Enhanced Search Engine

Abstract

A search engine system ( 1 ) capable of displaying indicative information ( 3 ) to a user from searches performed by entities connected directly or indirectly to the user ( 2 ), wherein said system ( 1 ) includes at least one host computer processor ( 23 ) connectable to one or more network(s) ( 24 ), a database accessible over said network(s) ( 24 ), a plurality of data input devices ( 25 ) connectable to said network(s) ( 24 ) said search engine being accessible over said network(s) ( 24 ).

1 . A search engine system capable of displaying indicative information including search suggestions to a user derived from searches performed by one or more entities connected directly or indirectly with the user, wherein said search suggestions include recent searches and/or popular searches performed by said entities.  
   
   
       2 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said entities are denoted as ‘user contacts’.  
   
   
       3 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein, each user contact includes a connection factor indicative of the degree of separation between the user contact and the user.  
   
   
       4 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein at least one user is provided with an interface between said search engine system and with a private personal contacts network of user contacts unique to said user.  
   
   
       5 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 3 , including a private personal contacts network of user contacts accessible by at least one user.  
   
   
       6 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein each said private personal contacts network is unique to an individual user.  
   
   
       7 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein said private personal contacts network provides interrelationship context information between said entities.  
   
   
       8 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein said private personal contacts network provides interrelationship context information between a user contact and the user.  
   
   
       9 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein said interrelationship context information includes said connection factor.  
   
   
       10 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein said interrelationship context information includes one or more entity attributes.  
   
   
       11 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein said system entity attributes include at least one identifying characteristic.  
   
   
       12 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein said system entity attributes includes information regarding personal details, interests; friends; relations; school alumni; employment factors; business colleagues; professional acquaintances; sexual preferences, persuasions, or proclivities; sporting interests; entertainment, artistic, creative or leisure interests; travel interests, commercial, religious, political, theological or ideological belief or opinions; academic, scientific, or engineering disciplines; humanitarian, social, security/military or economic fields and any combination of same.  
   
   
       13 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said searches include any interrogation of a database via a network, including a search of web-sites via the internet.  
   
   
       14 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein each search includes user-inputted keywords and an output listing of search results.  
   
   
       15 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein said recent searches denote recent keywords or search results associated with the keywords used by the user contacts and said popular searches denote a ranking of the most popular keywords or search results associated with the keywords used by the user contacts.  
   
   
       16 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said indicative information includes search results weighting.  
   
   
       17 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein said suggestions include at least one of; 
 recent web-sites denoting recent web sites accessed by the user contacts either directly, or via recent searches;    popular web-sites denoting a ranking of web sites most regularly visited by, and/or recommended by the user contacts;    high-flying searches denoting a list of keywords or search results associated with the keywords ranked according to their rate of increase in the popular searches ranking;    high-flying web-sites denoting a list of web-sites ranked according to their rate of increase in the popular web-sites ranking;    popular or recently accessed paid web listings.    
   
   
       18 - 70 . (canceled)  
   
   
       71 . A method of brokering services utilising a search engine system as claimed in  claim 1 , said services being provided by a partner web-site or broker acting as an intermediary between advertisers and partner web-sites and/or websites featuring the search engine system and including the provision of suggestions relevant to the advertiser product(s), service(s), web-site(s), or company(ies) on said partner web-site, and/or the search engine.  
   
   
       72 - 79 . (canceled)  
   
   
       80 . A search engine system as claimed in  claim 1  capable of displaying indicative information to a user from searches performed by entities (or ‘user contacts’) connected directly or indirectly with the user, wherein said system includes; 
 at least one host computer processor connectable to one or more network(s),    a database accessible over said network(s),    a plurality of data input devices connectable to said network(s),    a search engine accessible over said network(s),    wherein said system is capable of forming said private personal contacts network for each of one or more users by receiving input from the said user including at least one identifying characteristic of the user and of one or more chosen entities known to said user,    recording said identifying characteristic of each entity including the user to form one or more corresponding entity data records in said database,    notifying the or each chosen entity of their recordal on said system and requesting input of at least one identifying characteristic of one or more further entities known to the or each said chosen entity,    recording the identifying characteristic of each further entity inputted by the or each said chosen entity to form further corresponding entity data records,    repeating the above steps of successive notification of further entities and recordal of the identifying characteristic of each further entity chosen as further entity data records,    providing searchable access to at least part of the entity data records stored in said database and to the internet.    
   
   
       81 - 83 . (canceled)  
   
   
       84 . A method of creating a private personal contacts network for interaction with a search engine system as claimed in  claim 1 , said method including the steps performed by a processor of a data processing and storage system, of: 
 receiving input from the said user including at least one identifying characteristic of the user and at least one chosen entity known to said user and hereinafter referred to as a user contact;    recording said identifying characteristic of each user contact including the user to form at least one corresponding user contact data record in said database;    notifying the or each user contact of their recordal on said system and requesting input of at least one identifying characteristic of at least one further entity known to the user contact;    recording the identifying characteristic of each further entity inputted by the or each user contact to form further corresponding user contact data records;    repeating the above steps of successive notification of further entities and recordal of the identifying characteristic of each further entity chosen as further user contact data records;    providing searchable access to at least part of the user contact data records stored in said database.    
   
   
       85 . A method comprising displaying to a user indicative information including search suggestions derived from searches performed by one or more entities using the search engine claimed in  claim 1 , said entities being connected directly or indirectly with the user, wherein said search suggestions include recent searches and/or popular searches performed by said entities.