Search and index hosting system

Abstract

The system initiates a search at a first network site for user-specified data in a remote database at a second network site and conducts the search at a third network site (e.g., at a host computer's site). To begin, the system receives, at the first network site, a provider identifier associated with the database from the second network site. Thereafter, the user-specified data is input at the first network site, following which the user-specified data and the provider identifier are output from the first network site to the third network site. The system then searches for the user-specified data in a database at the third network site using the provider identifier. This database at the third network site includes data that corresponds to data stored in the remote database at the second network site.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 377,562 filed Feb. 28, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,047,246, which is divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 998,940 filed on Nov. 30, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,065, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 130,420 filed on Aug. 6, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,116, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a system for searching a remote database, and more particularly to a system which indexes documents in the database, which identifies documents in the index that include user-specified data, and which outputs a list of documents that contain such data and, optionally, excerpts from those documents. The invention has particular utility in connection with text indexing and retrieval systems, such as World Wide Web search engines. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELA...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides a way to search a database at a separate site using a host computer's site. This is more efficient and cost-effective than conventional site-specific searching systems. The system receives a provider identifier from the database and the user-specified data, and extracts data from the database using the provider identifier. The data is then indexed and stored in memory. When the user visits the host computer's site, the provider identifier is transmitted to the user's site and the data is output for display. The invention also allows for the display of excerpts from documents identified by the database search. Overall, the invention simplifies the process of creating a search engine for a specific database."

Problems solved by technology

However, conventional search engines, and Web search engines in particular, suffer from a drawback in that they do not allow a user to direct a search to a single database.

Since these search engines generate an index for all sites on the Web, however, they are limited to searching the entire Web.

This is disadvantageous, particularly for those users who only want to search specific sites.

For example, their installation and subsequent maintenance can be costly and time consuming.

As a result, Web site providers often choose not to install such systems at their sites.

Additional problems arise with these systems in cases where a Web site is maintained by a Web site hosting company, as opposed to by the provider itself.

That is, in these cases, in addition to the above problems, problems relating to licensing and the like arise, which make it difficult to implement conventional site-specific searching systems in a cost-effective manner.

As a result, it is not always possible for the user to determine which of the retrieved documents is relevant without actually linking to, and opening, the document.

This can slow down searching significantly.

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