Utilizing hyperlink forward chain analysis to signify relevant links to a user

Abstract

Software that performs the following steps: (i) receiving a first set of search term(s); (ii) receiving identifying information identifying a set of primary web page(s), where each primary web page has been determined, by a search engine, to be potentially relevant to the first set of search term(s); (iii) receiving first visited page information, where the first visited page information includes identifying information identifying: a first visited primary web page that has been visited by a user, and a first set of secondary web page(s) corresponding to the first visited primary web page, where each secondary web page is linked by the first visited primary web page; and (iv) determining relevance score(s) for each secondary web page, where each relevance score indicates an amount of relevance for its respective secondary web page with respect to the first set of search terms.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 receiving a first set of search term(s);   receiving identifying information identifying a set of primary web page(s), where each primary web page of the set of primary web page(s) has been determined, by a search engine, to be potentially relevant to the first set of search term(s);   receiving first visited page information, where the first visited page information includes identifying information identifying: (i) a first visited primary web page that has been visited by a user, and (ii) a first set of secondary web page(s) corresponding to the first visited primary web page, where each secondary web page of the set of secondary web page(s) is linked by the first visited primary web page;   determining relevance score(s) for each secondary web page of the first set of secondary web page(s), where each relevance score indicates an amount of relevance for its respective secondary web page with respect to the first set of search terms; and   presenting, to the user, an indication of the relevance score(s) for at least one of the secondary web page(s) of the first set of secondary web page(s).   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the relevance score for each secondary web page is further determined by visiting the respective secondary web page and searching the respective secondary web page for at least one search term of the first set of search term(s).   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 presenting the indication of the relevance score(s) for at least one secondary web page of the first set of secondary web page(s) includes modifying, for each indicated secondary web page, an appearance of a secondary link associated with the respective secondary web page, where the secondary link is located on the first visited primary web page.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein:
 modifying the appearance of a secondary link includes at least one of the following:   changing a color used to display the secondary link in a web browser, and/or annotating the secondary link with information related to the secondary link's respective relevance score.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the set of search term(s) is received from data stored in the user's web browser.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the set of search term(s) is received from an HTTP referrer field in an HTTP header.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining that the user has visited a first secondary web page of the first set of secondary web page(s);   receiving a first set of tertiary web page(s) corresponding to the first secondary web page, where each tertiary web page of the first set of tertiary web page(s) is linked by the first secondary web page;   determining tertiary relevance score(s) for each tertiary web page of the first set of tertiary web page(s), where each tertiary relevance score indicates an amount of relevance for its respective tertiary web page with respect to the first set of search term(s); and   presenting, to the user, an indication of the tertiary relevance score(s) for at least one of the tertiary web page(s) of the first set of tertiary web page(s).