System and method for exposing internal search indices to internet search engines

• US 9,471,702 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2014
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Grim, Clifton E. III, Schmidt, Christopher I., Wilson, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yen, Syling
• Application Number:
  US14/492,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20150012521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 707706-709, 707711-713, 707/722, 707/736, 707/758, 707/781, 707999001-999006, 713/153
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions

Abstract

A system and method for exposing internal search indices to Internet search engines. The internal search indices are exposed to external search engines in such a way that the data may be segregated into at least two types including one layer of search data specifically for the search engines, and another for potential users of the application. This significantly improves the probability of discovery by search engines and also provides for presentation of discovered content to users in a manner consistent with the content itself, or consistent with the intended controls or presentations established by the content'"'"'s owner. The system and method also includes one or more components that reproduce information about IP in a format that search engines can recognize and locate.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of facilitating on-line searching of an information marketplace (IM), comprising the steps of:

generating one or more metadata files having keyword value pairs from internal search indices of a commercial or private web site arranged within the IM that require an authorized certificate to access intellectual property (IP) within the commercial or private web site;

storing the one or more metadata files within one or more hyper-text markup files (HTML) files in a directory accessible through a network;

creating a master index file containing one or more links to each of the one or more HTML files;

saving the master index file and the one or more HTML files in a searchable directory of the IM; and

accessing at least one of the one or more HTML files via the one or more links to locate the IP, the accessing comprising;

redirecting search requests from the external web search engines to the searchable directory;

executing the requests from the external web search engines on the searchable directory for the one or more HTML files; and

transmitting the one or more HTML files from the searchable directory to the external web search engines,

wherein the internal search indices are exposed to the external web search engines such that data is segregated into at least two types which include one layer of search data specifically for the external web search engines and another layer for users,

the method further comprising;

reproducing information about the IP in a format that the external web search engines can recognize and locate; and

forwarding users coming through the external web search engines to an IP graphical user interface instead of files that the external web search engines discovered.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the internal search indices are configured to be crawled by external web search engines.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising crawling through the master index file with a search agent of the external web search engines to create search indices.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising using a browser to search the search indices for accessing the at least one of the one or more HTML files.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

redirecting a search agent of the external web search engines to the searchable directory;

retrieving the master index file containing the one or more links; and

storing metadata information in search indices associated with the search agent for user searches.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

entering search criteria into the search agent;

searching the search indices and associated metadata to match the search criteria; and

returning one or more matching results from the searching step.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising selecting the one or more matching results.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising presenting a login screen to the IM when a selection is made from one of the one or more matching results, the selection being for an item of the IP within the IM.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining whether a user is logged into the IM and by-passing the presenting a login screen step if the user is already logged into the IM.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented with the following:

the IM is coupled to a certificate authority which sends verifications to the IM; and

an IP consumer that issues a search request to the IM, receives search results from the IM, and purchases and receives IP.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the internal search indices are associated with a collection of the keyword value pairs and pointers to the IP stored in the IM;

the keyword value pairs and the pointers are associated with a value;

the value is associated with a type of data, wherein the type of data categorizes the IP; and

the one or more HTML files contain at least one meta tag containing the keyword value pairs.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

redirecting a search agent of the external web search engines to the searchable directory;

retrieving the master index file containing the one or more links;

storing metadata information in search indices associated with the search agent for user searches;

entering search criteria into the search agent;

searching the search indices and associated metadata to match the search criteria; and

returning one or more matching results from the searching step;

selecting the one or more matching results;

presenting a login screen to the IM when a selection is made from one of the one or more matching results, the selection being for an item of the IP within the IM;

determining whether a user is logged into the IM and by-passing the presenting a login screen step if the user is already logged into the IM; and

disallowing the external web search engines from searching any directories of the IM other than the searchable directory,

wherein the method is implemented with the following;

the IM is coupled to a certificate authority which sends verifications to the IM; and

an IP consumer that issues a search request to the IM, receives search results from the IM, and purchases and receives IP.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein indices are structured to being crawled by external web search engines, and the IP includes at least one of digital photographs, music, movies, eBooks, composition and research.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the external web search engines include IP keyword data in their indices.

12. A system comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU), a computer readable memory and a computer readable storage medium;

program instructions to generate one or more metadata files having keyword value pairs from internal search indices to a commercial or private web site arranged within the IM that require an authorized certificate to access;

program instructions to store the one or more metadata files within one or more hyper-text markup files (HTML) files in a directory accessible through a network;

program instructions to create a master index file containing one or more links to each of the one or more HTML files;

program instructions to save the master index file and the one or more HTML files in a searchable directory of the IM; and

program instructions to access at least one of the one or more HTML files via the one or more links to locate intellectual property (IP) for at least any one of a transaction, a commercial use, and a private use, the accessing comprising;

redirecting search requests from external web search engines to the searchable directory;

executing the requests from the external web search engines on the searchable directory for the one or more HTML files; and

transmitting the one or more HTML files from the searchable directory to the external web search engines files,

wherein the program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium for execution by the CPU via the computer readable memory, and

wherein the internal search indices are exposed to the external web search engines such that data is segregated into at least two types which include one layer of search data specifically for the external web search engines and another layer for users,

the system further comprising;

program instructions to reproduce information about the IP in a format that the external web search engines can recognize and locate; and

program instructions to forward users coming through the external web search engines to an IP graphical user interface instead of files that the external web search engines discovered.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the internal search indices are structured to be crawled by external web search engines.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising program instructions to crawl through the master index file with a search agent of the external web search engines to create search indicies.

15. A computer program product for facilitating web searching, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, the program instructions readable/executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

creating one or more metadata files having keyword value pairs from internal search indices of a commercial or private website arranged within the IM that require an authorized certificate to access, wherein the internal search indices are structured to be crawled by external web search engines;

storing the one or more metadata files within one or more hyper-text markup files (HTML) files in a directory accessible through a network;

creating a master index file containing one or more links to each of the one or more HTML files;

saving the master index file and the one or more HTML files in a searchable directory of the IM; and

accessing at least one of the one or more HTML files via the one or more links to locate intellectual property (IP) for at least any one of a transaction, commercial use, and a private use, the accessing comprising;

executing search requests from external web search engines on the searchable directory for the one or more HTML files; and

transmitting the one or more HTML files from the searchable directory to the external web search engines,

wherein the internal search indices are exposed to the external web search engines such that data is segregated into at least two types which include one layer of search data specifically for the external web search engines and another layer for users,

the method further comprising;

reproducing information about the IP in a format that the external web search engines can recognize and locate; and

forwarding users coming through the external web search engines to an IP graphical user interface instead of files that the external web search engines discovered.