System for searching network accessible data sets

• US 8,161,064 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LSR Technologies
• Original Assignee: LSR Technologies
• Inventors: Ross, Laurence
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, KHANH B
• Application Number:
  US12/624,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20100070493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705, 707/765, 707/766
• US Class Current: 707/766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3349 Reuse of stored results of previous queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A Sales-Chip Relevance Alert extends the capability of the regenerating search engine by allowing users to become informed about relevant information that has changed to a second query or search request that is run after a first query or search request. The user can narrowly and specifically describe with a high degree of precision what is relevant and meaningful to the user and how the user is notified. The Alert provides a timely notice to the user about the relevant information change through user-defined means and user defined messages.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for notifying a search request user of user-defined relevant changes to personalized, modifiable and repeatable search requests on a database wherein said personalized search requests are repeated to access and retrieve newly added information from the database the method comprising the steps of:

executing at least one personalized, modifiable and repeatable search request on a component to obtain a first result from a database, said first result comprising characteristics;

determining whether said first result is successful, said determination of success being made by said search request user using said component;

saving each said personalized, modifiable and repeatable search as a search engine, said search engine being said personalized, modifiable and repeatable search request where said search request user has deemed said first result to be successful;

selecting one said saved search engine; and

creating and saving an alert for said selected saved search engine, said alert indicating relevant information that has changed to said selected saved search engine, said alert comprising management elements including an editor and a relevance manager, said editor displaying said characteristics of said first result, said relevance manager providing comparators, said search request user selecting at least one said characteristic of interest to said search request user from said first result and at least one comparator, said selection made by the search request user forming an identifier, said identifier encapsulating said management elements and information supplied by the user to the management elements;

re-executing the selected saved search engine on the component to obtain a second result from the database, said second result being newly added information from the database;

determining a change result for the selected characteristic of said first result using the component, said change result being a difference between the first result and the second result;

defining at least one criteria element, said at least one criteria element filtering said change result based on said at least one characteristic of said first result, said at least one characteristic being of importance to the search request user, said filtering employing said at least one comparator of said relevance manager; and

notifying said search request user using the component when the change result is relevant to the search request user, wherein relevance of the change result is defined by said alert.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of re-executing the saved search engine is performed during a user-defined interval, said user-defined interval being user- modifiable at any time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of re-executing the saved search engine on the component is executed on demand by the search request user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining a match between the change result and the at least one criteria element, wherein the search request user is notified when the change result is relevant to the search request user, specifically when the match is present.

5. A computer implemented method for notifying a search request user of user-defined relevant changes to personalized, modifiable and repeatable search requests on a database wherein said personalized search requests are repeated to access and retrieve newly added information from the database the method comprising the steps of:

executing at least one personalized, modifiable and repeatable search request on a component to obtain a first result from a database, said first result comprising characteristics;

determining whether said first result is successful, said determination of success being made by said search request user using said component;

saving each said personalized, modifiable and repeatable search as a search engine, said search engine being said personalized, modifiable and repeatable search request where said search request user has deemed said first result to be successful;

selecting one said saved search engine; and

creating and saving an alert for said selected saved search engine, said alert indicating relevant information that has changed to said selected saved search engine, said alert comprising management elements including an editor, said editor displaying said characteristics of said first result, said search request user selecting at least one said characteristic of interest to said search request user from said first result, said selection made by the search request user forming an identifier, said identifier encapsulating said management elements and information supplied by the user to the management elements;

re-executing the selected saved search engine on the component to obtain a second result from the database, said second result being newly added information from the database;

determining a change result for the selected characteristic of said first result using the component, said change result being a difference between the first result and the second result; and

notifying said search request user using the component when the change result is relevant to the search request user, wherein relevance of the change result is defined by said alert.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the alert further comprises a time interval, wherein the step of re-executing the selected saved search engine is performed during said time interval, said time interval being user-defined and user-modifiable at any time.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of re-executing the selected saved search engine on the component is executed on demand by the search request user.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of defining at least one criteria element, said at least one criteria element filtering said change result based on said at least one characteristic of said first result, said at least one characteristic being of importance to the search request user, said filtering employing at least one comparator of a relevance manager.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of determining a match between the change result and the at least one criteria element, wherein the search request user is notified when the change result is relevant to the search request user, specifically when the match is present.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein said alert is saved with a unique alphanumeric character sequence.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

creating and saving a second alert, said second alert including other than said characteristic that was previously selected, said second alert being saved with a unique alphanumeric character sequence,

wherein relevance of the change result is defined by said second alert and said notification being issued as a result of such relevance.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

creating and saving a second alert, said second alert being a modification of the alert wherein said modification includes selecting at least one of said characteristic in addition to said characteristic that was previously selected, said second alert being saved with a unique alphanumeric character sequence,

wherein relevance of the change result is defined by said second alert, and

wherein said notification is issued as a result of such relevance.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein said notification is user customizable, said notification displaying said relevant change result including at least said first result and said second result.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said alert can be accessed on demand from said notification.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said search engine can be accessed on demand from said notification.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein said first result is obtained by re-executing the saved search engine on the component producing a re-obtained first result from the database, said re-obtained first result being original information from the database, said re-execution to re-obtain the first result being run as though the saved search engine had just been entered.