Methods And Systems For Using Community Defined Facets Or Facet Values In Computer Networks

• US 20160171044A1
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Skyword Incorporated
• Inventors: Evans, William, Kost, Keith, Sozio, Lauren, Travaline, Patricia, Oliveri, Adam, Jenkins, Ralph, McKenna, David, Garay, Gregory, Shaheen, Michael, Shine, Teresa, Laneave, Carl, Reinard, Aaron, Mihalik, John L., Gerace, Thomas A., Barbour, Russell G., Meyer, Richard A., Sandborg, David A., Bostick, James E., Wescoe, Kurt F., Hann, Jennifer R., Tresch, Timothy R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,366,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90328 using search space presentation or visualization, e.g. category or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

A database search method and system utilize user community defined facets and facet values for refining searches. The system provides access to a database having a plurality of records in respective categories of information. Each record has one or more facets to the respective category of information, usable in connection with a search as suggested additional parameters for further refining search terms or guiding user navigation of the database. The facets and facet values are defined by a computer network community of users over time and through use of the network community portal. Another embodiment is an advertising engine that displays targeted advertisements to the user based on refined search. Another embodiment is a method that utilizes refined search to help the user with navigation of a site (e.g., website or other computer network site) as a component of a GUI.

Claims

1-79. -79. (canceled)

80. A database search method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

providing access to a database having a plurality of records in respective categories of information, each record having one or more facets to the respective category of information;

receiving user input of a first search term by selection of a data element displayed on a graphical user interface, the search term formed of a first parameter indicative of at least one category of information of the database;

searching the database for records of the at least one category of information;

in response to the user input of the first search term, simultaneously displaying both in a same screen view;

(a) a set of search results, including records from the database of the at least one category of information, and

(b) a listing of any one or combination of facets and facet values of the records in the set of search results, the listing serving as suggested additional parameters for further refining the first search term upon user selection of the any one or combination of facets and facet values;

enabling user input of a second search term formed of a second parameter; and

in response to user selection of any one or combination of facets and facet values from the listing or user input of the second search term, refining the first search term based on the user selection of the any one or combination of facets and facet values from the listing or user input of the second search term, resulting in (i) a refined search term formed of the first parameter plus the user-selected any one or combination of facets and facet values or user-inputted second search term, and (ii) a search of the database using the refined search term, wherein at least one of the any one or combination of facets and facet values is defined by a community of users and corresponds to content generated by the community of users.

81. A database search method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

providing access to a database having a plurality of records in respective categories of information, each record having one or more facets to the respective category of information, at least one of the facets or facet values being user-defined;

receiving user input of one or more search terms formed of a first parameter indicative of at least one category of information of the database;

in response to the user input, displaying;

a set of search results, including records from the database of the at least one category of information, and

a listing of any one or combination of facets and facet values of the records in the search results; and

adding the one or more search terms to the user-defined facets or facet values associated with each record included in the set of search results.

82. The method as claimed in claim 81, wherein the step of adding is only executed for each record selected by a user in the set of search results.

83. A method for targeting advertising comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

providing access to a database having a plurality of records in respective categories of information, each record having one or more facets to the respective category of information;

receiving user input of a first search term formed of a first parameter indicative of at least one category of information of the database;

in response to the user input of the first search term, simultaneously displaying both in a same screen view;

(a) a set of search results, including records from the database of at least one category of information, and

(b) a listing of any one or combination of facets and facet values of the records in the set of search results, the listing serving as suggested additional parameters for further refining the first search term upon user selection of the any one or combination of facets and facet values, wherein at least one of the any one or combination of facets and facet values is defined by a community of users and corresponds to content generated by the community of users;

targeting advertising to the user based on a profile of the user, the profile including facets and facet values for the records read or created by the user;

enabling user input of a second search term formed of a second parameter; and

in response to user selection of any one or combination of facets and facet values from the listing or user input of the second search term, refining the first search term, term resulting in (i) a refined search term formed of the first parameter plus the user selected any one or combination of facets and facet values or user inputted second search term, and (ii) a search of the database using the refined search term.

84. The method as claimed in claim 83, wherein the profile of the user further includes facet and facet values created by the user.

85. A method of managing digital assets in a database comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

providing a plurality of users access to a database having a plurality of digital assets;

enabling the plurality of users to;

input digital assets into the database, and

apply facets and facet values to each digital asset in the database;

creating an index of the plurality of digital assets and the facets and facet values applied to each digital asset, the index being created and stored by one or more servers configured to read the database; and

managing the digital assets by incrementally updating the index.

86. The method as claimed in claim 85, wherein the digital assets are user-created.

87. The method as claimed in claim 85, wherein the plurality of users are registered members of a community of users.

88. The method as claimed in claim 85, further enabling the plurality of users to input a plurality of digital assets as a group and to apply facets and facet values to each digital asset in the group simultaneously.

89. The method as claimed in claim 85, wherein the database is a central database formed of a plurality of databases.

90. The method as claimed in claim 85 further comprising:

receiving user input of one or more search terms indicative of at least one category of information;

in response to the user input of the first search term, simultaneously displaying both in a same screen view;

(a) a set of search results, including digital assets from the database of the at least one category of information, and

(b) a listing of any one or combination of facets and facet values of the digital assets in the set of search results, the listing serving as suggested additional parameters for further refining the first search term upon user selection of the any one or combination of facets and facet values.

91. A computer system comprising:

a database having a plurality of records in respective categories of information, each record having one or more facets to the respective category of information;

means for receiving user input of a first search term by selection of a data element displayed on a graphical user interface, the search term formed of a first parameter indicative of at least one category of information of the database;

a search engine to implement a search of the database for records of the at least one category of information;

means for displaying, in response to the user input of the first search term, simultaneously displaying both in a same screen view;

(a) a set of search results, including records from the database of the at least one category of information, and

(b) a listing of any one or combination of facets and facet values of the records in the set of search results, the listing serving as suggested additional parameters for further refining the first search term upon user selection of the any one or combination of facets and facet values, wherein at least one of the any one or combination of facets and facet values is defined by a community of users and corresponds to content generated by the community of users;

means for enabling user input of a second search term formed of a second parameter; and

a refinement engine for refining the search based on the listing and additional user input or the second search term

92. A computer system comprising:

a database having a plurality of records in respective categories of information, each record having one or more facets to the respective category of information, at least one of the facets or facet values being user-defined;

means for receiving user input of a first search term by the selection of a data element located on a graphical user interface, the search term formed of a first parameter indicative of at least one category of information of the database;

a search engine to implement a search of the database for records of the at least one category of information;

means for displaying, in response to the user input of the first search term, simultaneously displaying both in a same screen view;

(a) a set of search results, including records from the database of the at least one category of information, and

(b) a listing of any one or combination of facets and facet values of the records in the set of search results,

means for adding the one or more search terms to the user-defined facets or facet values associated with each record included in the set of search results.

93. The computer system of claim 92, wherein the means for adding the one or more search terms to the user-defined facets or facet values associated with each record only adds the search terms to the records selected by a user in the set of search results.

94. An advertising engine comprising:

a database having a plurality of records in respective categories of information, each record having one or more facets to the respective category of information;

means for receiving user input of a first search term formed of a first parameter indicative of at least one category of information of the database;

means for displaying, in response to the user input of the first search term, simultaneously displaying both in a same screen view;

(a) a set of search results, including records from the database of at least one category of information, and

(b) a listing of any one or combination of facets and facet values of the records in the set of search results, the listing of facet values serving as suggested additional parameters for further refining the first search term upon user selection of the any one or combination of facets and facet values, wherein at least one of the any one or combination of facets and facet values is defined by a community of users and corresponds to content generated by the community of users;

advertisements that are displayed to the user and that are targeted to the user based on a profile of the user, the profile including facets and facet values for the records read or created by the user;

means for enabling user input of a second search term formed of a second parameter;

means for refining the search term in response to user selection of any one or combination of facets and facet values from the listing or user input of the second search term, resulting in (i) a refined search term formed of the first parameter plus the user-selected any one or combination of facets or facet values or second search term, and (ii) a search of the database using the refined search term; and

means for refining targeting of advertising based on any one or combination of user-selected facets and user-selected facet values or second search term.

95. The advertising engine of claim 94, wherein the profile of the user further includes facet and facet values created by the user.

96. A digital asset management system comprising:

a central database for storing one or more digital assets;

a plurality of servers for reading and writing to the central database, the servers enabling a plurality of users to;

access the central database,

store digital assets in the central database, and

apply facets and facet values to each of the digital assets in the central database;

an index of the one or more digital assets stored in the central database and the facets and facet values applied to each digital asset, the index being incrementally updated facilitating the management of the one or more digital assets.

97. The digital asset management system of claim 96, wherein the digital assets are user-created.

98. The digital asset management system of claim 96, wherein the plurality of users are registered members of a community of users.

99. The digital asset management system of claim 96, wherein the plurality of servers further enables the plurality of user to input a plurality of digital assets as a group and to apply facets and facet values to each digital asset in the group simultaneously.

100. The digital asset management system of claim 96, wherein the central database is formed of a plurality of databases.

101. The digital asset management system of claim 96 further comprising:

means for receiving user input of one or more search terms indicative of at least one category of information;

a search engine to implement a search of the database for digital assets of the at least one category of information; and

means for displaying, in response to the user input of the one or more search terms, simultaneously displaying both in a same screen view;

a set of search results, including digital assets from the database of the at least one category of information, and

a listing of any one or a combination of facet and facet values of the digital assets in the set of search results, the listing serving as suggested additional search terms for further refining the set of search results.