Hyperlinked search interface for distributed database

• US 6,338,059 B1
• Filed: 12/17/1998
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fields, Duane Kimbell, Hassinger, Sebastian, Hurley, William Walter II
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/213,914
• Time in Patent Office: 1,118 Days
• Field of Search: 707/4, 707/5, 707/9, 707/10, 707/102, 707/104, 707/516, 707/522, 707/530, 707/501, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 715/208
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/917 Text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Real time creation of new hyperlinks in a hyperlinked database is performed. Responsive to user input, a word or other element is selected in a first page of the hyperlinked database. The selected word is used as part of a search query to a selected search engine. The search results are received from the selected search engine and presented in a second page to a user. In one preferred embodiment, first and second pages are web pages presented by a browser and the selected search engine is an Internet search engine native to a different page than the server from which the first page originates.

Claims

1. A method for creating hyperlinks in a hyperlinked database, comprising the steps of:

presenting a panel for creating a user profile for searching on a selected, non-hyperlinked word, wherein a default search engine can be selected by a user;

responsive to user input, setting a selected search engine as the default search engine;

responsive to user input, selecting a word in a first page;

using the selected word to construct a search query to the default search engine;

sending the constructed search query to the default search engine;

receiving search results from the selected search engine; and

using the selected word as a hyperlink to a second page, wherein the search results are presented in the second page to the user.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second pages are web pages presented by a browser.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the selected word is associated with a preexisting hyperlink;

in the absence of a designated hyperlink, sending a search query including the selected word to a selected search engine.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the first web page is served from a hosting web site, and the method further comprises the steps of:

retrieving the results from a search engine from a content provider web site;

extracting desired content elements from the results;

inserting the desired content elements in a new web page formatted according to a hosting site format; and

sending the new web page to the browser;

wherein when the new page is presented by the browser, all content elements appear native to the hosting site.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of creating a permanent hyperlink in at least the user'"'"'s copy of the first page.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

responsive to selection of a word, presenting a panel containing a list of available search engines; and

responsive to selection of at least one of the search engines, sending the search query to the selected search engines.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein a plurality of search engines are selected.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

responsive to selection of a word, presenting a panel for refining a search query; and

refining the search query according to user input to the panel.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

presenting a user profile panel containing selections relating to formation of a search query;

responsive to user input, creating a user profile for a search process; and

responsive to selecting an unlinked word in the page, executing the search process according to the user profile.

10. A system including processor and memory for creating hyperlinks in a hyperlinked database, comprising:

means for presenting a panel for creating a user profile for searching on a selected, non-hyperlinked word, wherein a default search engine can be selected by a user;

means responsive to user input for setting a selected search engine as the default search engine;

means responsive to user input for selecting an element in a first page;

means for using at least a portion of the selected element to construct a search query to the default search engine;

means for sending the constructed search query to the default search engine;

means for receiving search results from the selected search engine; and

means for using the selected word as a hyperlink to a second page, wherein the search results are presented in the second page to the user.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the selected element is text in a first web page.

12. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the selected element comprises an image.

13. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the system is a proxy server coupled by means of a network to a client browser.

14. A computer program product in a computer usable medium for creating hyperlinks in a hyperlinked database, comprising:

means for presenting a panel for creating a user profile for searching on a selected, non-hyperlinked element, wherein a default search engine can be selected by a user;

means responsive to user input for setting a selected search engine as the default search engine;

means responsive to user input for selecting an element in a first page;

means for using at least a portion of the selected element to construct a search query to the default search engine;

means for sending the constructed search query to the default search engine;

means for using the selected word as a hyperlink to a second page, wherein the search results are presented in the second page to the user.