Internet site searching and listing service based on monetary ranking of site listings

• US 6,078,866 A
• Filed: 09/14/1998
• Issued: 06/20/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SearchUP, Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Melcher, Michael, Buck, Bryan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/153,151
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 707/10, 707/104, 707/4, 707/9, 707/2, 707/102
• US Class Current: 702/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A system of network site searching and listing employs a server which maintains a listings database containing site listings, provided by subscribers, each of which includes a title or description of the content of the respective site, a network address at which the site can be accessed, and a denominated value to be paid by the subscriber as a subscription fee for the site listing. In response to search queries, the server provides a search report of listings ranked according to the subscription fees paid by the subscribers. The higher the amount paid for a given subscription period in relation to other listers, the higher the site'"'"'s ranking on the service'"'"'s search reports. Through an account monitoring interface, subscribers can monitor the ranking of their listings and modify their account information and subscription fees automatically at any time. The denominated-values approach to rankings may be used in conjunction with the index search method or the category search method. The denominated-values database may also be linked to other search services, and the denominated-values rankings of the listings can be converted into the relevancy measures used by the other search services. The service provides immediate placement control for subscribers, without high transaction costs or delays, based on a ranking system determined by monetary value rather than arbitrary relevancy factors.

Claims

1. A system of network site searching and listing comprising:

a listing server connected to a network accessible by a plurality of users, having a site listings database containing a plurality of site listings, each of which is provided by a site listing subscriber and includes a title or description of the content of the respective site, a network address at which the site can be accessed on the network, and a denominated value bid by the subscriber for the site listing while it is maintained on the listing server,

server search program means for searching the site listings database for site listings having titles or descriptions of content that match a given search inquiry from a user and for ordering the site listings found in the search in order of their denominated values, wherein said listing server provides a search report of the denominated-value-ordered site listings relevant to the search inquiry to the user in order according to the denominated values bid by the subscribers for the found site listings, and

bid management program means including a subscriber account interface for allowing a subscriber to connect online with the listing server and to automatically enter a new denominated value bid for said subscriber'"'"'s site listing into the site listings database,

wherein said server search program means of said listing server thereupon conducts searches of the site listings database for site listings in response to search inquiries from users by automatically taking into account the new denominated value bid entered by the subscriber for the subscriber'"'"'s site listing.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the denominated value to be paid by the subscriber is a subscription fee of an initially entered amount which may be adjusted during a defined adjustment period.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said listing server includes an account interface to the network accessible to subscribers having means for allowing a subscriber to enter information to set the subscription fee for a respective listing in order to obtain a desired rank for the listing.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein said interface includes means for allowing the subscriber to maintain a plurality of site listings in a listings account accessible through said account interface.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said listing server includes search means for conducting a search of its site listings database according to search parameters provided with the search inquiry from a user.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein said search means conducts an index search of the site listings database based upon keywords provided with the search inquiry from a user.

7. A system according to claim 5, wherein said search means conducts a category search of the site listings database based upon a selected category provided with the search inquiry from a user.

8. A system according to claim 5, wherein said listing server is linked to respond to search inquiries from other search servers, and includes relevancy measure conversion means for converting its search report of listings by rank according to denominated values into other relevancy measures used by the other search services.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the relevancy measure used by another server is a relevancy percentage, and said relevancy measure conversion means converts the search report'"'"'s ranks listings based on denominated values into relevancy percentages.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the denominated value is a credit point amount applied by the subscriber to the respective listing.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein credit points applied by the subscriber to the respective listing are obtained in accordance with a number of click-throughs for the listing obtained in searches of the listings database.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein said subscriber account interface allows a subscriber to search and view the subscriber'"'"'s previously entered site listing ranked in comparison to the denominated values of other site listings entered by other subscribers, and to enter a new denominated value bid in order to chance the ranking of said subscriber'"'"'s site listing relative to those of the other subscribers.

13. A system of network site searching and listing comprising:

a listing server connected to a network accessible by a plurality of users, having a site listings database containing a plurality of site listings, each of which is provided by a site listing subscriber and includes a title or description of the content of the respective site, a network address at which the site can be accessed on the network, and a denominated value bid by the subscriber for the site listing while it is maintained on the listing server,

server search means for searching the site listings database for site listings having titles or descriptions of content that match a given search inquiry from a user and for ordering the site listings found in the search in order of their denominated values, wherein said listing server provides a search report of the denominated-value-ordered site listings relevant to a search inquiry to a user in which the listings are in order according to the denominated values bid by the subscribers for the listings, and

bid management means including a subscriber account interface for allowing a subscriber to connect online with the listing server and to automatically enter a new denominated value bid for said subscriber'"'"'s site listing into the site listings database.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein said account interface has update means for automatically updating the listings database with subscription fee information entered by subscribers, so that searches of said listings database reflect rankings for the listings in accordance with the updated subscription fee information.

15. A system according to claim 13, wherein said account means has payment processing means for automatically executing payment transactions in accordance with subscription fee information entered by subscribers.

16. A system according to claim 13, wherein said subscriber account interface allows a subscriber to search and view the subscriber'"'"'s previously entered site listing ranked in comparison to the denominated values of other site listings entered by other subscribers, and to enter a new denominated value bid in order to change the ranking of said subscriber'"'"'s site listing relative to those of the other subscribers.

17. A method of network site searching and listing comprising:

providing network site listings to be maintained in a a site listings database of a listing server connected to a network accessible by a plurality of users, each site listing being provided by a site listing subscriber and having a title or description of the content of the respective site, a network address at which the site can be accessed on the network, and a denominated value bid by the subscriber for the site listing, and

searching the site listings database for site listings having titles or descriptions of content that match a given search inquiry from a user and ordering the site listings found in the search in order of their denominated values, and

allowing a subscriber to connect online with the listing server and to automatically enter a new denominated value bid for said subscriber'"'"'s site listing into the site listings database.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the denominated value to be paid by the subscriber is a subscription fee of an initially entered amount which may be adjusted during a defined adjustment period.

19. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of accessing said listing server by subscribers through the network in order to enter information to set the subscription fee for a respective listing.

20. A method according to claim 17, wherein the denominated value is a credit point amount applied by the subscriber to the respective listing.

21. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of linking the listing server to respond to search inquiries from other search servers, and converting its search report of listings by rank according to denominated values into other relevancy measures used by the other search services.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein the relevancy measure used by another server is a relevancy percentage, and said search report'"'"'s ranks of listings based on denominated values are converted into relevancy percentages.

23. A method according to claim 17, wherein said step of allowing a subscriber to connect online includes the substep of allowing the subscriber to search and view the subscriber'"'"'s previously entered site listing ranked in comparison to the denominated values of other site listings entered by other subscribers, and to enter a new denominated value bid in order to change the ranking of said subscriber'"'"'s site listing relative to those of the other subscribers.