Network based classified information systems

• US 6,397,219 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2001
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Dudley John Mills
• Inventors: Mills, Dudley John
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/768,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20010021935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10,102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/81 Indexing, e.g. XML tags; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A system for automatically creating databases containing industry, service, product and subject classification data, contact data, geographic location data (CCG-data) and links to web pages from HTML, XML or SGML encoded web pages posted on computer networks such as the Internet or Intranets. The web pages containing HTML, XML or SGML encoded CCG-data, database update controls and web browser display controls are created and modified by using simple text editors, HTML, XML or SGML editors or purpose built editors. The CCG databases may be searched for references (URLs) to web pages by use of enquiries which reference one or more of the items of the CCG-data. Alternatively, enquiries referencing the CCG-data in the databases may supply contact data without web page references. Data duplication and coordination is reduced by including in the web page CCG-data display controls which are used by web browsers to format for display the same data that is used to automatically update the databases.

Claims

1. An HTML encoded web page embodied on a computer-readable medium, said web page comprising at least one HTML encoded CCG phrase, each CCG phrase comprising:

a) HTML code indicative of the start of a CCG phrase,

b) at least one CCG-data attribute, and

c) HTML code indicative of the end of a CCG phrase.

2. An HTML encoded web page embodied on a computer-readable medium, said web page comprising at least one HTML encoded CCG phrase, each CCG phrase comprising:

a) HTML code indicative of the start of a CCG phrase,

b) at least two CCG-data attributes,

c) at least one database control attribute separating said CCG-data attributes into at least two sets of CCG attributes, and

d) HTML code indicative of the end of a CCG phrase.

3. An HTML encoded web page embodied on a computer-readable medium, said web page comprising at least one HTML encoded CCG phrase, each CCG phrase comprising:

a) HTML code indicative of the start of a CCG phrase,

b) at least one CCG-data attributes,

c) at least one attribute of;

database control attributes, display control attributes; and

d) HTML code indicative of the end of a CCG phrase.

4. A computer implemented method of building a web page comprising at least one HTML encoded CCG phrase, the method comprising the steps of:

a) displaying a web page on a computer display device,

b) displaying an edit cursor indicating a character position on said display device and a corresponding character position in said web page, said edit cursor being positionable within the display of said web page by use of computer input devices,

c) separately displaying on said computer display device a set of edit controls representing CCG-data attribute types,

d) positioning said edit cursor within said display of said web page using said input devices,

e) selecting an edit control from said set of edit controls using said input devices,

f) relating said selected edit control to a corresponding CCG-data attribute name,

g) constructing a CCG-data attribute character string comprising a character string representing said attribute name and another character string representing an empty CCG-data value,

h) if the said edit cursor is positioned outside a CCG phrase,

i) inserting into said web page, at the character position indicated by said edit cursor, a start character string comprising HTML code indicative of the start of a CCG phrase,

ii) inserting into said web page, immediately after the end of said start character string, an end character string comprising HTML code indicative of the end of a CCG phrase, and

iii) positioning said edit cursor between said start and end character strings,

i) inserting said CCG-data attribute character string into said web page at the character position indicated by said edit cursor,

j) positioning said edit cursor at the character position in said web page of the CCG-data value of said inserted CCG-data attribute character string,

k) inputting characters using a keyboard,

l) inserting said input characters into said web page at the character position indicated by said edit cursor, thereby converting said empty CCG-data value to a non-empty CCG-data value, and

m) writing said web page on computer-readable media.

5. A computer implemented method of building a web page comprising at least one HTML encoded CCG phrase, the method comprising the steps of:

a) displaying a web page on a computer display device,

b) displaying a start edit cursor and an end edit cursor on said display device, each said edit cursors indicating a character position on said display device and a corresponding character position in said web page, said edit cursors being positionable within the display of said web page by use of computer input devices,

c) separately displaying on said computer display device a set of edit controls representing CCG-data attribute types,

d) selecting a string of web page characters on said display device using said input devices to position said start edit cursor to indicate the start said string of web page characters and said end edit cursor to indicate the end of said string of web page characters,

e) selecting an edit control from said set of edit controls using said input devices,

f) relating said selected CCG-data control to a corresponding CCG-data attribute name,

g) constructing a CCG-data attribute character string comprising a character string representing said attribute name and another character string representing a CCG-data value containing said string of web page characters,

h) deleting said string of web page characters from said wen page,

i) if the said start edit cursor is positioned outside a CCG phrase,

i) inserting into said web page, at the character position indicated by said start edit cursor, a start character string comprising HTML code indicative of the start of a CCG phrase,

ii) inserting into said web page, immediately after the end of said start character string, an end character string comprising HTML code indicative of the end of a CCG phrase, and

iii) positioning said start edit cursor between said start and end character strings,

j) inserting said CCG-data attribute character string into said web page at the character position indicated by said start edit cursor, thereby converting said string of web page characters to a CCG-data attribute value contained within a CCG-data attribute contained within CCG-phrase, and

k) writing said web page on computer-readable media.

6. A computer implemented method of building a web page comprising at least one HTML encoded CCG phrase, the method comprising the steps of:

a) displaying a CCG-data input form on a computer display device,

b) inputting CCG-data values into fields of said data input form using computer input devices,

c) inserting into the body of a web page a start character string comprising HTML code indicative of the start of a CCG phrase,

d) inserting into said web page body immediately after the end of said start character string an end character string comprising HTML code indicative of the end of a CCG phrase,

e) extracting successive field values from said data entry form together with related field value type information,

f) relating the type of each extracted field value to a corresponding CCG-data attribute name,

g) constructing a CCG-data attribute character string comprising a character string representing said attribute name and another character string representing said field value,

h) inserting said CCG-data attribute character string into said web page between said start and end character strings.

i) writing said web page on computer-readable media.

7. A method of displaying a web page comprising at least one HTML encoded CCG phrase, the method comprising the steps of:

a) retrieving a web page from a computer network,

b) parsing said retrieved web page to locate an HTML code indicative of the start of a CCG phrase,

c) parsing said located CCG phrase and extracting successive CCG attributes contained therein until an HTML code indicative of the end of said CCG phrase is found,

d) from each extracted attribute, deriving an attribute name,

e) determining the type of said extracted attribute by reference to its derived attribute name,

f) relating said type of attribute so determined to one of the following attribute types;

database control, display control, CCG-data,

g) provided said extracted attribute is not a database control type, deriving an attribute value related to its attribute name from said extracted attribute,

h) determining the type of said attribute value by reference to said attribute name,

i) relating said type of attribute value so determined to a corresponding type of parameter of a display-device-control-program,

j) writing said attribute value to said parameter, and

k) where said type of attribute is a CCG-data type, causing said display-device-control-program to effect display of said attribute value on a display device, formatted and positioned according said display-device-control-program parameters whereby successive values of CCG-data of the CCG phrase are displayed.