System and method for web based sharing of search engine queries

• US 7,725,526 B1
• Filed: 06/23/2000
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kraft, Reiner
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs; Lashonda T
• Application Number:
  US09/602,490
• Time in Patent Office: 3,623 Days
• Field of Search: 707 3- 7, 707/10, 707200-201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 705/14
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

While a user browses through a network, the present invention monitors and detects search queries. As a user enables queries to search for documents containing information necessary to the completion of a task, hobby, entertainment or to improve his or her general knowledge, the present invention detects that a query has been enabled and stores the query for later presentation to a user in an integrated browser list window. If a user wishes to share queries with other users in a global database, he or she must select a query string for sharing in an integrated browser list window. The query is stored locally and forwarded across a communication network to a hub processing unit for permanent storage in a global database accessible by a plurality of users. Also, the user can add annotations to the search query prior to its being forwarded to the hub processing unit. The hub processing unit in coordination with the global database organizes and manages the storage of selected shared query. Once stored in the global database, other users can benefit from the intelligence, work and experience of others by searching through categories of search queries as well as simply browsing through them. This is accomplished by a second user entering categorical data to his local graphical user interface which communicates with a search and retrieval program. The search and retrieval program returns a grouping or listing of headlines related to the category selected by the second user.

Claims

1. A method of sharing queries in a hub processing unit coupled to a plurality of information processing units over a network, the method on the information processing unit comprising the steps of:

receiving a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) string from a first user,

determining if the URL string represents a query, if the URL string represents a query, performing the sub-steps of;

storing the query in a query database;

forwarding the query to a hub processing unit in the event that the first user selects the query for sharing with a second user connected to the hub processing unit;

storing information in an accounting database for awarding the first user for submitting the query for sharing; and

receiving, from a second user, a selection for one of the stored queries for sharing.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the sub-step of forwarding further includes the sub-step of receiving from the second user, a selection of a query from a query history list.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein the sub-step of forwarding further includes the sub-step of storing information in the accounting database for awarding the first user for submitting the query in response to the second user selecting the query from the query history list.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the determining step further includes the sub-step of analyzing the string for a particular character or characters to determine if the string is a query.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the sub-step of forwarding further comprises the sub-step of appending additional information from the first user to the shared query.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, wherein the appending step further includes appending additional information comprising category, title or descriptive information.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the storing sub-step further includes storing the query in an information processing unit wherein the storing is temporary or permanent storage.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising a step of repetitively processing incoming strings as long as strings are received from the user.

9. A method of sharing queries in a hub processing unit coupled to a plurality of client information processing units over a network, the method on the hub processing unit comprising the steps of:

receiving a query selected for sharing by a first user of a client information processing system;

storing the query;

storing information in an accounting database for awarding the first user for submitting the query for sharing;

receiving from a second user a selection of the query shared by the first user;

performing the further sub-steps of;

activating a hyperlink to request a search result set based upon the second user'"'"'s selection of the hyperlink; and

displaying the search result set for the second user.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the capturing step further comprises capturing searches made through headlines for documents.

11. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the receiving step further includes a sub-step of validating a received query string.

12. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the receiving step further includes a step of awarding at least one of a reward and points for at least one query submission by a user.

13. The method as defined in claim 12, wherein the awarding step further comprises notifying an accounting manager of the query submission.

14. A client information processing unit coupled via a network with a hub processing unit apparatus for sharing queries comprising:

an input for receiving a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) string from a first user;

a comparator for determining if the URL string represents a query;

an interface for storing the query in an information processing unit memory;

an output for forwarding the query to a hub processing unit in the event that the first user selects the query for sharing with a second user connected to the hub processing unit;

an accounting database for storing information for awarding the first user for submitting the query for sharing; and

an input for receiving, from a second user, a selection for one of the stored queries for sharing.

15. The client information processing unit as defined in claim 14, wherein the input further includes a selection device so that the first user selects a query from a query history list.

16. The client information processing unit as defined in claim 14, wherein the input further includes a selection device so that the first user selects a query from the received string that has been shown to be a query.

17. The client information processing unit as defined in claim 14, wherein the comparator includes an analyzer which analyzes the string for a particular character or characters to determine if the string is a query.

18. The client information processing unit as defined in claim 14, wherein the input further includes a graphical user interface that allows the first user to append additional information to the shared query.

19. The client information processing unit as defined in claim 18, wherein the graphical user interface further includes a pop-up dialog box that requests additional information comprising category, title or descriptive information.

20. The client information processing unit as defined in claim 14, wherein the information processing unit memory further includes permanent or temporary memory.

21. A server for sharing queries in a client-server network comprising:

an input means for receiving from a client over a network, a query selected by a first user for sharing;

interface means for storing the query received;

means for searching through queries by a second user;

means for finding an interesting shared query by the second user;

means for activating a hyperlink to request a result set if the shared query is of value to the second user;

means for awarding the first user for selecting the query for sharing; and

means for perusing the search result set if the shared query is of value to the second user.

22. A computer readable medium including programming instructions, the programming instructions including instructions for query sharing in a client server network comprising:

reception instructions for receiving a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) string from a first user;

determination instructions for determining if the URL string represents a query;

storing instructions for storing the query in a client computer if the URL string represents a query;

forwarding instructions for forwarding the query to a server in the event that the URL string represents a query and the first user selects a query for sharing with a second user connected to the hub processing unit;

storing information in an accounting database for awarding the first user for submitting the query for sharing; and

receiving, from a second user, a selection for one of the stored queries for sharing in the database.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions for selective sharing of URLs.