Patent Publication Number: US-2009222485-A1

Title: Product information system for aggregating and classifying information from multiple sources with update ability

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to aggregation of updatable product definitions received from various information sources. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Use of the Internet for purchase of consumer products is growing in popularity due to the ever-expanding placement of information that is accessible on-line through various search tools, such as search engines and specialized consumer product portals. Placement of advertising content on-line has grown in popularity due to advantages in reaching a wider target audience. Further, the Internet is fast becoming the primary information search tool for obtaining information about products, places, people, etc. Unfortunately, the Internet is also quickly becoming a casualty of it&#39;s own success due to large amounts of available data and the inability of users to find consumer products that are relevant to the users, such as near the users&#39; location, in the appropriate price range. In general, it is common practice to post copies of newsprint ads/circulars on company websites, however the ability to search the information contents of the posted copies is limited. Further, it is difficult for retailers to manage their product inventories to match published details of their products in the form of advertisements in a product information aggregated environment.: Further, currently it is difficult for retailers to coordinate generation of advertisements and other product descriptions for publication electronically, based on the contents of their product information databases. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an entity navigation environment to obviate or mitigate at least some of the above-presented disadvantages. 
     The Internet is becoming a casualty of it&#39;s own success due to large amounts of available data and the inability of users to find consumer products that are relevant to the users, such as near the users&#39; location, in the appropriate price range. In general, it is common practice to post copies of newsprint ads/circulars on company websites, however the ability to search the information contents of the posted copies is limited. Further, it is difficult for retailers to manage their product inventories to match published details of their products in the form of advertisements in a product information aggregated environment. Further, currently it is difficult for retailers to coordinate generation of advertisements and other product descriptions for publication electronically, based on the contents of their product information databases. Contrary to current methods and systems there is provided a framework and method for aggregating a plurality of product information accessed from a plurality of information sources. The framework comprises an aggregation module for receiving the product information such as vehicle details and for assigning a unique identifier to each product definition such as a vehicle advertisement associated with the product information. the framework includes a classification module for determining at least one classification for each of the product definitions according to a set of predefined classifications, such as vehicle make/model and dealership. 
     The framework also has a storage for storing each of the product definitions according to the respective at least one classification and the respective unique identifier, such that the product definitions are retrievable from the storage in view of search parameters received from a potential consumer for the product defined in the product definition. The framework also has an update module for receiving update information associated with a specified unique identifier and for amending with the update information the product definition in the storage matching the specified unique identifier. 
     According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a framework for aggregating a plurality of product information accessed from a plurality of information sources, the framework comprising: an aggregation module for receiving the product information and for assigning a unique identifier to each product definition associated with the product information; a classification module for determining at least one classification for each of the product definitions according to a set of predefined classifications; a storage for storing each of the product definitions according to the respective at least one classification and the respective unique identifier, such that the product definitions are retrievable from the storage in view of search parameters received from a potential consumer for the product defined in the product definition; and an update module for receiving update information associated with a specified unique identifier and for amending with the update information the product definition in the storage matching the specified unique identifier. 
     The framework can also have the predefined classifications as selected from the group comprising: product type; product pricing; product availability; product location; retailer location; and retailer identification information. The framework can also have the update information selected from the group comprising: product unavailability and product pricing change. The update information can contain information intended to update data in the storage selected from the group comprising: the type of the classifications of the product definition, the content of the classifications of the product definition; and product details of the product definition. 
     A further aspect of the present invention is a method for aggregating a plurality of product information accessed from a plurality of information sources, the method comprising the acts of: receiving the product information and assigning a unique identifier to each product definition associated with the product information; determining at least one classification for each of the product definitions according to a set of predefined classifications; storing each of the product definitions according to the respective at least one classification and the respective unique identifier, such that the product definitions are retrievable from the storage in view of search parameters received from a potential consumer for the product defined in the product definition; receiving update information associated with a specified unique identifier; and amending with the update information the product definition in the storage matching the specified unique identifier. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the following drawings, by way of example only, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of components of a consumer product information system; 
         FIGS. 2  shows an example framework of the system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of an example computing device for implementing the components of the framework of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows a further example consumer interface generated by the framework of  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of operation of the framework of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 
     Consumer Product Information System  10   
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , shown is a consumer product information system  10  for providing published consumer product definitions  107  to a plurality of potential consumers  104 , via search results  106 , based on one or more search requests  105 . One example of the published consumer product definitions  107  is a product advertisement  107  that provides product details such as price, location, and/or product description, as further described below. The search request  105  of the consumer  104  includes search parameters  99  (e.g. keyword terms, phrases, etc.) for use in helping to identify the search results  106  from an electronic storage  110  (e.g. database) that are relevant to the potential consumer  104  of the product defined in the product definition  107 . For example, the consumers  104  could search vehicle “for sale” information in the database  110  of the system  10  to find the sorted (e.g. lowest) advertised new vehicle prices (associated with the corresponding vehicle advertisement  107 ) in various/selected market(s) across the country. Accordingly, the search parameters  99  could include parameters such as but not limited to: product type (e.g. vehicle make, manufacturer); product retailer (e.g. specific dealerships having the desired vehicle); and/or product location (e.g. physical location of the vehicle dealership). Matches to at least some of these search parameters  99  would be included in the contents of the various product definitions  107  stored in the database  110 . 
     The database  110  is hosted by or otherwise accessed through an information aggregation framework  112 , which aggregates consumer product information  108  from various information sources  114  (e.g. product manufacturers, product retailers such as vehicle dealerships) and/or third party information sources  116  (such as published advertisements in flyers, magazines, newsprint, etc.). This aggregated product information  108  is then made available as the product definitions  107  to the consumers  104  via the database  110 . The aggregation of the product information  108  in the electronic database  110  can be applied to any product retailer (e.g. Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Zellers, Loblaws, vehicle dealerships or other vehicle retailers) in a competitive marketplace for similar products through digital aggregation of product information (e.g. from physical and/or virtual advertisements), as further described below. It is recognised that the product information  108 , when received by the framework  112 , may already contain a formatted product definition  107  (e.g. product advertisement) as part of the product information  108 . Further, the framework  112  may make available the formatted product definition  107  to the consumer  104 , as received, or may modify the received formatted product definition  107  before making it available to the consumer  104 . It is also recognised that the framework  112  can supply the product definition  107  to a third party network interface  102  (e.g. independent web portal) for storage in a storage  109 , who then makes the product definitions  107  available to the consumers  104  from the storage  109  via corresponding ones of the search requests  105  and results  106 . In any event, it is recognised that update information  109  can be supplied to the third party network interface  102 , as desired. 
     As further described below, periodic update information  109  (received/obtained from the information sources  114 , 116 ) is associated with corresponding product definitions  107 , in order to have the product definitions properly reflect the status (e.g. revised product availability, revised product price, revised product financing, etc.) of the products of the information sources  114 . Each of the product definitions  107  is assigned a unique identifier  111  by the framework  112  when they structured and classified for storage in the database  110 , whereby this unique identifier  111  is communicated to the information sources  114 , 116  for each of the product definitions  107  received in the product information  108 . Accordingly, subsequent update information  109  sent by the information sources  114 , 116  contains the appropriate unique identifier  111 , such that the framework  112  can match the update information  109  to the appropriate product definition  107 . The unique identifier  111  can contain identifier information (e.g. alpha-numeric) assigned by the framework  112 , which can include information about the specific information source and/or retailer associated with the product of the product definition  107 . 
     Communications between the consumers  104 , the information aggregation framework  112 , and the information sources  114  are facilitated via one or more communication networks  11  (such as intranets and/or extranets—e.g. the Internet). The product information system  10  can include multiple consumer  104 , one or more information aggregation frameworks  112  (e.g. each framework directed to a specified product type—such as a vehicle framework, an electronics product framework, etc.), multiple information sources  114 ,  116 , respective multiple hosting devices  101 , and one or more coupled communication networks  11 , as desired. Examples of the devices  101  are provided below. 
     Search Request  105   
     The consumers  104  can be potential product purchasers (e.g. people, named organizations, etc.) that desire to purchase the product based on product details contained in the product definitions  107  that are available from the framework  112 . The product definitions  107  could contain product data such as but not limited to: image data; video data; audio data; and/or text/literary data, such that the product data provides information for use by the consumer  104  in making a decision whether to or not to purchase the product. The user  104  submits the search request  105  to the framework  112  over the network  11  in order to find out about the product details and associated price, delivery, and/or location information of the product, through matching of at least some of the search parameters  99  in the request  105  with contents of the product definition  107 . For example, the consumer  104  wants to locate all vehicles of a certain make and model and year in the state of New York. These parameters would be part of the search request  105 , which is then sent to the framework  112  for matching against the contents of the product definitions  107  stored in the database  110 . 
     Further, it is recognised that the aggregation of the product information  108  in the database  110  (as sourced from various independent physical/virtual product definitions, such as product advertisements, from the information sources  114 , 116 ) can facilitate higher efficiency and data integrity through vertical specialization, such that the product definitions can be organized as product and/or vendor centric (e.g. vehicle and dealership centric input). Therefore, instead of the consumer  104  typing a product of vendor name for insertion into the search request  105  (e.g. a vehicle or dealership name), the consumer can chose the name from a list that is updated regularly. This list of available products, vendors/retailers, and/or location of the vendors/retailers could be provided online by a network interface module  202  (see  FIG. 2 ) of the framework  112 , further described below. 
     Third Party Information Sources  116   
     The third party information sources  116  can be used to obtain product definitions  107  from traditional advertising media, such as published advertisements in flyers, magazines, newsprint, etc. 
     For example, the information sources  116  can have a product definition generation system  120  for producing the product definitions  107  in electronic form, as converted from the traditional advertising media. For example, the pictures or images of the product information  108  (e.g. a newspaper/magazine/flyer advertisement) can be scanned and then transmitted as an electronic image as part of the product information  108 . Further, textual information in the pictures/images of the product advertisements are converted to text with a suitable OCR (Optical Character Recognition) process as part of the system  120 . Once the textual (e.g. alpha-numeric) data of the advertisements has been obtained, this extracted data is provided for use as part of the product definition  107 . 
     It is recognised that the product information  108  could already be in electronic form that is in image/picture format containing both visual details of the product as well as embedded alpha-numeric product information, such that in the image/picture format the alpha-numeric product information is not searchable by standard text/numeric search strings. As described above for the traditional advertising media, these electronic pictures/images could subjected to recognition processes for the embedded alpha-numeric product information. Once the textual (e.g. alpha-numeric) data of the advertisements has been obtained, this extracted data is provided for use as part of the product definition  107 . 
     An example process of the system  120  for converting the physical ad information as electronic product information  108  suitable for storing in the electronic database  110  is as follows: 
     1. A newsprint/magazine/circular/flyer distributor couriers periodically published issues, covering a plurality of markets (e.g. by a set time) to the third party information source  116 ; 
     2. The system  120  scans all the product ad pages (for a selected product—e.g. vehicles) into electronic picture files (e.g. PDF files); and 
     3. A group of data entry people and/or OCR systems access the picture files and facilitate the entry (via a process of manual and/or automatic information recognition) of the product data contained in the picture files as the electronic product information  108  that is then sent to the framework  112  for storage in the electronic database  110 , so that the product data (e.g. as product definitions  107 —one example being product advertisements) is then searchable by the consumers  104  via a network interface module  202 . 
     It is recognised that periodically, the electronic product information  1098  is uploaded from the information sources  116  to the framework  112 , aggregated according to product and/or vendor classifications, and thereby made available as new product definitions  107  obtainable by the consumers  104 . 
     Information Aggregation Framework  112   
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , shown is an example of the framework  112  for aggregating, by an aggregation module  200 , the plurality of product information  108  obtained/received from the plurality of the information sources  114 , 116  for storage in the database  110 . It is recognised that the product information  108  can come from the vendor databases  115 , synchronously and/or asynchronously with respect to communications between the framework  112  and the information sources  114 . Once stored, the aggregated (from a plurality of the information sources  114 , 116 ) product information  108  (including the product definitions  107 ) is accessed, via the network interface module  202 , by the plurality of consumers  104 . A publication module  208  is provided the parameters  99  of the received search request  105  from the interface module  202  and then searches the database  110  for suitable matching product definitions  107 . The matched product definitions  107  are returned to the interface module  202  as the search results  106 , which are then communicated back to the consumer  104 , over the network  11 , in response to the received search request  105 . 
     Further, the framework  112  can have a classification module  204  for sorting the aggregated product information  108  according to predefined categories  205  (e.g. product type/make/model, product retailer/dealer, product price category, and/or product/retailer location) before the product information  108  is stored in the database  110 . Further, the framework  112  has an update module  206  for updating the product information  108  in the database  110 , based on the periodic updates  109  received from the information sources  114 ,  116 . Each of the product definitions  107  is assigned the unique definition identifier  111  by the framework  112  (for example by the classification module  204  and/or the aggregation module  200 ), such that the stored product definition  107  can be later accessed in the database  110 , by the same identifier  111 , for facilitating application of update information  109 , as further described below. 
     Aggregation Module  200   
     The aggregation module  200  is responsible for communicating with the information sources  114 , 116  over the network  11 , in order to receive various product information  108 . The product information  108  can be defined using a structured definition language such as but not limited to the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), which defines rules for how a document can be described in terms of its logical structure (headings, paragraphs or idea units, and so forth). SGML is often referred to as a meta-language because SGML provides a “language for how to describe a language.” A specific use of SGML is called a document type definition (DTD), which defines exactly what the allowable language is. For example, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is an example of a structured definition language for defining the product information  108  . A further example of the structured definition language is Extensible Markup Language (XML), which defines how to describe a collection of data. 
     The module  200  recognises the product definitions  107  contained in the product information  108  (e.g. a named vehicle, offered for a certain price, by a named dealership, in a certain geographical location, and/or for a specified time) and notifies the information source  114 , 116  of the assigned unique identifier  111 . The module  200  then informs the classification module  204  of the received product definitions  107  for classification. It is recognised that the module  220  can be configured to expect receipt of the product information  108  and/or update information  109  by a set date and time, for example that information  108 , 109  obtained from the third party sources  116  via regularly published media (e.g. newspapers, flyers, circulars, magazines). Further, it is recognised that the module could be configured as a Web portal for interaction with the information sources  114 , 116  over the network  11 . It is also recognised that the module  200  could be part of the network interface module  202 , as desired. 
     The module  200  can also facilitate registration of the information sources  114  (e.g. dealerships) with the framework  112 . The source  114  would provide their registration information, such as retailer/dealer name, location, and contact details. The communication of this registration information can include communication modes such as but not limited to: voice communication via phone; written communication via network messaging (e.g. email, facsimile); and/or others as desired. 
     It is recognised that the sources  114  registered with the framework  112  could be issued framework ID and password (optional), which uniquely identifies the particular source  114 . The framework ID could be associated with the product information  108 , thus facilitating the receipt of subsequent product information  108  and processing by the framework  112  for storage in the database  110 . 
     Further, it is recognised that the aggregation module  200  can include a coordinated set of programs that can represent a spider that goes to every page or representative pages on every specified retailer Web site of the network  11  that wants to be searchable and reads it, using hypertext links on each page to discover and read a site&#39;s other pages. The spider can be configured to automatically recognise product information  108  that would be suitable for storing in the database  110  as the product definitions  107 . 
     Classification Module  204   
     The classification module  204  is configured for sorting the aggregated product information  108  according to predefined categories  205  (e.g. product type/make/model, product retailer/dealer, product price category, and/or product/retailer location) before the product information  108  is stored in the database  110  as the product definitions  107  (e.g. product advertisements). For example, structured records are extracted out of the received product information  108  and assembled as the product definitions  107  (e.g. advertisements) and then stored in the database  110 . The classified product definitions  107  can comprise advertisement orders received from the plurality of information sources  114  or already published advertisements (e.g. from the information sources  114 , 116 ). In the case of an advertisement order, details of the product are contained in the product information  108  and the module  204  from this information  108 , according to a predefined product definition template  203 , generates the corresponding product definition  107 . 
     For example, the product definition template  203  could include the components of a product picture/image (e.g. vehicle picture), product name (e.g. vehicle make and model and year), product pricing (e.g. vehicle purchase and/or leasing information), product/retailer location (e.g. dealership address), retailer contact details (e.g. dealership telephone number or email), and/or product descriptive details (e.g. vehicle sticker information such as mileage, options, etc.). It is recognised that one or more of the components could be considered as classifications  205  by the framework  112 . The database  110  then comprises a structured record (e.g. containing one or more of the above listed components) for each product definition  107  that has been captured and classified by the framework  112 . Each record comprises a plurality of fields for storing and structuring the various data components extracted/identified from each product information  108  set processed by the framework  112 . It is recognised that the product information  108  may already contain suitable product definitions  107  and therefore the module  204  would then classify the received product definitions  107  for subsequent retrieval from the database  110  according to their classification of the product details (e.g. vehicle make/model/year and/or dealership). 
     In view of the above, the module  204  captures and/or formats the content of the product information for identifying/defining and categorizing appropriate product definitions  107  (e.g. product advertisements) for storage in the database  110 . For example, each advertisement is classified based on predefined classification categories  205  that match extracted data units from the content of the product information  108 . Each of the data units (and corresponding classification  205 ) is stored a corresponding field of a record in the electronic database  110  that pertains to the product definition  107 , which is labelled by the unique identifier  111 . Further, the textual content and the layout and/or the position of the data in the product definition  107  (for display in the user interface  302  of the consumer&#39;s device—see  FIG. 3 ) can be included in the database  110 . 
     The classification module  204  can also contain a product definition  107  generation engine  121  that parses product information  108  obtained directly from a vendor database  115  (e.g. a Dealer Management System containing vehicle descriptions and vehicle availability/inventory) and then using the predefined template  203  to extract the desired advertisement details from the vendor database  115  and then send the extracted product details to the Web portal (i.e. the aggregation module  200 ) for assignment of the unique identifier  111 . This engine  121  provides for the vendor to tie into product inventory levels and to have product definitions  107  built directly for online display to the consumer  104  via the network interface module  202 . The vendor database  115  could have indicators coupled to selected products, and/or product data subsets, which would direct the engine  121  on which products/data to use for creation of the product definitions  107 . Use of the engine  121  could bypass the need for scanning and recognition of product data from the picture/image files obtained and processed by the third party information sources  116 . It is also recognised that the generation engine  121  could be hosted by the various information sources  114 , independently or in cooperation with product definition generation capabilities of the classification module  204 . In any event, it is recognised that the generation engine  121  has access to selected contents of the vendor/retailer database  115 . 
     Update Module  206   
     The update module  206  accesses or is otherwise provided with the product definition identification  111  that is associated with the update information  109  received by the aggregation module  200 . This update information can be obtained from or otherwise accessed with respect to the vendor databases  115 , in order to reflect updates to the product information  108  contained therein. The aggregator module  200  can assign or otherwise recognise the identification  111  to/of the update information  109 . The update module  206  can then access or otherwise be provided the update information  109  and the associated identification  111  (via the aggregation module  200 ) and then access the corresponding product definition  107  in the database  110  (via the assigned identification  111 ). The update module  206  uses the update information  109  to add new data, remove existing data, and/or amend existing data from the corresponding product definition  107  associated with the assigned identification  111 . In this manner, the product definitions  107  in the database  110  can be dynamically maintained to correspond with the product information  108  in the product inventory database  115  of the respective information source  114 . It is recognised that the update information  109  can also be supplied to the third party information sources  116  by the information sources  114 . The update information  109  can be sent to the framework  112  by the information source  114  on a periodic basis (for example as periodically scheduled on a predefined schedule or more dynamically whenever there is an update to the product information  108  in the database  115 ), or otherwise requested by the framework  112  from the information source  114 , for example. 
     An example of these updates  109  is to account for vehicle dealer inventory details (e.g. vehicle is sold and no longer available, vehicle price change, vehicle leasing information change, etc.). In the case of product unavailability, such an update  109  could result in removal of the corresponding product definition  107  from the database  110 , such that the consumer  104  would no longer be able to access this product definition  107  (e.g. vehicle advertisement). Otherwise in the case of product unavailability, such an update  109  could result in modification of the product definition  107  to indicate that the product (e.g. vehicle) was sold, whereby the updated product definition  107  would remain accessible by the consumer for a specified or otherwise predefined period of time and then deleted from the database  110  (or otherwise become inaccessible by the consumer  104  via the network interface  202 ). Outdated/expired product definitions  107  can be removed from the electronic database  110 , either in relation to received update information  109  and/or in response to a predefined time/expiry period (e.g. product definitions are automatically deleted from the database  110  after a set time period. It is also recognised that the update information  109  can contain information intended to amend or otherwise update the type and/or content of the classifications  205  of the product definition  107 , rather that the product details (e.g. vehicle colour, options, picture, etc.) of the product definition  107  itself. 
     Network Interface Module  202   
     The module  202  can be part of the network connection interface  300  (see  FIG. 3 ) of the device  101  operating the framework  112 . The module  202  can communicate synchronously or asynchronously with the device  101  of the consumer  104  over the network  11  to receive or otherwise structure the search requests  105 . For example, the module  202  could be a Web service as a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over the network  11 , between the framework  112  and the consumers  104 . The Web service of the framework  112 , as facilitated by the module  202  can be configured as a series of Web APIs that can be accessed over the network  11  by the consumer  104  and then executed on the framework  112  hosting the requested services. 
     The Web service definition can encompass many different systems, such as clients and servers that communicate using XML messages that follow the SOAP standard. Also, the module  202  could provide a machine-readable description of the operations supported by the framework  112  written in the Web Services Description Language (WSDL). 
     For example, the module  202  provides to the consumer  104  an electronic interface  250  (see  FIG. 4 ) for access to the product definitions  107 , as searched in the database  110  through any subset of the product details via the search parameters  99 . For example, the electronic interface can be a Web portal offering a structured product search engine, i.e. the consumers  104  via their browser access the contents of the electronic database  110  over the network  11  via the framework  112  that hosts the product search engine. For example, the consumers  104  could search vehicle “for sale” information in the database  110  to find the lowest advertised new vehicle prices in various markets across the country. The electronic interface  250  can present predefined search parameter  99  selections  252  (e.g. product classifications as selections via suitable user interface control elements  254 ) as product and/or vendor centric (e.g. vehicle and dealership centric input). Therefore, instead of the consumer  104  typing a product of vendor name in the search engine search string (e.g. a vehicle or dealership name), the consumer  104  can chose a name  252  from a list element  254  that is updated regularly. It is recognised that the selections  252  can pertain to the classifications that were assigned to the product definitions  107  via the classification module  204 . 
     Examples of user interface control elements  254  of the interface  250  can include such as but not limited to a dropdown list that is similar to a list box, which allows the consumer  104  to choose one or more values from the list. When the dropdown list is inactive it displays a single value. When activated, the dropdown list displays (drops down) a list of values (e.g. classifications), from which the consumer  104  may select. When the consumer  104  selects a new value the control element reverts to its inactive state, displaying the selected value. The control elements  254  can include, for example, a combo box having an editable entry portion of the list. The navigation field of a web browser is an example of a combo box. A further example of the control elements  254  is a list box or tabs that provide for the selection of one or more classifications at a time by the consumer  104 . A further type of example control element  254  is a Pop-up/down menu, whereby pop-ups are used to select a single classification from a list while pop-downs are used to issue commands (e.g. customized search terms) or in cases where multiple classifications can be selected. In any event, it is recognised that the control elements  254  can be used by the consumer  104  to formulate at least some of the search parameters  99  of the search request  105 , for example. 
     The module  202  can include receipt and transmit sub-modules can be part of the network connection interface module  202 , in accordance with the parameters  99  of the search request  105  as well as the generated search results  106 , as desired. 
     Publication Module  208   
     A publication module  208  of the framework  112  is provided the parameters  99  of the received search request  105  (e.g. selected classifications  205  by the consumer  104 ) from the interface module  202 , and then searches the database  110  for suitable matching product definitions  107 . The matched product definitions  107  are returned to the interface module  202  as the search results  106 , which are then communicated back to the consumer  104 , over the network  11 , in response to the received search request  105 . 
     For example, the module  208  accesses the assigned classifications  205  of the product definitions  107  in the database  110 , in order to link/match those product definitions  107  that are assigned the classifications  205  matching the parameters  99  of the search request  105 . It is noted that the classifications  205  used in matching product definitions  107  to the search request  105  can be used in addition to other search parameters  99  directed to the contents of the product definitions  107 . 
     It is recognised that metadata can be used to define a set/list of descriptors (words, phrases, etc.) for indexing (e.g. classifying) the assigned classifications  205  and/or the contents of the product definitions  107 . 
     Accordingly, the module  208  can provide a search engines using categories  205  (for example) to access the product definitions  107  in the database  110 , based on the provided parameters  99  of the search request  105 . The engine can process text query to provide search hit files that will display on the consumer&#39;s device  101  product definitions  107  (e.g. product advertisements) that are associated with the entered text query. Product information  108  associated with product definitions  107  may consist of information such as but not limited to, product description/details, pricing, retailer locations and availability, online purchase capabilities, purchase statistics, information about similar products, retailer contact information, and the like. Additionally, the product definitions  107  may contain network links to the product manufacturer and/or the retailer&#39;s Web site/online store, as desired. The module  208  can include a generator module for generating the matched product definitions  107  as a rendered display or as display data that can be used to subsequently render the display  302  of the matched product definitions on the display of the consumer device  101  (see  FIG. 3 ). 
     Further, it is recognised that the modules  200 , 202 , 204 , 206 , 208  can be configured to operate interactively as shown, the operations/functionality of the selected modules  200 , 202 , 204 , 206 , 208  can be combined or the operations/functionality of the selected modules  200 , 202 , 204 , 206 , 208  can be further subdivided, as desired. Further, it is recognised that the modules  200 , 202 , 204 , 206 , 208  can communicate or otherwise obtain their calculated results from one another or can store their respective calculated results in the storage  110  for subsequent retrieval by another module  200 , 202 , 204 , 206 , 208  there-from. 
     Computing Devices  101   
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , each of the above-described components of the system  10 , i.e. the consumer  104 , the framework  112 , the information sources  114 , 116  can be implemented on one or more respective computing device(s)  101 . The devices  101  in general can include a network connection interface  300 , such as a network interface card or a modem, coupled via connection  318  to a device infrastructure  304 . The connection interface  300  is connectable during operation of the devices  101  to the network  11  (e.g. an intranet and/or an extranet such as the Internet), which enables the devices  101  to communicate with each other as appropriate. The network  11  can support the communication of the search request  105  and the corresponding search results  106  between the components of the system  10 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 3 , the devices  101  can also have a user interface  302 , coupled to the device infrastructure  304  by connection  322 , to interact with a user (e.g. information source  114 , 116 , consumer  104 , framework  112  administrator, etc.). For example, the consumer  104  to view and interact with the electronic interface supplied by the interface module  202  uses the user interface  302  of the device  101 . The user interface  302  can include one or more user input devices such as but not limited to a QWERTY keyboard, a keypad, a trackwheel, a stylus, a mouse, a microphone and the user output device such as an LCD screen display and/or a speaker. If the screen is touch sensitive, then the display can also be used as the user input device as controlled by the device infrastructure  304 . For example, the user interface  302  for the devices  101  used by the consumers  104  can be configured to interact with a web browser (e.g. applications  307 ) to formulate the search requests  105  as well as process the received search results  106  (e.g. review the various details of the products offered for sale). For the devices  101  used by the framework  112 , the user interfaces  302  can be used by a framework  112  administrator to monitor (e.g. manually or automated through software—e.g. applications  307 ) the classification of the product definitions  107  and associated update information  109 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 3 , operation of the devices  101  is facilitated by the device infrastructure  304 . The device infrastructure  304  includes one or more computer processors  308  and can include an associated memory  110 , 115  (e.g. a random access memory). The computer processor  308  facilitates performance of the device  101  configured for the intended task through operation of the network interface  300 , the user interface  302  and other application programs/hardware  307  of the device  101  by executing task related instructions. These task related instructions can be provided by an operating system, and/or software applications  307  located in the memory  110 , 115 , and/or by operability that is configured into the electronic/digital circuitry of the processor(s)  308  designed to perform the specific task(s). Further, it is recognized that the device infrastructure  304  can include a computer readable storage medium  312  coupled to the processor  308  for providing instructions to the processor  308  and/or to load/update client applications  307 . The computer readable medium  312  can include hardware and/or software such as, by way of example only, magnetic disks, magnetic tape, optically readable medium such as CD/DVD ROMS, and memory cards. In each case, the computer readable medium  212  may take the form of a small disk, floppy diskette, cassette, hard disk drive, solid-state memory card, or RAM provided in the memory module  110 , 115 . It should be noted that the above listed example computer readable mediums  312  can be used either alone or in combination. The device memory  110 , 115  and/or computer readable medium  312  can be used to store the registration information of the information sources  114 , 116 , such that registration information is used in processing of the product information  108  submitted from the information sources  114 , 116  to the framework  112 . Further, the device memory  110 , 115  can also be used by the framework  112  as a means to store and access profile descriptions  107  that match the search parameters  99  (e.g. classifications  205 ) included in the search request  105 . 
     Further, it is recognized that the computing devices  101  can include the executable applications  307  comprising code or machine readable instructions for implementing predetermined functions/operations including those of an operating system, a web browser, the framework  112  for example. The processor  308  as used herein is a configured device and/or set of machine-readable instructions for performing operations as described by example above. As used herein, the processor  308  may comprise any one or combination of, hardware, firmware, and/or software. The processor  308  acts upon information by manipulating, analyzing, modifying, converting or transmitting information for use by an executable procedure or an information device, and/or by routing the information with respect to an output device. The processor  308  may use or comprise the capabilities of a controller or microprocessor, for example. Accordingly, any of the functionality of the framework  112  (e.g. modules  200 ,  202 ,  204 ,  206 ,  208 , and subset thereof) may be implemented in hardware, software or a combination of both. Accordingly, the use of a processor  308  as a device and/or as a set of machine-readable instructions is hereafter referred to generically as a processor/module for sake of simplicity. Further, it is recognised that the framework  112  can include one or more of the computing devices  101  (comprising hardware and/or software) for implementing the modules  200 ,  202 ,  204 ,  206 ,  208 , or functionality subset thereof, as desired. 
     It will be understood that the computing devices  101  of the consumers  104  may be, for example, personal computers, personal digital assistants, mobile phones, and content players. Server computing devices  101  can be configured for the framework  112  and the information sources  114 , 116  as desired. Further, it is recognised that each server computing device  101 , although depicted as a single computer system, may be implemented as a network of computer processors, as desired. 
     Operation  500  of the Framework  112   
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , shown is an example operation of the framework  112  for aggregating a plurality of product information accessed from a plurality of information sources and for making the aggregated product information available to potential consumers of the products. At step  502 , the aggregation module  200  receives the product information  108  and assigns the unique identifier  111  to each product definition  107  associated with the product information  108 . At step  504 , the classification module  204  determines at least one classification for each of the product definitions  107  according to a set of predefined classifications  205 . At step  506 , the module  204  facilitates storage of the generated product definitions  107  according to the respective at least one classification  205  and the respective unique identifier  111 , such that the product definitions  107  are retrievable from the storage  110  in view of search parameters  99  received from the potential consumer  104  for the product defined in the product definition  107 . At step  508 , the update module  206  receives update information  109  associated with the specified unique identifier  111 ; and amends with the update information  109  the product definition  107  in the storage  110  matching the specified unique identifier  111 . 
     At step  510 , the network interface module  202  receives a search request  105  containing at least one search parameter  99  for matching with the respective at least one classification  205  to identify a plurality of the product definitions  107  in the storage  110  having the at least one classification  205 . At step  512 , the publication module  208  matches the classifications  205  in the search request  105  with the classifications  205  assigned to the product definitions  107  in the storage to obtain the appropriate product definitions  107  for sending at step  514  back to the consumer  104  as the search results  106 . Further, it is recognised that the publication module  208  can generate the format of the matched product definitions  107  as display data suitable for use in subsequent rendering of the matched product definitions  107  on a display (e.g. user interface  302  of the consumer device  101 —see  FIG. 3 ). 
     In view of the above, an information input system  10  is described for making product information  108  published in physical (e.g. flyers, magazines, newsprint) advertisements available in the electronic database  110 . The product information  108  is aggregated in the electronic database  110  to facilitate searching of any subset of the information via search terms  99  (e.g. classifications  205 ). Once in the database  110 , consumers  104  can access the information via a Web portal through a Web search engine provided by the framework  112 , i.e. the consumers via their browser access the contents of the electronic database  110  over the Internet via the Web portal that hosts the Web search engine. For example, the consumers  104  could search vehicle “for sale” information in the database  110  to find the lowest advertised new vehicle prices in various markets across the country. The aggregation (and classification) of the product information  108  in the database  110  (as sourced from various independent physical advertisements and information sources  114 ) can allow for higher efficiency and data integrity through vertical specialization, such that the product definitions  107  are organized as product and/or vendor centric (e.g. vehicle and dealership centric input), for example. Therefore, instead of the consumer  104  typing a product of vendor name in the search engine search string (e.g. a vehicle or dealership name), the consumer  104  can chose a name from a list (e.g. control elements  252  that can be updated regularly). Also, a copy of the original physical ad (that originated the product data) could be coupled to the product definitions  107  in the electronic database  110 , and thus accessible by the consumer  104 . Also provided is the capability to perform periodic updates of the classification  205  and/or product definitions  107  reflect vendor database information (e.g. DMS info) changes.