Method and apparatus for enhancing online searching

• US 7,177,948 B1
• Filed: 11/18/1999
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sundaresan, Neelakantan, Kraft, Reiner
• Primary Examiner(s): Najar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel; Dhairya A.
• Application Number:
  US09/442,150
• Time in Patent Office: 2,644 Days
• Field of Search: 345/704, 345/738, 345/968, 345/739, 345/709, 345/918, 707/5, 707/3, 709/203, 709/223, 709/224, 709/205, 709/273, 709217-219, 709/246, 705/27, 715/700, 715/800, 715/801
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for processing search results obtained in response to a user query. This may include examining document pointers returned by a search engine to identify a source from which the documents are available and generating at least two visual abstracts of each of the documents. Each of the visual abstracts may be of a different size. The method and system may also include formatting a stream of data such that when the data is displayed, a smaller one of the visual abstracts appears adjacent to a corresponding search result.

Claims

1. A method of processing search results obtained in response to a user query, the method comprising:

providing document pointers returned by a search engine to identify a source from which documents are available, each said document pointer including a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) displayed as part of a search result by said search engine;

generating at least two visual abstracts for at least one of said documents, each of said two visual abstracts being a thumbnail image of a different size, said visual abstracts being generated after first manipulating said document so as to enhance a visibility of at least a portion of said document, said manipulating being performed by filtering said document; and

formatting a stream of data such that when said data is displayed on a display screen regarding said at least one of said documents, a smaller one of said visual abstracts appears adjacent to a corresponding search result.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said filtering is performed on an image in said document.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a larger one of said visual abstracts on said display screen when requested by said user.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

storing data relating to said larger one of said visual abstracts.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said larger one of said visual abstracts is displayed on said display screen when a cursor is moved over said smaller one of said visual abstracts.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

removing said larger one of said visual abstracts from said display screen.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said larger one of said visual abstracts is removed from said display screen when said cursor is moved away from said smaller one of said visual abstracts.

8. A method of processing search results obtained in response to a user query, the method comprising:

examining document pointers returned by a search engine to identify a source from which documents are available, each said document pointer including a Uniform Resource Locator (URL);

obtaining said documents from said source;

generating a visual abstract for each of said documents, each visual abstract being a thumbnail image, each said thumbnail image comprising a visual similarity of said document as reduced in size, a title of said document ensured to be readable on each said thumbnail image;

formatting a stream of data such that when said data is displayed on a display screen, each visual abstract appears adjacent to a corresponding search result;

creating a larger visual abstract of at least one of said documents;

displaying said larger one of said visual abstracts on said display screen on demand; and

removing said larger one of said visual abstracts from said display screen.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing data relating to said larger one of said visual abstracts.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said larger one of said visual abstracts is displayed on said display screen when a cursor is moved over said smaller one of said visual abstracts.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said larger one of said visual abstracts is removed from said display screen when said cursor is moved away from said smaller one of said visual abstracts.

12. A method of processing search results obtained in response to a user query, the method comprising:

examining document pointers returned by a search engine to identify sources from which documents are available, each said document pointer including a Uniform Resource Locator (URL);

obtaining said documents from said sources;

generating a visual abstract for each of said documents, each visual abstract being a thumbnail image, each said thumbnail image comprising a visual similarity of said document as reduced in size, a title of said document ensured to be readable on each said thumbnail image;

formatting a stream of data such that when said data is displayed on a display screen, each visual abstract appears adjacent to a corresponding search result;

determining whether a portion of a source document should be enhanced for visibility relative to another portion; and

manipulating said source document determined to have a portion to be enhanced so that one portion therein is manipulated to improve a visibility while another portion therein is manipulated to degrade a visibility, wherein said manipulating includes filtering said source document.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said filtering is performed on an image in said source document.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said portion of said source document to be enhanced corresponds to at least one of a title and a heading of said source document.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein one of said title and said heading is enlarged as compared with a second portion of said source document.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said second portion of said source document corresponds to a body of text of said source document.

17. A method of searching for a document, said method comprising:

supplying a search request;

providing abstracts of documents on a screen display that correspond to said search request, said abstracts including a written abstract that contains a summary of a contents of said documents and a first visual abstract of each of said documents;

creating a second visual abstract of one of said documents, each of said first visual abstract and said second visual abstract respectively being a thumbnail image of said document, wherein said second visual abstract is larger than said first visual abstract;

displaying said second visual abstract when requested by a user, said second visual abstract being displayed on said display screen when said user moves a pointing device over a corresponding one of said first visual abstract; and

removing said second visual abstract from said display screen when said user moves said pointing device away from said corresponding one of said first visual abstracts.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said first visual abstract is created after manipulating a source document so as to enhance visibility of at least a first portion of said source document.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said first portion corresponds to at least one of a title and a heading of said document.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

storing data relating to said second visual abstract in a cache database.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

deleting said data relating to said second visual abstract in said cache database after a predetermined amount of time.

22. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said machine to perform method steps for processing search results obtained in response to a user query, said method comprising:

supplying a search request;

providing abstracts of documents on a screen display that correspond to said search request, said abstracts including a written abstract containing a summary of a contents of said documents and a first visual abstract of said documents;

creating a second visual abstract of one of said documents, each of said first visual abstract and said second visual abstract respectively being a thumbnail image of said document, wherein said second visual abstract is larger than said first visual abstract;

displaying said second visual abstract when requested by a user, said second visual abstract being displayed on said display screen when said user moves a pointing device over a corresponding one of said first visual abstracts; and

removing said second visual abstract from said display screen when said user moves said pointing device away from said corresponding one of said first visual abstracts.

23. A computer system for searching for a document, said system comprising:

a client system; and

a server system,

said client system supplying a search request to said server system, said server system providing abstracts of documents to said client system, said abstracts corresponding to said search request, said client system displaying said abstracts on a screen display, said abstracts including a written abstract of a contents of said documents and a first visual abstract of each of said documents, said server system creating a second visual abstract of one of said documents, each of said first visual abstract and said second visual abstract respectively being a thumbnail image of said document, said second visual abstract being larger than said first visual abstract when displayed on said screen display, said client system displaying said second visual abstract when requested by a user, said second visual abstract being displayed on said screen display when said user moves a pointing device over said first visual abstract, said second visual abstract being removed from said screen display when said user moves said pointing device away from said first visual abstract of said document.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said first visual abstract is created after manipulating a source document so as to enhance visibility of at least a first portion of said source document.