser.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the list of search results is based on one or more query terms that a person supplied to the Internet search engine, and wherein the step of generating the seller-specific information is performed by a toolbar application that executes on a computer from which the person entered the one or more query terms, and wherein the toolbar application adds the seller-specific information to a search results page generated by the Internet search engine.

23. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the seller-specific information comprises:

one or more ratings of the one or more selling entities;

one or more ratings of one or more companies with which the one or more selling entities are associated; and

one or more ratings of one or more products with which the one or more selling entities are associated;

wherein the one or more ratings of the one or more selling entities differ from the one or more ratings of the one or more companies; and

wherein the one or more ratings of the one or more selling entities differ from the one or more ratings of the one or more products.

24. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the seller-specific information comprises a number of the one or more selling entities.

25. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the list of search results is based on one or more query terms that a person supplied to the Internet search engine, and wherein the seller-specific information indicates how many of the one or more selling entities satisfy filter criteria that are specified by the person.

26. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the seller-specific information indicates a filter score.

27. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the list of search results is based on one or more query terms that a person supplied to the Internet search engine, and wherein the seller-specific information indicates how many selling entities passed, and how many selling entities failed, one or more hard filters that are specified by the person.

28. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the seller-specific information indicates how many of the one or more selling entities are currently involved in ongoing relationships that permit buying entities also involved in those ongoing relationships to rate, in the future, selling entities that are involved in those ongoing relationships.

29. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the list of search results is based on one or more query terms that a person supplied to the Internet search engine, and wherein the seller-specific information indicates how many buying entities in a specified set of trusted buying entities have previously interacted with the one or more selling entities, wherein the composition of the specified set of trusted buying entities is specified by the person.

30. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform the step of sorting the list of search results based at least in part on at least a portion of the seller-specific information.

31. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform the step of excluding one or more search results from the list of search results based at least in part on at least a portion of the seller-specific information.

32. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform the step of generating a search results page that comprises a link that, when activated, causes an e-mail message to be generated, wherein the e-mail message comprises an invitation to register as a selling entity.

33. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform the step of generating a search results page that comprises a link that invites a user to register as a buying entity in order to obtain access to customized features.

34. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the URL is a particular URL, and wherein the one or more sequences of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

determining a set of selling entities that are associated with a URL that is the same as the particular URL; and

determining a set of selling entities that are associated with a URL that consists only of a domain name of the particular URL.