WO2001020495A1 - System for organisation, presentation, orientation and selection of information - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for making available and manageable any type and volume of information originating from information sources and accessible via communication networks, as well as making any item thereof retrievable for enquirers and for finding relationships and underlying information, characterised in that: a. the system provides the information sources with suitable means and activates and/or guides and/or exercises control on the description, visualisation, naming and/or classification of items in the offers and/or information, in detail, by the source itself in accordance with a uniform specific methodology, on the basis of: typifying and/or descriptive characteristics; b. the system provides enquirers, after the latter have connected to the system, with suitable means to enable them to request items in the offers, and/or to enable them to orient themselves with respect to items in the offers, in accordance with a uniform, specific methodology; c. information sources are accessed to make available for presentation information relating to and/or linked with items requested from the offers; d. enquirers are able, in a repeat procedure, to select items from the information presented, which, depending on the progress of the said procedure, adjusts and/or continually further reduces the offers, such that ultimately a final selection can be made.

Description

System for organisation, presentation, orientation and selection of information.

System for making available and manageable any type and volume of information originating from information sources and accessible via communication networks, as well as making any item thereof retrievable by enquirers and for finding relationships and underlying information.

Prior art

The development, implementation and use of digital networks for, inter alia, communication and to provide information has led to concepts such as the "Electronic Information Highway" and the "World Wide Web" (WWW). Digital communication networks offer a virtually infinite number of possibilities and major applications are anticipated in virtually every field.

One of the best known examples of a digital network is the Internet. To obtain a presence on the Internet it is possible to define a domain in combination with an address, or, to put it briefly, an Internet site. Accessing sites and sending e-mails to sites functions well if and insofar as the addresses of those sites, or the links to the sites, are known to enquirers. However, the problems arise when information on something specific is wanted from several sources but the enquirer has no addresses or links and does not know the sources.

Search engines have been developed in an attempt to solve the increasing problems in this area. Enquirers compile keywords and attempt to set search engines on the proper track by formulating and specifying what is being sought as well as possible in advance. The information sought is sometimes found rapidly. More frequently there are avalanches of responses which, although they are related to the query, are not the desired answer. Enquirers cannot find web content, or can find this only in fragments, and evidently content cannot pull in the searchers. It is true that information providers try to attract the attention of information searchers to their sites, but the results are far from satisfactory.

Many searchers become discouraged because they cannot find or are only able to find part of the information they are looking for and because in many cases the information produced by search engines is a different type of content and because it is^" impossible or virtually impossible to make comparisons amongst the right content, and as a result there is frequently chaos.

The information is not accessible or not easily accessible because amongst other things this information is not matched to search engines by the providers and, on the one hand, has in many different ways been classified broadly and/or in only a limited manner and, on the other hand, because the words used by enquirers to retrieve the information are entirely arbitrary and formulated and/or selected in individually different ways.

Although search engines attempt to index the entire World Wide Web it can be seen from research, and according to recent publications, that only a very small proportion of the approximately 800 million current Internet pages are covered by search engines.

Even if we assume that, despite the growth at an increasing rate, all pages can be indexed, there is then still the problem of the need to use very accurate, virtually precise, keywords, in order to be able to be pointed to the intended end result, that is to say the correct addresses of pages, via the search engines in one operation. Practice shows that in the majority of cases many unintended answers are obtained, whilst the intended answers are too frequently not even included.

Another characteristic lies in the fact that it is not possible to obtain a full listing of all the offers in, for example, one category in such a way that it is possible to compare the various offerings, such as different makes, suppliers, prices and types with one another. Recent research publications demonstrate that search engines are not keeping pace with the growth of the Internet.

The problems described above are considered to be insoluble using the current state of the art.

To summarise, a wealth of content is accessible via digital networks. However, there is as yet no method 1) on the basis of which this wealth of content is effectively made available to persons, 2) by means of which the large volume of data is made manageable for enquirers, 3) by means of which each item in the content becomes retrievable and 4) by means of which the interrelationships are found and underlying information is thus made available. There is also as yet no method that is able to compile the existing content in such a way that it is possible, for example, to call up and/or produce a summary of that content per topic, category, product class, price, rating for how up-to-date the information is. specification, supplier, etc.. so that the items in the content can be compared with one another with regard to multiple aspects. A few methods and systems are disclosed in the literature which appear to show correspondence with the present invention. However, the reader skilled in the art rapidly notices that the apparent correspondence results solely from the 'searching on keywords' and has virtually no relationship to the content of the documents. On the contrary: the patents, as cited and assessed below, contribute to acquiring the correct insight into the novelty of the system as described in the present patent application, and emphasise the inventive step thereof.

For example, a "Method and system for executing a guided parametric search"; WO 96 12238; Danish International Inc., is disclosed in the literature. What is concerned here is "A process for identifying a single item from a family of items from data files stored in a computer".

The characterising feature of this method and this system is that the various aspects relate to searching files and information previously stored in a computer memory: "stored files and stored information".

One of the disadvantages of this system is that the content and size of each of the searchable files, and also of all files together, has been predefined and is fixed, like the content of a catalogue printed on paper. The search method used by an enquirer does not exert any influence on the coverage, content or size of that "catalogue". Thus, there is no interactivity on the part of the supplier, whilst, partly as a result of this, the possibilities open to the enquirer remain restricted. A "Method for accessing computer files and data, using linked categories assigned to each data file record on entry of the data file record"; US 5 544 360 A; Paragon Concepts Inc.; Lewak, Jerzy et al.. is also disclosed in the literature. What is concerned here is "A computer filing system for accessing files and data records stored in a computer system".

The characterising feature of this method and this system is the 'translation' of search commands into predetermined features, keywords and categories. Since the number of available 'features' is. of course, limited, say to a few hundred, the possibilities of this system, and consequently the likelihood of reliably finding intended information, are also limited. Making a finer subdivision of possibilities for search commands would require a very substantial increase in the number of available keywords, up to several thousand. This would render the system unusable, inter alia because the overview which would then be required would be missing.

In addition, there can be instances where the 'feature words' do not have an unambiguous meaning but can be interpreted in several ways. The diverse possibilities of interpreting the keywords such as "agreement', 'addresses', 'comparison' and 'features' given by way of illustration in the patent text are obvious. The confusion is further increased if combinations of keywords are used. Users can thus be put onto the wrong track, which likewise renders the system unusable. Furthermore, what has been described with regard to patent specification WO 96 12238 also applies to this typical 'computer file control system".

"Facilitating World Wide Web searches utilizing a multiple search engine query clustering fusion strategy"; US 5 864 845 A; Siemens Corporate Research Inc., is also disclosed in the literature. What is concerned in this case is "A method implemented on a computer for facilitating WWW searches and like database searches by combining search result documents as provided by separate search engines."

The characteristic feature of this method and this system is the combination of existing search engines (offering more of the same is in fact not novel) in order thus to attempt to rectify fundamental defects in the current World Wide Web to some extent. It is also a fact that each of the individual search engines involved in the system is continually being changed and modified in order to achieve improvements. The system according to the abovementioned patent will therefore also have to keep track of, understand and get to grips with all of these modifications and will even itself have to implement these virtually with no loss of time. In practice this is not achievable, and certainly not in the long term, as a result of which, apart from the novelty value, the practical value of the said system is also low. On the grounds of, inter alia, the above, the patent described differs to a substantial extent from the present invention in nature, possible embodiments and applications.

We further consider US 5 933 827 A: International Business Machines Corporation; "System for identifying new web pages of interest to a user". The system mainly comprises a cataloguing function which defines a hierarchy of subject categories on the basis of which web pages are ranked in a logical manner in accordance with said categories, it being possible to add new web pages to said ranking from time to time. The said system is typically characterised by the said cataloguing function.

Existing and new web pages are catalogued in a manner which does not have any effect on the content of said pages. What has already been described with regard to patent specification WO 96 12238 also applies to this patent specification.

In conclusion it can be stated that in each of the abovementioned patents cataloguing functions and/or search engine functions are described which attempt to offer a solution to storage, searching and/or retrieval of files in a multiplicity of data files or for searching and being able to find web pages in a multiplicity of web pages. In this context the starting point for each of the patents is existing data files and/or web pages, or new web pages in the currently known embodiments. The patents each describe a certain degree of interactivity on the part of the

'enquirer' or 'user' but not on the part of the 'web page supplier' or 'supplier'. None of the patents describes a relationship between 'information provider' or 'information source' and 'enquirer', such as a relationship where the information source is activated to generate information and/or to make information available for presentation by the source itself, and/or is supervised during this operation, which activation is initiated by actions on the part of the enquirer; or such as a relationship where the content, nature and/or scope of the information to be generated and/or made available for presentation by the information source is made dependent on the nature of said actions on the part of the enquirer. Such relationships, where there is question of activity and/or interactivity both on the part of the 'enquirer' and on the part of the 'information provider' or 'information source' and the possibility exists that said interactions are also interrelated, are a few of the essential characteristics of the present patent application. For pure handling of concepts in the present patent application it is not so much a question of 'web page' or 'data file' but preferably of the more correct and more comprehensive term 'information source'.

In other words: one of the most important differences between the present invention and each of the cited patents is, inter alia, the innovative possibility of feedback from the 'enquirer' to the 'information source", comparable with the concept of 'just in time' in industrial production environments.

The present invention differs substantially from the cited known literature partly by the abovementioned characteristics. In other words, the current situation:

1. Items are being offered. The volume of offers are not manageable.

2. There is demand. Queries are partially answered or answered incorrectly.

3. There is no matching between supply and demand.

4. There is no system. 5. There are no search engines which are able to keep up with the growth of the WWW.

6. Orientation is not possible.

7. Comparison of offers is not possible.

8. Demand and supply are not able to find one another. 9. Opportunities are not being utilised to the full.

Aim of the invention

The aim of the invention is effectively to make available and manageable any type and volume of information accessible via communication networks and also to make any item thereof effectively retrievable and able to be related by anyone, that is to say including by non-computer users, by introducing greater and specialised systematics into both the classification scheme and naming of the offers and also by the use of a system by means of which everyone, using either a computer or a TV, is enabled, with the aid of the system, him or herself in the first instance to make a selection of an item by means of selection of a general category and to be informed of all variants within the item field, as a result of which a deliberate choice can finally be made. The ability to compare items with one another in all respects usually makes selection procedures very simple.

Thus, everyone will be able to find what is needed or what is sought and preferred from a large volume of offers, easily and without effort. It is also possible that in this way offers are presented which respond to a need which was not even known to exist. In other words:

The aim of this invention is to eliminate the abovementioned points 1 to 9.

The invention

In accordance with the abovementioned objective, the invention provides a system for making available and manageable any type and volume of information originating from information sources and accessible via communication networks, as well as making any item thereof retrievable by enquirers and for finding relationships and underlying information, characterised in that: a. the system provides the information sources with suitable means and activates and/or guides and/or exercises control on the description, visualisation, naming and/or classification of items in the offers and/or information in detail by the source itself in accordance with a uniform specific methodology, on the basis of: typifying and/or descriptive characteristics; b. the system provides enquirers, after the latter have connected to the system, with suitable means to enable them to request items from the offers, and/or to enable them to orient themselves with respect to items in the offers, in accordance with a uniform, specific methodology; c. information sources are accessed to make available for presentation information relating to and linked with items requested from the offers; d. enquirers are able, in a repeat procedure, to select items from the information presented, which, depending on the progress of the said procedure, adjusts and/or continually further reduces the offers, such that ultimately a final selection can be made.

The invention is based on the concept that communication problems in general, and the abovementioned problems in particular, are usually based on the quality and mutual matching of queries and answers and the identification and/or classification systems in accordance with this.

After all: if the query is composed correctly the answer is right. Similarly, every correct answer demands that the query is composed correctly. The more unambiguously a query is composed the more unambiguous can be the answer. The quality of the querying determines and limits the quality of the answer.

If all answers have been prepared in accordance with accurate naming, they are waiting only for correctly composed queries. However, many queries are not formulated with such care that they match the answer from the offers. The repeat selection procedure to obtain answers to queries exhibits similarities with a sieving process: first through a coarse mesh and then stepwise, in a few or a number of steps, through an increasingly finer mesh.

The speed with regard to display and the ability to make selections is, like the volume of the offers, highest when the mesh is coarse. The speed and the volume decrease as the mesh becomes finer. The increase in the fineness of the mesh brings out the preferred area to an increasing extent.

Because the volume becomes increasingly smaller the time for absorbing the information and making a selection may and can increase. Finally it can be the case that the time spent on making a preference for one of the final items is longer than that taken for the entire selection up to that point.

The invention in more detail

The invention relates to a system and method with a first part for resolving (making retrievable) each item in the offers, as well as sets of items, by allowing suppliers to classify each item in detail and accurately in accordance with a template and allowing each item to be provided with, inter alia, keywords and/or summaries, after which identifiers are compiled by the system from the classifications, etc.

Identifiers consist of a number of separate parts. One of the parts of an identifier contains information relating to the unique position of an object in a multi-dimensional virtual universe and is linked by means of a vector both with the source and with the system. Each item in the offers forms part of a cluster formed by items which are similar and/or show correspondence. This cluster forms part of a category cluster formed by a number of item clusters. The category cluster forms part of a cluster that is formed from a number of category clusters and is separated from other cluster systems and forms a unique cluster system.

Cluster systems are formed by categories such as, for example. Science, Industry, Consumers, Marketing, Art, etc. The system is accordingly directly linked to all sources and to the information originating from these.

Callers make contact with the system in order to obtain an answer to queries and/or to explore one or more of the areas within the offers. The system provides tools and offers assistance to callers so that the selection which is most advantageous, best, right, etc. for them can be made from entire range on offer.

The offers are indexed and classified in such a way that the entire range on offer in each category can be displayed collected together in a "Category Shop". In a large number of categories there is an even larger number of Speciality Shops. In the

'household appliances' category, for example, there is a Speciality shop for vacuum cleaners, but also for all other items belonging to this category.

The invention relates to a system and method with a second part for guiding enquirers to the offers by offering them the possibility of indicating their preference with ever increasing accuracy, starting with collective terms, a general choice, then more and more adjustment or further restriction, resulting in preference for one embodiment or variant, the exact naming of what is sought, and by adding the associated identifiers, on the basis of which the item in the offers corresponding to the preference can be called up. For each category there are shops for each of the items which are displayed and/or named there.

The offers can relate to anything: scientific information, industrial information, consumer articles, such as clothing, sports articles, services, financial, travel, etc. For each item that falls within a consumer articles category there is a special shop containing all offers in that field. Other information is collected in libraries and similar facilities. The system offers the opportunity to be able to take cognisance of the entire range on offer relating to all items which together form one part of a category and of all categories which together form the entire range on offer.

Consequently, it can be the case that a search activity to find a specific category item ends with a preference for an item which is completely different from that originally sought.

Because the entire range on offer by all suppliers of category items can be brought together and compared on the basis of the classification previously carried out and identifiers added to the items in the offers it is possible for the first time to take cognisance of offers on the WWW and to arrive at a preference for one of the items; a preference which results specifically from the ability to collect, manipulate, view and, accordingly, become acquainted with the entire range on offer, but also a preference which results from the ability to compare items in the offers with one another down to the detailed level. The range on offer in a shop is limited to the range stocked by the shop, that in a town to the total range offered in that town, that in a country to the total range offered in that country, etc. However, in this case the entire range on offer is the range offered via the Internet, which is many times greater.

One of the aids for viewing and assessing a voluminous range on offer and in guiding enquirers to the offers, and comparing items in the offers with one another, is, for example, a system component that, by means of images, (visually) shows the consequences of an interest or preference for an item in the offers in response to a query, i.e. the indication of that interest or preference.

By means of visualisation: simultaneous display of several items in the offers with the aid of visuals, and by displaying consequences of preferred selections, even a voluminous range on offer becomes manageable for every enquirer and the entire range on offer can be processed effectively, rapidly, simply and pleasantly in order to arrive at a final preference for one or a few of the items.

. Illustrative embodiments

As already indicated above, the invention is based on the concept that communication problems, such as those between suppliers and enquirers, can be eliminated if both speak the same language, in the sense that both make use of mutually linked methodologies in order, on the one hand, to name the offers in such a way that each item in the offers is provided with a specific unique name and, on the other hand, to specify a query using a name such that an item in the offers can be called up for presentation under this name.

By way of example we take a number of suppliers who supply household appliances, for example vacuum cleaners, ironing boards, irons, pans, pots, dinner services and the like. These suppliers want to make use of the present system. To this end all of these products will have to be provided with, inter alia, a code by means of which each product is uniquely named in such a way that each product differs from all other products. In this way the same unique code is thus assigned to each product that essentially has the same specifications. The coding scheme used for this is made available to the supplier by the system in accordance with a template. The supplier merely has to follow the template in order ultimately to provide each product in his range with, inter alia, the correct code.

It is pointed out that classifications by means of which components of a large collection can be unambiguously classified are already known. Reference can be made to the universal product code UPC which is widely used in the food sector, the UDC, which is used in the library world, and the IPC code, which is common in the patent world.

After the entire range offered by these suppliers has, inter alia, been coded in this way in accordance with the methodology of the system, it can be used in order to be presented in the correct manner and at the correct times. An enquirer who, for example, is looking for a vacuum cleaner is led in a similar manner through the system in order, as it were, to translate his or her query into a finely subdivided code. The user will first indicate that he/she is looking for "household appliances" and within this category will then indicate that he/she is looking for vacuum cleaners. This can be carried out with the aid of keywords, but also with the aid of images or other illustrations by means of which examples of appliances from each category are displayed. This is already sufficient for the system to be able to attach a specific broad code to the query. A number of images of examples of vacuum cleaners are now displayed on screen to the enquirer on the basis of this broad code. This is effected by, on the basis of the broad code, calling up illustrative images either from a database managed by the system or from all those suppliers who have coded products, correspondingly or otherwise, in a stepwise naming system. The products concerned can be, for example, industrial vacuum cleaners, wet vacuum cleaners, domestic upright vacuum cleaners, domestic cylinder vacuum cleaners, etc. For example, one of each type available is displayed on the screen as an example, in a manner laid down by the template. The enquirer can now select one or, if necessary, more of these displayed images from which the system is then able to calculate what modification or refinement has to be made to the code in order to obtain more targeted offers. If this is possible the system will then, on the basis of this code which has now been modified or refined, display new offers of a number of vacuum cleaners, which offers are more specialised. For example, the enquirer was interested in cylinder, domestic vacuum cleaners and will now be given a presentation of a number of examples of such vacuum cleaners by the system. Here again a further selection can be made on the basis of further considerations, such that the offers can be made more precise and a final selection is possible.

In addition to the presentation of images it is also possible to present a short piece of information with each image, such as text containing further details of the product concerned which are not visible in the image, such as, for example, the price, the quality, details and the like. If the enquirer has made his/her final selection, the system has then met one of the objectives, that is to say guiding an enquirer who has a specific query to one specific item in the offers from the full range on offer, specifically that item which the enquirer has finally selected. This selection can differ from the selection he/she was originally looking for.

The system is then able to assist in establishing and processing the transaction. Merely to illustrate the invention, one of the presentation embodiments is given here as an example:. A screen containing 4 x 5 images, i.e. 20 images, is displayed. 20 variants in the household appliances category; vacuum cleaners; broken down into main groups of vacuum cleaners: 1) large - 2) small - 3) upright - 4) cylinder - 5) hand-held - 6) heavy duty - 7) lightweight - 8) metal - 9) plastic - 10) combinations - 11) high price category - 12) medium price category - 13) low price category - 14) approved by testing agency for electrical goods - 15) high noise - 16) low noise - 17) high suction - 18) low suction. Combinations of these variants, 19) : 20) : etc.

Because the examples are visible, anyone can rapidly review and view them and determine which of them best meets his or her need. Clicking on this example produces the next screen of 20 images containing, for example, upright vacuum cleaners (if these have been selected). The variants of, in this example, the upright vacuum cleaner:

Upright, heavy duty, lightweight, medium weight, with 1 rotating brush, with 2 rotating brushes, with 3 rotating brushes, with a paper sack, of makes A, B. C, D, etc. High - low - wide - narrow - etc.

Once again the user clicks on his or her preference and the next screen containing variants of that selection is displayed. Once again the user clicks on the variant closest to what he or she requires and the next screen of 20 variants is displayed; this procedure continues until it is no longer possible to fill a new screen. The details and special features require more space, for example 8 images on one screen, then 4. then 2 and finally 1. Advertising can be added, for example from the point in time that only a few variants are still in contention.

Usually the searcher will be close to his or her preferred offers in 3 to 4 clicks. Visualisation produced in a uniform manner makes decisions easier and increases the speed and comfort of selection. At any point in time it is possible to request information and/or sales information on any of the products displayed.

The enquiry procedure starts, for example, by indicating the category to which the information sought belongs. Stepwise presentation and viewing of the offers and indication of a preference for one of the items rapidly leads, via information which simultaneously increases in resolution and value, to information which leads to restriction and the final selection.

The final selection consists of items in the offers which have already been classified and coded. This classification and coding is added to the query by the information answer. In this way a unique matching demand/supply relationship (that is to say query/answer relationship) results.

This code also points to similar offers from other suppliers and can be used to call up those offers, per region, world-wide or classified in some other way. After a large volume of information relating to a large proportion of the items has been processed, underlying information becomes apparent and provides insight.

Lists in which, inter alia, regularities and irregularities can be established, as well as relationships between items which are far apart, can be prepared from this processed information. For instance, recent counts by physicists at a university in the United States show that the maximum 'distance' between one Internet page and any other Internet page must be no more than 20 mouse clicks, provided that the 'crucial links' are found.

The invention relates to a system and method with a third part, specifically bringing enquirer and offers into contact and guiding the progress of the contact until transactions have been initiated and processed.

Using the system components described above, the invention comprises and guides, and assists in, the entire process of 1) general need, 2) orientation in the full range on offer, 3) reducing the offers by making selections, 4) specification, 5) comparison of items in the offers, 6) weighing specific offerings against one another, 7) deciding in favour of one or more of the items in the offers and, finally, 8) initiating and processing transactions.

In the abovementioned manner a substantial reduction in the offers is achieved in only a few steps because the enquirer pays attention to those aspects which are relevant and pays no further attention (ignores) the aspects which are irrelevant. In the reduction process the enquirer takes the decisions him or herself on the basis of personal assessments, as a result of which the enquirer does not lose anything of value unseen as he/she proceeds.

On the basis of the above it is clear that, and why, the invention relates not to a search engine but to a system for organisation, presentation, orientation and selection of information.

Amongst other things the taking of meaningful decisions by the enquirers themselves, making any volume of information manageable for enquirers and the production of end results in stages of substantial reduction without information of value being lost unseen emphasise the inventive step of the invention compared with all existing methods.

If the above is focused in particular on the situation surrounding the Internet, the invention can then be described as follows: system for transferring data via the World Wide Web from websites where the data are made available to a client, the user of which wishes to receive the data, which system is provided with at least one server on which a classification is available, . wherein the data in each website participating in the system are assigned at least one category based on the said classification beforehand and the address of the site together with the assigned category (categories) of the data available there are stored in the server,. - ^' wherein during operation the user selects a category, via the client and the server, with the aid of the classification, after which the server searches in all stored address/category combinations for the addresses of the websites which make data of this category available and calls up these websites via the addresses found in order to transfer the most recent data of the category concerned to the server, after which the server transmits the data received to the user in a suitable manner. Thus, the server does not have to have a search engine by means of which sites are sought for and categorised. The server has only a classification which in the first instance is used to classify the data which are available in the participating sites. The server has a relatively small memory sufficient to store all category/address combinations resulting from this. Secondly, the same classification is used to assist a user looking for a specific topic to a corresponding category in a targeted manner. Once this category has been determined, all addresses which can be combined with that category can simply be retrieved from the memory in order to transmit a request to the websites concerned to transfer the available data in this category.

A first advantage is that the same category is used both for classification and for searching.

A further advantage is that the hardware required in the server in the form of storage media can be small. A hard disk of usual size will already be adequate to store all address category combinations. The search time in this collection will also be able to be relatively short.

An additional advantage is that the most recent data are always submitted by a site, which can be of great importance in the case of promotions, special offers and the like.

In order to present the data in the optimum possible manner and not to obscure it by layout, advertising and the like, it is preferable that all sites participating in the system make the available data available in a predetermined format. This format is preferably so chosen that the data are presented distinctly and clearly by means of text and/or graphical display.

In order to facilitate the use of the category it is preferable that the classification is of hierarchical structure such that it is possible via a broad subdivision to find increasingly narrower subdivisions. In general it is found that both the layman (the average client user who is looking for information on a specific topic) and the specialist (the website proprietors) are able to work well with such a hierarchical classification. Although the data can relate to a wide variety of topics, it is preferable that the data relate to goods and services which are offered via the sites concerned.

The concepts

The following concepts relate to the invention.

1. "The offers".

The offers, each item of which has been composed on the basis of templates, have been assigned multiple names with an increasing degree of precision and have been classified by means of, inter alia, collective terms, keywords, summaries and visualisations in divisible and indivisible items.

2. "The system".

The system where the collection of names of each item in the offers forms part thereof, as well as to provide enquirers with suitable means by means of which they are able themselves to make a completely satisfactory selection from an initial general range on offer via a number of steps. If desired, correspondingly coded answers can be called up from all sources using the code of the answer selected. These can be either large collections of items in the offers, such as the items which fall within a general category, or just one or a few items, such as the offers associated with a very specific topic.

The coding is and remains part (the property) of the system which has exclusive use thereof.

3. "The enquirer".

The enquirer who with the aid of the system is able to find the path to the range on offer in a degree and to the extent that he/she wishes.

First in main groups, such as novelty, price category, size, weight, country of origin, etc. There are lists for everything where all offers in that area are displayed.

As the selection process proceeds the offers are narrowed down until one or a few items remain. The offers, and as a result the code, have/has thus been chosen. The same code opens the path to the same offers from all other suppliers.

4. "The supplier". The supplier who makes that which is intended to be an offer retrievable by constructing, naming and classifying each item thereof exclusively in accordance with the template and able to be offered via the system by means of coding.

The supplier is not able to make direct contact with enquirers. The suppliers are informed by the system about activities in the category and in particular about activity with regard to their offers.

Neither suppliers nor enquirers will have direct contact with one another. Enquirers are not committed to the offers from one or a few sources.

To summarise, the invention establishes contact between enquirer and offers by, on the one hand, making the offers retrievable by means of, inter alia, keywords, visualisations and identifiers and, on the other hand, by the act of retrieving the offers. If a category is called up everything offered within that category is then obtained if desired, first in main groups, such as novelty, price category, size, weight, country of origin, etc. As the selection proceeds the offer is further focused until, for example, only one or a few items remain. The system assists from the indication of a general requirement, or a general interest, to the initiation and processing of transactions.

The system is thus found to be capable of eliminating the problem which has been considered insoluble up to now. In other words:

1. Items are being offered; any volume can be handled.

2. There is demand and the right answers are provided.

3. There is a system by means of which an enquirer is able rapidly, easily and reliably to obtain the answers which he or she considers to be right.

4. There is a system.

5. The ability to orient oneself provides an overview and insight.

6. Search engines are superfluous.

7. The precise fit between demand and supply guarantees the single right answer; the key opens up access to the right information world-wide.

8. Supply and demand are matched to one another.

9. Use of underlying information gleaned from equivalences is possible.

Claims

Claims.

1. A system for making available and manageable any type and volume of information originating from information sources and accessible via communication networks, as well as making any item thereof retrievable for enquirers and for finding ^' relationships and underlying information, characterised in that: a. the system provides the information sources with suitable means and activates and/or guides and/or exercises control on the description, visualisation, naming and/or classification of items in the offers and/or information, in detail, by the source itself in accordance with a uniform specific methodology, on the basis of: typifying and/or descriptive characteristics; b. the system provides enquirers, after the latter have connected to the system, with suitable means to enable them to request items in the offers, and/or to enable them to orient themselves with respect to items in the offers, in accordance with a uniform, specific methodology; c. information sources are accessed to make available for presentation information relating to and/or linked with items requested from the offers; d. enquirers are able, in a repeat procedure, to select items from the information presented, which, depending on the progress of the said procedure, adjusts and/or continually further reduces the offers, such that ultimately a final selection can be made.

2. System according to Claim 1 , characterised in that in a. the description, visualisation, naming and/or classifying of items in the offers takes place stepwise, from a relatively comprehensive general range on offer to a less comprehensive but more detailed and/or more relevant range on offer.

3. System according to Claim 1, characterised in that in c. the making available of information relating to and/or linked with items in the offers takes place stepwise, from a relatively comprehensive general range on offer to a less comprehensive but more detailed and/or more relevant range on offer.

. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the system attaches one or more identifiers to each, divisible or indivisible, item in the offers, which identifiers form part of a collection of unique identifiers which together comprise the entire range on offer.

5. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that each identifier attached to an item in the offers contains the essential features and/or the essential features and details of the inherent identity of that item.

6. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the identifiers attached to each item in the offers can be used to retrieve the entire corresponding, similar, comparable and/or relevant range on offer from various sources.

7. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the identifiers attached to each item in the offers are compiled such that these can be used for linking with one another and/or finding one or more links of items in the offers in respect of aspects indicated by enquirers.

8. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the identifiers attached to each item in the offers are compiled such that these can be used for extracting the underlying information on the basis of items in the offers which have been linked to one another and/or one or more links found.

9. System for transferring data via the World Wide Web from websites where the data are made available to a client, the user of which wishes to receive the data, which system is provided with at least one server on which a classification is available, . - wherein the data in each website participating in the system are assigned at least one category based on the said classification beforehand and the address of the site together with the assigned category (categories) of the data available there are stored in the server,. wherein during operation the user selects a category, via the client and the server, with the aid of the classification, after which the server searches in all stored address/category combinations for the addresses of the websites which make data of this category available and calls up these websites via the addresses found in order to transfer the most recent data of the category concerned to the server, after which the server transmits the data received to the user in a suitable manner.

10. System according to Claim 9, characterised in that all sites participating in the system make the available data available in a predetermined format.

11. System according to Claim 9 or 10, characterised in that the classification has a hierarchical structure such that it is possible via a broad subdivision to find increasingly narrower subdivisions.

12. System according to one of the preceding claims 9 - 11, characterised in that the data relate to goods and services which are offered via the sites concerned.