Device for optimized web search and related method of use

Abstract

Device for optimized web searches which includes a USB connector adapted to fit into a common USB port of a computer, for the purpose of optimizing web searches carried out by the user; said device providing the user with an innovative search engine adapted to perform searches simultaneously on one or more of the eight main global search engines, generating results free from any form of commercial profiling, which generally leads said search engines to sort the results not for absolute relevance but for convenience; said device further comprising a plurality of filters adapted to best select the search results according to the user's needs and to eliminate the results deemed fake, following the web search performed by the user. The device is also adapted to provide anonymity on searches carried out, storing all data on a data wallet where user-generated information is stored.

Description

[0001] “Device for optimized web search and related method of use”

[0002] Description

[0003] Field of the invention

[0004] The invention relates to an innovative device adapted to facilitate web searches, skimming the plurality of results obtained based on the sources and veracity of the information obtained; said device being installable on any computer, providing the user with valid and reliable additional tools, in order to reduce the display of false and unreliable content.

[0005] Prior art

[0006] In the prior art, any user searches the web using common search engines, which, being free, obtain their profits by selling private information to third parties. In addition to this, most of the results obtained from web searches are influenced by commercial profiling which is personalized depending on the user performing the search.

[0007] In fact, if a person interested in purchasing a particular object carries out a search, the results try to influence that user until he / she returns to evaluate the purchase of that object.

[0008] Modern search engines are now therefore conditioned by commercial advertisements and the spread of fake news, which attract the majority of users, obtaining more “clicks” and therefore guaranteeing the owners of websites more profitable advertisements.

[0009] In the context of Internet technologies, a search engine is defined as an automatic system that analyzes a set of data (often collected by itself) and returns an index of available contents classifying them automatically based on statistical-mathematical formulas that indicate their degree of relevance given a specific search key. One of the fields in which search engines are most used is that of information retrieval on the web.

[0010] The most used search engines in 2017 were: Google, Bing, Baidu, Qwant, Yandex, Ecosia, DuckDuckGo.

[0011] Conceptually, a search engine is a system very similar to a web application or a client-server system, through the Internet, where the client is represented by the user's web browser which, upon request, connects to a server which in turn executes a search query, using appropriate search algorithms, on databases (distributed databases). In the analysis of the output results an essential component is the so-called crawler or spider. A good search engine is the one that manages to find the greatest number of contents in line with the type of request, ordering them by importance and relevance according to the search specification.

[0012] The work of search engines is mainly divided into three steps:

[0013] • Analysis of the scope (through the use of specific crawlers);

[0014] • Cataloging of the material obtained;

[0015] • Response to user requests.

[0016] After the analysis of the pages, depending on criteria that vary from engine to engine, some of them are entered into the databases and in the search engine index.

[0017] The textual part archived during the analysis step will later be analyzed to provide answers to user searches. Many web search engines also provide a copy of the textual data of each archived page for when the original resource is unreachable: this function is called cached copy.

[0018] Responding to user requests involves the need to list sites in order of relevance to the request received.

[0019] To establish the relevance of a site, the database is searched for those documents that contain the keyword entered by the user, after which each search engine uses its own algorithms to classify the pages, checking, for example, how many times the keywords are repeated, how many links that document receives, in which points on the page the keywords are placed, how many sites of the database contain links to that page, or how many times a user has visited that site after a search.

[0020] The possibility' of refining the search varies from engine to engine, but most allow the use of Boolean operators: for example it is possible to search for “Ganymede AND satellite NOT cupbearer” to search for information on Ganymede understood as a planet and not as a mythological figure. On Google and the most modern engines it is possible to refine the search according to the language of the document, the words or phrases present or absent, the file format (Microsoft Word, PDF, PostScript, etc.), depending on the last update date, and more. It is also possible to search for content present on a particular site, for example "‘'Ganymede site: nasa.gov” will search for information on Ganymede present on the NASA website.

[0021] In the prior art, there is no search engine that can guarantee consistent results, limiting the conditioning of advertising and tracking of user interests. This lack of privacy has always been managed by European regulations, with poor results.

[0022] Not even patent AU2021272172, published on 5 January 2023, solves the aforementioned problems as it describes a search engine adapted to predict the user's subsequent search areas, anticipating and optimizing subsequent searches, without in any way correcting and filtering the plurality of results obtained following each search; said search engine proves to be even more cumbersome to install on a computer, resulting in considerable slowdowns when browsing the internet.

[0023] The object of the patent is therefore to provide for the creation of a peripheral device adapted to implement the power and reliability of web search, through the use of a metasearch engine, allowing the user to filter and skim the results according to their search needs; said device being adapted to connect to any computer via a USB connection.

[0024] Description of the invention

[0025] According to the present invention, a device for optimized web search is provided, which effectively solves the above drawbacks.

[0026] The device object of the invention offers a valid aid for searching on the web, through the enhancement of existing online search engines. Said device is, in fact, adapted to be connected to any computer, through a generic USB connection, which further facilitates the power supply of said device during its operation.

[0027] Each user who uses this device is adapted to obtain, by virtue of the activation keys contained, a more in-depth web search, by virtue of the cooperation of a plurality of search engines managed by a metasearch engine; such web search is in-depth, as well as being more reliable thanks to the application of a plurality of anti-fake news filters which, managed by an algorithm, verify the sources and therefore the veracity of the information found, before presenting it to the user.

[0028] All the results presented to the user are advantageously free of any commercial interest, limiting conditioning on the user's behavior and future purchases. To the advantage of this, the tracking and information derived from user searches are secret and kept within a data wallet, which controls all private information until the user decides what to do with it.

[0029] Inside this device, a computer program is configured adapted to monitor specific articles in order to follow the diffusion thereof, via a dedicated web-app, constituting a valid tool for any information professional.

[0030] The present device has an external rigid case, adapted to include inside it the plurality of components necessary to guarantee the functioning of the present web search device; said case is characterized by pocket dimensions by virtue of the presence of compact electric circuits and electronic boards, sufficient to implement the search on the web with a generic computer, through the innovative search engine.

[0031] A LED light, installed externally to said rigid case, is adapted to reveal the operating conditions of the present device, notifying the user that the web search carried out has been optimized and skimmed adequately through the emission of a green light, or through the emission of a red light in the opposite case.

[0032] Said LED light, in an embodiment thereof, is adapted to provide feedback on the reliability of the website visited by the user, by means of a color scale which attributes a level of safety and reliability, where green indicates maximum reliability and red indicates low reliability.

[0033] On the side of said external rigid case, the installation of at least a USB connector is provided, adapted to engage with the USB port of any computer, allowing the use of said device for optimized search on the web, in any context or environment, as long as there is a computer equipped with a USB port; said USB connector is further adapted to power the electronic board and the plurality of circuits included inside said external rigid case, through the use of the direct current used by said computer.

[0034] The present device provides the user with the use of an innovative a search engine, defined as a “meta engine”, characterized by a computer interface adapted to carry out its query on multiple search engines simultaneously, obtaining in-depth results free from any commercial profiling.

[0035] A plurality of anti-fake news filters, managed by a special algorithm, are instead adapted to interpret the meaning of each result achieved during the search, verifying and sorting the sources thereof, and determining the truthfulness of the contents; said anti-fake news filters are adapted to intervene a few instants before the results are made visible to the user, skimming the news and information considered to be unreliable.

[0036] By way of non-limiting example, said filters, managed by a suitable algorithm, may be modified in order to filter the search results more or less thoroughly by date, language, country of origin, by preferred source and by suggested categories.

[0037] The plurality of information derived from the searches carried out by the user, via said metasearch engine, are stored within at least a data wallet, adapted to carry out the functions of an archive.

[0038] By way of non-limiting example, the plurality of information deriving from the searches carried out by the user, stored within said data wallet, are adapted to be eliminated at the request of the user, in order to reduce any possibility of tracking by third parties.

[0039] In one of its embodiments, said data wallet, adapted to perform the functions of an archive, for companies and the B2B world, is adapted to keep corporate privacy and navigation data that is generated by all company devices such as PCs and smartphones, emptying and eliminating from all databases, at 11.59 pm of each working day, the navigation cache of all company devices connected to the company; once said browsing cache is emptied and eliminated, the company's data is safe from any type of data leakage, sale to data brokers or user re-targeting or profiling.

[0040] The present device, in one of its embodiments, further includes a USB port, installed on the side of said case, adapted to house a connection cable, for the purpose of connecting said device with a generic computer; said connection cable comprising two USB connectors, in order to guarantee compatibility between said device and a generic computer.

[0041] The present patent application further describes a method of using the present device for optimized web search. Such method reveals a plurality of steps aimed at explaining the operating modes of the device, in relation to the actions carried out by the user who is preparing to carry out the search on the web.

[0042] Initially it is necessary to insert this device into any USB port belonging to a common computer on which the user will carry out an in-depth search on the web.

[0043] Following the insertion of the peripheral device, the user opens the server to start searching on the web via the metasearch engine, i.e. the search engine implemented on the computer by inserting said device.

[0044] Following the cooperation of a plurality of search engines, thanks to said meta engine used by said device, a plurality of results are returned, without any interference for commercial purposes, limiting the user's influence on his / her subsequent behavior.

[0045] The results obtained are read and interpreted by a dedicated algorithm, adapted to filter said results based on a plurality of parameters previously established by the user, including date, language, country of origin, preferred source and categories.

[0046] The user then displays the results obtained following the search carried out using said metasearch engine. At this point, each result was skimmed based on the algorithm that manages the plurality of filters. The display of information by the user is already optimized, based on pre-established preferences, showing only content suitable and useful for the search carried out.

[0047] The switching on of an led light, on said device, is adapted to indicate the efficiency of the filtering just carried out on the results shown; said LED light is adapted to follow a chromatic scale where green represents the maximum filtering level and red represents a low filtering level.

[0048] Finally, the loading of the data and searches carried out by each user, is carried out on an archive called data wallet, adapted to store all the data received, in order to guarantee the anonymity and privacy of users who use the present device for optimized searches on the web. The advantages offered by the present invention are evident in the light of the description presented thus far and will be even clearer thanks to the attached figures and the detailed description.

[0049] Description of the figures

[0050] The invention will hereinafter be described in at least a preferred embodiment thereof by way of non-limiting example with the aid of the accompanying figures, in which:

[0051] - FIGURE 1 shows an illustrative diagram, adapted to explain the operation and compatibility of the present device, once connected with a generic computer 10. Said device, in fact, comprises a USB connector 14, adapted to ensure the engagement of said device with a generic computer 10 equipped with a USB port 13. Figure 1 shows the device, enclosed by an external rigid case 11, adapted to protect its contents, characterized by electrical circuits and electronic boards. A LED light 12, installed on said case 11, is adapted to provide feedback on the reliability of the results obtained following the search carried out on the web, according to a chromatic scale which is adapted to define, with a green color, that the search is been adequately filtered and skimmed.

[0052] - FIGURE 2 shows the flow diagram underlying the present method of using the device for optimized web search, in order to illustrate the plurality of steps needed to perform adequate management of the device, obtaining the maximum of its functionality.

[0053] Detailed description of the invention

[0054] The present invention will now be described purely by way of non-limiting or binding example with the aid of the figures, which illustrate some embodiments relative to the present inventive concept.

[0055] With reference to FIG. 1, it shows a perspective view adapted to define and clarify the connection method of said device with any computer 10.

[0056] In fact, said device has pocket dimensions, to ensure easy transport, useful for optimizing web searches on any computer and in any environment. The device object of the invention represents an object capable of transforming a generic computer 10 into an enhanced and intelligent search engine via the metasearch engine.

[0057] The device is protected by an external rigid case 11, adapted to include within it the plurality of electrical circuits and electronic boards.

[0058] A USB connector 14 is installed on the side of said case 11, and is adapted to engage inside a generic USB port 13 located on any computer 10 currently available on the market.

[0059] An LED light 12 is installed above said case 11, in order to indicate the quality of the filtering and skimming of the results obtained.

[0060] With reference to FIG. 2, it shows the flow diagram which explains a plurality of steps, performed both by the user who carries out the search and by the algorithm kept inside said device.

[0061] The plurality of steps includes:

[0062] - inserting said device into any USB port belonging to a common computer;

[0063] - opening the server, by the user, and starting a search on the web through the search engine implemented by inserting said device;

[0064] - cooperation of a plurality of search engines, by virtue of the meta engine used by said device, in order to return a plurality of results, without any commercial purpose interference;

[0065] - reading and interpreting the results obtained, by a dedicated algorithm, adapted to filter the results obtained on the basis of a plurality of previously established parameters, including date, language, country of origin, preferred source and categories;

[0066] - displaying, by the user, the results obtained following the search carried out through said “meta engine”; said results obtained are readily skimmed on the basis of the algorithm which manages the plurality of filters; said display therefore is already optimized, based on the user's preferences, showing only suitable and useful content for the search carried out;

[0067] - switching on an led light, on said device, adapted to indicate the efficiency of the filtering just carried out on the results shown; said LED light following a chromatic scale where green represents the maximum filtering level and red represents a low filtering level;

[0068] - loading the data and searches carried out by each user, on an archive called data wallet, adapted to store all the data received, in order to guarantee the anonymity and privacy of users who use the present device for optimized searches on the web.

[0069] Finally, it is clear that modifications, additions or variations that are obvious to a person skilled in the art can be made to the invention described so far, without thereby departing from the scope of protection provided by the appended claims.

Claims

Claims1. Device for optimized web search characterized in that it comprises a USB connector (14) adapted to engage in a common USB port (13) of any computer (10); said device comprising a computer program which, when inserted into an electronic device provided with an internet connection, is adapted to optimize web searches carried out by a user by providing the user with a search engine adapted to make a plurality of pre-existing search engines collaborate, generating results free from any form of commercial profiling; said computer program further comprising a plurality of anti-fake news filters, adapted to eliminate the results deemed false or misleading, following the web search performed by the user, further tracing the diffusion of a predetermined fake news; the device object of the invention, in addition to delivering consistent and reliable results, following any web search, is further adapted to provide anonymity on the searches carried out, recording all the data on a data wallet where all the information generated by the users is archived; said computer program, included in the device, further comprising activation keys for a web- app dedicated to monitoring specific articles in order to follow the diffusion thereof on the internet; said web-app constituting a valid tool for any information professional; said device for optimized web search comprising:- at least an external rigid case (11), adapted to include inside it the plurality of components necessary to guarantee the functioning of the web search device; said case (11) being characterized by pocket dimensions by virtue of the presence of compact electric circuits and electronic boards, sufficient to implement the search on the web with an electronic device (10) such as a computer, through said search engine;- at least a LED light (12), installed externally to said rigid case (11), adapted to reveal the operating conditions of the device, notifying the user that the web search just carried out has been optimized and skimmed adequately through the emission of a green light (12), or through the emission of a red light (12) in the opposite case;- at least a USB connector (14), located laterally of said external rigid case (11),adapted to engage with the USB port (13) of any electronic device (10); said USB connector (14) being further adapted to power the electronic card and the plurality of circuits included inside said external rigid case (11), through the use of the power source of said electronic device (10);- personal access keys of each user, to access a search engine, defined as a “meta engine”, provided with a computer interface adapted to carry out a query on multiple search engines simultaneously, obtaining in-depth results free from any commercial profiling;- a plurality of filters, managed by a special algorithm, adapted to interpret the meaning of each result achieved during the search, verifying the sources thereof, and determining the truthfulness of the contents; said filters being adapted to intervene a few instants before the results are made visible to the user, skimming the news and information considered to be unreliable;- at least a data wallet, adapted to perform the functions of an archive, adapted to store the plurality of information derived from the searches carried out by the user, through said “meta engine”; said data wallet being adapted to guarantee the anonymity of the information until the user himself / herself wishes to sell his / her information to obtain an economic profit.

2. Device for optimized web search, according to the preceding claim 1, characterized in that said LED light (12), installed externally to said rigid case (11), is adapted to provide feedback on the reliability of the website visited by the user, by means of a color scale which attributes a level of safety and reliability, where green indicates maximum reliability and red indicates low reliability.

3. Device for optimized web search, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said filters, managed by a suitable algorithm, may be modified in order to filter the search results more or less thoroughly by date, language, country oforigin, by preferred source and by suggested categories.

4. Device for optimized web search, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plurality of information deriving from the searches carried out by the user, tracked and stored within said data wallet, are adapted to be eliminated at the request of the user, in order to reduce any possibility of tracking by third parties.

5. Device for optimized web search, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a USB port, installed laterally to said case (11), adapted to house a connection cable, for the purpose of connecting said device with an electronic device (10); said connection cable comprising two USB connectors, in order to ensure compatibility between said device and an electronic device (10).

6. Device for optimized web search, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said data wallet, adapted to perform the functions of an archive, for companies and the B2B world, is adapted to keep corporate privacy and navigation data that is generated by all company devices such as PCs and smartphones, emptying and eliminating from all databases, at 11.59 pm of each working day, the navigation cache of all company devices connected to the company; once said browsing cache is emptied and eliminated, the company's data is safe from any type of data leakage, sale to data brokers or user re-targeting or profiling.

7. Method for optimized web search, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of steps adapted to determine a sequence of actions that the user can carry out, determining functions that can be performed by the device according to any one of the preceding claims, based on the settings applied to said filters and said “meta engine”; said method comprising the following steps:- inserting (100) said device into any USB port (13) belonging to a common electronicdevice (10);- opening (200) the server, by the user, and starting a search on the web through the search engine implemented by inserting said device, which supplies the activation keys to the meta engine;- cooperation (300) of a plurality of search engines, by virtue of the meta engine used by said device, in order to return a plurality of results, without any commercial purpose interference;- reading (400) and interpreting the results obtained, by a dedicated algorithm, adapted to filter the results obtained on the basis of a plurality of previously established parameters, including date, language, country of origin, preferred source and categories;- displaying (500), by the user, the results obtained following the search carried out through said “meta engine”; said results having already been skimmed on the basis of the algorithm which manages the plurality of filters; said display being therefore already optimized, based on the user's preferences, showing only suitable and useful content for the search carried out;- switching on (600) an led light (12), on said device, adapted to indicate the efficiency of the filtering just carried out on the results shown; said LED light (12) following a chromatic scale where green represents the maximum filtering level and red represents a low filtering level;- loading (700) the data and searches carried out by each user, on an archive called data wallet, adapted to store all the data received, in order to guarantee the anonymity and privacy of users who use the present device for optimized searches on the web.

8. Method according to the preceding claim 7, characterized in that it comprises a step of creating a database of the fake news detected during the execution of the method itself.

Images