Method and system for identifying companies with specific business objectives

• US 8,145,619 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2008
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bowden, Timothy R., Chitnis, Upendra, Khabibrakhmanov, Ildar K., Lawrence, Richard D., Liu, Yan, Melville, Prem
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Cam-Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, CECILE H
• Application Number:
  US12/028,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20090204569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 707/999.01, 707/999.004, 707/999.006, 707/999.1, 707/760, 707/999.007, 707/10, 707/710, 707/803, 709/224, 706/62
• US Class Current: 707/710
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A method for identifying companies with specific business objectives that includes using existing sources of company firmographic data to identify a broad set of companies and associated websites, crawling the websites associated with the identified companies and indexing web site content for each of the identified companies with the specific business objective to realize indexed web content. The method further includes joining the company firmographic data with the indexed web content using a business objective common identifier to generate a store of joined structured firmographic data and indexed web content and presenting a display image representation of the store of joined structured firmographic data and indexed web content for user review. The display image further receives user input to score each of said companies identified therein, and using a search interface, querying the store of scored, joined structured firmographic data and indexed web content. The method further includes augmenting the search interface, or search results from a query, with predictive, machine-leaning processes that allow rapid identification of companies possibly missed in the query.

Claims

1. A method for identifying companies with specific business objectives, the method comprising the steps of:

using existing sources of company firmographic data to identify a broad set of companies and associated websites;

crawling the websites associated with said identified companies, and indexing web site content for each of said identified companies with said specific business objective to realize indexed web content;

joining said company firmographic data with said indexed web content using a business objective common identifier to generate a store of joined structured firmographic data and indexed web content;

presenting a display image representation of the store of joined structured firmographic data and indexed web content for user review, and to receive user input to score each of said companies identified therein;

using a search interface, first querying the store of scored, joined structured firmographic data and indexed web content;

obtaining, via said search interface, search query results including identified companies;

receiving, at a machine processor, user provided feedback on a quality of search query results;

said user provided feedback comprising a score of one or more said identified companies in a predictive, machine learning process; and

augmenting the search interface with said predictive, machine-learning process to allow rapid identification of companies possibly missed in the first querying that are associated with said specific business objective.

2. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising:

a tangible storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for carrying out a method to;

use existing sources of company firmographic data to identify a broad set of companies and associated websites;

crawl the websites associated with said identified companies, and indexing web site content for each of said identified companies with said specific business objective to realize indexed web content;

join said company firmographic data with said indexed web content using a business objective common identifier to generate a store of joined structured firmographic data and indexed web content;

present a display image representation of the store of joined structured firmographic data and indexed web content for user review, and to receive user input to score each of said companies identified therein;

use a search interface, first querying the store of scored, joined structured firmographic data and indexed web content and obtain search query results including identified companies; and

obtain, via said search interface, search query results including identified companies;

receive user provided feedback on a quality of search query results;

said user provided feedback comprising a score of one or more said identified companies in a predictive, machine learning process; and

augment the search interface with said predictive, machine-learning processes that process to allow rapid identification of companies possibly missed in the first querying that are associated with said specific business objective.

3. A searching system for searching the World Wide Web (WWW) to identify companies having a specific business objective comprising:

a web crawling processor for crawling the websites of companies identified in accordance with specific firmographic objectives, and indexing web content of said websites;

a data join processor for joining the firmographic data of the companies with specific firmographic objectives with the indexed web content for said companies, and providing the joined firmographic data and indexed web content in a joined data and indexed web content store;

a search processor for receiving user search queries that combine firmographic constraints with content relevance, and searching, via a display image representation of the store of joined structured firmographic data and indexed web content, the store in accordance said specific business object objective, and obtain search query results including identified companies;

a machine learning processor for receiving user provided feedback on a quality of said search query results;

said user provided feedback comprising a score of one or more said identified companies in a predictive, machine learning process, said machine learning processor implementing predictive modeling with the joined firmographic data and indexed web content to allow rapid identification of companies possibly missed in a prior search query, wherein the search processor searches the joined firmographic data and indexed web content after said predictive modeling.

4. The searching system as set forth in claim 3, further comprising a web browser in communication with the search processor.

5. The searching system as set forth in claim 3, further comprising a searchable store of in-house confidential data, that is utilized by the data join processor in said step of joining.

6. The searching system as set forth in claim 3, further comprising a display processor to facilitate user access to said search processor, web crawling processor, data join processor and machine learning processor.

7. The searching system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said display processor provides a user with a search interface for querying the joined firmographic data and indexed web content with respect to said specific business objective and obtaining said search query results including identified companies.