METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ACCESS TO RESTRICTED RESOURCES

• US 20090193016A1
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Scott A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,577,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database

Abstract

A method and system of providing a search result to a user based on information indicated in a restricted access resource is described. A search system utilizing the assistance of human searchers or guides may obtain a search result using information included in a restricted resource. Access to a restricted resource is granted to guides based on access information provided to the search service. A guide may access information indicated in a restricted resource in order to obtain a search result. A search result obtained based on information indicated in a restricted resource may be returned to a user.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a search, comprising:

receiving a request for information;

determining whether a restricted resource is relevant to the request;

allowing a human searcher to access the restricted resource based on said determining; and

providing a response to the request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an indication of the restricted resource responsive to the request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is based on a ranking of the restricted resource associated with the request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the restricted resource does not require revealing access information of the restricted resource to the searcher.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the response is a specific answer to the request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the allowing is based on information of a user submitting the request.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the restricted resource with a keyword or a category based on the response; and

ranking the restricted resource based on a rating of the response.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the restricted resource is not required to be directly accessible to a user submitting the request.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a portion of information indicated in the restricted resource is provided responsive to the request.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the restricted resource is conditioned on a qualification of the human searcher.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the restricted resource is conditioned on a qualification of the request.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing information of the request, the response, and the restricted resource for indexing by automated search engines.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the information is text and the portion is a selection made by the searcher which is less than a predetermined number of characters.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the searcher is selected based on historical information of access to the restricted resource by the searcher.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the indication is an advertisement.

16. A computer readable medium storing therein a program for causing a computer to execute an operation including providing access to a restricted resource, comprising:

determining whether access to a restricted resource is authorized in association with processing a request received;

allowing a human searcher to access the restricted resource based on said determining; and

providing a response to the request.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the determining includes determining relevancy of the restricted resource to the request by the human searcher

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein access to the restricted resource is provided based on an existing subscription of one of a user submitting the request, a search system managing the request and the human searcher.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein access to the restricted resource does not require revealing access information of the restricted resource to the human searcher.

20. A system, comprising:

a user device for submitting a request;

a search system providing information of the request to a guide system;

a guide system accessing a restricted resource to process the request;

a database having access and ranking information; and

a restricted resource providing information responsive to the request.