Internet crawl seeding

• US 6,941,300 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2001
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jensen-Grey, Sean S.
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/878,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20020099697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 707/4
• US Class Current: 707/710
• 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 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/908 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• 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 40/205 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/923 Intellectual property
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method and system for seeding a search system for searching for multimedia and streaming media (m/s media) related data, includes providing m/s related metadata as a seed. An initial search term is provided to the search system (e.g., search engine) to search for m/s related data. The search results are parsed to identify m/s media related metadata. The parsed m/s related metadata is provided as a new search term to the search system. This process is repeated to expand the scope of the search. Results are available to search systems and end users.

Claims

1. A computer inplemented method for seeding a search system for searching for media available through a communications network, said method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one of a search term to said search system;

receiving at least one search result from said search system in view of a performed search using said search term, wherein said search result comprises metadata associated with said media;

parsing said at least one search result for providing parsed metadata; and

providing said parsed metadata to said search system as a seed for a subsequent search operation.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of searching for said media.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of storing said at least one search result in at least one of memory and a relational database management system.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said metadata comprises at least one of a uniform resource indicator (URI) of a media file, a URI of a web page, a URI of a service, a URI of a device, a web page title, a web page keyword, a web page description, a header of a media file, a footer of a media file, a metatag, and an embedded data in a media file.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said metadata comprise elements related to at least one of content of the media, intellectual property rights associated with the media, and instantiation of the media.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said media comprises at least one of multimedia and streaming media.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said communications network is a computer network.

8. A computer implemented method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said subsequent search operation uses said seed to enable a web crawling spider to search for additional media available through said communications network.

9. A computer system for seeding a search system for searching for media available via a computer network, all computers in said system being communicatively coupled to each other, wherein each of said at least one computer includes at least one program stored therein for allowing communication between each and every said at least one computer, each of said at least one program operating in conjunction with one another to cause said at least one computer to perform the steps of:

providing at least one search term to said search system;

receiving at least one search result from said search system in view of a performed search using said search term, wherein said search result comprises metadata associated with said media;

parsing said at least one search result for providing parsed metadata; and

providing said parsed metadata to said search system as a seed for a subsequent search operation.

10. A computer system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said subsequent search operation uses said seed to enable a web crawling spider to search for additional media available through said computer network.

11. A computer readable medium having embodied thereon a program for causing a processor to seed a search system for searching for media on a communications network by:

providing at least one search term to said search system;

receiving at least one search result from said search system in view of a performed search using said search term, wherein said search result comprises metadata associated with said media;

parsing said at least one search result for providing parsed metadata; and

providing said parsed metadata to said search system as a seed for a subsequent search operation.

12. A computer readable medium in accordance with claim 11, wherein said subsequent search operation uses said seed to enable a web crawling spider to search for additional media available through said communications network.

13. One or more computer memories storing a data structure comprising:

a provide search term code segment for providing at least one search term to a search system for searching for media on a communications network;

a receive results code segment for receiving at least one search result from said search system in view of a performed search using said search term, wherein said search result comprises metadata associated with said media;

a parse code segment for parsing said at least one search result for providing parsed metadata; and

a provide parsed search term code segment for providing said parsed metadata to said search system 1 as a seed for a subsequent search operation.

14. One or more computer memories in accordance with claim 13, further comprising a search code segment for searching for said media.

15. One or more computer memories in accordance with claim 13, the data structure further comprising a memory store code segment for storing said at least one search result in least one of memory and a relational database management system.

16. One or more computer memories in accordance with claim 13, wherein a source of said metadata comprises at least one source selected from the group consisting of a web page content, a uniform resource indicator, a media file, and a transport stream.

17. One or more computer memories in accordance with claim 13, wherein said metadata comprise elements related to at least one of content of the media, intellectual property rights associated with the media, and instantiation of the media.

18. One or more computer memories in accordance with claim 13, wherein said media comprises at least one of multimedia and streaming media.

19. One or more computer memories in accordance with claim 13, wherein said subsequent search operation uses said seed to enable a web crawling spider to search for additional media available through said communications network.

20. A computer implemented method for seeding a search system for searching for at least one of multimedia and streaming media available on a communications network, said method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one search term to said search system;

receiving at least one search result from said search system in view of a performed search using said search term, wherein said search result comprises metadata associated with said at least one of multimedia and streaming media;

parsing said at least one search result for providing parsed metadata; and

providing said parsed metadata to said search system as a seed for a subsequent search operation.

21. A computer implemented method in accordance with claim 20, wherein said subsequent search operation uses said seed to enable a web crawling spider to search for additional media available through said communications network.