On-site search engine for the World Wide Web

• US 20080104100A1
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Richardson, Matthew, Dakka, Wisam
• Granted Patent: US 7,783,689 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Providing updates to a computing device having a search engine capable of searching a local data store having an index with data related to a plurality of sites located on a wide area network. A first index builder capable of accessing sites on a wide area network is provided. The first index builder retrieves and analyzes data from the sites to create index data related to the sites. The method further includes communicating index data to the locally stored database for incrementally updating the index. A computing device capable of accessing a local data storage device is also provided. The device includes an index stored on the storage device including information related to data stored on the wide area network, a search engine capable of searching the index to retrieve information in response to a query, and a display.

Claims

1. A method of providing updates to a computing device having a search engine capable of searching a local data store including an index having data related to a plurality of sites located on a wide area network, comprising:

providing a first index builder capable of accessing sites on the wide area network to retrieve and analyze data from the sites to create index data related to the sites; and

communicating index data to the local data store for incrementally updating the index.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first index builder communicates index data to a first data distribution network and wherein the step of communicating index data to the local data store includes communicating index data from the first data distribution network to the local data store.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first index builder communicates index data to a second data distribution network.

4. The method of claim 2 and further comprising the step of communicating index data from the first data distribution network to a second data distribution network.

5. The method of claim 3 and further comprising the step of communicating index data from the second data distribution network to the local data store.

6. The method of claim 2 and further comprising a second index builder capable of accessing sites on the wide area network to retrieve and analyze data from the sites to create index data related to the sites and wherein the second index data communicates index data to the local data store.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second index builder accesses sites not accessed by the first index builder.

8. The method of claim 6 and further comprising communicating index data from the second index builder to the first data distribution network.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of communicating index data from the first data distribution network to the local data store is performed in response to a request from the local data store.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of communicating index data from the first data distribution network to the local data store includes communicating at least a portion of the index data available to the first data distribution network based on a customization profile indicative of the index data to be provided to the local data store.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of communicating index data from the first data distribution network to the local data store is performed continuously.

12. A computing device accessible by a user interface and capable of accessing a local data storage device, comprising:

an index stored on the local data storage device including information related to data stored on a plurality of sites on a wide area network; and

a search engine capable of accessing and searching the locally stored index to retrieve information in response to a query.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the computing device includes a communication link and wherein the locally stored index is configured to receive updated index information via the communication link.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the data distribution network is configured to provide updated information for the index in response to a request for information.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the locally stored index is configured to receive update information continuously.

16. The computing device of claim 12 and further comprising a locally stored data structure indicative of promotional information accessible by the search engine for output to the user interface in response to the query.

17. A method of searching for information about a wide area network, comprising:

providing a locally stored index containing index data related to information stored at a plurality of sites on the wide area network;

querying the locally stored index for index data including the at least one search term; and

displaying a result received from the query.

18. The method of claim 17 and further comprising a step of requesting updated index data from a data distribution network.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of requesting updated index data is directed to requesting updated index data related to a particular subject matter.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of providing the locally stored index includes providing the index on a data storage device accessible through a local area network.