On-line geographical directory

Abstract

A method of categorizing businesses, organizations and individuals in order to facilitate geographically-based searching over the Internet, includes the steps of: (a) registering in a database the names of business, organizations and/or individuals; (b) for each name entry, registering a geographical location identifier; and (c) for each name entry, optionally registering further information such as address, telephone number, and information about the goods or services offered by the business, organization or individual; wherein each geographical location identifier indicates the precise geographical location at which the business, organization or individual is located.

1 . A method of categorising and searching for businesses, organizations and individuals in a geographically-based manner over the Internet, including the steps of: 
 (a) registering in a database the names of businesses, organizations and/or individuals;    (b) for each name entry, registering a geographical location identifier; the geographical location identifier indicating the precise geographical location at which the corresponding business, organization or individual is located; and    (c) for each name entry, optionally registering further information such as address, telephone number, and information about the goods or services offered by the business, organization or individual;    (d) the user nominating a catchment area by reference to one or more geographical points; and (e) searching the database to identify name entries within the catchment area nominated by the user.    
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein each geographical location identifier corresponds to: 
 (i) a precise point of latitude and longitude where the business, organization or individual in question occupies a small area of land, or  
 (ii) an area of points of latitude and longitude where the business, organization or individual occupies a larger amount of land.  
 
     
     
         3 . A method according to any preceding claim wherein the database operates in conjunction with a secondary database of known street addresses and geographical co-ordinates such that, when a new name is entered in the database, a geographical location identifier is provided for that name by entering a street address for the name, which the secondary database can use to provide geographical co-ordinates for the name.  
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 3  wherein there are numerous databases at a number of Internet sites located in different countries or regions, each of the Internet sites containing information relevant to businesses, organizations and/or individuals in its country or region.  
     
     
         5 . An Internet site for facilitating geographically-based searching by a user over the Internet, including: 
 (a) a database having the names of businesses, organizations and/or individuals;    (b) the database further having a geographical location identifier for each name entry; each geographical location identifier indicating the precise geographical location at which the business, organization or individual is located; 
 wherein the database is searched from the Internet site by having the user nominate a geographical catchment area to allow for searching of businesses, organizations and/or individuals located within the geographical catchment area.  
   
     
     
         6 . An Internet site according to  claim 5  wherein each geographical location identifier corresponds to: 
 (i) a precise point of latitude and longitude where the business, organization or individual in question occupies a small area of land, or  
 (ii) an area of points of latitude and longitude where the business, organization or individual occupies a larger amount of land.  
 
     
     
         7 . An Internet site according to  claim 5  wherein the database operates in conjunction with a secondary database of known street addresses and geographical co-ordinates such that, when a new name is entered in the database, a geographical location identifier is provided for that name by entering a street address for the name, which the secondary database can use to provide geographical co-ordinates for the name.  
     
     
         8 . An Internet site according to  claim 5  further including a search engine which allows an Internet user to conduct a search of the database to find all entries matching user-specified criteria located within a user-specified distance from a user-specified point.  
     
     
         9 . A method of categorising items in order to facilitate information retrieval by a user, including the steps of: 
 (a) registering in a database the identity of the item;    (b) for each item, optionally registering further information about the item; and    (c) registering in the database a spatial co-ordinate identifier corresponding to the location of each item wherein each spatial co-ordinate indicates the precise spatial location identifier of the entity at which the item is located;    (d) the user nominating a geographical catchment area by reference to one or more geographical points;    wherein when the database is searched by the user, the search is conducted on a sub-set of the database which consists of items located within the geographical catchment area.    
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 9  wherein when the item in question is defined by co-ordinates specified relative to each one of three dimensions.  
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 9  wherein when the item in question is defined by an area of spatial co-ordinates, each spatial co-ordinate being specified as relative to each one of three dimensions.  
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 9  wherein the item in question is defined by a volume of spatial co-ordinates, each spatial co-ordinate being specified as relative to each one of three dimensions.  
     
     
         13 . A method of delivering geographically based advertising over the Internet, including the steps of: 
 (a) registering in a database one or more goods or services being offered by one or more advertisers;    (b) for each good or service offered by the advertiser, registering an advertiser geographical area indicating the area in which the advertiser wishes to receive customers;    (c) determining a geographical location identifier from the user, being the precise geographical location of the Internet user;    (d) displaying to the Internet user an advertisement, the advertisement displayed being selected from one or more advertisements for goods or services wherein the geographical location of the Internet user is within the advertiser geographical area corresponding to one or more of the goods or services presented in the advertisement.    
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 13  wherein the advertiser geographical area is specified by precise points of latitude and longitude.  
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 13  or  14  wherein the geographical location identifier is specified by a precise point of latitude and longitude.  
     
     
         16 . A method according to any one of  claim 13  to  15  wherein the Internet user supplies information including their Internet user geographical location identifier.