There is a patent troll trying to get a number of websites to pay a license for a search that results in an image with text describing that image. The main claim might be roughly paraphrased as: A logo is linked to each item of displayable text and an output list is produced in which each text item includes a displayable graphical image.
The actual claim 1 is:
- A computerized apparatus configured to identify commercial suppliers in response to a keyword, the computerized apparatus comprising:
an input module arranged to receive an input keyword;
a searching module configured to search a database indexed with respect to keywords to identify text items related to the input keyword for display, each text item regarding one commercial supplier of a plurality of commercial suppliers;
an image store for storing graphical images, the graphical images provided to the image store independent of the text items related to the input keyword being identified, each graphical image identifying or being associated with one of the commercial suppliers, wherein each graphical image is linked with a respective one of the identified text items to form a respective stored results entry, the stored results entry in use being arranged to present the text item and the graphical image for simultaneous display; and
a server configured to supply data defining a displayable list of the stored results entries that include the text items related to the input keyword and the graphical images linked thereto, such that when the displayable list of the stored results entries is displayed, a user may readily identify a desired commercial supplier from the displayable list of stored results entries, based upon the graphical image of each stored results entry.
For example, if I searched "camera" results would show Canon Camera with a photo of a canon camera. It can be either a local or web database.
The patent is from 2001 so I am trying to find prior art to show that this was not "novel" even at the time it was filed. I'm looking for screenshots because its hard to get search results for a Wayback machine.
Patent:us8032418