NL1035823C2 - Method and system for ordering and maintaining information. - Google Patents

Description

Method and system for ordering and maintaining information

The present invention provides a method for assembling and maintaining information profiles for a user that 5 provide a maintainable record of information sources on the internet. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for performing mouse over events including a novel function of previewing of data pages relating to the mouse over event object. Furthermore, the invention re-10 lates to a networked server device for performing basic operations according to the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a networked client device for performing at least user interface related processing relating to the method according to the inven-15 tion. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a computer program product for performing method steps of the present invention.

In the last 15 years the internet has developed to be the main source of information for interactive informa-20 tion searches by means of computing devices for the general public. During this time period several generations of search engines have been developed allowing for information searches in web pages that had been pre-crawled by these search engines. The disadvantage of searching with 25 search engines according to the present inventors is that the results of such are based on one single search logic that is not dependent on the needs of a specific person performing a search.

In order to provide a solution to this problem, 30 the present invention provides a method for assembling and maintaining for a user at least one information profile comprising data pages associated with respective data page 1035823 2 locators and with at least one keyphrase, the method comprising steps for: - initiating the information profile, - providing a user interface suitable for repre- 5 sentation on a device used by the user, the user interface being able to display the following information: - keyphrase handling means for entering and/or editing of the keyphrase, - data page locator handling means for showing 10 and/or selecting of new data page locators, - data page locator displaying means for displaying data page locators of previously selected and stored data pages, - performing a network search based on the key-15 phrase by means of at least one network search engine and displaying of data page locators by means of the data page locator handling means, and - providing for selection operations by the user and retrieving and storing data pages selected based on a 20 deemed relevant status by the user in the information profile.

Such a method according to the present invention enables the creation of filed searches that can be refined based on the selected data pages in a later stage. Fur-25 thermore, the filing of the search results based on a selection allows for keeping of records of earlier searches. The user may review his results at any time in the future after the initial search has been performed.

In a first preferred embodiment, the method fur-30 thermore comprises providing a storage interface for long term storage of the information profile including keyp-hrases, related data page locators and data pages. This enables a user to access the data even after the original 3 provider/server of the data no longer allows access to the data. The data remains easily accessible to the user that created the information profile. The data will also be accessible in later searches, even if the user had forgotten 5 that the earlier data profile was made or contained the data page.

In a further preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the method comprising data page displaying means for displaying data pages, preferably as 10 part of the user interface. This may be embodied by means of integrated rendering capabilities or by calling upon an external web browser or document display program.

Preferably, the method comprises interface steps for having related keyphrases generated by means of con-15 tent analysis tools. The user may only be aware of certain keyphrases or keywords that may lead to search results. However the information that is sought after may be comprising other words that the user may not think of at the moment of performing the search. This may be overcome by a 20 content analysis tool that provides the words that lead to the specific information the user is after.

An example of such a content analysis tool may be a thesaurus engine that is used according to this embodiment for generating related keyphrases for reaching the 25 desired information. A further example of such a content analysis tool is a semantic engine that is used according to this embodiment for generating related keyphrases for reaching the desired information. Another example of such a content analysis tool is a text extractor engine that is 30 used according to this embodiment for generating related keyphrases for reaching the desired information.

In a further preferred embodiment, use may be made of local search engine that is capable of searching local- 4 ly stored older search results in the data profiles of the user. It is highly likely that a relation exists between interests that are searched by a user in different time frames. By using this embodiment, the user can readily 5 discern repeated results and most likely use the knowledge obtained during such earlier searches.

While several users may use the method according to the present invention, it is preferable that users indicate that the results of certain searches may be used 10 for indicating a relevance to that person and have that relevance be used by others performing similar or related searches. For this it is advantageous if the method provides steps for allowing indicator means for indicating that data profiles or results thereof may be used by other 15 users of the method. The results may then be used for improving the relevance for related searches of different persons.

A further advantage will be reached if the searches itself may be shared within a community of users. 20 For this it is advantageous if an embodiment comprises interface means for having related data pages generated by means of analysis of data profile information provided to a data profile community of a multitude of users that are using the method.

25 Preferably, to this end the user interface com prises means for handling and/or displaying several user profiles.

A further aspect of the present invention provides for a method for performing a mouse over event comprising 30 steps for: - detecting a mouse over event over a user interface element representing a link to an underlying data page in a user interface, 5 - retrieving the underlying data page from a remote data page source or a local data page storage, - displaying the underlying data page in temporary and fully functional representation during the mouse over 5 event, - ending the displaying of the underlying data page upon ending of the mouse over event or upon passing of a predetermined time period after ending of the mouse over event, whereby: 10 . - the mouse over event is defined by hovering the mouse indicator over de user interface element representing the link and upon displaying of the underlying data page hovering over the temporary and fully functional representation such that the temporary and fully 15 functional representation is usable by the user for both reading of the information and through linking to links in the underlying data page.

This method advantageously allows for previews of e.g. web pages or other documents without any other action 20 by the user than performing a mouse over event. If the web page itself is not relevant but a through-link thereof is, the user may reach the though-link page by means of merely one click without opening intermediate pages. This may be performed in several layers until the user reaches a page 25 to be saved.

Preferably, such a page is displayed in a different display format, e.g. smaller. This allows e.g. for a distinction between pages opened in its own window and mouse over pages.

30 More preferably, the underlying data page is dis played in semi transparent form leaving the user interface discernable.

6 A further aspect of the present invention provides for a method for performing the data searches in combination with a method performing the mouse over events according to the present invention.

5 A further aspect of the present invention provides for a networked server device for a system for performing a method according to any of the preceding claims, the networked server device comprising: - at least one storage space, an operating system 10 and a processor, - at least one method performing process that is executable on the networked server device for performing the method.

A further aspect of the present invention provides 15 for a networked client device comprising at least one memory space, a processor, operating system and a display for performing the user side of the method according to any of the previous method claims, comprising means for representing the user interface, such as a web browser 20 and/or a computer program client capable of interacting with the client device and the resp. operating system.

A further aspect of the present invention provides for a computer program product for performing one of the method or processes on the devices according to any of the 25 preceding claims.

Further advantages, features and details of the present invention will be described hereinbelow on the basis of different views of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: 30 - Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment ac cording to the present invention; - Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of a preferred embodiment of a method according to the present invention; 7 - Fig. 3 is a further schematic representation of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention; - Fig.4 is a further schematic representation of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention; 5 - Fig. 5 is a further schematic representation of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention; - Fig. 6 is a further schematic representation of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention.

A first preferred embodiment according to the pre-10 sent invention is part of the graphic representation of fig. 1. In fig. 1, a networked system is shown comprising a computer network 9, such as the internet to which several networked devices 1-8,10,11 are connected by means of any internet connection technology, such as a leased line, 15 a DSL connection, or a wireless connection. The networked device 1 is preferably a PC that is usable by a user for using the present invention. The wirelessly networked device 2 may be any of a mobile phone, a PDA, a wirelessly connected UMPC or a laptop computer. The present invention 20 provides for user interfaces that are usable on any of these networked user devices. The user interface is in each case optimised for the display capabilities of the user device 1,2. It is in itself obvious that a display device of a personal computer or laptop has different ca-25 pabilities than a display device of a mobile phone or a PDA.

The server computing device 3 is connectable to the internet and is provided with processing means and computer programming means for performing the main process 30 of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention. This server computing device 3 performs computing operations for allowing the client computing devices 1,2 to display the user interface for performing the method 8 according to the present invention. Depending on the capabilities of the client computing devices 1,2, more or less of the method steps of the present invention are performed on the client computing devices 1,2 or on the server com-5 puting device 3. The client devices 1,2 may be running client software for generating the user interface or may be running a web browser or equivalent for rendering the user interface generated at the server 3.

Also data storage capabilities of the client com-10 puting devices may allow for a larger part of storage to be performed in a memory device on the client computing devices 1, 2 or remotely, e.g. in a memory device of the server 3 or in a dedicated storage server device 10. These aspects of performing method steps or storage will be ex-15 plained in greater detail below.

Furthermore, the invention uses a proprietary storage means that is embodied in this embodiment as a local storage server device 10. This local storage server device is used for storing of the information profile com-20 prising data pages associated with respective data page locators and with at least one keyphrase. The preference for storing the data pages within the information profile is based on the idea that data pages that are available on the internet may be removed or altered after it was con-25 sidered to be interesting enough to include the data page in an information profile according to the present invention and because of that the information profile would be incomplete after such a change or removal of the original data page.

30 In alternative embodiment, the local storage may be performed on the PC client device 1 or mobile client device 2 of the user defining the information profile. According to the present invention, the location of the data 9 stored in the information profile may be indicated by the user depending on availability needs of the user. Preferably a 'local' URL is defined as a locator such that the user can access the locally stored, e.g. at the client de-5 vice I, client device 2 or storage server device 11, from the user interface.

The data pages to be included in the information profiles are available on one of the multitude of web servers 4 offering information to the internet. Any infor-10 mation that is accessible through a computer network, preferably the internet, and that may be searched by means of any search engine 5 is eligible for inclusion in an information profile.

In order to obtain access to data files, a method 15 according to the present invention uses search engines that are readily available services over the internet. Examples of such search engines comprise Google™, Altavista™, Cuil™, Live Search™, etc. The method may be used by means of the use of one of such search engines or by a 20 combination of several of those search engines. The results of the search engines are displayed in the graphical user interface.

A further engine that is utilised by a method according to the present invention is a thesaurus engine 25 server 6. An example of a thesaurus engine is known in itself on the internet as Word Net. As to the functions of a thesaurus engine, reference is made to the document 'Word Net, an electronic lexical database, 1998, Christiane Fellbaum, the MIT Press, ISBN-10: 0-262-06197-X', which 30 text is incorporated in this text by reference.

Such a thesaurus engine may provide related words for the keyphrases that are used for assembling the information profile. Based on the original keyphrase and re 10 suits of the thesaurus engine, a renewed search may be performed with the search engine 5 in order to provide access to data pages which would not have been found based on the keyphrase such as originally entered by the user.

5 The user may therefore obtain search results based on key-phrases that are highly relevant but were unknown to him or just did not spring to mind when entering the key-phrase, thereby achieving access to the said additional datapages.

10 A further engine that may be used in a method ac cording to the present invention is a so called semantic engine hosted on a semantic engine server 7. A semantic engine is an engine that makes use of meta tagging, and a concept of relatedness that involves common semantic no-15 tions such as synonymy, hyponymy and hyperonymy results of actions performed by a semantic engine as used in the present invention are synonyms, hyponyms and hyperonyms of the keyphrases used to perform the web searches. Also, the contents of the data pages that are selected to be in-20 eluded in the information profile may be analysed by means of a semantic engine. Therefore, the semantic engine provides additional intelligence for obtaining related key-phrases for performing additional searches. The text regarding the functions of sematic searching as disclosed 25 under www.w3.org/2001/sw is incorporated in this text by reference. Other examples of semantic engines applicaple under there preferred embodiments include textdigger.com.

A further engine that may be used in a method according to the invention is a text extractor that is an in 30 itself known tool for extracting text strings from documents, such as webpages or portable document format documents. Information to e.g. the extractor opencalais.com is incorporated in this text by reference.

11 A further engine that may be used in a method according to the invention is a Local Search Engine 11. Also this type of engine is in itself known. A local search engine allows for indexing information profiles with the ti-5 tie and the defining keywords thereof, and matches these with local URL of the profile. When a user wishes to retrieve a data page available in one of the existing information profiles, the title and keywords of that information profile are sent to the local search engine in a 10 challenge, and a list of relevant and/or related information profiles is returned. When the top result of this list is more than e.g. 90% relevant to the information profile that the user has opened, it will be displayed as a related information profile, for the user to examine.

15 Information regarding e.g. fastsearch.com and ultraseek, com is incorporated in this text by reference.

Below, process steps of preferred embodiments of the method according to the figures 2-6 are described. It is possible to implement the present invention in many 20 specific ways and the preferred method as described below is merely one possible example thereof.

The method starts in step 1 in which a user may log in to the process. In step 2, the main process server displays a user interface comprising user information pro-25 files on a screen of a user client computing device 1 or user client mobile device 2. The user interface may comprise several information displaying entities, such as a box for entering a search query by a user in the form of a keyphrase.

30 A keyphrase according to the present invention may comprise one word, several words or even a part of a text, such as one or more paragraphs. This input box is accessible by direct typing or by pasting data into it. A further 12 display element of the user interface is a box for displaying information with respect to found data pages. Such information may be called a snippet and may comprise elements such as the URL, the title and or a brief descrip-5 tion of the content of the data page. This user interface element may be tabbed in order to show a tab with newly found information and a tab that shows information that has previously been stored in the information profile.

A further user interface element that is shown may 10 comprise information profiles in a listing in order to switch between information profiles. A further user interface element that may be shown in the user interface is a box showing additional key words that are suggested by the method by means of the thesaurus engine, and or the text-15 extractor.

Based on a choice for creating a new information profile, the method continues from step 2 in step 3. Thereafter, in step 19, the user inputs the name of the new information profile that will be developed. In step 20 20, the user inputs the keyphrases into the keyphrase en try block of the user interface. In step 21, the information of the keywords is sent to the search engine of the search engine server 5 as well as to the local search engine 11. The search engine 5 provides search results from 25 the internet. The local search engine 11 provides results that may be relevant from earlier stored data pages from the same or other data profiles. Also the earlier stored data pages of the same information are retrieved by the local search engine.

30 In step 22, these results are provided from the search engines 5, 11 to the main process server 3. In step 23, a list of relevant titles, snippets and URL's is 13 transported to the user interface of the end user on the devices 1,2.

In step 24, a user may perform mouse over events over the titles and snippets. Based on the performed mouse 5 over events of step 24, in step 24 also data with respect to the mouse over events are sent to the server 3. In response to the challenge comprising these data, the server 3 retrieves the relevant data page from the source web server 4. In step 26 the server 3 receives the data with 10 respect to the moused over data page. In step 27, several actions are performed. As a response of the challenge of step 24, the server 3 sends the information with respect to the retrieved data page to the user device 1, 2 for display thereof in step 28. Furthermore, the URL is stored 15 by the server 3 on the storage device 9. The URL is here with marked as 'seen'. Furthermore, the content of the webpage is sent as a data request to a string extractor server 8 for performing the string extractor action.

In step 29, the result of the string extraction 20 action of the string extractor server 8 is returned to the server 3. The action performed by the string extractor server in step 29 is the creation of a list of text strings from the web page body text, which results are subsequently used by the server 3.

25 Based on the results of the earlier steps, the in put of the keyphrases, the returned strings from the string extractor and possibly amended keyphrases, the server 3 sends out a list of strings to the thesaurus engine device 6, the semantic engine and or leaves the set 30 keyphrases and strings unprocessed for further processing in step 3. In step 31, the thesaurus engine 6 generates a list of synonyms based on the strings of its challenge and returns these results to the server 3 for further process- 14 ing in step 33. In step 32, the server 6 performs a semantic analysis on the list of strings extracted from the webpage body text and or the keyphrases and generates a list of synonyms, hyponyms and hyperonyms for sending 5 these to the server 3 for further processing of the results in step 33.

In step 33, the results of the previous analyses are combined by the main process on the server 3 for sending of these results to the user interface of device 1, 2. 10 In step 34, the user interface displays the resulting strings in the part of the user interface for displaying the related keyphrases. These related keyphrases are defined as keyphrases that are the result of the different means of analysis performed on the servers 6, 7, 8. Based 15 on these related keywords, the user may decide to perform additional web searches for retrieving data pages that would not be found based on the keyphrasès that were entered by the user as the original keyphrases. Therefore, the data profile may come to include more relevant data 20 pages for the end user. The method may continue in step 20 in which the user selects one or more of the related keyphrases, thereby transferring them to the keyphrase box and performing the new web search in the subsequent steps.

Based on the results shown in step 28 in the user 25 interface of the user device, the user may decide in step 35 to store the content of such a page in the information profile, e.g. by means of clicking at button or the user may continue browsing the list of titles and snippets. In other words, in this step the user decides to include data 30 pages in the information profile. Effectively, in the user interface this means that the data page is transferred to the tab for stored pages. After step 35, the method may continue in step 24 with renewed mouse over events. Other- 15 wise the method may continue in step 18 in which the server 3 stores information profile data to the local storage server device 9, which information profile data comprises the keyphrases used to retrieve content as well 5 as data such as the URL or the content of the data pages to be included in the information profile, the local URL of the content on the server device 9 and the content of the page. As was indicated in the above, the user may decide to store the information on his user device for off-10 line use thereof. For completeness sake, local storage within the meaning of this text is defined as storage of information retrieved from content servers 4 on the internet for later access by the user by means of server 3 and the user devices 1, 2. More clearly, any storage of data 15 pages on any of the devices 1, 2, 3, 9 is considered to be local storage, meaning storage for availability within the system and method according to the present invention.

Based on a choice for retrieving an existing information profile, the method continues from step 2 in 20 step 4. Thereafter, in step 5, in the user interface, data regarding an existing data profile is displayed. Based on the description in the above of the user interface elements, the relevant data of the information profile are shown, such as saved data pages, relevant keyphrases, and 25 snippets of the saved pages. When choosen by the user an instant new search based on keyphrases may be performed and the results shown in the tab for new search results in step 6.

In case is step 5 the choice has been made to re-30 view previously stored data pages, the relevant tab is highlighted and the relevant information with respect to this tab is displayed in the user interface in the relevant information display element. As was described before, 16 the information to be shown here comprises titles, URL's and or snippets with respect to stored data pages that are retrievable from the data server 10 of fig. 1. In step 8, the said information is displayed as a list of titles and 5 snippets of the locally stored content for that information profile. In step 9, the user performs a mouse over event over the title and snippet that is relevant for a certain page. This mouse over event of step 9 triggers the server 3 to request the relavante data page from the local 10 storage server 10, in a way that is analogous to the way a new page is retrieved from a general web server in step 25 and described in the above. Thereafter, in step 11, the local storage server 10, returns the relevant data page to the main server 3 for performing a method according to the 15 present invention. Analogous to step 28, in step 12, the main server 3 enables the user interface to display the stored web page in a temporary format, such as in a reduced size format in a temporary window that is visable during the mouse over event. After step 12, the method 20 continues in step 9 if a further mouse over event is performed. When in step 12, the link of the mouse over event is clicked, an external data page viewer, such as a web-browser or a document viewer is called for displaying the relevant data page. Formats may be HTML or a further ad-25 vanced internet format, PDF, a text editor format, such as DOC, etc. After reviewing the previously stored data pages, the method returns in step 5, 4, or 2.

After selecting the "new" tab in step 6, the method continues in step 13 with displaying a list of ti-30 ties and snippets of the new content for the present information profile and in case such is available, in a further information box of the user interface, information with respect to relevant public information profiles with 17 respective existing profile data, which public profiles may be retrievable based on similar keyphrases and or "related keyphrases" that are determined in ways according to the process steps performed by the servers 6, 7 and or 8.

5 Such process steps have been described in the above.

A further three steps, 38, 39, 40 lead from process step 4 to process step 13 for displaying of further new content for the information profile. After step 4, in step 38, previously existing titles and keyphrases of the 10 information profile are provided to the local search engine of server 11. Based on this challenge the local search engine returns a list of relevant public information profiles of other users of a method according to the present invention that have indicated that the respective 15 information profiles may be accessed by other users in step 39. In a filtering step 40, the main server 3 filters information to be displayed as to relevance whereby e.g. only results may be shown that have a more than 90% relevance as to the keyphrase. Such a percentage of relevance 20 may be preset or may be changed by the end user, e.g.

based on availability of relevant results. The method proceeds by displaying the relevant results in step 13. In step 14, the user may perform a mouse over event with respect to data titles, URLs or snippets that he may deter-25 mine to be interesting. In case a relevant information source in step 14 is a data profile of another user, the data profile is retrieved in full in step 41 in order to be examined by the present user. In order to do so the method returns in step 5. In case the information that was 30 moused over in step 14 is a data page, such a webpage, the relevant datapage is retrieved from the relevant server, such as a general web server for a reduced size viewing similar to e.g. step 12 in step 17. Thereafter, the method 18 proceeds in step 18 for storing of the data page in the information profile that was opened in step 2. In case the last shown data page was not considered relevant by the user, the method may be turned to step 14, 2, 4 or 5.

5 In the above, the method steps have been described while referring to both figure 2 and the figures 3-6. Figure 2 is intended to provide a flowchart whereas the figures 3-6 are provided to mainly show data transfer between the different processes and or servers in a method accord-10 ing to the present invention.

Different aspects of a preferred embodiment which can embody the present invention have been described in the foregoing on the basis of references to the figures. Within the understanding of the appended claims and this 15 text the skilled person can modify many of these aspects within the scope of the invention. The rights sought are defined by the appended claims.

20 1035823

Claims (19)

Method for compiling and maintaining for a user at least one information profile comprising data pages associated with data page pointers respectively, and with at least one visit phrase, the method comprising steps for: - initiating the information profile / - providing a user interface suitable for representation on a device used by the user, the user interface being capable of displaying the following information: search phrase processing means for entering and / or changing the search phrase, 15. data page pointer processing means for displaying and / or selecting new data page pointers; search engine and displaying the data page pointers by means of the data page pointers processing means, and - providing and retrieving stored data pages selected by the user for selection operations based on a status considered relevant by the user in the information profile. 2. Method as claimed in claim 1, comprising further steps for providing a storage interface for long-term storage of the information profile comprising search phrases, related data page pointers and data pages. 1035823 3. Method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, further comprising data page display means for displaying data pages, preferably as part of the user interface. 4. Method as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, comprising steps for providing interface means for having related search phases that are generated by means of content analysis tools. 5. Method as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, comprising steps for providing interface means for having related search phases that are generated by means of a thesaurus engine. 6. Method as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, comprising steps for providing interface means for having related search phases that are generated by means of a semantic engine. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, comprising steps for providing interface means for having related search phrases generated by means of a text extract engine. 8. Method as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, comprising steps for providing interface means for having related data pages 30 retrieved by means of a local search engine. 9. Method as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, comprising steps for providing interface means for having related data pages retrieved by means of related search phrases. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, comprising steps for adding indicator means for indicating that the data profile can be used by other users of the method. 15 11. A method according to claim 10 including interface means for having related data pages generated by analyzing data profile information provided to a data profile community of a plurality of users using the method. 12. Method as claimed in one or more of the foregoing claims, wherein the user interface comprises means for handling and / or displaying different user profiles. A method for executing a mouse over event, comprising the steps of: 30. detecting a mouse over event over a user interface element representing a link to an underlying data page in a user interface, - retrieving the underlying data page from a remote data page source or a local data page storage, - displaying the underlying data page in a temporary and fully functioning representation during the mouse over event, - terminating the display of the underlying data page at the Mouse over event or after expiration to a predetermined period of time after the mouse over event has ended, wherein: the mouse over event is defined by moving the mouse indicator over the user interface element representing the link and when displaying the underlying data page moves over the temporary and fully functional representation such that the temporary fully functional representation is usable here by the user for both reading the information and linking to links in the underlying data page. The method of claim 13, wherein the underlying data page is displayed in a different display format, for example, smaller. 15. Method as claimed in claims 13 and 14, wherein the underlying data page is displayed in a semi-transparent form that keeps the user interface distinguishable. A method according to one or more of claims 1-12, comprising a method according to one or more of claims 13-15. A network server device for a method for performing a method according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the network server device comprises: 5. at least one storage space, a control system and a processing unit, - at least one process for performing the method which is executable on the network server device for performing the method. 10 18. Network client device comprising at least one memory space, processing unit, a control system and a screen for carrying out the user side of the method according to one or more of the preceding claims, comprising means for representing the user interface, such as a web browser and / or a computer program client that is able to interact with the client device and the relevant operating system. 20 A computer program product for performing one method or processes on the devices according to one or more of the preceding claims. 1035823