Method and apparatus for parsing data

• US 6,430,553 B1
• Filed: 03/22/2000
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Exactone.com Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Exactone.com Incorporated
• Inventors: Ferret, Bernard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/532,938
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A computer implemented method and a computer program product that is stored on computer readable media provides a parsing engine which will apply meta-language instructions to parse items discovered in a computer-based search with particular application to web sites accessible using the internet.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for retrieving by a control computer select information from one or more remote computers, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving by the control computer information regarding a search query from a requesting computer;

analyzing using the control computer said information regarding a search query to determine which of the one or more remote computers to which search queries should be sent;

reading by the control computer at least one configuration file containing meta-language information applicable to each of the one or more remote computers for parsing information obtained from each of the one or more remote computers;

polling the one or more remote computers by the control computer to fulfill the search query;

receiving information in the control computer regarding said search query from the one or more remote computers;

parsing the information received from the one or more remote computers using said meta-language instructions to form parsed information;

grouping said parsed information into at least one set of aggregated information; and

delivering said aggregated information to the requesting computer.

2. A computer implemented method according to claim 1 and further comprising the step of filtering information using filter commands regarding said search query received from the one or more remote computers using the control computer to more precisely match the search query, thereby enhancing the accuracy of a search.

3. A computer implemented method according to claim 2 wherein said step of creating said configuration file includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to search for a particular string of characters.

4. A computer implemented method according to claim 2 and further comprising the step of creating said configuration file by entering meta-language instructions applicable to programs on the one or more remote computers onto computer readable media for access by said control computer, and wherein said step of creating said configuration file includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to discard items that do not meet predetermined criteria defined in said filter commands.

5. A computer implemented method according to claim 1 and further comprising the step of creating said configuration file by entering meta-language instructions applicable to programs on the one or more remote computers onto computer readable media for access by said control computer.

6. A computer implemented method according to claim 5 wherein step of creating said configuration file includes entering meta-language instructions that are based on text commands that instruct the control computer to perform string and numerical search and extraction operations.

7. A computer implemented method according to claim 6 wherein said step of creating said configuration file includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to extract a string of characters and store said string of characters as an item field.

8. A computer implemented method according to claim 6 wherein said step of creating said configuration file includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to control the execution of the control computer instructions in implementing said method.

9. A computer implemented method according to claim 6 wherein said step of entering meta-language instructions that are based on text commands includes entering meta-language commands as a block of commands, with each block of commands being defined for a particular program resident on one or more of the remote computers.

10. A computer implemented method according to claim 6 wherein said step of entering meta-language instructions that are based on text commands includes entering meta-language commands as a block of commands, with each block of commands being defined for a particular program resident on one or more of the web sites.

11. A computer implemented method according to claim 1 and further comprising the step of detecting using the control computer, the format of said information regarding said search query from the one or more remote computers, and choosing an appropriate sequence of meta-language instructions to parse said information.

12. A computer implemented method for retrieving by a control computer select information from one or more remote computers, using the internet, each of the one or more remote computers having resident one or more web sites, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving by the control computer information regarding a search query from an internet user'"'"'s computer, said search query being generated using the internet user'"'"'s internet browser software;

analyzing, using the control computer, said information regarding the search query to determine which of the one or more web sites to which search queries should be directed;

reading, by the control computer, at least one configuration file containing meta-language information applicable to each of the one or more web sites for parsing information obtained from each of the one or more web sites;

polling the one or more web sites by the control computer to fulfill the search query;

receiving information in the control computer regarding said search query from the one or more web sites;

parsing the information received from the one or more web sites using said meta-language instructions forming parsed information;

grouping said parsed information into at least one set of aggregated information; and

delivering said aggregated information to the internet user'"'"'s web browser resident on the requesting computer to fulfill the search query.

13. A computer implemented method according to claim 12 and further comprising the step of filtering information using filter commands regarding said search query received from the one or more web sites using the control computer to more precisely match the search query, thereby enhancing the accuracy of a search.

14. A computer implemented method according to claim 13 wherein said step of creating said configuration file includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to search for a particular string of characters.

15. A computer implemented method according to claim 13 and further comprising the step of creating said configuration file by entering meta-language instructions applicable to each of the one or more web sites onto computer readable media for access by said control computer, and wherein said step of creating said configuration file includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to discard items that do not meet predetermined criteria defined in said filter commands.

16. A computer implemented method according to claim 12 and further comprising the step of creating said configuration file by entering meta-language instructions applicable to each web site to be polled onto computer readable media for access by said control computer.

17. A computer implemented method according to claim 16 wherein step of creating said configuration file includes entering meta-language instructions that are based on text commands that instruct the control computer to perform string and numerical search and extraction operations.

18. A computer implemented method according to claim 17 wherein said step of creating said configuration file includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to extract a string of characters and store said string of characters as an item field.

19. A computer implemented method according to claim 17 wherein said step of creating said configuration file includes entering search command meta-language instructions that instruct the control computer to control the execution of the control computer instructions in implementing said method.

20. A computer implemented method according to claim 12 and further comprising the step of detecting using the control computer, the format of said information regarding said search query from the one or more web sites, and choosing an appropriate sequence of meta-language instructions to parse said information.

21. A computer program product including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied thereon for retrieving by a control computer select information from one or more remote computers, the computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receive information regarding a search query from a requesting computer;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to analyze said information regarding a search query to determine which of the one or more remote computers to which search queries should be sent;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to read at least one configuration file containing meta-language information applicable to each of the one or more remote computers for parsing information obtained from each of the one or more remote computers;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to poll the one or more remote computers to fulfill the search query;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receive information regarding said search query from the one or more remote computers;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to parse the information received from the one or more remote computers using said meta-language instructions thereby forming parsed information;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to group said parsed information into at least one set of aggregated information; and

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to deliver said parsed information to the requesting computer.

22. A computer program product according to claim 21 and further comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to filter information using filter commands regarding said search query received from the one or more remote computers using the control computer to more precisely match the search query, thereby enhancing the accuracy of a search.

23. A computer program product according to claim 21 and further comprising computer readable program code devices configured to define said configuration file as meta-language

instructions applicable to each of the one or more remote computers to be polled for access by said control computer.

24. A computer program product including a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied thereon for retrieving by a control computer select information from internet web sites, the computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receive information regarding a search query from an internet user'"'"'s computer, said search query being generated using the internet user'"'"'s internet browser software;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to analyze said information regarding a search query to determine which of the one or more web sites to which the search query should be delivered;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to read at least one configuration file containing meta-language information applicable to each of the one or more web sites for parsing information obtained from each of the one or more web sites;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to poll the one or more web sites to fulfill the search query;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receive information regarding said search query from the one or more web sites;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to parse the information received from the one or more web sites using said meta-language instructions thereby forming parsed information;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to group said parsed information into at least one set of aggregated information; and

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to deliver said aggregated information to the internet user'"'"'s web browser resident on the requesting computer.

25. A computer program product according to claim 24 and further comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to filter information using filter commands regarding said search query received from the one or more web sites using the control computer to more accurately fulfill the search query.

26. A computer program product according to claim 24 and further comprising computer readable program code devices configured to define said configuration file as meta-language instructions applicable to each of the one or more web sites to be polled for access by said control computer.