U.S. patent application number 14/612231 was filed with the patent office on 2015-05-28 for processor engine, integrated circuit and method therefor.
This patent application is currently assigned to Luxian Ltd. The applicant listed for this patent is Luxian Ltd. Invention is credited to Robert Trevelyan.
Application Number | 20150149431 14/612231 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47114632 |
Filed Date | 2015-05-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150149431 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Trevelyan; Robert |
May 28, 2015 |
PROCESSOR ENGINE, INTEGRATED CIRCUIT AND METHOD THEREFOR
Abstract
A processor engine for affecting a website's position on at
least one Internet search engine's page ranking comprises at least
one processor. The at least one processor is arranged to: load
(425) at least one search term into a program (425) running on the
at least one processor; load (445) a target list comprising at
least one website that is to be promoted; and create (420) an
Internet connection. The at least one processor is further arranged
to request a search of the at least one search term on the at least
one Internet search engine; identify at least one website search
hit that matches at least one website on the target list; and
access the identified at least one website a plurality of times,
affecting the at least one website's position on the Internet
search engine's page ranking.
Inventors: |
Trevelyan; Robert;
(Basingstoke, GB) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Luxian Ltd |
London |
|
GB |
|
|
Assignee: |
Luxian Ltd
|
Family ID: |
47114632 |
Appl. No.: |
14/612231 |
Filed: |
February 2, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13668059 |
Nov 2, 2012 |
8949234 |
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14612231 |
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13398427 |
Feb 16, 2012 |
8312015 |
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13668059 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
707/706 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/951 20190101;
H04L 67/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
707/706 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/30 20060101
G06F017/30; H04L 29/08 20060101 H04L029/08 |
Claims
1. A system configured to affect a website's position on an
Internet search engine's page ranking, the system comprising: one
or more processors configured to: request a search of a search term
on the Internet search engine; receive a set of website search hits
identify a target website in the set of website search hits to be
promoted; create a first simulated user session, wherein creating a
simulated user session comprises: determining a first geographical
location; implementing a first simulated user session having
characteristics associated with the first geographical location;
creating a first substantially unique, anonymous connection to the
Internet, wherein the first connection is simulated to originate
from the determined first geographical location; accessing, using
the first simulated user session, the identified target website
through the search results through the first Internet connection
having a simulated origin in the determined first geographical
location, without modifying website content, wherein such access
without modifying website content affects the target website's
position on the Internet search engine's page ranking; create a
second simulated user session, wherein creating a simulated user
session comprises: determining a second geographical location;
implementing a second simulated user session having characteristics
associated with the second geographical location; creating a second
substantially unique, anonymous connection to the Internet, wherein
the second connection is simulated to originate from the determined
second geographical location; and accessing, using the second
simulated user session, the identified target website through the
search results through the second Internet connection having a
simulated origin in the determined second geographical location,
without modifying website content, wherein such access without
modifying website content affects the target website's position on
the Internet search engine's page ranking.
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to automatically access the
identified target website a plurality of times.
3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to identify a further target
website in the set of website search hits; and access the
identified further target website a plurality of times, affecting
the further target website's position on the Internet search
engine's page ranking.
4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one search
term comprises one from a group comprising: an user-defined search
term, a pre-defined search term, a word, a plurality of words, a
phrase, a company name, a person's name.
5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to create a substantially unique,
anonymous connection to the Internet.
6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to access the identified target
website a plurality of times, by creating a plurality of further
connections to the Internet.
7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to create a plurality of further
connections to the Internet using at least one different source
internet protocol (IP) address.
8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the at least one
different source internet protocol (IP) address comprises a source
IP address from one or more of a different country and/or
geographical location.
9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to request a further search of
the at least one search term on the at least one Internet search
engine using a different language of the at least one search
term.
10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to write a log entry into a log
file that contains information on at least one from a group
comprising: date of requesting the search, date of access the
target website, time of searching the target website; the search
term, a target list used to identify the target website, at least
one source internet protocol (IP) address used, a language of the
search term, a source IP address country.
11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to request that the search be
confined to a specified, region, country or continent.
12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to execute an anonymous proxy
application software module arranged to create an anonymous relay
to one or more of the Internet, the at least one Internet search
engine, or the target website.
13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to navigate automatically around
the target website before exiting.
14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to navigate automatically around
the target website for one or more of a set period of time, a
random period of time, or a search-term dependent period of
time.
15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to define a user interface that
is configured to receive one or both of the search term into the
program running on the at least one processor and/or a target list
comprising the target website that is to be promoted.
16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the user interface
comprises one or both of a graphical web browser and/or a
non-graphical text-based web browser.
17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more
processors are further configured to execute one or more of a Linux
derived operating system, a Windows.RTM.-based operating system, or
an Apple.RTM. MAC-based operating system.
18. Non-transient electronic storage storing machine readable
instructions configured to cause one or more processors to perform
a method for affecting a website's position on at least one
Internet search engine's page ranking, wherein the method
comprises: requesting a search of a search term on the Internet
search engine; receiving a set of website search hits identifying a
target website in the set of website search hits to be promoted;
creating a first simulated user session, wherein creating a
simulated user session comprises: determining a first geographical
location; implementing a first simulated user session having
characteristics associated with the first geographical location;
creating a first substantially unique, anonymous connection to the
Internet, wherein the first connection is simulated to originate
from the determined first geographical location; accessing, using
the first simulated user session, the identified target website
through the search results through the first Internet connection
having a simulated origin in the determined first geographical
location, without modifying website content, wherein such access
without modifying website content affects the target website's
position on the Internet search engine's page ranking; creating a
second simulated user session, wherein creating a simulated user
session comprises: determining a second geographical location;
implementing a second simulated user session having characteristics
associated with the second geographical location; creating a second
substantially unique, anonymous connection to the Internet, wherein
the second connection is simulated to originate from the determined
second geographical location; and accessing, using the second
simulated user session, the identified target website through the
search results through the second Internet connection having a
simulated origin in the determined second geographical location,
without modifying website content, wherein such access without
modifying website content affects the target website's position on
the Internet search engine's page ranking.
19. A computer-implemented method for affecting a website's
position on at least one Internet search engine's page ranking, the
method being implemented in a computer system comprising one or
more physical processors, the method comprising: requesting a
search of a search term on the Internet search engine; receiving a
set of website search hits identifying a target website in the set
of website search hits to be promoted; creating a first simulated
user session, wherein creating a simulated user session comprises:
determining a first geographical location; implementing a first
simulated user session having characteristics associated with the
first geographical location; creating a first substantially unique,
anonymous connection to the Internet, wherein the first connection
is simulated to originate from the determined first geographical
location; accessing, using the first simulated user session, the
identified target website through the search results through the
first Internet connection having a simulated origin in the
determined first geographical location, without modifying website
content, wherein such access without modifying website content
affects the target website's position on the Internet search
engine's page ranking; creating a second simulated user session,
wherein creating a simulated user session comprises: determining a
second geographical location; implementing a second simulated user
session having characteristics associated with the second
geographical location; creating a second substantially unique,
anonymous connection to the Internet, wherein the second connection
is simulated to originate from the determined second geographical
location; and accessing, using the second simulated user session,
the identified target website through the search results through
the second Internet connection having a simulated origin in the
determined second geographical location, without modifying website
content, wherein such access without modifying website content
affects the target website's position on the Internet search
engine's page ranking.
20. A tangible computer program product having executable program
code stored non-transient therein for affecting a website's
position on an Internet search engine's page ranking, the program
code operable for, when executed at a processor of a processor
engine coupled to at least one Internet search engine, performing
the method of claim 19.
21. The system of claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the first
simulated user session associated with the first geographical
location and/or country include one or more of a language of the
first geographical location and/or country, an operating system
used in the first geographical location and/or country, and/or a
computer type used to access the Internet in the first geographical
location and/or country and wherein the characteristics of the
second simulated user session associated with the second
geographical location and/or country include one or more of a
language of the second geographical location and/or country, an
operating system used in the second geographical location and/or
country, and/or a computer type used to access the Internet in the
second geographical location and/or country.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The field of this invention relates to a processor engine,
an integrated circuit and a method therefor. The invention is
applicable to, but not limited to, a processor engine, an
integrated circuit and a method for automatically promoting a
web-site in a search process.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving
a visibility of a website or a web page in search engines via
`natural` (without a tariff being imposed) search results. Such
natural search results are often referred to as `organic` or
`algorithmic` search results. In general, the earlier (or higher
ranked on the search results page) and more frequently that a site
appears in a search result list, the more visitors it will receive
from the search engine's users. Page rankings are largely based on
the degree of surfer interest and traffic flow, page impressions,
freshness, search term density, links in and out, frequency of
updates, age of page and other factors.
[0003] One disadvantage of generic SEO is that it relies on the
search engine robots `finding` the websites, indexing them and then
positioning them on the search engine page ranking. Typical search
engine optimisation (SEO) focuses on creation and manipulation of
content to existing or new websites, both overtly and covertly.
These changes make the website more visible to the search engine
robots and, therefore, they are indexed with specific keywords
associated with the website. It is known that SEO may target
different kinds of search, including image search, local search,
video search, academic search, news search and industry-specific
vertical search engines.
[0004] As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search
engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms typed
into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their
targeted audience. Search engines are value neutral, inasmuch as
they are not concerned with truth or reputation. Hence, searches
can result in mis-characterisation and damage to the reputation of
individuals and businesses, if the untruthful websites become more
popular than the truthful websites.
[0005] As effective SEO schemes may require changes to the HTML
source code of a site and site content, SEO tactics may be
incorporated into website development and design. Optimizing a
website to improve its rating on website searching typically
involves editing its content and hyper-text mark-up language (HTML)
and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific
keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of
search engines. The term `search engine friendly` is also often
used to describe website designs, content management systems,
videos, images, shopping carts, and other elements that have been
optimized for the purpose of search engine exposure.
[0006] In some scenarios, the acronym `SEOs` may also refer to
`search engine optimizers`, a term adopted by an industry of
consultants who carry out optimization projects on behalf of
clients, and by employees who perform SEO services in-house. Search
engine optimizers may offer SEO as a stand-alone service or as a
part of a broader marketing campaign.
[0007] Most users of search engines cease reviewing web-site
content at the first or second page. Whilst it may be tempting for
a person or organisation to re-engineer, or simply remove,
uncomplimentary, defamatory or libellous content, this raises
ethical concerns in the free market for information. One recent
tactic for the use of SEOs is website promotion, in order to bring
more visitors to specific websites. In recent years, website
promotion, say through SEO, has also been used in the area of
on-line reputation protection and/or on-line reputation promotion,
for example to improve product exposure or improve public relations
for certain celebrities or public figures. Alternative techniques
to SEO are also used for website promotion, such as web content
development and search engine submission, in order to increase
(search) traffic to a site.
[0008] One problem with SEO, for example in the context of website
promotion, is that SEO requires access to each and every website in
order for certain names, terms or expressions to be promoted. Thus,
access to each of these websites is required in order to make and
enforce the necessary/desired website changes.
[0009] Thus, a need exists for at least an apparatus (such as a
processor engine/integrated circuit) and method promoting a
web-site in a search process, and in particular for a scalable
computer-implemented method of affecting a website's (URL) position
on a search engine(s) page ranking.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] Accordingly, the invention seeks to mitigate, alleviate or
eliminate one or more of the above mentioned disadvantages, either
singly or in any combination. Aspects of the invention provide a
processor engine, integrated circuit, and a method therefor, as
described in the appended claims.
[0011] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is
provided a processor engine for affecting a website's position on
at least one Internet search engine's page ranking, wherein the
processor engine comprises at least one processor. The at least one
processor is arranged to: load at least one search term into a
program running on the at least one processor; load a target list
comprising at least one website that is to be promoted; and create
an Internet connection. The at least one processor is further
arranged to request a search of the at least one search term on the
at least one Internet search engine; identify at least one website
search hit that matches at least one website on the target list;
and access the identified at least one website a plurality of
times, affecting the at least one website's position on the
Internet search engine's page ranking.
[0012] In this manner, no subsequent human intervention is required
to affect the website's position on the at least one Internet
search engine's page ranking. Furthermore, in this manner, by
accessing the identified at least one website a plurality of times,
flexibility may be provided to enable a decision to be made as to
how far up the at least one Internet search engine's page ranking
the desired website may appear, for example within the first page
or the first two pages. In some examples, the processor may be
arranged to intermittently visit the Internet search engine and
determine the current page ranking of the desired website in order
to identify whether a desired page ranking has been achieved, and
if not repeat the process a number of times. In some examples, once
a desired page ranking has been achieved, the at least one
processor may transition to another search term, a different
language of the same search term, a different Internet search
engine, another website from the target list, etc., in order to
further promote the, or another, website
[0013] According to an optional feature, the at least one processor
may be further arranged to read the target list and access at least
one further website from one or more remaining, or each of the,
read websites to be promoted, identify at least one website search
hit that matches the at least one further website; and access the
identified at least one further website a plurality of times,
thereby affecting the at least one further website's position on
the Internet search engine's page ranking. In this manner, a
variable and independently set number of websites can be
manipulated such that they appear in a particular order on the
Internet search engine's page ranking.
[0014] According to an optional feature, the at least one search
term may comprise one from a group comprising: an user-defined
search term, a pre-defined search term, a word, a plurality of
words, a phrase. In this manner, the process for affecting a
website's position on at least one Internet search engine's page
ranking can be dictated by, say, a user. Alternatively, a company's
profile or a celebrity's profile may be improved by using, say, a
pre-defined search term of the company's name or a person's
name.
[0015] According to an optional feature, the at least one processor
may be arranged to create a substantially unique, anonymous
connection to the Internet (noting that it is `substantially
unique` as there is a finite amount of IP addresses available). In
this manner, the Internet search engine may not be able to
recognise the originating (source) IP address and may only be able
to see the IP address provided by, say, the anonymous web proxy
application.
[0016] According to an optional feature, the at least one processor
may be arranged to access the identified at least one website a
plurality of times, by creating a plurality of further connections
to the Internet. In some optional examples, a plurality of further
connections to the Internet may use at least one different source
internet protocol (IP) address. In some optional examples, the at
least one different source internet protocol (IP) address may
comprise a source IP address from a different country. In this
manner, the at least one processor may be able to hide or disguise
the intention to affect a website's (URL) position on a search
engine's page ranking due to the switching between a plurality of
Internet connections.
[0017] According to an optional feature, the at least one processor
may be arranged to request a further search of the at least one
search term on the at least one Internet search engine using a
different language of the at least one search term. In this manner,
the process for affecting a website's position on at least one
Internet search engine's page ranking may be re-applied across
multiple regions, countries and/or continents.
[0018] According to an optional feature, the at least one processor
may be further arranged to write a log entry into a log file that
contains information on at least one from a group comprising: date
of searching the at least one website, date of loading the at least
one search term; date of access the at least one website, time of
searching the at least one website; the at least one search term,
the at least one target list, at least one source internet protocol
(IP) address used. In this manner, a mechanism for tracking
searches and results may be made, for example to subsequently
fine-tune any respective process.
[0019] According to an optional feature, the at least one processor
may be confined to perform a search within a specified, region,
country or continent. In this manner, a mechanism for targeting
searches and affecting country-specific page ranking values may be
employed, for example to influence any country-specific perception
of the desired website.
[0020] According to an optional feature, any website traffic
reporting software installed on the target websites may report back
to one or more search engine(s) its statistics and therefore affect
the ranking of the website. A website that is visited regularly
from different countries, using, say, different IP addresses and
using, say, different web browsers, which is then navigated for a
varying duration of times using different or the same website
links, will rate higher than a site that is not visited.
[0021] According to an optional feature, the at least one processor
may be further arranged to navigate around the identified at least
one website, before exiting, for at least one from a group
comprising: a set period of time, a random period of time, a
search-term dependent period of time. In this manner, a mechanism
for making the process more flexible is provided. Furthermore,
introducing a random time period for navigation around the website
further makes the process difficult to detect and recognise that it
is a repeated process by the Internet search engine.
[0022] According to an optional feature, the processor engine may
comprise a user interface, for example a graphical web browser or a
non-graphical text-based web browser, operably coupled to the at
least one processor to facilitate loading at least one from a group
comprising: the at least one search term into the program running
on the at least one processor; the target list comprising at least
one website that is to be promoted. In this manner, a user-friendly
process/mechanism for affecting a website's page ranking in an
Internet search engine is provided.
[0023] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is
provided an integrated circuit for affecting a website's position
on at least one Internet search engine's page ranking. The
integrated circuit comprises at least one processor. The at least
one processor is arranged to: load at least one search term into a
program running on the at least one processor; load a target list
comprising at least one website that is to be promoted; and create
an Internet connection. The at least one processor is further
arranged to request a search of the at least one search term on the
at least one Internet search engine; identify at least one website
search hit that matches at least one website on the target list;
and access the identified at least one website a plurality of
times, affecting the at least one website's position on the
Internet search engine's page ranking.
[0024] According to a third aspect of the invention, there is
provided method for affecting a website's (URL) position on a
search engine's page ranking. The method comprises, at a processor,
loading at least one search term into a program; loading a target
list comprising at least one website that is to be promoted;
creating an Internet connection; requesting a search of the at
least one search term on the at least one Internet search engine;
identifying at least one website search hit that matches at least
one website on the target list; and accessing the identified at
least one website a plurality of times, affecting the at least one
website's position on the Internet search engine's page
ranking.
[0025] According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is
provided a tangible computer program product having executable
program code stored therein for affecting a website's position on
at least one Internet search engine's page ranking, the program
code operable for, when executed at a processor, performing the
method according to the third aspect of the invention.
[0026] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent
from, and elucidated with reference to, the embodiments described
hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] Further details, aspects and embodiments of the invention
will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the
drawings. Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity
and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. Like
reference numerals have been included in the respective drawings to
ease understanding.
[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of part of a processor-based
(computer) system.
[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates a more detailed example block diagram of
a processor engine within a processor-based (computer) system.
[0030] FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified block diagram of the
processor engine.
[0031] FIG. 4 illustrates a simplified flowchart of a method for
affecting a website's (URL) position on a search engine's page
ranking within a processor-based (computer) system.
[0032] FIG. 5 illustrates a typical computing system that may be
employed to implement signal processing functionality in example
embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] Some examples of the invention will be described in terms of
computer program that performs a scalable computer-implemented
method of affecting a website's (e.g. URL) position on a search
engine's page ranking. In particular, examples of the invention may
merely scan pre-existing information and re-order the information,
such that page rankings may be re-ordered whilst leaving content
intact. Favourable and/or more balanced web sites may then be
manipulated to displace and rank higher than negative sites and/or
less balanced web sites.
[0034] In some examples, a user specified word, words or phrase may
be provided to at least one search engine, for example by at least
one processor in a processor engine. The at least one processor may
use the search engine to perform a search of the user specified
word, words or phrase. From the list of search hits provided by the
search engine, the at least one processor may only select the
`hits`, say from a target list, which may be also defined by the
user. In some examples, the at least one processor may then access
the one or more website, multiple times. The process of performing
this associates the user specified word, words or phrase with at
least one desired website, and therefore increases the at least one
website's page rank within the search engine, thereby making the
user-selected website more visible to users of the search
engine.
[0035] In this manner, the at least one processor in a processor
engine may enable a user to specify an user specified search term
in the form of a word, words or phrase, and provide these via, say,
a web browser to at least one Internet search engine and perform a
search. Then, for example using a list of user-specified/preferred
websites, the at least one processor in a processor engine may be
arranged to only select the websites of interest from the search
engine `hits`. In subsequently accessing these websites, an
association between the search terms and the websites may be
created and/or the website(s) page ranking on the Internet search
engine may be affected. In some examples of the present invention,
the at least one processor in a processor engine may be arranged to
access the website and automatically navigate around the website
for a period of time, in order to register `sufficient`
activity/interest in the web-site according to any Internet search
engine rules, before the program exits. The at least one processor
in a processor engine may then select a new IP address, for example
from a different country, and in some examples perhaps using the
search terms in a different language and repeats the process.
[0036] In some examples, an advantage over the current known method
of associating search terms with a website and then promoting that
website is that the present invention does not require access to,
and/or changes made to, the existing website. Furthermore, examples
of the present invention require no relationship with the website
to be promoted, which can be advantageously provided in any
location, in any country, on the Internet.
[0037] In some examples, the invention may be performed in hardware
or firmware. In some examples, a processor or processor-based
system with an Internet connection capability may provide a
substantially anonymous automatic method to influence search terms
to a search engine(s) and adapt the specific search hits returned,
in order to select specific websites/URLs. The substantially
anonymous automatic method (and apparatus therefor) may therefore
influence a user to visit these websites/URLs, therefore promoting
the selected websites/URLs.
[0038] Some examples of the invention require no access or
modifications/changes to the websites to be promoted. Furthermore,
some examples of the invention do not require the content of the
websites to be promoted to be dynamic or updated regularly. For
example, embodiments of the invention enable processing of both new
content and pre-existing content, e.g. a public relations company
generating a new Times-Online article as well as traffic to a
relevant pre-existing website that may have been, say, pushed back
to page 10 of a page ranking due to there being no/few visits for a
long period of time. Thus, traffic may be generated to both the new
site and the old pre-existing site and both promoted. Hence, some
examples of the invention may therefore satisfy the present demand
for re-ordering search engine page rankings, whilst leaving the
content of a website intact. Some examples of the invention may
achieve this benefit by merely scanning pre-existing information
and re-ordering it. In this manner, the present invention may be
able to promote any website, located anywhere in the world, and
make it more visible by increasing its search engine ranking. No
access or relationship with the website is required in order to
promote its ranking higher in a ranking list. One consequence of
this may be more favourable and/or more balanced web sites being
selected and thus ranked higher than negative sites. In this
manner, examples of the present invention may also be used as a
reputation, product or service promotion tool.
[0039] In some examples, the processor engine or processor-based
system (such as a computer system) may run at least an equivalent
of an Intel.TM. Pentium.TM. based processor or equivalent,
preferably with a memory capacity of, say, 1 Gbyte and hard drive
capacity of 10 Gbyte. In some examples, the processor engine may
utilise a keyboard and/or mouse. The computer or processor engine
requires a network connection to the Internet. In some examples,
the processor engine may be remotely controlled, for example
through a web-interface, etc. from any suitable electronic device,
e.g. from a dummy PC. In this example, the processor engine may not
necessarily require direct connection with a keyboard and/or
mouse.
[0040] In some examples of the present invention, the computer or
processor engine may employ a version or derivative of the Linux
Operating System. However, in other examples, the invention may be
performed using substantially any other present day Operating
System.
[0041] In some examples of the present invention, an Internet web
browser may be installed along with an anonymous web proxy
application and browser specific plugin. The anonymous proxy
application software may be installed in the processor engine and,
in some examples in conjunction with a browser plugin as an
optional extra to the browser. In some examples, the anonymous
proxy application software creates an anonymous relay or circuit to
the Internet and to the desired search engine or target website.
This circuit may be at a network routing level to facilitate the
Internet connection, and thus not at a graphical level. In some
examples, the browser plugin enables the web browser, either via a
graphical or text version, to utilise this anonymous circuit using,
say, hyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP) etc., and to provide the
facility to turn `on` or `off` the anonymous function for the
browser's use.
[0042] In some examples of the present invention, the processor
engine may be able to associate specified search terms and
website(s)/URLs on one or more search engine(s) and then select
only specific website(s)/URLs from the resultant search hits,
thereby increasing the visibility of the specified website(s)/URLs
on search engine page ranking.
[0043] In some examples, the processor(s) may be programmed to
automatically wait a random period of time, select a different
source IP address, exit the program and thereafter repeat the
process.
[0044] In some examples, a user may be able to specify a selection
of Internet search engine(s) and/or search terms, to be used, which
could be the word(s) or phrase that will be entered into a search
engine. In some examples, a user is also able to specify a
selection of website(s) that are to be promoted, in a form of a
target list, which will be the website(s) whose promotion in the
search engines' ranking is desired.
[0045] Referring now to FIG. 1, an example of part of a
processor-based (computer) system 100 is illustrated. A processor
engine 105 is arranged to receive (in communication 115) one or
more search criteria from a client search request/client input 110.
Such a communication 115 may be performed locally or remotely with
a wired or wireless connection to/from the processor engine 105.
The processor engine 105 may comprise at least one processor (not
shown), which is/are arranged to load the at least one search term
into a program running on the at least one processor. In addition,
a target list 125, comprising for example one or more target
website(s) 130 (e.g. designated by uniform resource locators
(URLs)) are loaded 120 into the processor engine 105. The processor
may then load the target list 125 comprising at least one website
130 that is to be promoted. The processor engine 105 creates an
Internet connection and accesses 135 the Internet 140, and in some
examples, accesses at least one Internet search engine therein.
From there, the processor engine 105 is able to access 145 a number
(and potentially a very large number) of website(s)/URLs 150
related to the search terms/criteria. The processor is further
arranged to request a search of the at least one search term on the
at least one Internet search engine and identify at least one
website search hit that matches at least one website on the target
list 125. In some examples, the identification of at least one
website search hit that matches at least one website on the target
list 125 may include at least one website that protects or enhances
a reputation of an individual or company, as compared to one that
denigrates the individual or company. As such, by targeting
website(s) that protect(s) or enhance(s) a reputation of an
individual or company, a relatively positive view of the individual
or company may be more readily seen from an Internet user accessing
information on that individual or company. Alternatively, it is
also possible to target one or more website(s) that indicates
truthful facts about, say, an individual or company, which may not
necessarily enhance(s) that individual's or company's reputation
but may offer a more balanced view. Taken to the extreme, a
relatively negative, but more accurate, view of the individual or
company may be more readily seen from an Internet user accessing
information on that individual or company.
[0046] The processor is further arranged to access the identified
at least one website a plurality of times, thereby affecting the at
least one website's position on the Internet search engine's page
ranking. In some examples, the processor may be arranged to
navigate around the website for a period of time 155. The period of
time 155 may be a set period of time or a random period of time, so
long as it is sufficient to register the processor's access of the
website as being one of interest, thereby making it difficult for
the Internet search engine to detect that the access was an
automated process or one focused on raising the visibility of the
website by affecting the websites page ranking on the Internet
search engine.
[0047] Thereafter, the processor may be arranged to access the
identified at least one website a plurality of times, by repeating
the process 160. In some examples, the processor may create a
plurality of further connections to the Internet. In some examples,
a plurality of further connections to the Internet may use at least
one different source internet protocol (IP) address. In some
examples, the at least one different source internet protocol (IP)
address may comprise a source IP address from a different country.
In this manner, the at least one processor may be able to hide or
disguise the intention to affect a website's (URL) position on a
search engine's page ranking due to the switching between a
plurality of Internet connections.
[0048] In some examples of the invention, the processor engine 105
may be configured to support language-specific searches. For
example, should the processor engine 105 identify the country
associated with an IP address (preferably an anonymous IP address)
that it has been assigned, the processor engine 105 may
automatically change the browser settings to use the same country
specific language in order to perform any on-going search(s) and/or
website(s) browsing. Thus, and advantageously, this feature may be
implemented within the processor engine 105 regardless of where in
the world the processor engine 105 is located. In one example, the
processor engine 105 may detect, say, a German IP address and could
change the browser settings to use the German language. Thereafter,
the processor engine 105 may be configured to use a German language
search engine in order to perform any search(s) and access any
website(s) matches.
[0049] Furthermore, in some examples, the processor engine 105 may
perform country-specific searches. In this example, the processor
engine 105 may be configured to perform all searches and website
visits within one or more specified countries, regions or
continents. In some examples, the processor engine 105 may be
configured to use only anonymous IP addresses that have been
assigned to a specific country. Thereafter, the processor engine
105 may be configured to automatically change the browser settings
to use the same country specific language and to perform all
searches only on search engines within that country, and/or only
access one or more website(s) within that country. Thus, and
advantageously, this feature may be implemented within the
processor engine 105 regardless of where in the world the processor
engine 105 is located. In one example, the processor engine 105 may
be configured to operate only, say, within France. In one example,
the processor engine 105 may be configured to detect only French
anonymous IP addresses and then change the browser to use French
language. The processor engine 105 may then use a French language
search engine to perform any search(s) and access any website(s)
matches, whilst staying within the boundaries of France.
[0050] Additionally and advantageously, in some examples, the
processor engine 105 may be configured to perform browser
switching, as the processor engine 105 does not rely on any
specific web browser. In this example, the processor engine 105 may
have the capability to switch its browser make, version and/or
language on demand or randomly. This provides the processor engine
105 with the ability to simulate any user or country specific
profile.
[0051] Furthermore, in some examples, the processor engine 105 may
be configured to perform website navigation. In this example, the
processor engine 105 may be configured to perform the search in the
normal manner, but when the processor engine 105 accesses the one
or more identified website(s) (e.g. as specified in the target
list), the processor engine 105 is configured to automatically
navigate through a portion or the entire website, selecting, say,
some or all specified links, e.g. for a set or random period of
time.
[0052] Referring now to FIG. 2, a more detailed example block
diagram of a processor engine within a processor-based (computer)
system 200 is illustrated. In some examples of the present
invention, a processor engine 205 comprises one or more processors
208, 209, which may be configured to affect a website's (URL)
position on a search engine's page ranking by running, for example,
a software program from the operating system. In some examples, an
operating system may load a program into a computer memory. In some
examples, the processor engine 205 may be arranged to create a
substantially anonymous connection to the Internet 215. In some
examples, one or more search terms may be read 225 from a search
list 220 and loaded into the program in computer memory. In some
examples, these search terms may be of a form of a word, words or
phrase. In one example, an Internet web browser 235 is started 230
and the program ensures that the processor (or computer) connects
240 to an Internet search engine 238 (or number of search engines)
of interest.
[0053] In some examples, user-defined search terms may be provided,
say via the web browser 235, to the Internet search engine (or
number of search engines) and a search requested. The resultant
search `hits` are routed to the processor engine 205 by the search
engine(s) 238 and, in some examples, displayed/read. In 255, the
program loads one or more website(s) and a target list that is to
be associated with the search terms and that are to be promoted.
Thereafter, the program reads or extracts those one or more
website(s) from the list of search `hits` 260 provided by the
search engine(s) 238, e.g. the `hits`, that match those provided by
the target list. The Internet web browser then reads the target
list provided in 250 and accesses 265 one or more of the remaining,
or each of the, websites 270.
[0054] In communication 258, a log entry may be written to a log
file 275 by the program performed on the one or more processor(s)
208, 209, whereby the log file may contain information about, say,
date and time, the search terms and target list and the source IP
address used. In some examples, this information may be used for
management reporting and analysis. The program may determine
whether to navigate to the next website 270. In this manner, the
program is able to transition through each of the websites defined
by the target list 250. In some examples, this successive
transitioning between websites may be continued for a fixed time,
say controlled by timer 212. In some examples, this successive
transitioning between websites may be continued for a random period
of time, thereby making it more difficult for the Internet search
engine to detect the website as having been accessed by the same
processor engine 205 (or processor 208, 209) multiple times.
[0055] If no more of the identified websites 270 to be accessed
exist, the program may exit, close the web browser and the
anonymous Internet connection. The process may then re-start from
205. For example, the at least one processor 208, 209 may be
arranged to access the identified at least one website a plurality
of times, by creating a plurality of further connections to the
Internet.
[0056] In some optional examples, a plurality of further
connections to the Internet may use at least one different source
internet protocol (IP) address. This provides the processor engine
205 with the ability to `simulate` (inasmuch as it is recognised by
an internet search engine) a plurality of individual users clicking
on an internet link. In some optional examples, the at least one
different source internet protocol (IP) address may comprise a
source IP address from a different country. In this manner, the at
least one processor may be able to hide or disguise the intention
to affect a website's (URL) position on a search engine's page
ranking due to the switching between a plurality of Internet
connections.
[0057] In some examples, a communications interface to the one or
more processor(s) 208, 209 is provided, and may comprise an SEO
portal 285, which may be an Internet facing secure portal used for
access to the processor engine 205. In some examples, the SEO
portal 285 may allow configuration of new search terms and
website(s) to be visited/accessed. In this manner, any Search
Engine Optimisation (SEO) user or company may be provided with the
capability to manage a number of processor engines 205 or servers,
as defined, say, by their respective license agreement. In some
examples, the SEO portal may provide any system administrator/user
with the capability to manage any number of processor engines 205
or processors 208, 209, located anywhere in the world and permit
configuration of these to perform searches and website
visits/accesses. A subset of the statistics and management
information relating to the SEO may also be available to view,
export and print via link 280. Although in the illustrated example
the SEO portal is shown distal from the processor engine 205, in
some examples, the SEO portal 285 may reside within the processor
engine 205.
[0058] In some examples, a communications controller (not shown)
may also be coupled to application modules 290 or software programs
to allow various users (e.g. companies or individuals) access 295
to the processor engine 205 via any suitable means.
[0059] Referring now to FIG. 3, a simplified block diagram of the
processor engine 105 is illustrated. In this example, the processor
engine 105 comprises a plurality of processors, with only two
processors 208, 209 shown for clarity purposes only. The processor
engine 105 further comprises a memory 310, which in some examples
is used for storing search terms, language-specific data,
country-specific data, web-browser related data, Internet search
engine related data, etc. The processor engine 105 further
comprises a communications controller 340, operably coupled to a
web portal 335, which in some examples is used for remote access of
the processor engine 105. In some examples, the communications
controller 340 is operably coupled to communications interface 345,
for interfacing with the Internet, and in some examples an Internet
search engine.
[0060] The processor engine 105 further comprises a user interface
315, which may comprise a touch screen and/or keyboard, and/or
mouse, etc. for interfacing with a user. In some examples, user
interface 315 may comprise an administrator control panel, which
provides an Internet facing secure portal that may be used for
access to the processor engine 105 to allow configuration of new
search terms and website(s) to be visited/accessed. In some
examples, the administrator control panel may provide any system
administrator/user with the capability to manage any number of
processor engines 105 or processors 208, 209 located anywhere in
the world and permit configuration of these to perform searches and
website visits/accesses. All statistics and management information
will also be available to view, export and print.
[0061] In some examples, user interface 315 may comprise an user
Portal, which may be an Internet facing secure portal to be used
for access to the processor engine 105 to allow an end user to view
any progress and page ranking of their particular search term(s)
and website(s). This user Portal may also provide the user or
company with a capability to view user specific statistics and
management information, which may also be available to view, export
and print.
[0062] The processor engine 105 further comprises a timer module
160, operably coupled to an internal data log module 325 and/or an
external data log module 330, which in some examples is used as a
reporting tool for activities performed by the processor engine
105.
[0063] In some examples, the data log module 325, 330 may be used
to gather statistics and management information as well as to
generate, say monthly or on-demand reports that can be provided to
users/clients. In some examples, the statistics and management
information may be constructed from one or more of the following:
the search terms(s) used, website(s) visited, time and date of a
website access, one or more source IP address(es) used,
country(/ies) visited from, language(s) used, browser(s) used, and
the number of total visits within a period of, say, one month, or
as defined, and the page rank of the website(s) of interest per
search engine.
[0064] In this example, the processor engine 105 comprises an
integrated circuit 305 that may be located in a computer-system or
processing-based system. In other examples, the integrated circuit
may solely comprise the processor engine 105, or one or more of the
processors 208, 209, with other components provided in distinct
circuits or further integrated circuits or memory ICs, etc.
[0065] In some examples, the communications controller 340 may also
be coupled to application modules 350 or software programs. In one
example, the application module(s) 350 may comprise a smartphone
Administrator App, which may be used as a smartphone application in
order to provide access to the processor engine 105 to allow
configuration of new search terms and website(s) to be
visited/accessed. In some examples, the application modules 350 may
provide any system administrator or user the capability to manage
any number of processor engines 105 or servers located anywhere in
the world and permit configuration of these to perform searches and
website visits. All statistics and management information will also
be available to view.
[0066] In one example, the application module(s) 350 may comprise a
smartphone SEO App, which may be used for access to the processor
engine 105 to allow configuration of new search terms and
website(s) to be visited. The smartphone SEO App may provide any
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) user or company the capability to
manage a number of processor engines 105 or servers, as defined by
their respective license agreement. Advantageously, the smartphone
SEO App may be located anywhere in the world and permit
configuration of program variables in order to perform searches and
access one or more websites. A subset of the statistics and
management information relating the SEO may also be available to
view.
[0067] In one example, the application module(s) 350 may comprise a
smartphone User App, which may be used for access to the processor
engine 105 to allow an end user to see progress and page ranking of
their particular search term(s) and website(s). The smartphone User
App may provide the user or company the capability to view user
specific statistics and management information, which may also be
available to view, export and print.
[0068] In some examples, the processor engine 105 may be configured
to support website detection and cloning. In this example, the
processor engine 105 may be configured to not only automatically
search for specified keyword(s) and then visit/access a predefined
or search engine result website(s) with a view to promotion of the
website(s), but the processor engine 105 may visit/access these
website(s) to create an actual copy of all websites visited. In
this regard, the processor engine 105 may be configured to perform
a recursive `HTTP GET` operation, which in essence means that the
processor engine 105 visits a website and follows every link on the
website, saves each and every link and copies and saves every
picture and document. The processor engine 105 may then create a
local folder (directory) on the initiating machine and copy the
saved files in a way that a user is able to go to the folder, open
the index.html (first page) and view the site (off-line) as if was
the original website, but where no internet connection is required.
Freely available versions of a product that supports website
cloning exist, and are incorporated herein by reference, including
HTTRACK (www.httrack.com) or Website Extractor
(http://www.offline-browser.com). In this example, the processor
engine 105 has the capability to make an entire copy of any website
containing these search terms. For example the processor engine 105
may be configured to monitor for the existence of certain
intellectual property or sensitive information that should not
exist on the Internet, but if detected automatically makes a clone
of any websites found for subsequent investigation/analysis.
[0069] In some examples of the present invention, the processor
engine 105 may be configured to work with an installed Internet web
browser and/or with an anonymous web proxy application and browser
specific plugin. In this regard, the processor engine 105 may
utilise many websites all over the world that offer free and open
(un-authenticated) re-routing of HTTP requests. This means that a
user's web browser uses some software installed on their computer
that allows connections to one of these anonymous web proxy
applications that, in effect, act as `relays`. The relay then
connects to the target website, thus hiding the originating users
source IP address. Once the software has been installed on the
user's computer the `anonymous relay` function can be turned `on`
or `off` by clicking on a software switch that uses a browser
plugin in order to use (or not use) the `anonymous` option in the
web proxy applications. Commercial applications that offer this
functionality include PROXIFY (www.proxify.com) and A4PROXY
(www.inetprivacy.com/a4proxy), the general teaching of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
[0070] In some examples of the present invention, the processor
engine 105 may be configured to create a connection to the Internet
that is substantially unique (noting that there is a finite amount
of IP addresses available) and anonymous. In this manner, the
Internet search engine may not be able to recognise the originating
(source) IP address and may only be able to see the IP address
provided by the anonymous web proxy application. In this manner,
any processor or processor engine or computer running software
according to the claimed invention may connect to the internet
using different anonymous proxies going to the same search engine
or website and even though the originating IP address is the same
the search engine or website believes it to be different every
visit In some optional examples, such anonymous IP addresses are
used randomly so that no footprint from a single IP address is
left.
[0071] In some examples of the present invention, as illustrated in
the flowchart 400 of FIG. 4, a method for affecting a website's
(URL) position on a search engine's page ranking is initiated by
running, for example, a software program from the operating system.
The method commences in 410, and in 415 the operating system loads
a program into a computer memory. In 420, a program stored in a
processor is arranged to create a substantially anonymous
connection to the Internet. In this context, a processor or
processor engine `simulates` (inasmuch as it is recognised by an
internet search engine) a new individual user clicking on an
internet link, using an anonymous source IP address, a different
country from the true originating country of the connection, etc.
In 425, one or more search terms are read and loaded into the
program. In some examples, these search terms may be of a form of a
word, words or phrase. In one example, as shown in 430, an Internet
web browser is started and the program ensures that the processor
(or computer) connects to an Internet search engine (or number of
search engines) of interest.
[0072] In 435, user-defined search terms may be provided, say via
the web browser, to the Internet search engine (or number of search
engines) and a search requested. The resultant search `hits` are
displayed in 440 by the search engine(s) and read. In 442, a user
or subscriber may be provided with an opportunity to enter one or
more website(s) and/or a target list that is to be promoted. In
445, the program loads one or more website(s) and a target list
that is to be associated with the search terms and that are to be
promoted. Thereafter, in 450, the Program reads or extracts those
one or more website(s) from the list of search `hits` provided by
the search engine(s) in 440, e.g. the `hits`, that match those
provided by the target list.
[0073] In 452, the program may optionally generate a link to the
one or more of the remaining, or each of the, website(s) using the
search engine. For example, in some embodiments, the search engine
may generate a list of `hits` based on the submitted search terms,
and from this list the one or more processors may select the hits
(e.g. websites) that match the target list. If the target list URL
is not on the list of hits from the search engine results we go to
it anyway. In some examples, the approach/method taken is to employ
the search engine to generate a link to the sites that are selected
or provided, per the target list. The search engine, when asked for
this link, generates a link that is associated with the submitted
one or more search term(s) and includes, for example, the target
list URL. Therefore, in this manner, an association is made by the
search engine between the search terms, the search process and the
target website. The association, and subsequent access of the
search engine's link, has a bearing on the target list website's
page ranking. Advantageously, the link access is from the search
engine and, thus, any analysis of the access is not directly
associated with the user/source IP address. In 455, the Internet
web browser then reads the target list provided in 450 and accesses
one or more of the remaining, or each of the, website(s).
[0074] In 460, a log entry may be written to a log file by the
program, whereby the log file may contain information about, say,
date and time, the search terms and target list and the source IP
address used. In some examples, this information may be used for
management reporting and analysis, as shown in 465. In 470, the
program may determine whether to navigate to the next website and
return to 455. In this manner, the program is able to transition
475 through each of the websites defined by the target list. In
some examples, this successive transitioning between websites may
be continued for a fixed time. In some examples, this successive
transitioning between websites may be continued for, say a random
period of time. If no more of the identified websites to be
accessed exist, in 470, the program exits in 480, closes the web
browser and the anonymous Internet connection. The process may then
re-start from 415, 420, 425 or 430.
[0075] Thus, in a number of applications, the processor engine 105
may, in accordance with examples of the invention, effectively
perform a method for affecting a website's (URL) position on a
search engine's page ranking. The method comprises loading 425 at
least one search term into a program 425; loading 445 a target list
comprising at least one website that is to be promoted; creating
420 an Internet connection; requesting a search of the at least one
search term on the at least one Internet search engine; identifying
at least one website search hit that matches at least one website
on the target list; and accessing the identified at least one
website a plurality of times, affecting the at least one website's
position on the Internet search engine's page ranking.
[0076] In this manner, given the automatic nature of the at least
one processor's accessing and navigating around one or more
websites, no subsequent human intervention is required to affect
the website's position on at least one Internet search engine's
page ranking. Furthermore, in this manner, by accessing the
identified at least one website a plurality of times, flexibility
may be provided to enable a decision to be made as to how far up
the at least one Internet search engine's page ranking the desired
website may appear, for example in the first page or at least in
the first two pages. In some examples, the processor may be
arranged to intermittently visit the Internet search engine and
determine the current page ranking of the desired website in order
to identify whether a desired page ranking has been achieved, and
if not repeat the process one or more times. In some examples, once
a desired page ranking has been achieved, the at least one
processor may transition to another search term, a different
language of the same search term, a different Internet search
engine, another website from the target list, etc.
[0077] Thus, in some examples, a method is described that provides
a user specified word, words or phrase to a search engine(s), uses
a search engine to perform a search, but from the lists of search
hits provided by the search engine only selects the `hits` defined
by the user and accesses the match website(s). In one example, the
process associates the user specified word, words or phrase with
the desired website(s) and therefore increases the website(s) page
rank within the search engine making it more visible. In some
examples, the accessed website may be navigated for a period of
time before the program exits, selects a new IP address and repeats
the process.
[0078] In some examples, the number of times a website can be
visited can be specified once, a pre-determined number of times
and/or indefinitely. The user has the option for the website to be
visited once only and exit, a given number of times, say 100, and
then exit or run continuously until either stopped by the user when
the page ranking meets a pre-defined position. In this manner, the
user may be provided with an ability, either directly or remotely,
say via the smartphone User App, to control or cap a number of
times that a website is accessed. Additionally, in this manner,
with a user provided with, say, the smartphone User App as well as
access to search engines, the user is provided with an ability to
control the number of times a website is accessed and therefore a
relative order of a plurality of websites within a search engine
page ranking, by stopping or starting respective website promotion
processes to raise their individual rankings by a desired
amount.
[0079] Advantageously, in some example embodiments, in contrast to
the known current method of associating search terms with a
website, and/or modifying the content of the website, and then
promoting that website, the present invention does not require
modification of the existing website in order to make changes to
its ranking. Indeed, aspects of the present invention require no
relationship with the website that is to be promoted, which
advantageously can be provided in any location on the Internet.
[0080] The technical features currently employed by the present
invention include a graphical browser. In some examples, the
graphical browser may be replaced with a non-graphical text-based
web browser.
[0081] Referring now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a typical
computing system 500 that may be employed to implement signal
processing functionality in embodiments of the invention. Computing
systems of this type may be used in wired or wireless communication
units. Those skilled in the relevant art will also recognize how to
implement the invention using other computer systems or
architectures. Computing system 500 may represent, for example, a
desktop, laptop or notebook computer, hand-held computing device
(PDA, cell phone, palmtop, etc.), mainframe, server, client, or any
other type of special or general purpose computing device as may be
desirable or appropriate for a given application or environment.
Computing system 500 can include one or more processors, such as a
processor 504. Processor 504 can be implemented using a general or
special-purpose processing engine such as, for example, a
microprocessor, microcontroller or other control module. In this
example, processor 504 is connected to a bus 502 or other
communications medium.
[0082] Computing system 500 can also include a main memory 508,
such as random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic memory, for
storing information and instructions to be executed by processor
504. Main memory 508 also may be used for storing temporary
variables or other intermediate information during execution of
instructions to be executed by processor 504. Computing system 500
may likewise include a read only memory (ROM) or other static
storage device coupled to bus 502 for storing static information
and instructions for processor 504.
[0083] The computing system 500 may also include information
storage system 510, which may include, for example, a media drive
512 and a removable storage interface 520. The media drive 512 may
include a drive or other mechanism to support fixed or removable
storage media, such as a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a
magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a compact disc (CD) or
digital video drive (DVD) read or write drive (R or RW), or other
removable or fixed media drive. Storage media 518 may include, for
example, a hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, CD
or DVD, or other fixed or removable medium that is read by and
written to by media drive 512. As these examples illustrate, the
storage media 518 may include a computer-readable storage medium
having particular computer software or data stored therein.
[0084] In alternative embodiments, information storage system 510
may include other similar components for allowing computer programs
or other instructions or data to be loaded into computing system
500. Such components may include, for example, a removable storage
unit 522 and an interface 520, such as a program cartridge and
cartridge interface, a removable memory (for example, a flash
memory or other removable memory module) and memory slot, and other
removable storage units 522 and interfaces 520 that allow software
and data to be transferred from the removable storage unit 518 to
computing system 500.
[0085] Computing system 500 can also include a communications
interface 524. Communications interface 524 can be used to allow
software and data to be transferred between computing system 500
and external devices. Examples of communications interface 524 can
include a modem, a network interface (such as an Ethernet or other
NIC card), a communications port (such as for example, a universal
serial bus (USB) port), a PCMCIA slot and card, etc. Software and
data transferred via communications interface 524 are in the form
of signals which can be electronic, electromagnetic, and optical or
other signals capable of being received by communications interface
524. These signals are provided to communications interface 524 via
a channel 528. This channel 528 may carry signals and may be
implemented using a wireless medium, wire or cable, fibre optics,
or other communications medium. Some examples of a channel include
a phone line, a cellular phone link, an RF link, a network
interface, a local or wide area network, and other communications
channels.
[0086] In this document, the terms `computer program product`,
`computer-readable medium` and the like may be used generally to
refer to tangible media such as, for example, memory 508, storage
device 518, or storage unit 522. These and other forms of
computer-readable media may store one or more instructions for use
by processor 504, to cause the processor to perform specified
operations. Such instructions, generally referred to as `computer
program code` (which may be grouped in the form of computer
programs or other groupings), when executed, enable the computing
system 500 to perform functions of embodiments of the present
invention. Note that the code may directly cause the processor to
perform specified operations, be compiled to do so, and/or be
combined with other software, hardware, and/or firmware elements
(e.g., libraries for performing standard functions) to do so.
[0087] In an embodiment where the elements are implemented using
software, the software may be stored in a computer-readable medium
and loaded into computing system 500 using, for example, removable
storage drive 522, drive 512 or communications interface 524. The
control module (in this example, software instructions or
executable computer program code), when executed by the processor
504, causes the processor 504 to perform the functions of the
invention as described herein.
[0088] Furthermore, the inventive concept can be applied to any
circuit for performing signal processing functionality within a
network element. It is further envisaged that, for example, a
semiconductor manufacturer may employ the inventive concept in a
design of a stand-alone device, such as a microcontroller of a
digital signal processor (DSP), or application-specific integrated
circuit (ASIC) and/or any other sub-system element.
[0089] It will be appreciated that, for clarity purposes, the above
description has described embodiments of the invention with
reference to a single signal processing module. However, the
inventive concept may equally be implemented by way of a plurality
of different functional units and processors to provide the signal
processing functionality. Accordingly, it will be understood that
the term `signal processing module` used herein is intended to
encompass one or more signal processing functional units, circuits
and/or processors. Thus, references to specific functional units
are only to be seen as references to suitable means for providing
the described functionality, rather than indicative of a strict
logical or physical structure or organization.
[0090] Aspects of the invention may be implemented in any suitable
form including hardware, software, firmware or any combination of
these. The invention may optionally be implemented, at least
partly, as computer software running on one or more data processors
and/or digital signal processors or configurable module components
such as field programmable gate array (FPGA) devices. Thus, the
elements and components of an embodiment of the invention may be
physically, functionally and logically implemented in any suitable
way. Indeed, the functionality may be implemented in a single unit,
in a plurality of units or as part of other functional units.
[0091] Although the present invention has been described in
connection with some embodiments, it is not intended to be limited
to the specific form set forth herein. Rather, the scope of the
present invention is limited only by the accompanying claims.
Additionally, although a feature may appear to be described in
connection with particular embodiments, one skilled in the art
would recognize that various features of the described embodiments
may be combined in accordance with the invention. In the claims,
the term `comprising` does not exclude the presence of other
elements or steps.
[0092] Furthermore, although individually listed, a plurality of
means, elements or method steps may be implemented by, for example,
a single unit or processor. Additionally, although individual
features may be included in different claims, these may possibly be
advantageously combined, and the inclusion in different claims does
not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or
advantageous. Also, the inclusion of a feature in one category of
claims does not imply a limitation to this category, but rather
indicates that the feature is equally applicable to other claim
categories, as appropriate.
[0093] Furthermore, and as would be appreciated by a skilled
person, the order of features in the claims, does not imply any
specific order in which the features must be performed and in
particular the order of individual steps in a method claim does not
imply that the steps must be performed in this order. Rather, the
steps may be performed in any suitable order. In addition, singular
references do not exclude a plurality. Thus, references to `a`,
`an`, `first`, `second`, etc. do not preclude a plurality.
[0094] Thus, an improved method and apparatus for affecting a
website's position on at least one Internet search engine's page
ranking have been described, wherein the aforementioned
disadvantages with prior art arrangements have been substantially
alleviated.
* * * * *
References