Method and System for Automated Search for, and Retrieval and Distribution of, Information
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Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to automated information-search and information-retrieval systems that provide information, on a continuous or periodic basis, to users or subscribers. In one embodiment of the present invention, information is gathered from a user'"'"'s computer, or from computers accessible from the user'"'"'s computer, on an essentially continuous basis in order to provide a database of information from which meaningful and focused search queries can be automatically constructed. The search queries are then employed to find, on behalf of the user or subscriber, current information useful to, and needed by, the user or subscriber.
216 Citations
41 Claims
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1-24. -24. (canceled)
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25. An information-provisioning server comprising:
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a data-storage component that receives and stores information extracted from at least one of a user computer and computers accessible from the user computer, the extracted information extracted from applications at the at least one of the user computer and the computers; an information-search component of the server that; retrieves from the data-storage component at least part of the extracted information, to order information subjects with respect to importance of a contact, and searches for information related to a number of the information subjects having highest importance provided by web servers and RSS feeds over the Internet, and from other electronic-information systems accessible to the information-search component; and an information-provision component that provides information obtained by the information-search component to the user computer to be displayed on a dashboard page listing the contacts having highest importance at the user computer. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method performed by one or more servers, the method comprising:
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receiving information extracted from at least one of a user computer and computers accessible from the user computer, the extracted information being extracted from applications at the at least one of the user computer and the computers; storing the extracted information in a data-storage facility of the one or more servers; retrieving from the data-storage facility at least part of the extracted information, to order information subjects with respect to importance of a contact; searching for information related to a number of the information subjects having highest importance provided by web servers and RSS feeds over the Internet, and from other electronic-information systems accessible to the one or more servers; and providing at least part of the searched information to the user computer to be displayed on a dashboard page listing the contacts having highest importance at the user computer. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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37-1. The method of claim 36 further comprising:
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providing a selection of a listed contact to the one or more servers in response to receiving a selection of the listed contact; causing the display of a social graph in response to receiving information associated with the selected contact.
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Specification