Methods For Searching Private Social Network Data
First Claim
1. A method for searching a database that includes private social network data, comprising:
- providing one or more databases including a plurality of database entries, a first portion of the database entries including private social network data and a second portion including non-social network data that is publicly accessible on the World Wide Web;
associating a plurality of permission rules with the first portion of database entries, the plurality of permission rules individually defining access rights to a respective subset of the private social network data;
receiving a keyword search request from a search request user;
receiving authentication data associated with the user, wherein the authentication data identifies access rights of the user to a subset of the private social network data according to at least one of the permission rules;
searching the one or more databases or a keyword index thereof using one or more keywords received in the keyword search request and generating a search result comprising a plurality of search result items;
determining a hierarchy for the search result items;
displaying at least a portion of the search results items according to the hierarchy;
and determining whether the user has access rights to a particular subset of the private social network data and wherein if the user has access rights to the particular subset of private social network data, using at least a portion of the particular subset of private social network data in the step of (i) searching the one or more databases, (ii) determining the hierarchy, and/or (iii) displaying the search result items.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for searching a database that includes private social network data includes providing one or more databases including a plurality of database entries, a first portion of the database entries including private social network data and a second portion including non-social network data that is publicly accessible on the World Wide Web. The method further includes receiving a keyword search request from a search request user and searching the one or more databases or a keyword index thereof using one or more keywords and determining a hierarchy for the search result items. The method also includes displaying at least a portion of the search results items according to the hierarchy. And, determining whether the user has access rights to a particular subset of the private social network data and wherein if the user has access rights to the particular subset of private social network data, using at least a portion of the particular subset of social network data in the step of (i) searching the one or more databases, (ii) determining the hierarchy, and/or (iii) displaying the search result items.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method for searching a database that includes private social network data, comprising:
-
providing one or more databases including a plurality of database entries, a first portion of the database entries including private social network data and a second portion including non-social network data that is publicly accessible on the World Wide Web; associating a plurality of permission rules with the first portion of database entries, the plurality of permission rules individually defining access rights to a respective subset of the private social network data; receiving a keyword search request from a search request user; receiving authentication data associated with the user, wherein the authentication data identifies access rights of the user to a subset of the private social network data according to at least one of the permission rules; searching the one or more databases or a keyword index thereof using one or more keywords received in the keyword search request and generating a search result comprising a plurality of search result items; determining a hierarchy for the search result items; displaying at least a portion of the search results items according to the hierarchy; and determining whether the user has access rights to a particular subset of the private social network data and wherein if the user has access rights to the particular subset of private social network data, using at least a portion of the particular subset of private social network data in the step of (i) searching the one or more databases, (ii) determining the hierarchy, and/or (iii) displaying the search result items. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A method for displaying search results from a private social network database in combination with a web-based search, comprising:
-
providing a graphical user interface (GUI) to a user; providing one or more databases including a plurality of database entries, a first portion of the database entries including private social network data and a second portion including non-social network data that is publicly accessible on the World Wide Web; associating a plurality of permission rules with the first portion of database entries, the plurality of permission rules individually defining access rights to a respective subset of the private social network data; receiving a keyword search request from a search request user; receiving authentication data associated with the user, wherein the authentication data identifies access rights of the user to a subset of the private social network data according to at least one of the permission rules; and searching the one or more databases or a keyword index thereof using one or more keywords received in the keyword search request and generating a search result comprising a plurality of search result items, at least a portion of which are displayed through the GUI as a plurality of selectable links, wherein a first portion of the selectable links link to one or more databases having private social network data and a second portion of the selectable links link to a database having non-social network data. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification