Method of locating web-pages by utilising visual images

• US 7,065,520 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2001
• Issued: 06/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ronald Neville Langford
• Original Assignee: Ronald Neville Langford
• Inventors: Langford, Ronald Neville
• Primary Examiner(s): Mofiz, Apu M.
• Application Number:
  US10/381,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20040049728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/4, 707/9, 707/10, 705/10, 705/11, 705/26, 709/206, 709/218, 715/501.1, 719/313
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/914 Video
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

The present invention provides a web-page (or web-site) search results list which includes images from the actual web-pages or web-sites identified in a user'"'"'s search, or images associated with the actual organization operating a web-site. This assists a user to locate web-pages of interest or relevance to the user by providing images to assess the relevance of web-pages identified in a search, prior to the user having to hyperlink to the actual web-page itself. The invention also provides a method of assisting a user to be placed in contact with an organization, including the steps of: the user submitting a search request from a terminal, via a computer network, to a database server, the database server containing a database and a server-side application used as database searching software; the database searching software searching the database in accordance with the search request; identified database entries being transmitted to the terminal as a search results list, each entry of the search results list containing contact information for the organization; at least one entry of the search results list additionally containing visual content and/or audio content which relates to the organization.

Claims

1. A method for locating a web-page using a distributed computing system comprising the steps of:

receiving a search request from an associated user;

searching a database containing selected data representative of information associated with web pages, wherein such data is in the form of data entries, wherein each entry is associated with at least one web page;

identifying selected entries contained in the database in accordance with the search request;

generating a search results list comprised of the selected entries, wherein each entry includes at least one of a hyperlink for the associated web page and visual content associated with such web page; and

displaying the search results, wherein the user is able to view the visual content associated with each entry without activating the hyperlink for the web page;

wherein the visual content includes at least one of a hyperlink, image, video, animation, mini-image of a web page, streaming video, logo of an organization associated with the web page, and trademark of an organization associated with the web page; and

wherein the visual content comprises a plurality of mini-images in the form of a conveyor belt slide show.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least one entry contained in the search results lists includes textual information in addition to visual content.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of submitting the search request by the associated user in a keyword format, wherein the database is searched using such keyword format.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the keywords which are submitted and searched relate to an organization'"'"'s name, part of an organizations name, trade names, and trademarks.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least one entry contained in the search results list includes information for an organization associated with the web page including at least one of the organization'"'"'s telephone number, the organization'"'"'s electronic mail address, and the organization'"'"'s facsimile number.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein at least one of the organization'"'"'s telephone number, the organization'"'"'s electronic mail address, and the organization'"'"'s facsimile number is in a hyperlink format, wherein the associated user can activate such hyperlink to initiate contact with the organization via the selected mode.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the mini-images include at least one of advertising for an organization associated with the web page, a logo of an organization associated with the web page, and a trademark of an organization associated with the web page.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least one entry contained in the search results list includes at least one applet, wherein in the applet is launched at least one of automatically and after receiving activation input from an associated user.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least one entry contained in the search results list includes sound content, wherein such sound content is activated after receiving activation input from an associated user.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the search results are displayed via an Internet browser application.

11. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of storing the visual content associated with at least one entry in at least one of a organized hierarchy and organized groups for access by an associated user.

12. A system for locating a web-page using a distributed computing system comprising:

means adapted for receiving a search request from an associated user;

means adapted for searching a database containing selected data representative of information associated with web pages, wherein such data is in the form of data entries, wherein each entry is associated with at least one web page;

means adapted for identifying selected entries contained in the database in accordance with the search request;

means adapted for generating a search results list comprised of the selected entries, wherein each entry includes at least one of a hyperlink for the associated web page and visual content associated with such web page; and

means adapted for displaying the search results, wherein the user is able to view the visual content associated with each entry without activating the hyperlink for the web page;

wherein the visual content includes at least one of a hyperlink, an image, a video, animation, a mini-image of a web page, streaming video, a logo of an organization associated with the web page, and a trademark of an organization associated with the web page; and

wherein the visual content comprises a plurality of mini-images in the form of a conveyor belt slide show.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein at one least entry contained in the search results lists includes textual information in addition to visual content.

14. The system according to claim 12 further comprising means adapted for submitting the search request in a keyword format and means adapted for searching the database using such keyword format.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein the keywords which are submitted and searched relate to an organization'"'"'s name, part of an organizations name, trade names, and trademarks.

16. The system according to claim 12 wherein at least one entry contained in the search results list includes information for an organization associated with the web page including at least one of the organization'"'"'s telephone number, the organization'"'"'s electronic mail address, and the organization'"'"'s facsimile number.

17. The system according to claim 16 wherein at least one of the organization'"'"'s telephone number, the organization'"'"'s electronic mail address, and the organization'"'"'s facsimile number is in a hyperlink format, wherein the associated user can activate such hyperlink to initiate contact with the organization via the selected mode.

18. The system according to claim 12 wherein the mini-images include at least one of advertising for an organization associated with the web page, a logo of an organization associated with the web page, and a trademark of an organization associated with the web page.

19. The system according to claim 12 wherein at least one entry contained in the search results list includes at least one applet, wherein in the applet is launched at least one of automatically and after receiving activation input from an associated user.

20. The system according to claim 12 wherein at least one entry contained in the search results list includes sound content, wherein such sound content is activated after receiving activation input from an associated user.

21. The system according to claim 12 wherein the search results are displayed via an Internet browser application.

22. The system according to claim 12 further comprising means adapted for storing the visual content associated with at least one entry in at least one of a organized hierarchy and organized groups for access by an associated user.

23. A computer-implemented method for assisting a user to be placed in contact with an organization comprising the steps of:

receiving a search request from an associated user;

searching a database containing selected data representative of information associated with web pages, wherein such data is in the form of data entries, wherein each entry is associated with at least one web page;

identifying selected entries contained in the database in accordance with the search request;

generating a search results list comprised of the selected entries, wherein each entry includes at least one of a hyperlink for the associated web page and visual content associated with such web page; and

displaying the search results list wherein the user is able to view the visual content associated with each entry without activating the hyperlink for the web page;

wherein the visual content includes at least one of a hyperlink, an image, a video, animation, a mini-image of a web page, streaming video, a logo of an organization associated with the web page, and a trademark of an organization associated with the web page; and

wherein the visual content comprises a plurality of mini-images in the form of a conveyor belt slide show.

24. The method according to claim 23 wherein only entries associated with an organization which has subscribed to a selected database service include visual content associated with the web page associated with such organization.

25. A system for assisting a user to be placed in contact with an organization comprising:

means adapted for receiving a search request from an associated user;

means adapted for searching a database containing selected data representative of information associated with web pages, wherein such data is in the form of data entries, wherein each entry is associated with at least one web page;

means adapted for identifying selected entries contained in the database in accordance with the search request;

means adapted for generating a search results list comprised of the selected entries, wherein each entry includes at least one of a hyperlink for the associated web page and visual content associated with such web page; and

means adapted for displaying the search results list wherein the user is able to view the visual content associated with each entry without activating the hyperlink for the web page;

wherein the visual content includes at least one of a hyperlink, an image, a video, animation, a mini-image of a web page, streaming video, a logo of an organization associated with the web page, and a trademark of an organization associated with the web page; and

wherein the visual content comprises a plurality of mini-images in the form of a conveyor belt slide show.

26. The system according to claim 25 wherein only entries associated with an organization which has subscribed to a selected database service include visual content associated with the web page associated with such organization.

27. A computer-implemented method for locating a web-page using a distributed computing system comprising the steps of:

receiving a search request from an associated user;

searching a database containing selected data representative of information associated with web pages, wherein such data is in the form of data entries, wherein each entry is associated with at least one web page;

identifying selected entries contained in the database in accordance with the search request;

generating a search results list comprised of the selected entries, wherein each entry includes at least one of a hyperlink for the associated web page and visual content associated with such web page; and

displaying the search results, wherein the user is able to view the visual content associated with each entry without activating the hyperlink for the web page;

wherein the visual content includes at least one of a hyperlink, an image, a video, animation, a mini-image of a web page, streaming video, a logo of an organization associated with the web page, and a trademark of an organization associated with the web page; and

wherein the visual content comprises a plurality of mini-images in the form of a conveyor belt slide show.

28. A computer-readable medium of instructions for locating a web-page using a distributed computing system comprising:

means adapted for receiving a search request from an associated user;

means adapted for searching a database containing selected data representative of information associated with web pages, wherein such data is in the form of data entries, wherein each entry is associated with at least one web page;

means adapted for identifying selected entries contained in the database in accordance with the search request;

means adapted for generating a search results list comprised of the selected entries, wherein each entry includes at least one of a hyperlink to for the associated web page and visual content associated with such web page; and

means adapted for displaying the search results, wherein the user is able to view the visual content associated with each entry without activating the hyperlink for the web pager;

wherein the visual content includes at least one of a hyperlink, an image, a video, animation, a mini-image of a web page, streaming video, a logo of an organization associated with the web page, and a trademark of an organization associated with the web page; and

wherein the visual content comprises a plurality of mini-images in the form of a conveyor belt slide show.

29. A computer-implemented method for assisting a user to be placed in contact with an organization comprising the steps of:

receiving a search request from an associated user;

searching a database containing selected data representative of information associated with web pages, wherein such data is in the form of data entries, wherein each entry is associated with at least one web page;

identifying selected entries contained in the database in accordance with the search request;

generating a search results list comprised of the selected entries, wherein each entry includes at least one of a hyperlink to for the associated web page and visual content associated with such web page; and

displaying the search results list wherein the user is able to view the visual content associated with each entry without activating the hyperlink for the web page;

wherein the visual content includes at least one of a hyperlink, an image, a video, animation, a mini-image of a web page, streaming video, a logo of an organization associated with the web page, and a trademark of an organization associated with the web page; and

wherein the visual content comprises a plurality of mini-images in the form of a conveyor belt slide show.

30. A computer-readable medium of instructions for assisting a user to be placed in contact with an organization comprising:

means adapted for receiving a search request from an associated user;

means adapted for searching a database containing selected data representative of information associated with web pages, wherein such data is in the form of data entries, wherein each entry is associated with at least one web page;

means adapted for identifying selected entries contained in the database in accordance with the search request;

means adapted for generating a search results list comprised of the selected entries, wherein each entry includes at least one of a hyperlink to for the associated web page and visual content associated with such web page; and

means adapted for displaying the search results list wherein the user is able to view the visual content associated with each entry without activating the hyperlink for the web page;

wherein the visual content includes at least one of a hyperlink, an image, a video, animation, a mini-image of a web page, streaming video, a logo of an organization associated with the web page, and a trademark of an organization associated with the web page; and

wherein the visual content comprises a plurality of mini-images in the form of a conveyor belt slide show.