Patent ID: 8046346

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for providing a search for information available on the World Wide Web on the Internet having enhanced integrity, comprising the steps of using a computer system for: generating a search query; transmitting the search query via the Internet to a search engine using a web browser; providing the search query to the search engine; performing initial processing of the search query by the search engine; performing the search and accumulating a set of search results by the search engine, each of which contains at least a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) identifying an Internet domain and page on the World Wide Web selected by the search; receiving the search results; extracting a list of URLs and domains; performing domain processing on the list of URLs and domains to associate a physical business address or business entity with each URL or domain, wherein the domain processing comprises the steps of using a computer system for: checking a domain name included as part of a URL against a database of domains; if the domain is in the database, bypassing further processing; if the domain is not in the database, using name and address extraction to attempt to obtain a physical name and address associated with the domain; if a reliable name and address are obtained, collecting business information, wherein collecting business information comprises querying one or more sources of business information consisting of corporate registration information, business rating information, negative information comprising regulatory information, and, for the special case of well-recognized auction web sites and payment systems which undertake to rate, or at least reliably identify, their affiliated merchants, rating information is obtained from the auction or payment site using the cleaned-up name and address information; computing domain integrity ratings; using the integrity ratings to at least one of reorder and annotate the search results so as to move results with relatively lower integrity ratings downward in the results; and returning the at least one of reordered and annotated search results to the web browser via the Internet.