Patent ID: 7233942

Claim:
A computer implemented method of improved searching for electronic documents on a computer network comprising the steps of: creating a collection of URL addresses of electronic documents that are associated with businesses having a geographic location being authenticated by a mechanism other than by the content of the electronic document; receiving a geographically based query specifying a desired geographic location and a keyword at a query interface; searching a searchable index of content to identify electronic documents having URL addresses that match the desired geographic location and the keyword; searching the collection of geographically authenticated URL addresses to identify URL addresses of electronic documents that match the desired geographic location; comparing the search results from the searchable index with the search results from the collection of geographically authenticated URL addresses to identify an authenticated set of URL addresses of the electronic documents which match the desired geographic location and the specified keyword; returning the authenticated set of URL addresses of the electronic documents which match the desired geographic location and the specified keyword; and wherein creating a collection URL addresses of electronic documents that are associated with businesses having a geographic location being authenticated by a mechanism other than by the content of the electronic document further includes: storing, in a table locally on a user computer, the URL addresses that are associated with businesses having a geographic location corresponding to the desired geographic location; using a web-browser plug-in detecting a requested URL address in search results from a search engine; checking whether the requested URL address is stored in the table to verify that the requested URL address is associated with the desired geographic location; and providing a user warning if the requested URL address is not associated with the desired geographic location.