SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTERNET SEARCHING

• US 20070244872A1
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WGRS Licensing Company, LLC
• Original Assignee: WGRS Licensing Company, LLC
• Inventors: Hancock, S. Lee
• Granted Patent: US 10,229,216 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 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0274 Split fees
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for a brand search ecosystem accessed via a network including a database of brands and branded products, locations, features, and services with input on business rules, algorithms, and information from brandholders and/or providing economic incentive payments to participants in the brand search ecosystem. The brand search ecosystem includes a brand name database including a plurality of brands and brandholders and brandbidders associated with respective brands. A search engine communicates with brandholders and the brand name database via a network for accessing information of brandholders and the brand name database to identify brandholders and brandbidders associated with brands. The search engine receives search requests from users, accesses the brand name database, and provides search results to the users. A clearing house processes economic incentive payments to brandholders and/or brandbidders associated with brands in the database.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a brand name database comprising a plurality of brands associated with respective brandholders and brandbidder information associated with respective brands, and a search engine communicating with the brand name database for receiving and responding to brand search requests via a network, comprising:

receiving a brandholder request from a brandholder to be associated with a brand in the brand name database;

applying business rules of the brand name database to the brandholder request to determine a level of association of the brandholder with the brand; and

allowing the brandholder to provide input into associating brandbidder information with the brand.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an economic incentive payment to the brandholder after processing a search request comprising the brand.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the economic incentive payment is based at least in part on revenues derived from search terms including the brand associated with the brandholder when a brand search is received by the search engine.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the economic incentive payment is processed by a clearing house authorized to process economic incentive payments for brandholders associated with brands in the brand name database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the business rules comprises associating one or more qualifiers with the brandholder and the brand within the brand name database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the input comprises allowing the brandholder to identify one or more brandbidders having authority to bid on being associated with the brand.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the input comprises allowing the brandholder to identify one or more brandbidders to impact ranking of the one or more brandbidders when presenting responses to search requests comprising the brand.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the input comprises allowing the brandholder to identify one or more brandbidders and provide economic incentive payments to the one or more brandbidders.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the input comprises allowing the brandholder to have input in the business rules of the database manager that affect brandbidders and their association with respective brands in the brand name database.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising including information obtained with permission directly from websites of the brandholders in the brand name database and associated with the brandholders'"'"' brands.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the information is obtained by crawling the brandholders'"'"' websites.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the information is obtained by accessing the brandholders'"'"' websites on a real-time basis.

6-7. -7. (canceled)

15-27. -27. (canceled)

28. A method for conducting online searches using a brand name database comprising a plurality of brands and brandbidder information associated with respective brands, and a search engine communicating with the brand name database via a network, comprising:

receiving a search inquiry via the network from a user, the search inquiry comprising a brand;

searching the brand name database for the brand and at least one of brandholder information and brandbidder information associated with the brand;

sending search results to the user via the network, the search results comprising at least one of brandholder information and brandbidder information associated with at least one of a brandholder and one or more brandbidders associated with the brand; and

providing an economic incentive payment to at least one of the brandholder associated with the brand and at least one of the one or more brandbidders associated with the brand based upon the search inquiry.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the brand name database comprises one or more qualifiers associated with respective brands, wherein the search inquiry comprises at least one qualifier, and wherein the brand name database is searched to identify brandbidders associated with the brand and the at least one qualifier.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the search engine searches the brand name database to determine whether the brand name database includes more than one entry for the brand, and to identify which brandbidders include brandbidder information associated with the at least one qualifier before sending the search results to the user.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the economic incentive payment is processed by a clearing house authorized to process economic incentive payments for brandholders and brandbidders associated with brands in the brand name database.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the clearing house is accessible on a real-time basis via the network by brandbidders and brandbidders.

32. (canceled)

34-36. -36. (canceled)

41-48. -48. (canceled)

49. A method for providing Internet search results from an Internet search engine accessing a brand name database comprising business rules and information based at least in part on input from brandholders and information associated with respective brands, comprising:

receiving a search request from an Internet user;

associating the search request with the brand name database comprising the information;

applying the business rules to the search request to determine search results from the information; and

providing the search results to the Internet user.

53. The method of claim 49, wherein the brands are used for identifying the nature and type of the search request.

54. The method of claim 49, wherein the input from the brandholders comprises a list of authorized vendors for respective brandholders.

55. The method of claim 49, wherein the input from the brandholders comprises a list of retail establishments for respective brandholders.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein the input from the brandholders comprises at least one of hours of operations, products carried, and detailed information about the retail establishments.

57. The method of claim 49, wherein the input from the brandholders comprises detailed content related to the brandholders'"'"' products.

60. The method of claim 49, wherein the input from the brandholders comprises minimum bids for brandbidders to be able to bid on the brandholders'"'"' brands as search terms.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein brandbidders are required to make certain periodic payments in order to be authorized to bid on the brandholders'"'"' brands as search terms.

50-52. -52. (canceled)

58-59. -59. (canceled)

62-64. -64. (canceled)

65. A system for searching via a network based upon brands, comprising:

a brand name database comprising a plurality of brands and brandholders and brandbidders associated with respective brands;

a search engine communicating with the brand name database via a network for accessing the brand name database to identify brandholders and brandbidders associated with brands included in search requests received by the search engine via the network; and

a clearing house for processing economic incentive payments to at least one of brandholders and brandbidders associated with brands in the brand name database.

66. The system of claim 65, further comprising a communication interface for receiving search requests via the network, the search engine configured for applying business rules of the clearing house to determine the economic incentive payments.

67. (canceled)

68. A method for compensating brandholders who provide input related to delivering Internet search results from an Internet search engine accessing a paid or bidded brand name database by providing economic incentive payments to the brandholders based on revenues derived from the brand name database based on the brandholders'"'"' brands, comprising:

receiving a search request from an Internet user that includes a brand;

associating the search request with the brand name database;

applying the business rules to determine search results for the search request;

providing the search results to the Internet user; and

tracking the search results to apply a portion of revenues derived from the search request to an account of a brandholder associated with the brand as an economic incentive payment.

73. The method of claim 68, wherein the economic incentive payment is shared by one or more brandholders.

74. The method of claim 68, further comprising providing an economic incentive payment from the brandholder to a brandbidder whose information is included in the search results.

69-72. -72. (canceled)

75. A method for brandholders to compensate brandbidders who bid on brands in connection with an Internet search engine utilizing a paid or bidded brand name database by providing an economic incentive payment from the brandholders to the brandbidders based at least in part on amounts bid or paid by the brandbidders, comprising:

receiving a search request from an Internet user that includes a brand;

associating the search request with the brand name database;

applying the business rules to determine search results;

providing the search results to the Internet user; and

tracking and accounting for an amount paid by the brandbidder to be associated with the search results and reporting the amount to the brandholder.

76. The method of claim 75, further comprising providing an economic incentive payment from the brandholder to the brandbidder.

81. The method of claim 76, wherein the search request giving rise to the economic incentive payment from the brandholder to the brandbidder also results in an economic incentive payment from the search engine to the brandholder.

77-80. -80. (canceled)

82. A system for conducting online searches using a brand, comprising:

a brand name database comprising a plurality of brands associated with respective brandholders and brandbidder information associated with respective brands;

a database manager comprising business rules for associating brandholders with respective brands and brandbidders with respective brands based upon the business rules, the database manager configured for receiving a brandholder request from a brandholder to be associated with a brand in the brand name database, applying the business rules to the brandholder request to determine a level of association of the brandholder with the brand, and allowing the brandholder to provide input into associating brandbidder information with the brand; and

a search engine communicating with the brand name database for receiving and responding to brand search requests received via a network.

83. (canceled)