Network search engine and navigation tool and method of determining search results in accordance with search criteria and/or associated sites

• US 6,591,261 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2000
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ZERX LLC
• Original Assignee: ZERX LLC
• Inventors: Arthurs, Keith E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CAM LINH T
• Application Number:
  US09/598,517
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/3, 707/4, 707/2, 705/35, 455/305
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

The search engine of the present invention combines the rated index of the content of a web site with the correlation of links to other sites to provide a logical grouping of related sites and enhanced search engine ranking capability. Further, the search engine enhances the results by indicating the closest groupings to the desired topic and iteratively refining the search results. Moreover, the search engine may be utilized to search through any types of data or information having links, pointers or other indicators to other data related in any fashion. For example, the present invention may be utilized to search through data containing documents listing or citing other related documents by specific identification (e.g., case law, patents, various newspaper or other articles, etc.), whereby a search query may result in finding initial documents satisfying the query and other documents related to those initial documents.

Claims

1. A network search system for ascertaining sites residing on a network and including desired information entered by a user, wherein said network sites include references identifying others of said network sites containing related information, said system comprising:

a site association module to analyze said references of said network sites and determine associations between said network sites indicating network sites containing related information;

a storage unit for storing information relating to contents of said network sites and said associations between said network sites;

a retrieval module for accessing said storage unit in response to said entered information and determining network sites containing said entered information; and

an evaluation module to determine a score value for each determined network site based on information contained within that site and said associations of that site with said determined network sites and to arrange said determined network sites for display based on said determined scores.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said network includes the internet and said network sites include web sites.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said storage unit includes a content database for storing said information relating to contents of said network sites, and an association database for storing said information relating to associations between said network sites.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said association database includes relationship values for associated network sites, wherein each relationship value indicates a strength of a relationship between corresponding associated network sites.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said evaluation module includes a score module to determine score values for said determined network sites based on information contained within said determined network sites and to adjust said score values of said determined network sites in accordance with said relationship values, wherein said score module adjusts said score value of each determined network site by incrementing said score value by said corresponding relationship values between that site and said determined sites.

6. The system of claim 1 further including an association module to access said storage unit and determine network sites for display that are associated with a determined network site selected by said user.

7. The system of claim 6 further including a refinement module to refine said determined sites associated with said user selected site based on network sites associated with additional sites selected by said user, wherein said refined sites include network sites common to sites associated with each said user selected site.

8. The system of claim 1 further including a refinement module to refine said determined network sites based on network sites associated with user selected sites, wherein said refined sites include network sites common to said determined network sites and said sites associated with said user selected sites.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said references include links between said network sites.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said site association module includes an association determination module to determine an association between network sites based on at least one of a presence and location of references to those sites on a common network site.

11. A program product apparatus having a computer readable medium with computer program logic recorded thereon for facilitating a network search system for ascertaining sites residing on a network and including desired information entered by a user, wherein said network sites include references identifying others of said network sites containing related information, said program product apparatus comprising:

a site association module to analyze said references of said network sites and determine associations between said network sites indicating network sites containing related information;

a storage module for storing information relating to contents of said network sites and said associations between said network sites;

a retrieval module for accessing said storage module in response to said entered information and determining network sites containing said entered information; and

an evaluation module to determine a score value for each determined network site based on information contained within that site and said associations of that site with said determined network sites and to arrange said determined network sites for display based on said determined scores.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said storage module includes relationship values for associated network sites, wherein each relationship value indicates a strength of a relationship between corresponding associated network sites.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said evaluation module includes a score module to determine score values for said determined network sites based on information contained within said determined network sites and to adjust said score values of said determined network sites in accordance with said relationship values, wherein said score module adjusts said score value of each determined network site by incrementing said score value by said corresponding relationship values between that site and said determined sites.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 further including an association module to access said storage unit and determine network sites for display that are associated with a determined network site selected by said user.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 further including a refinement module to refine said determined sites associated with said user selected site based on network sites associated with additional sites selected by said user, wherein said refined sites include network sites common to sites associated with each said user selected site.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 further including a refinement module to refine said determined network sites based on network sites associated with user selected sites, wherein said refined sites include network sites common to said determined network sites and said sites associated with said user selected sites.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said references include links between said network sites.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said site association module includes an association determination module to determine an association between network sites based on at least one of a presence and location of references to those sites on a common network site.

19. A method of ascertaining sites residing on a network and including desired information entered by a user, wherein said network sites include references identifying others of said network sites containing related information, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) analyzing said references of said network sites to determine associations between said network sites indicating network sites containing related information and storing information relating to contents of said network sites and said associations between said network sites in a storage unit;

(b) accessing said storage unit in response to said entered information and determining network sites containing said entered information;

(c) determining a score value for each determined network site based on information contained within that site and said associations of that site with said determined network sites; and

(d) arranging said determined network sites for display based on said determined scores.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said network includes the internet and said network sites include web sites.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein said storage unit includes a content database and an association database, and step (a) further includes:

(a.1) storing said information relating to contents of said network sites in said content database; and

(a.2) storing said information relating to associations between said network sites in said association database.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein step (a.2) further includes:

(a.2.1) storing relationship values for associated network sites in said association database, wherein each relationship value indicates a strength of a relationship between corresponding associated network sites.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein step (c) further includes (c.1) determining score values for said determined network sites based on information contained within said determined network sites;

and

(c.2) adjusting said score value of each determined network site by incrementing said score value by said corresponding relationship values between that site and said determined sites.

24. The method of claim 19 further including the step of:

(e) accessing said storage unit and determining network sites for display that are associated with a determined network site selected by said user.

25. The method of claim 24 further including the step of:

(f) refining said determined sites associated with said user selected site based on network sites associated with additional sites selected by said user, wherein said refined sites include network sites common to sites associated with each said user selected site.

26. The method of claim 19 further including the step of:

(e) refining said determined network sites based on network sites associated with user selected sites, wherein said refined sites include network sites common to said determined network sites and said sites associated with said user selected sites.

27. The method of claim 19 wherein said references include links between said network sites.

28. The method of claim 19 wherein step (a) further includes:

(a.1) determining an association between network sites based on at least one of a presence and location of references to those sites on a common network site.

29. A search system for ascertaining data items stored within a storage device and including desired information entered by a user, wherein said data items include references identifying others of said data items containing related information, said system comprising:

an item association module to analyze said references of said data items and determine associations between said data items indicating data items containing related information;

a storage unit for storing information relating to contents of said data items and said associations between said data items;

a retrieval module for accessing said storage unit in response to said entered information and determining data items containing said entered information; and

an evaluation module to determine a score value for each determined data item based on information contained within that data item and said associations of that data item with said determined data items and to arrange said determined data items for display based on said determined scores.

30. The system of claim 29 further including an association module to access said storage unit and determine data items for display that are associated with a determined data item selected by said user.

31. The system of claim 30 further including a refinement module to refine said determined items associated with said user selected item based on data items associated with additional items selected by said user, wherein said refined items include data items common to items associated with each said user selected item.

32. The system of claim 29 further including a refinement module to refine said determined data items based on data items associated with user selected items, wherein said refined items include data items common to said determined data items and said items associated with said user selected items.

33. The system of claim 29 wherein said references include links between said data items.

34. A method of ascertaining data items stored within a storage device and including desired information entered by a user, wherein said data items include references identifying others of said data items containing related information, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) analyzing said references of said data items to determine associations between said data items indicating data items containing related information and storing information relating to contents of said data items and said associations between said data items in a storage unit;

(b) accessing said storage unit in response to said entered information and determining data items containing said entered information;

(c) determining a score value for each determined data item based on information contained within that item and said associations of that item with said determined data items; and

(d) arranging said determined data items for display based on said determined scores.

35. The method of claim 34 further including the step of:

(e) accessing said storage unit and determining data items for display that are associated with a determined data item selected by said user.

36. The method of claim 35 further including the step of:

(f) refining said determined items associated with said user selected item based on data items associated with additional items selected by said user, wherein said refined items include data items common to items associated with each said user selected item.

37. The method of claim 34 further including the step of:

(e) refining said determined data items based on data items associated with user selected items, wherein said refined items include data items common to said determined data items and said items associated with said user selected items.

38. The method of claim 34 wherein said references include links between said data items.