Meta-Web
First Claim
1. A Meta-Web apparatus, comprising:
- a browser for a user entering a search query and for displaying result pages to said user, the result pages comprising Web pages;
a search engine for receiving said search query and for generating search results in response thereto;
a registry for receiving and storing user annotations and other metadata;
a Meta-Web server for creating said result pages dynamically from said search results generated by said search engine by performing a look-up in said registry to determine if there is a user annotation or other metadata associated with said search results and by ordering said search results according to their relevance, said relevance dynamically determined according to said user annotations and other metadata stored in said registry, said Meta-web server subsequently sending said result pages to said browser for viewing by said user entering said query; and
an annotation bar for providing a mechanism to input said user annotations and other metadata to be stored in said registry, said annotation bar dynamically added to any content that is served to a user by said Meta-Web server;
wherein said annotation bar comprises user-actuated buttons which provide functions that allow a user to comment, ask questions related to the search result, indicate that the search result is relevant, and to indicate that the search result is not relevant, all of which is stored in said registry;
wherein each annotation provided by a user and stored in said registry dynamically alters subsequent searches, thereby providing more relevant search results;
wherein said user selects portions of documents which are then used by said Meta-Web server to identify annotations in said registry and dynamically generate information relating thereto;
a related items button for a portion of text that is highlighted by said user that provides related items and information for said highlighted text.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a preferred embodiment, the invention dynamically generates content and presentation to a user by modifying conventional content, e.g. rendering, restructuring, filtering, or supplementing such content, based on information, e.g. annotations, stored in a database. The invention, referred to as the Meta-Web, allows a user at a Web browser, which may be any standard Web browser supported by a standard computing platform, to posit a query which is routed to a Meta-Web server. The Meta-Web server returns search results to the Web browser and the user may then explore the results, for example by clicking on a URL in the search results. The results returned to the user are produced after the Meta-Web server forwards the query to a search engine. The search engine then returns the results to the Meta-Web server. Unique to the invention is the provision of a registry 14 which also receives search results and/or other information from the Meta-Web server, and that accumulates knowledge, meta-knowledge that was created at a time of entry of such knowledge, and meta-knowledge in the form of one or more annotations that accumulate over time, where the annotations include any of, but are not limited to, usefulness of said knowledge, additional user opinions, certifications of veracity of said knowledge, commentary by users, and connections between the knowledge and other units of knowledge. The Meta-Web server either combines both the search results and information from the registry, or operates upon the search results in accordance with information contained in the registry. The search results are augmented or modified by the registry under control of the Meta-Web server, which then builds a results page. The results pages is then forwarded to the user'"'"'s Web browser.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A Meta-Web apparatus, comprising:
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a browser for a user entering a search query and for displaying result pages to said user, the result pages comprising Web pages; a search engine for receiving said search query and for generating search results in response thereto; a registry for receiving and storing user annotations and other metadata;
a Meta-Web server for creating said result pages dynamically from said search results generated by said search engine by performing a look-up in said registry to determine if there is a user annotation or other metadata associated with said search results and by ordering said search results according to their relevance, said relevance dynamically determined according to said user annotations and other metadata stored in said registry, said Meta-web server subsequently sending said result pages to said browser for viewing by said user entering said query; andan annotation bar for providing a mechanism to input said user annotations and other metadata to be stored in said registry, said annotation bar dynamically added to any content that is served to a user by said Meta-Web server; wherein said annotation bar comprises user-actuated buttons which provide functions that allow a user to comment, ask questions related to the search result, indicate that the search result is relevant, and to indicate that the search result is not relevant, all of which is stored in said registry; wherein each annotation provided by a user and stored in said registry dynamically alters subsequent searches, thereby providing more relevant search results; wherein said user selects portions of documents which are then used by said Meta-Web server to identify annotations in said registry and dynamically generate information relating thereto; a related items button for a portion of text that is highlighted by said user that provides related items and information for said highlighted text. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification