Patent ID: 8600988
Filing Date: 2013-12-03
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method of gathering information from a local information network that includes multiple community sites distributed across a globally accessible computer network, comprising: an information subroot server that stores a community site list of multiple distributed community sites, each of which represented by metadata corresponding to directly or indirectly available information content; a local information network site implemented with a local information provider storing local metadata corresponding to information content that is available at a local server of or a local server associated with the local information provider, the information being retrievable in response to a first local profiled information search request from the information subroot server for search results of a search performed on the information content; a level one community server implemented with a level one server information provider storing local metadata corresponding to information content that is available at a local server of or a local server associated with the level one server information provider, the information content being retrievable in response to a second local profiled information search request from the information subroot server for search results of a search performed on the information content; first and second community child servers associated with the level one server information provider, the first and second community child servers implemented with respective first and second information providers storing local metadata corresponding to information content that is available at local servers of the first and second information providers or local servers to which the first and second information providers are associated, the information content being retrievable in response to first child and second child profiled information search requests from the information subroot server for search results of searches performed on the information content; a profiled information communication link between the information subroot server and each of the local information network site, the level one community server, and the first and second community child servers, the profiled information communication link enabling formation of a path for delivery of the search results of the information content to which the local metadata correspond to a destination site from a site or sites represented by the local metadata of the first and second local and first and second child profiled information search requests; and an operating system client that delivers to the information subroot server an information search request by a user, the information subroot server assembling a qualified community site list identifying a selected one or more of the multiple distributed community sites qualified to be searched for information content, and receives without passing through the profiled information communication link the search results retrieved from the selected one or more of the qualified multiple distributed community sites in response to the information search request by the user.