Apparatus and method of implementing fast internet real-time search technology (first)

• US 6,260,041 B1
• Filed: 09/30/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Infolocity, Inc. (Netcurrents Information Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Netcurrents Information Services Incorporated
• Inventors: Gonzalez, Carlos M., Cerna, Jr., James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Veillard, Jacques
• Application Number:
  US09/409,256
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/1, 707/104, 707/100, 707/3, 707/4, 707/102, 709/200, 709/217, 709/218, 709/224, 709/219, 709/227
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• 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 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

An apparatus for and method of monitoring and retrieving identifiable statements and other information pertinent to one or more desired search terms or concepts. In a preferred embodiment, a fast Internet real-time search technology (FIRST) system provides a user interface for inputting and editing a list of desired search terms, and a list of resource locations to be monitored. A server causes the periodic access of each resource location listed to determine whether any information on a particular resource location has been added that is pertinent to the desired search terms since the previous visit to the location. Any added information is returned to the server for processing. An alert message can be generated and forwarded to an intended recipient to alert the recipient of the added information.

Claims

1. A fast Internet real-time search technology (FIRST) system for use in monitoring information on Web pages, message boards, chat rooms, discussion groups, e-mail messages, and other communications over the Internet, the FIRST system comprising:

a user interface which creates client files, each client file including a list of desired search terms for which the FIRST system is to monitor communications over the Internet, a list of desired resource locations on the Internet for which the FIRST system is to monitor, and a list of desired recipients for whom the FIRST system is to alert upon uncovering information concerning one or more of the desired search terms listed in the client file;

a Maximillian server processing requests for monitoring communications over the Internet, said Maximillian server including a client file reader parsing client files to coordinate execution of monitoring for desired search terms in the resource locations identified in the client files, and a script directory identifying at least one bot launched to examine data retrieved from at least one resource location identified in the client files; and

an alert generator communicating an alert from the FIRST system to the desired recipients listed in the client files based on results produced after examination by the at least one bot, wherein the alert is an e-mail message sent to all of the desired recipients listed in a particular client file corresponding to the results produced by the at least one bot.

2. The fast Internet real-time search technology (FIRST) system according to claim 1, wherein the resource locations include static and dynamic Websites, user postings on Websites, and e-mail bulletins, and wherein the data examined by the at least one bot includes textual, pictorial, aural, and visual information.

3. The fast Internet real-time search technology (FIRST) system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of bots launched by said Maximillian server in accordance with the script directory, each bot examining a respective one of the resource locations listed in the client file.

4. The fast Internet real-time search technology (FIRST) system according to claim 3, wherein at least one of said plurality of bots examines a resource location and determines whether a textual match is made between the desired search terms and the data retrieved from the resource location.

5. The fast Internet real-time search technology (FIRST) system according to claim 4, wherein the at least one of said plurality of bots examines a resource location and determines whether a conceptual match is made between the desired search terms and the data retrieved from the resource location.

6. A fast Internet real-time search technology (FIRST) system for use in monitoring information on Web pages, message boards, chat rooms, discussion groups, e-mail messages, and other communications over the Internet, the FIRST system comprising:

a user interface which creates client files, each client file including a list of desired search terms for which the FIRST system is to monitor communications over the Internet, a list of desired resource locations on the Internet for which the FIRST system is to monitor, and a list of desired recipients for whom the FIRST system is to alert upon uncovering information concerning one or more of the desired search terms listed in the client file;

a Maximillian server processing requests for monitoring communications over the Internet, said Maximillian server including a client file reader parsing client files to coordinate execution of monitoring for desired search terms in the resource locations identified in the client files, and a script directory identifying at least one bot launched to examine data retrieved from at least one resource location identified in the client files; and

an alert generator communicating an alert from the FIRST system to the desired recipients listed in the client files based on results produced after examination by the at least one bot, wherein the alert is an e-mail message sent to all of the desired recipients listed in a particular client file corresponding to the results produced by the at least one bot, and wherein the results include a change in the examined data retrieved from the at least one resource location identified in the client files.

7. The fast Internet real-time search technology (FIRST) system of claim 6, wherein said Maximillian server monitors the resource locations for information pertinent to the list of desired search terms by performing a search task that attempts to match the text of at least one of the desired search terms with the text of at least one of the resource locations identified in the list of desired resource locations.

8. The fast Internet real-time search technology (FIRST) system of claim 6, wherein said Maximillian server monitors the list of desired resource locations for information pertinent to desired search terms by performing a search task that returns data which contain references to messages on at least one of the resource locations identified in the list of desired resource locations.