Method and system for communicating selected search results between first and second entities over a network

• US 6,523,037 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2000
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Handler, Bradley A., Monahan, Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/668,399
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/10, 707/103, 707/503, 709/201, 709/206, 709/229
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A search result set is communicated to a first user as hypertext descriptions of data items constituting the result search set. A check box is displayed adjacent each hypertext description, utilizing which the first user may select a subset of the search result set. This subset is then communicated to a second user, again as hypertext descriptions of the subset. Check boxes are furthermore displayed to the second user so as to enable the second user to select a further and narrower subset of the search result set. Selected items of a result set of an Internet-based search may in this way conveniently be communicated between first and second users. Each of a number of interfaces provides the hypertext descriptions of the data items of the search result set.

Claims

1. A method to communicate search results between first and second entities over a communications network, the method including:

communicating a search result set to the first entity as a first transmission over the communications network;

identifying a subset of the search result set as having being selected by the first entity;

identifying an associated message to be communicated together with the subset of the search result set to a second entity; and

communicating the subset of the search results and the associated message to the second entity as a second transmission over the communications network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the search result set is automatically generated by an automated search function that performs a search operation.

3. The method of claim 1 where in the search result set is generated responsive to a search request from the first entity.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the search result set is communicated to the first entity as information utilized to generated an interface on a display device, the interface including item identifiers for each item of the search result set.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the interface comprises a markup language document.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the markup language document is communicated as a response to a browser request.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the markup language document is communicated as part of an email communication to the first entity.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the interface provides a selection function associated with each item of the search result set that is selectable by the first entity to include an associated item of the search result set within the subset.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the interface comprises a markup language document and the selection function comprises one of a group including a radio button and a check box.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein the identifying of the subset includes identifying items of the search result set indicated by the first entity as belong to the subset via the interface.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is a default message associated with communications to the second entity.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the default message is selected from a number of messages associated with the first entity.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is inputted by the first entity via an interface sequence that displays the search results set to the first entity on a display device.

14. The method of claim 1 including identifying an address of the second entity to which the subset of the search result set is to be communicated.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the address is a default address associated with communications from the first entity.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the address is selected from a plurality of target network addresses maintained for the first entity.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the address is inputted by the first entity via an interface sequence that displays the search result set to the first entity on a display device.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the subset is communicated to the second entity as information utilized to generate a further interface on a display device, the further interface including links to each item of the subset.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the further interface comprises a markup language document.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the markup language document is communicated as a response to a browser request.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the markup language document is communicated as part of an e-mail communication to the second entity.

22. A machine-readable medium storing a sequence of instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

communicate a search result set to a first entity as a first transmission over a communications network;

identify a subset of the search result set as having been selected by the first entity;

identify an associated message to be communicated together with the subset of the search result set to a second entity; and

communicate the subset of the search result set and the associated message to the second entity as a second transmission over the communications network.

23. A system to communicate search results between first and second entities over a communications network, the system including:

a communications server to communicate a search result set to the first entity as a first transmission over the communications network; and

a processing server to identify a subset of the search result set as having been selected by the first entity and an associated message to be communicated together with the subset of the search result set to the second entity,

wherein the communications server is further to communicate the subset of the search result set and the associated message to the second entity as a second transmission over the communications network.

24. The system of claim 23 including a search server to perform an automated search function automatically to generate the search result set.

25. The system of claim 23 including a search server to perform a search to generate the search result set responsive to a search request from the first entity.

26. The system of claim 23 wherein the communications server is to communicate the search result set to the first entity as information utilized to display an interface on a display device, the interface including item identifiers for each item of the search result set.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the interface comprises a markup language document.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the communications server communicates the markup language document to the first entity responsive to a browser request.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the communications server is to communicate the markup language document to the first entity as part of an e-mail communication.

30. The system of claim 26 wherein the interface provides a selection function associated with each item of the search result set that is selectable by the first entity to include an associated item of the search result set within the subset.

31. The system of claim 26 wherein the processing server is to identify items of the search result set indicated by the first entity as belonging to the subset via the interface.

32. The system of claim 23 wherein the communications server is to identify an address of the second entity to which the subset of the search result set is to be communicated as the second transmission over the communications network.

33. The system of claim 23 wherein the communications server is to communicate the subset to the second entity as information utilized to display a further interface on a display device, the further interface including links to each item of the subset.

34. A system to communicate search results between first and second entities over a communications network, the system including:

first means for communicating a search result set to the first entity as a first transmission over the communications network; and

second means for identifying a subset of the search result set as having being selected by the first entity and an associated message, the subset of the search result set and the associated message for communication to the second entity,

wherein the first means is further for communicating the subset of the search result set and the associated message to the second entity as a second transmission over the communications network.