Prior art — US Patent 7930287

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Here's an analysis of the prior art cited in US Patent 7930287, focusing on potential anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102. Anticipation means that a single prior art reference discloses every element of a claimed invention.

Most Relevant Prior Art for US Patent 7930287

The patent US7930287 explicitly incorporates by reference U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,999 issued to Lawrence Page, describing the PageRank system. This makes it a highly relevant piece of prior art for understanding the foundational search engine technology that US7930287 aims to improve upon.

1. U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,999 (PageRank System)

Full Citation: U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,999 to Lawrence Page, titled "Method for node ranking in a linked database".
Publication/Filing Date: Filed January 10, 1997; Issued September 4, 2001.
Brief Description: This patent describes a method for scoring nodes (e.g., web pages) in a linked database (e.g., the World Wide Web) based on the link structure. It assigns a rank to each node by considering the number and importance of other nodes that link to it. This "PageRank algorithm" is a fundamental component of many search engines for ordering search results.
Potential Anticipation for US7930287 Claims:
- Claims 1, 10, 26, 28, 31 (portions related to "search engines" and "ranking"): While US7930287 focuses on an intermediary service that interacts with standard search engines, U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,999 anticipates the underlying technology of "search engines" that generate "ranked" results. Claims in US7930287 that generally refer to "one or more search engines" or "re-ranking pages returned ranked by the one or more search engines" (e.g., Claim 5, Claim 13, Claim 18) build upon the existence of systems like PageRank. U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,999 doesn't anticipate the iterative interaction or composite report generation aspects of US7930287, but it establishes the state of the art for search result ranking.

2. US20020059201A1 (Work James Duncan)

Full Citation: US20020059201A1 to Work James Duncan, titled "Method and apparatus for internet-based human network brokering".
Publication Date: May 16, 2002.
Brief Description: This application generally relates to methods and apparatus for internet-based human network brokering. While not a direct search engine, it touches upon systems for connecting users to information through an online interface.
Potential Anticipation for US7930287 Claims: The connection here is less direct for anticipation of the core "iterative search refinement" of US7930287. However, general aspects of providing an "interactive interface to a computing device connected to a network" (Claim 1) or "interfacing via an interactive interface to a computing device" (Claim 10) might find some overlap in broad terms. Specific details of iterative search query refinement are unlikely to be anticipated.

3. US20050278317A1 (William Gross)

Full Citation: US20050278317A1 to William Gross, titled "Personalized search engine".
Publication Date: December 15, 2005.
Brief Description: This application describes a personalized search engine, which suggests that it considers user-specific information to modify search results. This has some conceptual overlap with US7930287's mention of "client transaction history and other criteria, such as keywords in titles of the pages returned" for processing results (e.g., Claim 6, Claim 14).
Potential Anticipation for US7930287 Claims:
- Claims 6 and 14 (re-ranking based on search history or profile): This patent likely anticipates the general concept of using user profiles or search history to personalize or re-rank search results. The specific "iterative interaction" to develop the initial search criteria in US7930287 might not be anticipated, but the application of user data to refine results is a potential overlap.

4. US20060271524A1 (Michael Tanne)

Full Citation: US20060271524A1 to Michael Tanne, titled "Methods of and systems for searching by incorporating user-entered information".
Publication Date: November 30, 2006.
Brief Description: This application generally covers methods and systems for searching that incorporate user-entered information. This has a more direct relevance to US7930287's focus on refining search criteria based on user input.
Potential Anticipation for US7930287 Claims:
- Claims 1, 10, 26, 31 (determining purpose through user interaction/refinement): This patent is highly relevant as it describes systems incorporating user-entered information for searching. It may anticipate aspects of "determining a purpose for a search through iterative interaction" (Claim 1, Claim 10) or "obtaining, through iterative interaction, input that describes a nature of a search" (Claim 26). The specific two-step clarifying question process outlined in US7930287 would need careful comparison to determine exact anticipation.

5. US20070174279A1 (Adam Jatowt)

Full Citation: US20070174279A1 to Adam Jatowt, titled "Page re-ranking system and re-ranking program to improve search result".
Publication Date: July 26, 2007.
Brief Description: This application describes a system and program for re-ranking search results to improve their relevance.
Potential Anticipation for US7930287 Claims:
- Claims 2, 5, 11, 13, 18, 31 (processing/re-ranking search results): This patent directly addresses re-ranking search results, which is a key component of US7930287 (e.g., "process the search results to generate processed results" in Claim 2, "re-ranking pages returned ranked by the one or more search engines" in Claim 5). The specifics of how the re-ranking is done might differ, but the concept itself is likely anticipated.

6. US20080133505A1 (Yahoo! Inc.)

Full Citation: US20080133505A1 to Yahoo! Inc., titled "Search results presented as visually illustrative concepts".
Publication Date: June 5, 2008 (Note: This is after the priority date of US7930287, which is March 14, 2008, therefore it is not prior art for novelty under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) or (a)(2). However, it could be relevant for obviousness if its effective filing date is before March 14, 2008, or as a reference for the state of the art).
Brief Description: This application focuses on how search results are presented, specifically using visual illustrations.
Potential Anticipation for US7930287 Claims: Given its publication date is after the priority date of US7930287, it is unlikely to anticipate any claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102. However, it may represent a related development in the field.

7. US20080235187A1 (Microsoft Corporation)

Full Citation: US20080235187A1 to Microsoft Corporation, titled "Related search queries for a webpage and their applications".
Publication Date: September 25, 2008 (Note: This is after the priority date of US7930287, which is March 14, 2008, therefore it is not prior art for novelty under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) or (a)(2). Similar to the Yahoo! reference, it could be relevant for obviousness if its effective filing date is before March 14, 2008, or as a reference for the state of the art).
Brief Description: This application deals with generating related search queries for a webpage.
Potential Anticipation for US7930287 Claims: Similar to the Yahoo! reference, due to its publication date being after the priority date of US7930287, it is unlikely to anticipate any claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

Important Note on 35 U.S.C. § 102: For a prior art reference to anticipate a claim under 35 U.S.C. § 102, it must disclose every single element of that claim, either explicitly or inherently. The analysis above highlights potential areas of overlap and where a more detailed claim-by-claim comparison would be necessary to determine actual anticipation. The publication dates for US20080133505A1 and US20080235187A1 are after the priority date of US7930287, meaning they are not anticipatory art under current 35 U.S.C. § 102 (post-AIA), unless they have an earlier effective filing date. For pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. § 102, these could be considered depending on specific subsections, but for simplicity and common practice, later publication dates typically preclude anticipation.