Database access system

• US 7,801,896 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2007
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Relativity Display, LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alberti Anemometer LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Szabo, Andrew J
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo, Thuy N
• Application Number:
  US11/676,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/103.R, 707/104.1, 707/4, 707/731, 707/739, 707/715, 725/142, 706/47, 709/223, 709/217, 715/853
• US Class Current: 707/739
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3323 using document space presentation or visualization, e.g. category, hierarchy or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

An improved human user computer interface system, wherein a user characteristic or set of characteristics, such as demographic profile or societal “role”, is employed to define a scope or domain of operation. The operation itself may be a database search, to interactively define a taxonomic context for the operation, a business negotiation, or other activity. After retrieval of results, a scoring or ranking may be applied according to user define criteria, which are, for example, commensurate with the relevance to the context, but may be, for example, by date, source, or other secondary criteria. A user profile is preferably stored in a computer accessible form, and may be used to provide a history of use, persistent customization, collaborative filtering and demographic information for the user. Advantageously, user privacy and anonymity is maintained by physical and algorithmic controls over access to the personal profiles, and releasing only aggregate data without personally identifying information or of small groups.

Claims

1. A computer interface method comprising:

defining a displayed interface at a client device for interacting with objects having associated resource locators;

receiving an input at the client device and sending a search communication from the client device to a network element based at least in part on the input, the search communication comprising a search for objects from a set of indexed objects;

receiving at the client device from the network element at least respective resource locators of objects corresponding to the input;

displaying a hierarchal object comprising at least three levels of a taxonomic hierarchy each containing at least one of the respective resource locators of the objects received from the network element corresponding to the input, and at least one level having at least two of the objects, the objects being taxonomically organized based on a content associated with a respective object; and

presenting within the taxonomic hierarchy a set of separate objects, separate from the objects received from the network element corresponding to the input, wherein the levels of the taxonomic hierarchy contain at least one separate object corresponding to the input, the set of separate objects providing a basis for a third party subsidy.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the separate objects are classified within a same taxonomic classification as at least one object corresponding to the input.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the separate objects have a taxonomic classification which is proximate to that of at least one object corresponding to the input.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hierarchal organizational structure comprises a tree structure displaying at least three hierarchal levels within a graphic user interface.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hierarchal organizational structure comprises a hyperbolic tree structure.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hierarchal organizational structure comprises a display generated by an applet, wherein the method further comprises reorganizing information within the display in response to receiving an applet input without requiring further interaction with a remote network.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the hierarchal object comprises at least one object which is displayed and at least one object which is not displayed, the method further comprising receiving a manipulation signal through the input and displaying the previously not displayed object.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising selectively sending information to charge a third party subsidy for presentation of an object in dependence on whether the object is a displayed object or a not displayed object.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising selectively sending information to charge a third party subsidy for presentation of an object in dependence on a taxonomic context of object presentation.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising selectively sending information to charge a third party subsidy based on a value of a commercial transaction predicated on a display of the object.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hierarchal object comprises a state independent information object.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising ranking members of the set of objects corresponding to the input within a single hierarchal class based on a correspondence to the input.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a ranking method preference for ranking objects corresponding to the input.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising graphically representing a history of access to the objects presented through the displayed interface.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising manipulating an object within the taxonomic hierarchy through one or more signals received via a graphic user interface, and requesting information content corresponding to the manipulated object based at least on its respective resource locator.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising defining a user profile, for modifying the selection of objects corresponding to the input.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising defining a user profile, for modifying the taxonomic hierarchy.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising returning the resource locators of objects corresponding to the input as at least data for an applet interactively presenting the objects in a graphic format and responding to interaction with the presented objects through a graphic user interface.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one object has an associated digital rights rule, the method further comprising applying digital rights rules to control use of the at least one object.

20. A client device apparatus, comprising:

a processing element,

the processing element configured to operatively communicate with a network element with a communication including an input defining a search for objects from a set of indexed objects at the network element,

the processing element configured to receive from the network element at least respective resource locators of objects corresponding to the input and at least one third party subsidy object selected from a set of separate objects;

a display in operative communication with the processing element,

the display configured to present a hierarchal object comprising at least three levels of a taxonomic hierarchy, each level containing at least one object corresponding to the input, and at least one hierarchal level having at least two objects, the objects being taxonomically organized based on a content associated with a respective object, and interacting with objects having associated a resource locators,

wherein the display is further configured to present within the taxonomic hierarchy the third party subsidy object based on a relation of a taxonomic classification of the third party subsidy object and the levels of the taxonomic hierarchy containing at least one object corresponding to the input.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the at least one third party subsidy object is classified within a same taxonomic classification as at least one object corresponding to the input.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the at least one third party subsidy object has a taxonomic classification which is proximate to that of at least one object corresponding to the input.

23. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the taxonomic hierarchy comprises a tree structure displaying at least three hierarchal levels within a graphic user interface.

24. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the taxonomic hierarchy comprises a hyperbolic tree structure.

25. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the taxonomic hierarchy comprises a display generated by an applet, wherein an interaction with the applet results in a reorganization of information within the display without requiring further interaction with the search engine.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the hierarchal object comprises at least one object which is selectively displayed in dependence on an input received after the object is received from the network element.

27. The apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising a communication port for communicating with an accounting database for financially accounting for presentation of a third party subsidy object.

28. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein representations of the resource locators of objects corresponding to the input are interactively presented by an applet through a graphic user interface.

29. A tangible computer readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions that, upon execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

defining a displayed interface for interacting with objects having associated resource locators;

receiving an input and sending a search communication based at least in part on the input to a network element for objects from a set of indexed objects;

receiving from the network element at least respective resource locators of objects corresponding to the input;

displaying a hierarchal object comprising at least three levels of a taxonomic hierarchy each containing at least one of the respective resource locators of the objects received from the network element corresponding to the input, and at least one level having at least two of the objects, the objects being taxonomically organized based on a content associated with a respective object; and

presenting within the taxonomic hierarchy a set of separate objects, separate from the objects received from the network element corresponding to the input, wherein the levels of the taxonomic hierarchy contain at least one separate object corresponding to the input, the set of separate objects providing a basis for a third party subsidy.

30. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the separate objects are classified within a same taxonomic classification as at least one object corresponding to the input.

31. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the separate objects have a taxonomic classification which is proximate to that of at least one object corresponding to the input.

32. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the hierarchal organizational structure comprises a tree structure displaying at least three hierarchal levels within a graphic user interface.

33. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the hierarchal organizational structure comprises a hyperbolic tree structure.

34. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the hierarchal organizational structure comprises a display generated by an applet, wherein the method further comprises reorganizing information within the display in response to receiving an applet input without requiring further interaction with a remote network.

35. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 34, wherein the hierarchal object comprises at least one object which is displayed and at least one object which is not displayed, the method further comprising receiving a manipulation signal through the input and displaying the previously not displayed object.

36. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 35, wherein the operations further comprise selectively sending information to charge a third party subsidy for presentation of an object in dependence on whether the object is a displayed object or a not displayed object.

37. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise selectively sending information to charge a third party subsidy for presentation of an object in dependence on a taxonomic context of object presentation.

38. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise selectively sending information to charge a third party subsidy based on a value of a commercial transaction predicated on a display of the object.

39. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the hierarchal object comprises a state independent information object.

40. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise ranking members of the set of objects corresponding to the input within a single hierarchal class based on a correspondence to the input.

41. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a ranking method preference for ranking objects corresponding to the input.

42. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise graphically representing a history of access to the objects presented through the displayed interface.

43. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise manipulating an object within the taxonomic hierarchy through one or more signals received via a graphic user interface, and requesting information content corresponding to the manipulated object based at least on its respective resource locator.

44. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise defining a user profile, for modifying the selection of objects corresponding to the input.

45. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise defining a user profile, for modifying the taxonomic hierarchy.

46. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise returning the resource locators of objects corresponding to the input as at least data for an applet interactively presenting the objects in a graphic format and responding to interaction with the presented objects through a graphic user interface.

47. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein at least one object has an associated digital rights rule, the method further comprising applying digital rights rules to control use of the at least one object.

48. An apparatus comprising:

means for defining a displayed interface for interacting with objects having associated resource locators;

means for receiving an input and sending a search communication based at least in part on the input to a network element for objects from a set of indexed objects;

means for receiving from the network element at least respective resource locators of objects corresponding to the input;

means for displaying a hierarchal object comprising at least three levels of a taxonomic hierarchy each containing at least one of the respective resource locators of the objects received from the network element corresponding to the input, and at least one level having at least two of the objects, the objects being taxonomically organized based on a content associated with a respective object; and

means for presenting within the taxonomic hierarchy a set of separate objects, separate from the objects received from the network element corresponding to the input, wherein the levels of the taxonomic hierarchy contain at least one separate object corresponding to the input, the set of separate objects providing a basis for a third party subsidy.