Sequential subset catalog search engine

• US 6,324,534 B1
• Filed: 09/10/1999
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Requisite Technology, Inc. (Huron Consulting Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Neal, Michael Renn, Wilmsen, James Michael, Beall, Christopher Wade
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US09/393,994
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 345/450, 345/850, 345/853, 345/854, 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/6, 707/10, 707/100, 707/101, 707/102, 707/205, 707/513, 709/224, 709/218, 709/245, 706/12, 706/45
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/953 Querying, e.g. by the use of web search engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

An electronic catalog search engine is configurable to optimize the search process by identifying the desired item from the most advantageous supplier, while efficiently utilizing computing resources. The search engine comprises a configurable search and data subset creation mechanism. The system accepts search terms from a user, and then executes a sequence of search strategies on subsets of the database which may include a proximity search, a word count search, and a fuzzy logic search. Subsets can be searched in any order and different search strategies can be applied to different subsets. The sequences are terminated when search steps have uncovered at least one match. Each database entry has a corresponding product category. A list of categories from each of the matching products is dynamically compiled and displayed to the user. The user can page through the list of displayed matches, or alternatively can create a subset of the list by selecting only the items within one of the categories. In addition, the user can further refine the list of items by selecting those items having a particular attribute. The invention has the advantage that users with a wide range of skills and/or familiarity with products can quickly find the products that they need. The system has the additional feature of creating electronic requisitions for the products listed in the database.

Claims

1. A method of selecting data records in a computer readable database, each data record having at least one classification, the method comprising the steps of:

designating a plurality of subsets of data records in a database;

designating at least a first and a second search strategy, wherein each search strategy comprises a search methodology preselected to operate upon at least one of the plurality of subsets to search for at least one match;

forming a search hierarchy comprised of the first search strategy followed by the second search strategy;

inputting a search string, comprising at least one search term, to a user interface;

executing the search hierarchy, wherein said search string is applied by a succession of said search strategies;

terminating said search hierarchy upon finding said at least one match;

displaying said at least one match.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of subsets is a vendor catalog.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said search methodology is a fuzzy logic search.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said search methodology is a soundex search.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said search methodology is a stem search.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least the first search strategy, when executed, fails to yield a matching result, and wherein the second search strategy, when executed, yields a matching result.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a first subset represents items available in-stock, and a second subset represents items not available in-stock.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of reordering said search hierarchy.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying a classification of said at least one match.

10. A system for selecting data records in a computer readable database, each data record having a classification, the database accessible to a computer, the system comprising:

a plurality of subsets of data records in the database;

at least a first and a second search strategy encoded within said computer, wherein each search strategy comprises a search methodology preselected to operate upon at least one of the plurality of subsets to search for at least one match;

an algorithm within said computer, said algorithm comprising a search hierarchy comprised of said first search strategy followed by said second search strategy;

a user interface connected to said computer, said user interface having an input for a search string, said input comprising at least one search term;

wherein executing the search hierarchy causes said search string to be applied by a succession of said search strategies, and wherein said algorithm terminates said search hierarchy upon finding said at least one match, and displays said at least one match on said user interface.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of said plurality of subsets is a vendor catalog.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein at least the first search strategy, when executed, fails to yield a matching result, and wherein the second search strategy, when executed, yields a matching result.

13. A method of selecting items in a computer readable electronic catalog, each item having a classification, the method comprising the steps of:

designating a plurality of subsets of data records in a database, wherein each subset corresponds to a different supplier;

designating at least a first and a second search strategy, wherein each search strategy comprises a search methodology preselected to operate upon at least one of the plurality of subsets to search for at least one match;

forming a search hierarchy comprised of the first search strategy followed by the second search strategy;

inputting a search string, comprising at least one search term, to a user interface;

executing the search hierarchy, wherein said search string is applied by a succession of said search strategies according to a preselected order of said suppliers;

terminating said search hierarchy upon finding said at least one match;

displaying said at least one match.