Searching of real-time internet content responsive to a structured search query generated based on user-specified search terms/phrases and private database records matching initial user-selected constraints

Abstract

Systems and methods for an improved Internet search engine are provided. According to one embodiment, a search request includes (i) one or more initial constraints to constrain a search of real-time Internet content to a domain name space and (ii) one or more user-specified search terms or phrases. A subset of potential outcomes is provided as feedback to a user by generating a search query to be applied to the content within the domain name space by: (i) identifying company records matching the initial constraint(s) and satisfying one or more sampling criteria by searching a company database; and (ii) incorporating into the search query: (a) domain names of matching company records; and (b) the user-specified search terms or phrases. The subset of potential outcomes are then displayed to the user by performing a limited search of the real-time Internet content based on the structured search query.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method performed by one or more processing resources of a Software as a Service (SaaS) based Internet search engine, the method comprising:
 receiving a search request from an end user of a subscriber of the SaaS based Internet search engine, wherein the search request includes (i) one or more initial constraints specified by the end user that are to be used by the SaaS based Internet search engine to constrain a search of real-time Internet content to be performed based on the search request to a domain name space and (ii) one or more user-specified search terms or phrases; and   responsive to receipt of the search request, providing the end user with feedback regarding a subset of potential outcomes of the search request by generating a structured search query containing a finite number of domain names defining the domain name space and one or more search terms or phrases to be applied to the real-time Internet content within the domain name space by:
 identifying company records matching the one or more initial constraints and satisfying one or more sampling criteria by searching a company database having stored therein characteristics/attributes regarding a plurality of companies; and 
 incorporating into the structured search query:
 a plurality of domain names each representing a web site domain of a company of those of the plurality of companies associated with the identified matching records by extracting the plurality of domain names from the identified matching company records; and 
 the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases; and 
 
 causing the subset of potential outcomes to be displayed to the end user by performing a limited search of the real-time Internet content based on the structured search query. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 responsive to receipt of confirmation from the end user to proceed with a full search based on the search request, regenerating the structured search query without limiting said identifying based on the one or more sampling criteria; and   performing the search of the real-time Internet content based on the structured search query.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more sampling criteria comprises a limit on a number of the domain names. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more sampling criteria comprises a geographic area. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the geographic area is defined by one or more postal codes. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the geographic area is defined by a circle having a predefined or configurable radius and a center at a particular location. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the particular location comprises an address, a postal code, or a set of coordinates. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a first match criterion of the match criteria associated with the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases identifies a first set of the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases as mandatory terms or phrases that must be present in the real-time Internet content for the match criteria to be satisfied. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein a second match criterion of the match criteria associated with the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases identifies a second set of the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases as ideal terms or phrases that are desired to be present but need not be present in the real-time Internet content for the match criterial to be satisfied. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein a third match criterion of the match criteria associated with the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases identifies a third set of the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases as exclusionary terms or phrases that must not be present in the real-time Internet content for the match criteria to be satisfied. 
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium embodying a set of instructions, which when executed by one or more processing resources associated with a Software as a Service (SaaS) based Internet search engine, causes the one or more processing resources to perform a method comprising:
 receiving a search request from an end user of a subscriber of the SaaS based Internet search engine, wherein the search request includes (i) one or more initial constraints specified by the end user that are to be used by the SaaS based Internet search engine to constrain a search of real-time Internet content to be performed based on the search request to a domain name space and (ii) one or more user-specified search terms or phrases; and   responsive to receipt of the search request, providing the end user with feedback regarding a subset of potential outcomes of the search request by generating a structured search query containing a finite number of domain names defining the domain name space and one or more search terms or phrases to be applied to the real-time Internet content within the domain name space by:
 identifying company records matching the one or more initial constraints and satisfying one or more sampling criteria by searching a company database having stored therein characteristics/attributes regarding a plurality of companies; and 
 incorporating into the structured search query:
 a plurality of domain names each representing a web site domain of a company of those of the plurality of companies associated with the identified matching records by extracting the plurality of domain names from the identified matching company records; and 
 the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases; and 
 
 causing the subset of potential outcomes to be displayed to the end user by performing a limited search of the real-time Internet content based on the structured search query. 
   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:
 responsive to receipt of confirmation from the end user to proceed with a full search based on the search request, regenerating the structured search query without limiting said identifying based on the one or more sampling criteria; and   performing the search of the real-time Internet content based on the structured search query.   
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more sampling criteria comprises a limit on a number of the domain names. 
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more sampling criteria comprises a geographic area. 
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the geographic area is defined by one or more postal codes. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the geographic area is defined by a circle having a predefined or configurable radius and a center at a particular location. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the particular location comprises an address, a postal code, or a set of coordinates. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein a first match criterion of the match criteria associated with the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases identifies a first set of the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases as mandatory terms or phrases that must be present in the real-time Internet content for the match criteria to be satisfied. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein a second match criterion of the match criteria associated with the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases identifies a second set of the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases as ideal terms or phrases that are desired to be present but need not be present in the real-time Internet content for the match criterial to be satisfied. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 19 , wherein a third match criterion of the match criteria associated with the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases identifies a third set of the one or more user-specified search terms or phrases as exclusionary terms or phrases that must not be present in the real-time Internet content for the match criteria to be satisfied.