Method and apparatus for retrieving information from semi-structured, web-based data sources

• US 6,725,425 B1
• Filed: 03/22/2000
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yodlee Incorporated (Envestnet Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Yodlee.com, Inc. (Envestnet Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pandurangan, Senthil Kumar, Wu, Jonathan, Rajan, Sreeranga P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blackwell, James H
• Application Number:
  US09/532,647
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• Field of Search: 345/760, 707/10, 707/3, 707/5, 715/501.1, 715/513
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

An Internet search system is structured for efficient data retrieval from semi-structured data sources. The configurable Internet WEB search system has a browser module for navigating to and displaying a WEB page, a block selection and configuration function having input tools for a user to select at least one block portion of a displayed WEB page for data retrieval, a data-type input function for a user to denote data type to be extracted from a selected block portion, and a search implementation function for implementing a search under the search system. The data type entered by the data input function is associated with a WEB page block selected, and upon search implementation the block selected is searched for the data type requested, and data found is retrieved to be provided to the user. In a preferred embodiment portions of the system are executed on a user station, and other portions on a Portal server to which the user may subscribe.

Claims

1. A configurable Internet WEB search system, comprising:

a browser module for navigating to and displaying a WEB page;

a block selection and configuration function having input tools for a user to select at least one block portion of a displayed WEB page for data retrieval;

a data type input function for a user to denote data type to be extracted from a selected block portion; and

a search implementation function for implementing a search under the search system;

characterized in that the data type entered by the data type input function is associated with a WEB page block selected, and upon search implementation the block selected is searched for the data type requested, and matching data found is retrieved to be provided to the user.

2. The search system of claim 1 wherein block selection is by click and drag techniques as used in blocking text for a word processor.

3. The search system of claim 1 wherein data types are entered as natural language strings.

4. The search system of claim 1 wherein multiple blocks may be selected and a data type associated with each selected block.

5. The search system of claim 1 wherein search implementation is initiated as each data block is selected and a data type is associated with the selected data block, and matched data is immediately retrieved and transmitted to the user.

6. The search system of claim 1 wherein matched data is retrieved and accumulated for a user until the user requests transmission of the accumulated data.

7. The search system of claim 1 wherein the search system is implemented between a user station and an Internet Portal server, the block selection and configuration function and the data type input function executing on the user station, and navigation and data retrieval functions are executed by the Portal server.

8. The search system of claim 1 wherein the user operates through a portal server to access and configure WEB pages, and the block selection and data type association functions generate a data type definition (DTD) file associated with the WEB page listing the selected blocks and associated data types for the page.

9. The search system of claim 8 wherein the user has a home page on the portal server listing URLs visited regularly by the user, and wherein the system saves the DTD files created by the user for the user'"'"'s regularly visited pages in a manner that the search system may be initiated by the user for selected pages from the home page, and when initiated, searches the selected pages according to the stored DTD for each page.

10. A method for searching WEB pages by a user for specific data, comprising steps of:

(a) navigating to a WEB page by the user via a browser function;

(b) selecting a specific block of the WEB page by the user using a block selection and configuration function having input tools for a user to select at least one block portion of a displayed WEB page for data retrieval;

(c) inputting a data type to be associated with a selected block using a data type input function characterized in that the data type entered by the data type input function is associated with a WEB page block selected, and upon search implementation the block selected is searched for the data type requested, and matching data found is retrieved to be provided to the user.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein, in step (b), block selection is by click and drag techniques as used in blocking text for a word processor.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein, in step (c), data types are entered as natural language strings.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein, in steps (b) and (c), multiple blocks may be selected and a data type associated with each selected block.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein, in step (d), search implementation is initiated as each data block is selected and a data type is associated with the selected data block, and matched data is immediately retrieved and transmitted to the user.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein matched data is retrieved and accumulated for a user until the user requests transmission of the accumulated data.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the search system is implemented between a user station and an Internet Portal server, the block selection and configuration function and the data type input function executing on the user station, and navigation and data retrieval functions are executed by the Portal server.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the user operates through a portal server to access and configure WEB pages, and the block selection and data type association functions generate a data type definition (DTD) file associated with the WEB page listing the selected blocks and associated data types for the page.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the user has a home page on the portal server listing URLs visited regularly by the user, and wherein the system saves the DTD files created by the user for the user'"'"'s regularly visited pages in a manner that the search system may be initiated by the user for selected pages from the home page, and when initiated, searches the selected pages according to the stored DTD for each page.