Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
117 words
A system of autonomously maintaining a searchable database of information accessible over the Internet, said system comprising: a) a discrimination system coupleable to the Internet to receive messages including electronic mail messages and network news messages, said discrimination processing said electronic mail and network news messages to identify embedded URLs; and b) a validation system coupleable to the Internet, said validation system coupled to said discrimination system to receive a predetermined embedded URL, said validation system enabling an access of the Internet to retrieve Web page information associated with said predetermined embedded URL; and c) a database for searchably storing said predetermined embedded URL in association with the Web page information associated with said predetermined embedded URL.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
117 words
A system of autonomously maintaining a searchable database of information accessible over the Internet, said system comprising: a) a discrimination system coupleable to the Internet to receive messages including electronic mail messages and network news messages, said discrimination processing said electronic mail and network news messages to identify embedded URLs; and b) a validation system coupleable to the Internet, said validation system coupled to said discrimination system to receive a predetermined embedded URL, said validation system enabling an access of the Internet to retrieve Web page information associated with said predetermined embedded URL; and c) a database for searchably storing said predetermined embedded URL in association with the Web page information associated with said predetermined embedded URL.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
85 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said validation system determines whether said predetermined embedded URL is then stored in said database and, if so stored, whether Web page information corresponding to said predetermined embedded URL then retrieved from the Internet matches Web page information corresponding to said predetermined embedded URL then stored by said data base, and if not matching, said validation system operates to update said database to store the Web page information corresponding to said predetermined embedded URL then retrieved from the Internet.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system of claim 2 wherein said validation system additionally stores change data in said database associated with said predetermined embedded URL, said validation system updating said change data to reflect the frequency of validation system match failures.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
93 words
The system of claim 3 wherein said validation system selects said predetermined embedded URL from said database based on said change data associated with said predetermined URL, said validation system operating to determine whether Web page information corresponding to said predetermined embedded URL then retrieved from the Internet matches Web page information corresponding to said predetermined embedded URL then stored by said data base, and if not matching, said validation system operates to update said database to store the Web page information corresponding to said predetermined embedded URL then retrieved from the Internet.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
The system of claim 4 wherein said validation system further operates to purge said predetermined embedded URL and associated Web page information from said database when said predetermined embedded URL is repeatedly determined to be invalid within a predetermined period of time.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
160 words
A method of maintaining the currentness of a listing of URLs used to establish a searchable state of at least a portion of the Internet, said method comprising the steps of: a) associating predetermined volatility data with a predetermined URL within a list of URLs; b) associating predetermined contextual data with said predetermined URL; and c) periodically validating the currentness of said predetermined URL, including i) determining whether said predetermined volatility data corresponds to predetermined validation criteria; ii) determining the validity of said predetermined URL; iii) determining the currentness of said predetermined contextual data associated with said predetermined URL where said predetermined URL is determined to be valid iv) accessing at least a portion of the Internet to update said predetermined contextual data associated with said predetermined URL where said predetermined contextual data is determined to be not current; and iv) updating said predetermined volatility data to reflect the validity, currentness, and frequency that said predetermined contextual data is updated.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
160 words
A method of maintaining the currentness of a listing of URLs used to establish a searchable state of at least a portion of the Internet, said method comprising the steps of: a) associating predetermined volatility data with a predetermined URL within a list of URLs; b) associating predetermined contextual data with said predetermined URL; and c) periodically validating the currentness of said predetermined URL, including i) determining whether said predetermined volatility data corresponds to predetermined validation criteria; ii) determining the validity of said predetermined URL; iii) determining the currentness of said predetermined contextual data associated with said predetermined URL where said predetermined URL is determined to be valid iv) accessing at least a portion of the Internet to update said predetermined contextual data associated with said predetermined URL where said predetermined contextual data is determined to be not current; and iv) updating said predetermined volatility data to reflect the validity, currentness, and frequency that said predetermined contextual data is updated.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 6 wherein said predetermined validation criteria is increasingly sensitive to the increasing frequency that said predetermined contextual data is determined to be not current.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 7 wherein said step of periodically validating the currentness of said predetermined URL is performed with a frequency approximately equal to or greater than the update frequency reflected in said predetermined volatility data.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of: a) adding a new predetermined URL to said list of URLs; and b) associating new predetermined volatility data with said new predetermined URL, wherein new predetermined contextual data is obtained from the Internet and wherein the initial frequency that said new predetermined contextual data is updated is initially set to a default value.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of: a) processing data from a plurality of heterogeneous data resources available via the Internet to identify said new predetermined URL; b) determining the validity of said new predetermined URL; and c) accessing at least a portion of the Internet to obtain said new predetermined contextual data associated with said new predetermined URL.