Method for extracting information utilizing a user-context-based search engine

• US 7,219,073 B1
• Filed: 08/02/2000
• Issued: 05/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Brandnamestores.Com
• Inventors: Hall, Jr., Ronald L., Taylor, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jeffrey A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Allen, William J.
• Application Number:
  US09/630,753
• Time in Patent Office: 2,477 Days
• Field of Search: 345/708, 705 26- 27, 705/1, 712/1, 712 24- 25, 712/32, 712/36, 707 1- 6, 707/9, 707/47, 704/9, 704/257, 706/47, 709/217, 709/231, 715/531
• US Class Current: 705/26.62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3344 using natural language analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A data extraction tool is provided for cataloging information in an information source for searching by a user. The tool mines information from the information source and organizes the information, or the locations of that information, within a database. A user may then query the tool for a desired type of information. The tool filters the database to provide a set of pinpoint site locations with information of the type requested in the query. These pinpoint site locations are presented to a user and indexed for future reference. The index of site locations may be updated automatically by the tool. A context system is provided for manually or automatically determining the proper context for a user'"'"'s query. Thus, the data extraction tool provides information with a high probability of relevance to the user. The user obtains the information without expending much effort to refine the search.

Claims

1. A method for extracting information from the internet, the method programmed in a computer readable-medium to be executed by a processor operably connected thereto, the method comprising:

mining to gather and organize information from the Internet to form a database having a hierarchical schema;

acquiring from a user a textual query comprising a collection of words each having multiple meanings depending on the context of use, at least one of which meanings is descriptive of information sought by the user;

deriving a micro-context comprising a plurality of words corresponding to the textual query, each word of the plurality of words assigned a relative weighting derived from the patterns of occurrence thereof in web pages accessed by the user during the user'"'"'s navigation through the Internet;

operating independently from the hierarchical schema to locate a subset of the information in the database, the subset corresponding to the micro-context; and

presenting the subset to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein deriving the micro-context further comprises assigning relative weighting to each word of the plurality of words based on prior Internet searches conducted by the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein deriving the micro-context further comprises assigning a relative weighting to each word of the plurality of words based on results produced by prior Internet searches conducted by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein deriving the micro-context further comprises assigning a relative weighting to each word of the plurality of words based on prior Internet searches conducted by the user.