SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING USAGE OF PREDEFINED INTERNET SEARCH QUERIES

• US 20110055190A1
• Filed: 10/22/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Reputation.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vizibility Incorporated
• Inventors: Alexander, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,290,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links

Abstract

A user interface aids in creation of customized pre-defined queries that can be used for identifying particular search results relevant to a topic. Provision can be made to allow express inclusion or exclusion of certain results. Metrics relating to how much the pre-defined query focuses the search can be provided. A pre-defined query can be referenced by a URL, which can be distributed or referenced in content available in any number of locations. When results of the pre-defined search change, a contact associated with the search query can be notified. When a URL is activated, a redirect to the search engine with the customized query can occur, and the contact associated with the query can be notified of the usage of the pre-defined query. Metrics concerning sources of query usage can be produced, based on data gathered while serving the pre-defined query requests.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method relating to Internet searches, comprising:

providing a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) referencing a pre-defined query to be used with a search engine, the pre-defined query associated with an entity and with a first set of search results stored on a computer readable medium, and which were generated as search results by the search engine using the pre-defined query;

receiving a request for the pre-defined query, through usage of the URL;

redirecting the request for the pre-defined query to the search engine;

periodically submitting the pre-defined query to the search engine, receiving a current set of search results, and comparing the current set of search results with the first set of search results; and

producing an alert responsive to the comparison indicating that the current set of search results are different from the first set of search results, wherein the differences detected by the comparison comprise new results, results that now are absent, and differences in an ordering of results.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising gathering one or more elements of information about the request for the pre-defined query, and providing the one or more elements of information to the entity.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more elements of information comprise one or more of an internet protocol address, a reverse DNS lookup, and whois database search results.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2, further comprising maintaining the one or more elements of information for each request received for the pre-defined query during a time period and producing a summary report of the maintained elements of information for the time period.

5. A product comprising one or more elements of tangible computer readable media storing data and computer executable instructions, comprising:

data comprising a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) referencing a pre-defined query to be used with a search engine, the pre-defined query associated with an entity and with a stored first set of search results, generated by the search engine using the pre-defined query; and

computer executable instructions for

receiving a request for the pre-defined query, through usage of the URL,

redirecting the request for the pre-defined query to the search engine,

periodically submitting the pre-defined query to the search engine,

receiving a current set of search results,

comparing the current set of search results with the first set of search results, and

producing an alert responsive to the comparison indicating that the current set of search results are different from the first set of search results, wherein the differences detected by the comparison comprise new results, results that now are absent, and differences in an ordering of results.

6. The product according to claim 5, further comprising gathering one or more elements of information about the request for the pre-defined query, and providing the one or more elements of information to the entity.

7. The product according to claim 6, wherein the one or more elements of information comprise one or more of an internet protocol address, a reverse DNS lookup, and whois database search results.

8. The product according to claim 6, wherein the computer executable instructions further comprising instructions for maintaining the one or more elements of information for each request received for the pre-defined query during a time period and producing a summary report of the maintained elements of information for the time period.

9. An apparatus, comprising

a memory storing data and computer executable instructions, comprising:

data comprising a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) referencing a pre-defined query to be used with a search engine, the pre-defined query associated with an entity and with a stored first set of search results, generated by the search engine using the pre-defined query; and

computer executable instructions for

receiving a request for the pre-defined query, through usage of the URL,

redirecting the request for the pre-defined query to the search engine,

periodically submitting the pre-defined query to the search engine,

receiving a current set of search results,

comparing the current set of search results with the first set of search results, and

producing an alert responsive to the comparison indicating that the current set of search results are different from the first set of search results, wherein the differences detected by the comparison comprise new results, results that now are absent, and differences in an ordering of results; and

a processor coupled with the memory for accessing one or more of the data and the computer executable instructions.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising gathering one or more elements of information about the request for the pre-defined query, and providing the one or more elements of information to the entity.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the one or more elements of information comprise one or more of an internet protocol address, a reverse DNS lookup, and whois database search results.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the computer executable instructions further comprise instructions for maintaining the one or more elements of information for each request received for the pre-defined query during a time period and producing a summary report of the maintained elements of information for the time period.

13. A product comprising one or more computer readable media storing computer executable instructions for implementing a method comprising:

providing a first search query, relating to an entity, the first search query comprising a name for the entity, and one or more terms relating to attributes of the entity, the first search query being submittable to a search engine, and responsive to which a first set of search results would be returned;

obtaining a second set of search results, from the search engine, using only the name for the entity;

determining what search results in the first set of search results are in the second set of search results; and

forming an indicator for output that relates information about how many results from the first set of search results were in the second set of search results to a total number of results in the first set of search results.

14. The product of claim 13, wherein the entity is one of a person, a company, an organization, and a product.

15. The product of claim 13, wherein if the first set of search results and the second set of search results are congruent, then the indicator relates a percentage of zero.

16. The product of claim 13, wherein if the first set of search results has no search result in common with the second set of search results, then the indicator relates a percentage of one hundred.