Systems and methods for searching a network of distributed content servers

• US 20080228740A1
• Filed: 03/16/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Benjamin Weiss, Stephen Currie
• Original Assignee: Benjamin Weiss, Stephen Currie
• Inventors: Weiss, Benjamin, Currie, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US11/725,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20080228740A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]

Abstract

A system that provides search results for searches of a distributed network of content servers includes a server that receives search request from a given user, wherein the user provides a search parameter; a searchable database having a plurality of web-usage histories stored therein; and a search engine module in communication with the database, the search engine module receives the search parameter and uses the search parameter to search at least a portion of the plurality of web-usage histories stored in the database and generate search results therefore, wherein the server provides the search results to the given user.

Claims

1. A method of providing search results to users of a search provider, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from a particular user, a search request having search parameters;

searching a web-usage history, stored in a database, using the search parameters, wherein the web-usage history includes historical web-usage information for a given user of the search provider; and

providing the particular user with search results based at least upon the search of the web-usage history.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

maintaining a plurality of electronic social-networks for users of the search provider, wherein each electronic social-network is comprised of one or more users of the search provider, wherein the particular user is a member of a specific electronic social-network;

determining the specific electronic social-network for which the particular user is a member; and

associating a web-usage history for users of the search provider, wherein each user belonging to the specific electronic social-network has a web-usage history associated therewith;

wherein the step of searching the web-usage history includes;

identifying web-usage histories of users belonging to the specific electronic social-network; and

searching the identified web-usage histories.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of identifying web-usage histories includes the step of excluding the web-usage history associated with the particular user from identification.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein only web-usage histories associated with members of the specific electronic social-network are searched.

5. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

maintaining a plurality of electronic social-networks for users of the search provider, wherein each electronic social-network is comprised of one or more users of the search provider;

storing a database of web-usage histories for users of the search provider, wherein each web-usage history is associated with one of the users of the search provider;

receiving web-usage information; and

including at least a portion of the received web-usage information in a web-usage history.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the web-usage history that includes the portion of the received web-usage information is a specific web-usage history, and further including the step of:

determining the specific web-usage history.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the received web-usage information includes an identifier, and wherein the identifier is used to determine the specific web-usage history.

8. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

providing the search parameters to a search engine;

receiving, from the search engine, non-historic-web-usage search results, wherein the non-historic-web-usage search results are independent of the web-usage history; and

combining the non-historic-web-usage search results with the search results of the web-usage-history.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of combining further includes the steps of:

applying a first weight to the non-historic-web-usage search results and a second weight to the search results of the web-usage-history; and

ranking the weighted non-historic-web-usage search results and the weighted search results of the web-usage-history.

10. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

searching a second web-usage history using the search parameters, wherein the second web-usage history includes historical web-usage information for a second given user of the search provider;

applying a first weight to the search results of the first web-usage history and a second weight to the search results of the second web-usage-history; and

ranking the weighted search results of the first web-usage-history and the weighted search results of the second web-usage-history.

11. A system for providing search results, the system comprising:

a server that receives search request from a given user, wherein the user provides a search parameter;

a searchable database having a plurality of web-usage histories stored therein; and

a search engine module in communication with the database, the search engine module receives the search parameter and uses the search parameter to search at least a portion of the plurality of web-usage histories stored in the database and generate search results therefore, wherein the server provides the search results to the given user.

12. The system of claim 11,

a social-network manager module configured to maintain a plurality of electronic social-networks, wherein each electronic social-network is comprised of one or more associated users of the system, wherein the given user is a member of a specific electronic social-network, wherein the social-network manager module is configured to identify the members of the specific electronic social-network;

and

wherein the system includes logic embodied in a computer readable medium, the logic configured to perform the steps of;

determining the specific electronic social-network for which the given user is a member; and

associating a web-usage history for users of the search provider, wherein each user belonging to the specific electronic social-network has a web-usage history associated therewith;

wherein the step of searching the web-usage history includes;

identifying web-usage histories of users belonging to the specific electronic social-network; and

searching only the identified web-usage histories.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the step of identifying web-usage histories includes the step of excluding the web-usage history associated with the given user from identification.

14. A method of searching a web of distributed content servers, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of web-usage histories in a database;

receiving a search request having search parameters included therein;

searching the database using the search parameters; and

providing a historical web-usage search results based upon the search of the database.

15. The method of claim 14, further including the steps of:

enabling the creation of a plurality of electronic social-networks, each electronic social-network having a plurality of members associated therewith;

associating each one of the plurality of web-usage histories with one of the electronic social-networks; and

determining a particular web-usage history to search.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the particular web-usage history is associated with a particular electronic social-network, and wherein the search request was submitted by a given member associated with the electronic social-network.

17. The method of claim 15, further including the steps of:

receiving web-usage information for content received by a given member, the given member is associated with a given electronic social-network; and

modifying the web-usage history associated with the given electronic social-network to include at least a portion of the received web-usage information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the web-usage information includes at least one of a Uniform Resource Locator and meta-data for content received by the given user.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the search request includes an identifier, and wherein the particular web-usage history to be searched is determined using the identifier.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifier is a member-identifier.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifier is an electronic social-network identifier.

22. The method of claim 14, further including the steps of:

enabling the creation of a plurality of electronic social-networks, each electronic social-network having a plurality of members associated therewith;

associating each one of the plurality of web-usage histories with one of the members of the electronic social-networks; and

determining a plurality of web-usage histories to search, wherein each one of the web-usage histories to be searched is associated with a member in the same electronic social-network.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the search request was submitted by a given member associated with the same electronic social-network.

24. The method of claim 22, further including the steps of:

receiving web-usage information for content received by a given member; and

modifying the web-usage history associated with the given member to include at least a portion of the received web-usage information.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the web-usage information includes at least one of a Uniform Resource Locator and meta-data for content received by the given user.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the search request includes a member-restrictor;

and further including the step of using the member-restrictor to determine the plurality of web-usage histories to be searched.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the search request includes a weighting factor, and further including the step of ranking the historical web-usage search results using the weighting factor.