Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-27
2003-11-04
Alam, Shahid Al (Department: 2172)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C709S218000, C715S252000, C715S252000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06643641
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns methods and apparatus for representing data file contents for searching the data files and reporting selected data file addresses, especially hypertext markup language files accessed using an Internet search engine (i.e., Web pages). One process develops a database representing the text content of data files on a network. Another process renders graphic representations of the files according to a default configuration and stores a compressed graphic file for each. A further process selects file hits according to user criteria and reports their addresses with associated presentation of the stored graphic file.
2. Prior Art
A search engine is a useful facility for browsing the Internet or World Wide Web. Popular browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator display visual outputs using hypertext markup language or “html.” An enormous variety of information is stored in html format in subscriber homepages and the like on the Web, and much of the information is accessible on the Web by simply pointing one's browser to the associated page or file. Html files typically contain, for example, text and numeric information, typographical symbols, information defining formatting particulars by which the text is to appear on a display of the file, and uniform resource location references (URLs), which are hypertext links that address other files. Some of the URLs address or point to other hypertext pages that are linked to a displayed page. The user can highlight and select a URL by pointing and clicking using his/her mouse, whereupon the browser loads and displays the identified page. Alternatively, the link may be such that this point-and-click method causes the browser to jump to a display of a different position in the file, or to perform an identified action such as downloading and playing an audio or video file, or may cause the browser to alter its display of the present data, such as inserting or enlarging a display of a graphic file. The link may also cause the browser to invoke an applications program or a process, etc.
The html files which are addressed typically contain certain formatting information. All users who download the html file obtain the identical file and formatting. However, the display and processing of the files is not necessarily the same from one user's browser to another. The html page does not contain a fixed graphic data display. The html page contains text, addresses and encoding information which are processed by the browser and the system operating the browser, to prepare and present a graphic data display.
Browsers from different software suppliers are not identical and operate somewhat differently. The same browser program can be set up by user options for display of data in selected ways, including for example choices of font size and font type. There are also alternative choices for applications programs that may be run within the browser (often called plug-ins) or which are invoked when a file of a particular type is selected.
Using font size as an example, the operating system (e.g., Microsoft Windows) and the display may be configured to employ a certain X-Y pixel size and color display resolution. In the browser, the user may have selected one of several available font sizes, which in combination with the X-Y pixel size of the display field determines the vertical and horizontal size of each character. These choices affect pagination and the layout of text within text subdivisions such as paragraphs or tables. The browser may allow the user to select a default character alphabet. The browser may also allow the user to select how and whether background and foreground colors are displayed, or whether colors are even used in certain situations, such as to distinguish links from other text or to highlight a link when selected by the cursor or mouse.
The typical html source file contains text and may include or contain addresses identifying static or dynamic files and information, but the source files are usually not limited to text. The source files contain header, footer, paragraph and section markers, font and color changes which may distinguish sections, markers indicating text strings to be interpreted as html links (URL addresses that are delineated as such), and other formatting and instructions. These and other markers, which include hidden text tags and textual start/stop markers, are not themselves displayed but instead are used to carry undisplayed information or as specifications for display of the remaining text according to preset rules and configuration choices in the browser and the operating system.
Users often refer to the display of a particular web page as “going to” the web page. In fact, “going to” the web page is a misnomer. The process actually involves sending a message to a remote server or user station on the web that requests transmission of the html source code stored there. Upon receipt the source code is processed locally by the browser so as to produce data representing a graphic display. The graphic display data is stored in a memory buffer in the system RAM or in an associated display driver card from which the luminance, saturation and hue of each pixel in the display are determined. After “going to” a web page, the browser may store a copy of the source code locally so that using the “Back” function reloads the page without the need to wait for another exchange of messages over the Web.
Users may know the URL for a web site they wish to load, but also may need to find files with selected content without knowing the corresponding URL. For this purpose the user can “search the Web” using a search engine. Early search engines did live web page searches and came to be known as “web crawlers.” The number of searchable pages has multiplied, however, and it would be an immensely large job to attempt to address, load and search all the possible URLs that might identify a web page today. This web crawling method is now impractical for on-demand searching.
Search engines now operating do not search web pages on demand. Instead the search engine operators use various means to build a limited database reflecting the contents of a number of web pages. The users' search criteria are applied to the database to identify the addresses of web pages that meet the search criteria, at least from a subset of all existing web pages. Web page content can be changed. The search is current up to the most recent time at which the search engine database was updated to reflect the latest content of the web pages subject to search.
The web pages to be reflected in the database are indexed to build a record of the terms that appear in each web page. Search engines vary but typically the index database reflects at least the presence of single words to enable selection by Boolean combinations. At least some proximity relationships and/or the presence of exact phrases can be made searchable. The indexing can include a selection of field information, such as revision dates, country of domain and other fields, which in some cases are automatically generated and in others require human review (e.g., to define a business category).
The search engine operator can use various methods to find or select web page addresses that will be loaded and analyzed or indexed in building the database. The methods may be chosen to expand or to limit the number of web pages that the search engine will access. As a result, the results of searches vary among the different search engines.
For example a web crawler or similar routine might attempt to load and analyze pages corresponding to all the top level domain names that are found to be registered with public domain name services or listed in a directory service [e.g., http://www.[domain].com]. Search engine services also can queue for indexing all pages that they are specifically requested to index (which request might be submitted by the page owner or another).
When indexing an initial
Al Alam Shahid
Duane Morris LLP
LandOfFree
Web search engine with graphic snapshots does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Web search engine with graphic snapshots, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Web search engine with graphic snapshots will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3158350