Method for searching from a plurality of data sources

• US 9,348,911 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2003
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Egendorf, Andrew, Greenfeld, Norton, Pettinelli, Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, KHANH B
• Application Number:
  US10/348,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20030177111A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,872 Days
• Field of Search: 707 3- 5, 707/10, 707100-101, 707/706, 707/751
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A method of searching for information on a computer information network comprises providing a searchbase comprising a plurality of descriptive packets, wherein each packet is associated with one of a plurality of information sources published on a computer information network and includes a query language and template usable therewith, a sending protocol usable therewith and a receiving protocol usable therewith. A search request is received over the computer information network from a user for retrieving information from the plurality of information sources in accordance with given search criteria. The search request is transformed into an inquiry capable of searching the searchbase and the searchbase is searched with the inquiry to identify any of the plurality of information sources which potentially meet the given search criteria. The search request is transformed into queries for the identified information sources, wherein each query is in accordance with the query language and query template in the descriptive packet for the corresponding information source and the queries are sent over the computer information network to the identified information sources in accordance with the sending protocol in the descriptive packet for the corresponding information source. Information is received over the computer information network from the identified information sources in response to the queries in accordance with the receiving protocol in the descriptive packet for the corresponding information source.

Claims

1. A method for searching for items via the Internet, comprising:

creating, by a system including a processor, an index of items, the items being available via the Internet at information sources, wherein the index of items comprises a plurality of descriptive packets, each of the plurality of descriptive packets comprising;

an information source search language;

an information source search template;

an information source protocol; and

information source product hierarchy information in which the items are arranged in a hierarchy according to categories and sub-categories of the items at a respective information source;

receiving, by the system, a request to search for a product via the Internet, the request to search including search criteria received with the request, the search criteria being received from an end user device based on user input;

transforming, by the system, the request to search into an inquiry suitable to the index of items based on the plurality of descriptive packets;

searching, by the system, the index of items using the inquiry to produce a first set of information sources corresponding to a first subset of items related to the inquiry according to the product hierarchy information;

accessing, by the system, search methodologies that are associated with the first set of information sources

generating, by the system, a modified inquiry for each of the first set of information sources, wherein the modified inquiry is translated according to the information source search language and the information source search template;

searching, by the system, each of the first set of information sources according to the modified inquiry for the first subset of items of the first set of information sources via an information source protocol of the first set of information sources and according to the information source product hierarchy information of the information source that match the modified inquiry for each of the first set of information sources; and

responding to the request to search for items by providing results from each of the first set of information sources related to the first subset of items.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the searching of the first subset of items comprises applying the modified inquiry to items at fewer than all of the information sources.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the searching of the first subset of items comprises applying the modified inquiry to items at all of the first set of information sources.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the searching the index of items produces a second set of information sources corresponding to a second subset of items related to the inquiry according to the product hierarchy information.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

accessing, by the system, search methodologies that are associated with the second set of information sources

generating, by the system, a modified inquiry for each of the second set of information sources, wherein the modified inquiry is translated according to the information source search language and the information source search template; and

searching, by the system, each of the second set of information sources according to the modified inquiry for the second subset of items of the second set of information sources via an information source protocol of the second set of information sources and according to the information source product hierarchy information of the second set of information sources that match the second subset of items.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the responding to the request to search further comprises providing results from each of the second set of information sources related to the second subset of items.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the responding to the request to search comprises providing only uniform resource locator addresses in the second set of information sources.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the responding to the request to search comprises providing less than all of search results from the second set of information sources.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the responding to the request to search comprises providing results from all of the first set of information sources and the second set of information sources.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the responding to the request to search comprises providing only uniform resource locator addresses in the first set of information sources and the second set of information sources.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the responding to the request to search comprises providing all of the information sources.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the responding to the request to search comprises providing only a uniform resource locator addresses of search results from the first set of information sources.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the creating of the index further comprises:

receiving first descriptive information from information sources, wherein the first descriptive information describes the items available at the information sources; and

obtaining second descriptive information describing the items available at the information sources, wherein the second descriptive information includes sub-categories of the product hierarchy information.