A method and system for creating and using an embedded search link document. Embedded search link documents are search-enabled through the use of a wizard. The wizard initially prompts a user to open an HTML-formatted genesis document in an editing pane. Once the genesis document is loaded, the user may add and manipulate search links by customizing the relevant search parameters. The invention permits a user to tailor a search by selecting various search parameters describing the search objective. Once the search parameters are specified, the search engine finds documents meeting the search criteria from a catalog that was built by crawling World Wide Web sites. These documents are filtered for relevance and compiled into a results list. The documents comprising the results list are placed into one of a set of site catalogs, depending on which of the search criteria are embodied in the individual document. The results list is returned to the user, who may designate certain links as preferred links. These preferred links will be compressed and stored, and will always show up at the top of the search results list. Similarly, the search criteria are compressed and stored as a portion of the search link embedded within the genesis document. Once the user has created all desired search links, the genesis document is saved as an embedded search link document. Later users may initiate searches by accessing an embedded search link.
A method for responding to search requests for stored documents. Each of the stored documents includes metadata, content, and a document type identifier for identifying a type of the document. A search request including document type criteria, metadata criteria, and content criteria, is received. A first set of documents based on the metadata criteria is identified. Documents in the first set that have a document type identifier that matches the document type criteria are identified. A search method is identified from a plurality of search methods for searching the content of the identified documents in the first set based on the document type identifier of the documents. The content of the identified documents in the first set is searched using the identified search method and the content criteria.
The present invention discloses a method for dynamically generating an abstract from a search result abstract retrieved from a search engine. Preferably embodied as a software program, the present invention allows a user to "zoom" in and out of the abstract thereby retrieving greater or lesser details of the abstract to further determine whether the resource is useful or not. Groups of words within the search result abstract are searched for indexable words or key words useful to the user. The indexable words are then displayed to the user. Advantageously, the process of the present invention is performed entirely on the user side without having to reset the abstract level at the server side with a new query.
The present invention provides a method for hyperlink parking and searching. A user pre-defined search criteria is formed by adding, deleting, or modifying a search criteria that includes at least one search term. A universal resource Locator (URL) is obtained by parking a cursor on a hyperlink displayed on the current viewing computer screen, and, in response to parking the cursor on the hyperlink, an Internet connection with the URL is established. If the parked-on hyperlink is linkable and displayable, then a second indication is displayed on the current viewing computer screen, a web page associated with the URL is imported and searched with the user pre-defined search criteria to determine a number of matches for each search term, and each search term and a number of matches for each search term is displayed on the current viewing computer screen. Otherwise, a first indication is displayed on the current viewing computer screen.
