Business directory search engine

• US 6,523,021 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2000
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Monberg, James C., Staab, Sanford A., Mariani, Rico
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOULES, JACK M
• Application Number:
  US09/629,275
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707/1-5, 707/10
• 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 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method for efficiently searching directory listing information to obtain more relevant results is provided. In a computer system running a computing application, it is advantageous to provide search capabilities, in the form of a search engine, to operators to assist them in their effort of retrieving desired data. The search engine may cooperate with a data store having directory listing information to provide listings data to an operator. In an illustrative implementation, this search engine may be deployed on an Internet Web site that offers business listing information. The search system may comprise a user interface to enter search query information, a data store that houses a variety of directory listing information according to a predefined data taxonomy, and a means for displaying the search results. In operation, the search engine offers a variety of search options, such as, search by business name, by business categories levels, by geographic position of the user or the business, or a combination thereof. Depending on the search query entered, the search engine will perform either a bounded search (i.e. a search bounded to a specific geographic area), a proximity search (i.e. a search proximate to a computed centroid), or a combination of the two to find the most relevant directory listings. Using the inputted search qualifiers, the search engine polls the data store according to a predefined set of rules and instructions for the relevant directory listing information. These rules are directly related to the taxonomy of the data store.

Claims

1. A method for providing business directory search results, comprising the acts of:

(a) providing a directory of business listings comprising a tree having leaf level editorial nodes having labels representative of business categories, said leaf level editorial nodes having industry standardized code based business listings associated therewith;

(b) accepting at least one search query related to a desired business category;

(c) comparing said search query with said editorial nodes so that the highest level editorial node matching said search query is determined; and

(d) retrieving a highest weighted one of said industry standardized code based business listings associated with a leaf level editorial node coupled to said determined editorial node.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein step (b) is performed by a computing application having a user interface accepting said at least one search query.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein said specific search query data comprises at least one of a group consisting of:

business location information, business name information, and user'"'"'s location information.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said comparing step comprises bounded comparisons and proximity comparisons.

5. The method recited in claim 4, wherein said bounded comparison comprises comparing SIC base business listings against a user specified geographic area.

6. The method recited in claim 4, wherein said proximity comparison comprises the steps of calculating the longitudinal and latitudinal position of a point relative to a user'"'"'s inputted location, and retrieving industry standardize code based business listings within a pre-defined specified distance to said calculated point.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said computing system comprises a computer network having at least one server computer electronically coupled to at least one server computer, said at least one of server computers capable of accepting and processing search query data from said at least one of client computers.

8. The method recited in claim 7, wherein said computer network comprises one of a group consisting of:

a LAN, a WAN, or the Internet.

9. A computer-readable medium bearing computer-readable instructions for instructing a computer to carry out the steps recited in claim 1.

10. In a computing system having at least one server computer electronically coupled through a communications network to at least one client computer, a method to provide business directory listing information performing the acts of:

(a) providing a directory of business listings comprising a tree having leaf level editorial nodes having labels representative of business categories, said leaf level editorial nodes having industry standardized code based business listings associated therewith;

(b) accepting at least one search query related to a desired business category;

(c) comparing said search query with said editorial nodes so that the highest level editorial node matching the search term is determined; and

(d) retrieving a highest weighted one of said SIC base business listings associated with a leaf level editorial node coupled to said determined editorial node.

11. The method recited in claim 10, wherein steps (a)-(d) are performed by computing applications residing on said at least one client and said at least one server computer, said client computer computing application having a search interface to accept search queries, said server computer computing application cooperating with a data store having said tree of business listings.

12. The method recited in claim 10, wherein said communications network comprises:

a LAN, a WAN, and the Internet.

13. A computer-readable medium bearing computer-readable instructions for instructing a computer to carry out the steps recited in claim 10.

14. A system to provide business directory search results comprising:

a business category processing component, said business category processing component comprising a directory of business listings having a tree with leaf level editorial nodes, said leaf level editorial nodes having labels representative of business categories and have industry standardized code based business listings associated therewith, said business category component accepting at least one search query related to a desired business category, comparing said search query with said editorial nodes so that the highest level node matching said search query is determined, and retrieving a highest weighted one of said industry standardized code based business listings associated with a lead level editorial node coupled to said determined editorial node; and

a business name processing component, said business name processing component comprising a directory of editorialized and normalized business listings having business names, said business name processing component accepting at least one search query related to a desired business listing, tokenizing said search query to format said search query according to keywords of said editorialized business listings, comparing said search query against said editorialized business listings to determine exact or partial name matches between said search query and said editorialized and normalized business listings, returning best results from said comparing step, said best results comprising exact and partial business name matches.

15. The system recited in claim 14, wherein said business category processing component and said business name processing component reside on a computer network having at least one client computer and one server computer, said client computer communicating to said server computer over a communications network comprising any one of a fixed wire LAN, wireless LAN, fixed wire WAN, and wireless WAN.

16. The system recited in claim 15, wherein said business category processing component and said business name processing component comprise a first computing application operating on said server computer of said computer network and a second computing application operating on said client computer of said computer network, said second computing application having a graphical interface accepting said search queries.

17. A system to provide business directory search results comprising:

a data accepting system to accept search query data;

a data communications system to pass said accepted search query; and

a processing system to process search query data, said processing system providing a directory of business listings having a tree having editorial nodes having labels representative of business categories, said leaf level editorial nodes having industry standardized code based business listings associated therewith, and retrieving a highest weighted one of said industry standardized code based business listings associated with a leaf level editorial node.

18. The system recited in claim 17, wherein said data accepting system comprises a computing application having a user interface that accepts data according to set formats.

19. The system recited in claim 18, wherein said set formats comprise:

business name information, business location information, and user location information.

20. The system recited in claim 17, wherein said data communications system comprises a LAN, a WAN, and the Internet.