Method for searching information on internet

• US 20020140715A1
• Filed: 08/07/2001
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Francis D.E. Smet
• Original Assignee: Francis D.E. Smet
• Inventors: Smet, Francis De
• Granted Patent: US 7,287,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/700
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for searching information on the internet, whereby use is made of a human search assistant (2) assisting a user (1) when searching for information on the internet.

Claims

1. A method for searching information on the internet, characterized in that it uses at least one human search assistant who helps a user when searching for information on the internet, whereby this human search assistant is a specialist in searching on the internet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the human search assistant assists the user by searching on internet and indicates to the user were the information he is looking for can be found in the World Wide Web or where the user should be looking in the World Wide Web or giving the information found in the World Wide Web.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the human search assistant has such expertise in searching on the internet that he can be considered a web librarian and is able to give more information than the place to look in the World Wide Web and is able to supervise the user consulting internet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the human search assistant preferably makes use of search engines for searching on internet.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dialogue between the user and the human search assistant takes place on line and in real time.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user'"'"'s communication with the human search assistant takes place by means of voice recognition via the internet.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is offered a visual representation of the human search assistant.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the human search assistant is consulted via one of the following devices:

a computer, a mobile phone, a palmtop or an interactive television apparatus, or the set-top box associated therewith.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein use is made of several human search assistants on the website.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user contacts the same search assistant by means of voice recognition, iris recognition or fingerprint recognition.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein one or more head human search assistants are present having below them a number of specialized adjunct human search assistants who each can be specialized in one or more fields, whereby a head human search assistant directs the call he receives towards one of those specialized adjunct human search assistants.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the human search assistant re-formulates an information request of the user into an adapted request which can be applied better on the search robots than the aforementioned information request.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the human search assistant assists the user when searching for services.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said services consist of on-line shopping, price and product comparison.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the human search assistant composes programs for the user consisting of films, television or radio or music programs which are provided via the internet.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is served in his own language, with or without simultaneous translation.