Method and system for searching indexed information databases with automatic user registration via a communication network

• US 6,654,749 B1
• Filed: 05/12/2000
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nexir LLC
• Original Assignee: Choice Media, Inc. (Terry Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nashed, Ashraf H.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBINSON, GRETA LEE
• Application Number:
  US09/570,732
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/5, 707/9, 707/4, 707/10, 705/51, 705/52
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9532 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/941 Human sciences
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/948 Product or catalog
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A search engine is for accessing indexed information sources with automatic registration of information sources requiring registration and without requiring the submission of user identification data by the user each time that access to a registration information source is desired. The search engine obtains user information data from a user from a single submission to provide automatic access to all indexed registration information sources, as may be required by the search query and the selections of respective classification categories selected for narrowing the search. A user web page at the search engine stores search queries and corresponding search results. The search engine performs automatic search updating and notifies a user of the update based on user requests.

Claims

1. A method for accessing information sources using a search engine comprising the steps of:

receiving from a user at the search engine a search query and user identification data;

selecting, based on the search query, at least one information source indexed at an indexed database coupled to the search engine for access;

determining whether a selected indexed information source requires user registration before permitting user access; and

automatically providing a registration identifier derived from the user identification data of the user to a selected indexed registration information source requiring user registration for access, whereby the selected indexed registration information source permits access by the user without the user acting to cause submission of any user identification data to the selected indexed registration information source for achieving user registration.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

retrieving a registration identifier for the user corresponding to the selected registration information source, wherein the registration identifier is stored in a user identification database coupled to the search engine; and

maintaining in the user identification database a record of transaction data for the user concerning each access of an information source which requires registration for access.

3. The method of claim 2, where the maintaining step further includes storing in the user identification database transaction data transmitted by one or more of the registration information sources concerning any purchase of a product or service available for purchase at the indexed registration information source accessed by the user.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising classifying web pages of the information sources in the indexed information database by format of web page, subject matter and target audience.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indexed information source includes web pages indexed by title and full text content and wherein the search query constitutes a word or word string, and wherein the searching further comprises:

(A) generating at least one expansion word for each word in the search query and the word string, if any, constituting the search query using semantic network expansion;

(B) determining whether the title or the content of each of the indexed web pages contains the exact word or word string constituting the search query;

(C) determining whether the title or the content of each of the indexed web pages contains any word in the search query;

(D) determining whether the title or the content of each of the indexed web pages contains any expansion words generated from the exact word or word string constituting the search query;

(E) determining whether the title or the content of each of the indexed web pages contains, for each word in the search query, the word or any of the expansion words for the word;

(F) assigning first, second, third and fourth initial rank values where the determinations in steps (B), (C), (D) and (E), respectively, are affirmative for the title of an indexed web page; and

(G) assigning fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth initial rank values where the determinations in steps (B), (C), (D) and (E), respectively, are affirmative for the content of an indexed web page.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

(H) for each of the web pages where the determination made in steps (B), (C), (D) and (E) was affirmative, using the search query and the expansion words to generate frequency of occurrence and relative proximity data from the corresponding full text content; and

(I) computing a final-rank value based on the initial rank values assigned in step (F) or (G) and the frequency and relative proximity data.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing a user web page database;

saving each search query and search results corresponding to the search query obtained for the user at a user web page maintained at the user web page database;

repeating a search previously performed by the user at predetermined time intervals selected by the user;

updating the search results for the repeated search at the user web page; and

notifying the user that the search results for the repeated has been updated.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the notifying includes electronically communicating with the user.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before the step of automatically providing the registration identifier to the selected indexed registration information source, having the user confirm that user registration should be performed at the selected indexed registration information source.

9. A method for accessing health care and medical information sources using a search engine comprising the steps of:

receiving at the search engine user identification data from a user;

receiving at the search engine a search query and at least one selected searching classification from the user;

selecting, based on the search query and the searching classification, at least one health care and medical information source indexed at an indexed database coupled to the search engine for access, wherein the indexed information source is indexed using a plurality of classifications;

determining whether a selected indexed information source requires user registration before permitting user access;

automatically providing a registration identifier derived from user identification data of the user to selected indexed registration information source requiring user registration for access, whereby the selected indexed registration information source is searchable and search results of searching of the registration information source are retrievable without the user acting to cause submission of any user identification data to the selected registration information source for achieving user registration; and

saving the search query, the user selected classification and the search results for the search query at a user web page maintained at a user web page database coupled to the search engine.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

before the step of automatically providing the registration identifier to the selected indexed registration information source, having the user confirm that user registration should be performed at the selected indexed registration information source.

10. A server system for accessing information sources comprising:

a user identification database for storing user identification data;

an indexed database storing classification categories of indexed web pages of respective information sources; and

a server coupled to the user identification database and the indexed database for receiving an access request from a user and accessing the Indexed web pages of at least one of the indexed information sources, wherein the server automatically provides registration data derived from the user identification data of the user stored in the user identification database to an indexed registration information source being accessed and requiring user registration for access such that the indexed registration information source requiring user registration is accessible without the user acting to cause submission of any user identification data to the registration information source for achieving user registration.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the access request includes a search query constituting a word or word string, wherein the indexed information source includes web pages indexed by title and full text content and wherein the server searches for information by:

(A) generating at least one expansion word for each word in the search query and the word string, if any, constituting the search query using semantic network expansion;

(B) determining whether the title or the content of each of the indexed web pages contains the exact word or word string constituting the search query;

(C) determining whether the title or the content of each of the indexed web page contains any word in the search query;

(D) determining whether the title or the content of each of the indexed web pages contains any expansion word generated from the exact word or word string constituting the search query;

(E) determining whether the title or the content of each of the indexed web pages contains, for each word in the search query, the word or any of the expansion words for the word;

(F) assigning first, second, third and fourth initial rank values where the determinations in steps (B), (C), (D) and (E), respectively, are affirmative for the title of an indexed web page;

(G) assigning fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth initial rank values where the determinations in steps (B), (C), (D) and (E), respectively, are affirmative for the content of an indexed web page;

(H) for each of the web pages where the determination made in steps (B), (C), (D) and (E) was affirmative, using the search query and the expansion words to generate frequency of occurrence and relative proximity data from the corresponding full text content; and

(I) computing a final rank value based on the initial rank values assigned in step (F) or (G) and the frequency and relative proximity data.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the classification categories include type of information format included on a web page, content of web page and target audience of web page.