Abstract: A message is provided to a tracking server system in response to a client system referencing a predetermined resource locator that corresponds to a resource external to the tracking server system. The tracking server system indirectly provides for the client system to have an informational element selectable by the client system, where the informational element is graphically identified on the client system with informational content obtainable from a content server system through use of a content resource locator. The informational element includes a tracking resource locator, referencing the tracking server system, and data identifying the informational element. The selection of the informational element causes the client system to use the tracking resource locator to provide the data to the tracking server system and to use the content resource locator to obtain the informational content from the content server system.

Abstract: The origin address of an e-mail message is validated to enable blocking of e-mail from spam e-mail sources, by preparing, in response to the receipt of a predetermined e-mail message from an unverified source address, a data key encoding information reflective of the predetermined e-mail message. This message, including the data key, is then issued to the unverified source address. The computer system then operates to detect whether a response e-mail message, responsive to the challenge e-mail message, is received and whether the response e-mail message includes a response key encoding predetermined information reflective of a predetermined aspect of the challenge e-mail message. The unverified source address may be recorded in a verified source address list.

Abstract: A message is provided to a tracking server system in response to a client system referencing a predetermined resource locator that corresponds to a resource external to the tracking server system. The tracking server system indirectly provides for the client system to have an informational element selectable by the client system, where the informational element is graphically identified on the client system with informational content obtainable from a content server system through use of a content resource locator. The informational element includes a tracking resource locator, referencing the tracking server system, and data identifying the informational element. The selection of the informational element causes the client system to use the tracking resource locator to provide the data to the tracking server system and to use the content resource locator to obtain the informational content from the content server system.

Abstract: A message is provided to a tracking server system in response to a client system referencing a predetermined resource locator that corresponds to a resource external to the tracking server system. The tracking server system indirectly provides for the client system to have an informational element selectable by the client system, where the informational element is graphically identified on the client system with informational content obtainable from a content server system through use of a content resource locator. The informational element includes a tracking resource locator, referencing the tracking server system, and data identifying the informational element. The selection of the informational element causes the client system to use the tracking resource locator to provide the data to the tracking server system and to use the content resource locator to obtain the informational content from the content server system.

Abstract: An information locator system providing for the expedient acquisition, validation and updating of information locators in a heterogenous network protocol environment. The locator system includes an information location discrimination engine coupleable to a network operating in the heterogeneous network protocol environment, a validation engine coupled to the information location discrimination engine to receive information locators and a database providing for the storage of information locators as discrete searchable resource locators. The validation engine is also connected to the data base for retrieving and storing resource locators. The validation engine provides for the autonomous interrogation of the heterogeneous network protocol environment to validate a predetermined information locator as a corresponding resource locator that is unique to the discrete searchable resource locators then stored by the database.

Abstract: A message is provided to a tracking server system in response to a client system referencing a predetermined resource locator that corresponds to a resource external to the tracking server system. The tracking server system indirectly provides for the client system to have an informational element selectable by the client system, where the informational element is graphically identified on the client system with informational content obtainable from a content server system through use of a content resource locator. The informational element includes a tracking resource locator, referencing the tracking server system, and data identifying the informational element. The selection of the informational element causes the client system to use the tracking resource locator to provide the data to the tracking server system and to use the content resource locator to obtain the informational content from the content server system.

Abstract: A collection search system is responsive to a user query against a collection of documents to provide a search report. The collection search system includes a collection index including first predetermined single word and multiple word phrases as indexed terms occurring in the collection of documents, a linguistic parser that identifies a list of search terms from a user query, the linguistic parser identifying the list from second predetermined single words and multiple word phrases, and a search engine coupled to receive the list from the linguistic parser. The search engine operates to intersect the list with the collection index to identify a predetermined document from the collection of documents. The search engine includes an accumulator for summing a relevancy score for the predetermined document that is related to the intersection of the predetermined document with the list.

Abstract: A method of selecting the likely most relevant database collections for document searching based on an ad hoc query where each of the databases includes a plurality of documents. Iterative collection selection processing of the databases is performed to obtain consistent relative-ranking collection selection results for each iteration. The method uses a collection selection query and performs the repetitive steps of determining an inverse collection frequency and a document frequency for each database; determining a ranking value for each database; selecting a subset of the set of databases based on predetermined criteria dependant on the ranking value for each the database. The method provides for automated and manual descriptions, boolean selection terms combined with soft terms, and uses term proximity, capitalization, phraseology and other information in establishing a relevance ranking of the collections with respect to the ad hoc query.

Abstract: A method of performing automated collection selection relative to a plurality of document collections, each including one or more documents, using a list of qualified terms developed from an input query text. The method comprises the steps of: (a) parsing the input query text to select single-word terms and multiple-word phrase terms from the query text by exclusion of predetermined context-free single-word terms and punctuation; (b) applying each such selected term against a meta-index descriptive of the document collections; (c) determining cumulative rankings for the document collections relative to each such selected term normalized against the plurality of document collections; and (d) selecting a set of the document collections having the highest relative cumulative rankings.

Abstract: A purchase transaction is performed between a client browser and a merchant server over a general access wide area connected network. The transaction appears to the client as singularly identifying a purchasable product or service and singularly confirming the purchase. A persistent predetermined coded identifier is established on the client browser corresponding to an account record stored by the merchant server. A predetermined URL referencing a purchasable product or service is served to the client browser. The predetermined URL includes an implicit reference to the persistent predetermined coded identifier. The predetermined URL is received by the merchant server, including the predetermined coded identifier, in response to a client browser selection. The merchant server validates the predetermined coded identifier against the account record and records an identifier of the purchasable product or service as derived from the predetermined URL by the merchant server.

Abstract: A collection search system is responsive to a user query against a collection of documents to provide a search report. The collection search system includes a collection index including first predetermined single word and multiple word phrases as indexed terms occurring in the collection of documents, a linguistic parser that identifies a list of search terms from a user query, the linguistic parser identifying the list from second predetermined single words and multiple word phrases, and a search engine coupled to receive the list from the linguistic parser. The search engine operates to intersect the list with the collection index to identify a predetermined document from the collection of documents. The search engine includes an accumulator for summing a relevancy score for the predetermined document that is related to the intersection of the predetermined document with the list.

Abstract: A Web server computer system provides for server based controlled management over a client reference to a resource locator independently selected by a client computer system and referencing a server external Web server. The Web server system provides a client system with a predetermined URL reference to the Web server system encoded with predetermined redirection and accounting data including a reference to a second server system. On receipt by the first Web server system of the predetermined URL reference from said client system, the predetermined redirection and accounting data is decoded from the predetermined URL and processed by the Web server system to provide the client system with a redirection message including the reference to said second server system. The accounting data is processed by the Web server system and resulting data is selectively stored by the Web server system.

Abstract: A Web server computer system provides for server based controlled management over a client reference to a resource locator independently selected by a client computer system and referencing a server external Web server. The Web server system provides a client system with a predetermined URL reference to the Web server system encoded with predetermined redirection and accounting data including a reference to a second server system On receipt by the first Web server system of the predetermined URL reference from the client system, the predetermined redirection and accounting data is decoded from the predetermined URL and processed by the Web server system to provide the client system with a redirection message including the reference to the second server system. The accounting data is processed by the Web server system and resulting data is selectively stored by the Web server system.

Abstract: A document search method using a plurality of databases available from one or more servers using one or more search engines. For each database, the number of records is determined and reported, as well as frequency of search query term occurances or hits, together with identification of database records corresponding to the hits. Reports from a plurality of databases are furnished to a user terminal, a client, where client software computes a relevance score for each record based upon the number of records in the database, the number of records having at least one hit and the number of hits for each record. This local computation from uniform data allows all documents to be ranked consistently as if coming from a single database.