System and method for utilizing asynchronous client server communication objects

• US 20060075120A1
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MasterObjects, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MasterObjects, Inc.
• Inventors: Smit, Mark H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,752,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3331 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

A session-based client-server asynchronous information search and retrieval system for sending character-by-character or multi-character strings of data to an intelligent server, that can be configured to immediately analyze the lengthening string and return to the client increasingly appropriate search information. Embodiments include integration within an Internet, web or other online environment, including applications for use in interactive database searching, data entry, online searching, online purchasing, music purchasing, people-searching, and other applications. In some implementations the system may be used to provide dynamically focused suggestions, auto-completed text, or other input-related assistance, to the user.

Claims

1. A system for session-based searching at a client for content at a server, comprising:

a communication protocol that provides an asynchronous session connection between a client and a server, and allows the client to send, as part of the same session, a plurality of consecutive query strings to query the server for content;

a client that transmits to the server within the session a plurality of queries to retrieve content from the server, wherein each of the plurality of queries are consecutive and form an increasingly focused query string for retrieving content from the server, and wherein each subsequent one of the plurality of queries extends the query string by one or more additional characters; and

a server that receives queries from the client, and in response to each increasingly focused query, automatically matches the increasingly focused query string against the content of the server, and returns increasingly relevant content to the client, for further use by the client within the same session.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a web browser including a web-based interface accessible at the client for creating queries, wherein the plurality of queries are entered into the web-based interface by a user to form an increasingly focused query string for retrieving content from the server.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the client and the server communicate via the Internet using a hypertext transfer protocol.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of queries are a single additional character to be added to the increasingly focused query string.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of queries are a plurality of additional characters to be added to the increasingly focused query string.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising a server repository for storing content information and for returning increasingly relevant content to the client in response to automatically matching the increasingly focused query string against the content of the server.

7. A method for session-based searching at a client system for content at a server system, comprising the steps of:

providing a communication protocol that provides an asynchronous session connection between a client and a server, and allows the client to send, as part of the same session, a plurality of consecutive query strings to query the server for content;

transmitting from the client to the server within the session a plurality of queries to retrieve content from the server, wherein each of the plurality of queries are consecutive and form an increasingly focused query string for retrieving content from the server, and wherein each subsequent one of the plurality of queries extends the query string by one or more additional characters; and

receiving at the server queries from the client, and in response to each increasingly focused query, automatically matching the increasingly focused query string against the content of the server, and returning increasingly relevant content to the client, for further use by the client within the same session.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising receiving input at a web browser including a web-based interface accessible at the client, wherein the plurality of queries are entered into the web-based interface by a user to form an increasingly focused query string for retrieving content from the server.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the client and the server communicate via the Internet using a hypertext transfer protocol.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein each of the plurality of queries are a single additional character to be added to the increasingly focused query string.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein each of the plurality of queries are a plurality of additional characters to be added to the increasingly focused query string.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising providing a server repository for storing content information and for returning increasingly relevant content to the client in response to automatically matching the increasingly focused query string against the content of the server.

13. A system for asynchronous providing of information, comprising:

a server;

a database of content information coupled to said server;

a communication protocol that provides an asynchronous session connection between a client and the server, and allows the client to send, as part of the same session, a plurality of consecutive queries to query the server for content, wherein each of the plurality of queries form an increasingly focused query string for retrieving content from the database, and wherein each subsequent one of the plurality of queries extends the query string by one or more additional characters; and

wherein said server receives queries from the client, and in response to each increasingly focused query, automatically matches the increasingly focused query string against the database of content, and returns increasingly relevant content to the client, for further use by the client within the same session.

14. A people-searching system, comprising:

a server configured to receive requests from clients for people-searching content;

a database of biographic or other people-searching content information coupled to the server;

a communication protocol that provides an asynchronous session connection between a client and the server, and allows the client to send, as part of the same session, a plurality of queries to query the server for content, wherein each of the plurality of queries are consecutive and form an increasingly focused query string for retrieving content from the server, and wherein each subsequent one of the plurality of queries extends the query string by one or more additional characters; and

wherein the server receives queries from the client and in response to each increasingly focused query string, the query string being any of the first letters of a person last name, first name, or other personal information, automatically matches the query string against the database of content, and returns increasingly relevant content to the client, for further use by the client within the same session.

15. A system for searching for product-related information, comprising:

a server configured to receive requests from clients for product-related information;

a database of product-related information or other music content information coupled to said server;

a communication protocol that provides an asynchronous session connection between a client and the server, and allows the client to send, as part of the same session, a plurality of queries to query the server for content, wherein each of the plurality of queries are consecutive and form an increasingly focused query string for retrieving content from the server, and wherein each subsequent one of the plurality of queries extends the query string by one or more additional characters; and

wherein the server receives queries from the client and in response to each increasingly focused query string, automatically matches the query string against the database of product-related information or other content information, and returns increasingly relevant content to the client, for further use by the client within the same session.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the product-related information is music content information and includes any of music title, artist name, and other music information.

17. A system for searching for documents in full-text databases, comprising:

a server configured to receive requests from clients for locations of documents including the full-text of those documents and metadata associated with those documents;

a database coupled to said server, that contains a full-text word index of said documents;

a communication protocol that provides an asynchronous session connection between a client and the server, and allows the client to send, as part of the same session, a plurality of queries to query the server for content, wherein each of the plurality of queries are consecutive and form an increasingly focused query string for retrieving content from the server, and wherein each subsequent one of the plurality of queries extends the query string by one or more additional characters; and

wherein said server is capable of receiving the increasingly focused query string from the client, said query string being any of the first letters of one or more indexed words with optional Boolean search operators, and as the query string is being extended, applying the query string against the database, and returning increasingly appropriate document locations to the client.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein each document is identified by a URL and wherein the full-text database contains a full-text index of a website on the Internet or on an intranet, and wherein the full-text index includes words found on web pages and in rich documents linked on the website.

19. A system for suggesting database records, comprising:

a server configured to receive requests from clients for content;

a database of content information coupled to said server;

a communication protocol that provides an asynchronous session connection between a client and the server, and allows the client to send, as part of the same session, a plurality of queries to query the server for content, wherein each of the plurality of queries are consecutive and form an increasingly focused query string for retrieving content from the server, and wherein each subsequent one of the plurality of queries extends the query string by one or more additional characters; and

wherein said server is capable of applying the increasingly focused query string against the database as it is begin extended, and suggesting increasingly appropriate content or search criteria to the client, for further use by the client within the same session.

20. A method of suggesting database records, comprising the steps of:

providing a database of content information coupled to a server;

accepting at the server requests from a client, via a communication protocol that provides an asynchronous session connection between a client and the server, and allows the client to send, as part of the same session, a plurality of queries to query the server for content, wherein each of the plurality of queries are consecutive and form an increasingly focused query string for retrieving content from the server, and wherein each subsequent one of the plurality of queries extends the query string by one or more additional characters; and

applying the increasingly focused query string against the database as it is begin extended, and suggesting increasingly appropriate content or search criteria to the client, for further use by the client within the same session.