MACRO PROGRAMMING FOR RESOURCES

• US 20080033917A1
• Filed: 08/04/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Inventors: Cooper, Thomas A., Jones, Scott A., Fischer, Brandon
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,868 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

A system and a method are disclosed for generating, storing, retrieving, and utilizing a search macro or shortcut link to a resource, such as a web site that provides access to an information database. The system may load a page into an application from the resource. The resource may have a Uniform Resource Identifier, and the page may have a search field that causes the application to generate a message when activated. The system may read the Uniform Resource Identifier insert a placeholder into the search field, and activate the search field, which causes the application to generate a message. The system may read the message and parse the message to isolate a search string containing the placeholder. The system may store the search string in a data structure, and may also store the Uniform Resource Identifier and associate it with the search string in the data structure. The system may further retrieve the search string, replace the placeholder with a search term, and generate a message as a function of the search string and the search term.

Claims

1. A method of creating a search macro for use with a computer, comprising:

loading a page into an application from a resource, where the resource has a Uniform Resource Identifier and the page has a search field that causes the application to generate a message when activated;

reading the Uniform Resource Identifier with the application;

inserting a placeholder into the search field;

activating the search field;

reading the message generated in response to the activation of the search field with the application;

parsing the message to isolate a search string containing the placeholder; and

storing the search string in a data structure.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising parsing the message to isolate a Uniform Resource Identifier, storing the Uniform Resource Identifier in the data structure, and associating the Uniform Resource Identifier with the search string.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a window in a graphical user interface that displays a portion of the message and a portion of the Uniform Resource Identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein generating a window in a graphical user interface further comprises generating a window that displays at least one keyword, and reading input from the graphical user interface to determine whether to associate the at least one keyword with the Uniform Resource Identifier in the data structure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein loading a page into an application from a resource comprises loading the page into a browser application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein loading a page into an application from a resource comprises loading the page into a first application, and reading the Uniform Resource Identifier with the application comprises reading the Uniform Resource Identifier with a second application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein loading a page into an application from a resource comprises loading the page into a browser application, and reading the Uniform Resource Identifier with the application comprises reading the Uniform Resource Identifier with a toolbar application.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising searching the data structure for the Uniform Resource Identifier, and setting a state of a widget button based on a result of the search.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein setting the state of the widget button comprises setting the widget button to active if the result of the search indicates that the Uniform Resource Identifier is not stored in the data structure.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the Uniform Resource Identifier in the data structure, and associating the Uniform Resource Identifier with the macro.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a window in a graphical user interface that displays a portion of the macro and a portion of the Uniform Resource Identifier.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein generating a window in a graphical user interface further comprises generating a window that displays at least one keyword, and reading input from the graphical user interface to determine whether to associate the at least one keyword with the Uniform Resource Identifier in the data structure.

10. A system, comprising;

a user system in communication with a network, wherein the user system comprises a graphical user interface; and

a server in communication with the network, wherein the server comprises an information database and code for a web page to search the information database using at least one search term;

wherein the user system includes an application that reads the code for the web page, determines a message generated by the code in response to the at least one search term, substitutes at least one placeholder for the at least one search term, and stores the message as a macro in a data structure.

11. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to assist a user submitting a query to a human searcher, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to load a page into an application from a resource, where the resource has a Uniform Resource Identifier and the page has a search field that causes the application to generate a message when activated;

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to read the Uniform Resource Identifier with the application;

;

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to insert a placeholder into the search field;

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to activate the search field;

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to read the message generated in response to the activation of the search field with the application;

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to parse the message to isolate a search string containing the placeholder; and

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to store the search string in a data structure.

12. A method of creating a search macro for use with a computer, comprising:

loading a page into an application from a resource, where the resource has a Uniform Resource Identifier and the page has a search field that causes the application to generate a message when activated;

reading the Uniform Resource Identifier with the application;

reading the source code of the page with the application;

analyzing the source code to determine the message generated when the search field is activated;

generating the message as a function of the source code and a placeholder; and

storing the message in a data structure as a macro.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein loading a page into an application from a resource comprises loading the page into a browser application.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein loading a page into an application from a resource comprises loading the page into a first application, and reading the Uniform Resource Identifier with the application comprises reading the Uniform Resource Identifier with a second application.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising searching the data structure for the Uniform Resource Identifier, and setting a state of a widget button based on a result of the search.

19. A method of generating a Uniform Resource Identifier as a function of a search macro with a computer, comprising:

displaying a page in an application, where the page has a search field;

reading a macro from a data structure with the application;

reading a search term from the search field;

generating a Uniform Resource Identifier as a function of the macro and the search term with the application;

transmitting the Uniform Resource Identifier with the application; and

retrieving a result associated with the Uniform Resource Identifier from the network with the application.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising displaying a second page in the application, wherein the second page is a function of the result associated with the Uniform Resource Identifier.

21. A method, comprising:

capturing information of sequence of operations for locating a resource;

modifying the captured information; and

automating access to the resource using the modified information.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the resource is a web site and said modifying includes replacing a URL substring of the web site with a string pertaining to a query.

23. The method of claim 21, comprising:

associating the resource with a keyword and enabling automated access to the resource responsive to a search request pertaining to the keyword.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein automated access to the resource is made available to multiple users.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein a human searcher executes a search responsive to the search request and on behalf of a user submitting the search request.