SEMANTICALLY ASSOCIATED COMPUTER SEARCH INDEX, AND USES THEREFORE

摘要

The construction of a semantically associated computer search database is disclosed. The text catalog containing the text particulars and contents of a plurality of information assets, a term association database which joins search terms with their semantic meanings or definitions, and a content association database which contains records associating search terms and their contextual definitions in respect of individual information assets are used to in conjunction provide a search index in which it is possible to search based upon the actual definitions or meanings of certain text or terms within the information assets, reducing or refining query search result sets. A method of operating a search engine with the indexing question, as well as other e-commerce methods employing the index as a refining tool are also disclosed.