Dynamically categorizing entity information

• US 7,398,266 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2003
• Issued: 07/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Overture Services Incorporated (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Titus, Jason Harvey, Woodhead, Ira Joseph, Black, Jeffery Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Mofiz; Apu
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, TE Y
• Application Number:
  US10/693,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20040267727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,719 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 709/217, 709/223, 709/245, 714/47
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• 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

Abstract

A set of criteria is acquired that defines a category of entities. The set of criteria is dynamically applied to identify an entity that meets the criteria. It is determined that the entity is registered as having control over at least a portion of a World-Wide Web address. The at least a portion of a World-Wide Web address is associated with the entity in a presentation that indicates that the entity belongs to the category of entities. In the presentation, a link may be included to a set of computer data about the entity. The set of computer data includes information other than information provided at a World-Wide Web site corresponding to the World-Wide Web address.

Claims

1. A system for providing a user with at least one response to a search query of the Internet, the system comprising:

a user interface, the user interface effective to receive a search query from a user, wherein the search query includes one or more selected Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes and geographic criteria for filtering at least one URL responsive to the one or more selected SIC codes based on the geographic criteria, in which the geographic criteria is a city;

a web page record database connected to the user interface, the web page record database including a plurality of web page records, the plurality of web page records including a response to the search query;

a search engine module connected to both the user interface and the web page record database, the search engine module effective to search the web page record database for the response;

an entity information database including information about individuals or organizations that maintain ownership over one or more web page records; and

a mapping database connected to the web page record database and the entity information database, the mapping database including one or more unique type identifiers associated with the selected SIC codes for mapping the web page records with respective individuals or organizations.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the mapping database uses American Business Information Numbers.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the entity information database includes geographic information about the individuals or organizations.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the entity information database uses SIC fields.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the mapping database maps particular individuals or organizations to a plurality of web page records.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the entity information database includes information about one or more companies and their financial profiles information.

7. A method for providing a user at least one response to a search query of the Internet, the method comprising:

providing a mapping database connected to a web page record database and a entity information database, the mapping database including one or more unique type identifiers associated with SIC codes for mapping the web page records with respective individuals or organizations;

receiving a search query from a user, wherein the search query includes one or more selected Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes and geographic criteria for filtering at least one URL responsive to the one or more selected SIC codes based on the geographic criteria, in which the geographic criteria is a city;

searching a web page record database for a response to the search query;

mapping the response to an individual or organization associated with the response, wherein the individual or organization maintains ownership over one or more web page records; and

displaying the response and a name of the individual or organization to the user.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the search query is based on a hierarchical category structure.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the mapping uses American Business Information Numbers.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising displaying geographic information about the individual or organization.

11. A method for providing a user with at least one response to a search query of the Internet, the method comprising:

maintaining a mapping database connected to a web page record database and a entity information database, the mapping database including one or more unique type identifiers associated with SIC codes for mapping the web page records with respective individuals or organizations;

receiving a search query from a user in the form of category selection, wherein the search query includes one or more selected Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes and geographic criteria and the method further comprises filtering the at least one URL responsive to the one or more selected SIC codes based on the geographic criteria before performing the displaying, in which the geographic criteria is a city;

determining at least one individual or organization associated with the search query;

determining at least one URL under the ownership of the individual or organization; and

displaying the URL to the user.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the determining at least one individual or organization is performed through the use of SIC codes.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the category selection comes from a hierarchical category structure.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the at least one URL includes a plurality of URLs and the plurality of URLs are displayed to the user in an order of popularity.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising displaying a name of the individualor organization.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the displaying includes displaying a plurality of URLs and the method further comprises enabling the user to execute a search in only the plurality of URLs.