Category searching

• US 7,970,750 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2009
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Martin, William, Goel, Surendra
• Primary Examiner(s): Mofiz; Apu M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cindy
• Application Number:
  US12/401,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/5, 707/706, 707/708, 707/710, 707/728, 707/731
• 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 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• 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 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

Performing a category search to identify categories of web sites that relate to a search term includes receiving at least one search term that then is compared with a hierarchy of category identifiers, and with terms related to one or more categories, to determine whether matches exist. A category identifier is selected based on the matches that are determined to exist within the hierarchy and the terms, and at least the category identifier is displayed. Performing a search to identify web sites and categories of web sites that relate to a search term also may include receiving at least one search term that then is compared with a list of recommended web sites, previously performed searches, a hierarchy of category identifiers, and terms related to one or more categories to determine whether matches exist. Results based on matches that are determined to exist are displayed.

Claims

1. A method for searching different data stores based on a classification of a search term, the method comprising:

receiving at least one search term;

in response to receiving the at least one search term, performing a matching sites search that compares the at least one search term to an electronic information store that includes content extracted from different web pages from different web sites;

determining whether a threshold number of matches have been identified by performing the matching sites search;

in response to a determination that the threshold number of matches have been identified by performing the matching sites search, displaying a result for the at least one search term based on matches identified by performing the matching sites search;

in response to a determination that the threshold number of matches have not been identified by performing the matching sites search;

performing a world wide web search using the at least one search term to identify additional matches for the at least one search term to those identified by performing the matching sites search; and

displaying a result for the at least one search term based on matches identified by performing the matching sites search and the additional matches identified by performing the world wide web search, wherein performing the matching sites search comprises;

classifying the search term among at least first and second categories;

using the classification of the search term to select among multiple electronic information stores to perform a search, wherein a first electronic information store contains first electronic information associated with at least a first category and a second electronic information store contains second electronic information associated with at least a second category;

when the search term is classified within the first category, performing the search after classifying the search term by comparing the search term only to the first electronic information within the first electronic information store to determine whether matches exist; and

when the search term is classified within the second category and following the classification of the search term, performing the search by comparing the search term to at least the second electronic information within at least the second electronic information store that differs from the first electronic information store to determine whether matches exist.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the search term when the search term is classified within the second category comprises comparing the search term to the first electronic information within the first electronic information store and to the second electronic information within the second electronic information store.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

receiving at least one search term comprises receiving several search terms and grouping the search terms received as a single string;

classifying the search term comprises classifying the single string of search terms among at least first and second categories;

comparing the search term when the single string of search terms is classified within the first category comprises comparing the single string of search terms to the first electronic information within the first electronic information store to determine whether matches exist; and

comparing the search term when the single string of search terms is classified within the second category comprises comparing the single string of search terms to the second electronic information within the second electronic information store to determine whether matches exist.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first electronic information includes contents relating to non-offensive web sites and the second electronic information includes contents relating to offensive web sites.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the method is performed by a web host having members and the method further comprises:

automatically scanning contents of a web site when the web site is accessed by members of the web host;

classifying the contents of the web site among at least one of the first electronic information within the first electronic information store and the second electronic information within the second electronic information store;

storing the contents of the web site in the first electronic information within the first electronic information store when the contents of the web site are classified among the first electronic information; and

storing the contents of the web site in the second electronic information within the second electronic information store when the contents of the web site are classified among the second electronic information.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first electronic information store is located on a first server and the second electronic information store is located on a second server that differs from the first server.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first electronic information includes full text, titles, descriptions, and addresses of web sites such that the comparing the search term to the first electronic information within the first electronic information store comprises comparing the search term to the full text, the titles, the descriptions, and the addresses of web sites to determine whether matches exist.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the second electronic information includes full text, titles, descriptions, and addresses of web sites such that the comparing the search term to the second electronic information within the second electronic information store comprises comparing the search term to the full text, the titles, the descriptions, and the addresses of web sites to determine whether matches exist.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising blocking access of a user to one or more of the multiple electronic information stores.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the result for the at least one search term based on matches identified by performing the matching sites search and the additional matches identified by performing the world wide web search comprises combining the matches identified by performing the matching sites search and the additional matches identified by performing the world wide web search into a single list and displaying the single list.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether a threshold number of matches have been identified by performing the matching sites search comprises:

determining a number of matches identified by performing the matching sites search;

comparing the determined number of matches identified by performing the matching sites search to a threshold number of matches; and

based on comparison results, determining whether the threshold number of matches have been identified by performing the matching sites search.

12. A method for searching based on a search term, the method comprising:

receiving at least one search term;

in response to receiving the at least one search term, performing a matching sites search that compares the at least one search term to an electronic information store that includes content extracted from different web pages from different web sites;

determining whether a threshold number of matches have been identified by performing the matching sites search;

in response to a determination that the threshold number of matches have been identified by performing the matching sites search, displaying a result for the at least one search term based on matches identified by performing the matching sites search; and

in response to a determination that the threshold number of matches have not been identified by performing the matching sites search;

performing a world wide web search using the at least one search term to identify additional matches for the at least one search term to those identified by performing the matching sites search; and

displaying a result for the at least one search term based on matches identified by performing the matching sites search and the additional matches identified by performing the world wide web search.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein displaying the result for the at least one search term based on matches identified by performing the matching sites search and the additional matches identified by performing the world wide web search comprises combining the matches identified by performing the matching sites search and the additional matches identified by performing the world wide web search into a single list and displaying the single list.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein determining whether a threshold number of matches have been identified by performing the matching sites search comprises:

determining a number of matches identified by performing the matching sites search;

comparing the determined number of matches identified by performing the matching sites search to a threshold number of matches; and

based on comparison results, determining whether the threshold number of matches have been identified by performing the matching sites search.

15. The method of claim 12:

wherein performing the matching sites search that compares the at least one search term to the electronic information store that includes content extracted from different web pages from different web sites comprises comparing the at least one search term to content which is accessible by select users; and

wherein performing the world wide web search using the at least one search term to identify additional matches for the at least one search term to those identified by performing the matching sites search comprises comparing the at least one search term to content available to users over the world wide web.

16. The method of claim 15:

wherein comparing the at least one search term to content which is accessible by select users comprises comparing the at least one search term to content maintained by a web searching host for which access is provided only to select users of the web searching host; and

wherein comparing the at least one search term to content available to users over the world wide web comprises comparing the at least one search term to content maintained by a source external to the web searching host and accessible to any user over the world wide web.

17. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a machine-readable storage component storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

in response to receiving the at least one search term, performing a matching sites search that compares the at least one search term to an electronic information store that includes content extracted from different web pages from different web sites;

determining whether a threshold number of matches have been identified by performing the matching sites search;

in response to a determination that the threshold number of matches have been identified by performing the matching sites search, displaying a result for the at least one search term based on matches identified by performing the matching sites search;

in response to a determination that the threshold number of matches have not been identified by performing the matching sites search;

performing a world wide web search using the at least one search term to identify additional matches for the at least one search term to those identified by performing the matching sites search; and

displaying a result for the at least one search term based on matches identified by performing the matching sites search and the additional matches identified by performing the world wide web search.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein displaying the result for the at least one search term based on matches identified by performing the matching sites search and the additional matches identified by performing the world wide web search comprises combining the matches identified by performing the matching sites search and the additional matches identified by performing the world wide web search into a single list and displaying the single list.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein determining whether a threshold number of matches have been identified by performing the matching sites search comprises:

determining a number of matches identified by performing the matching sites search;

comparing the determined number of matches identified by performing the matching sites search to a threshold number of matches; and

based on comparison results, determining whether the threshold number of matches have been identified by performing the matching sites search.

20. The system of claim 18:

wherein performing the matching sites search that compares the at least one search term to the electronic information store that includes content extracted from different web pages from different web sites comprises comparing the at least one search term to content which is accessible by select users; and

wherein performing the world wide web search using the at least one search term to identify additional matches for the at least one search term to those identified by performing the matching sites search comprises comparing the at least one search term to content available to users over the world wide web.