Search method for entries in a database

A method of searching a database for one or more entries in the database, comprising the steps of:

• (a) receiving a search term;
• (b) performing a pre-processing step on the search term, the pre-processing step resulting in a search string for use in searching of the database;
• (c) conducting a search of the database for entries that match, at least in part, the search string;
• (d) weighting the search results, and
• (e) returning the search results;
• wherein the step of weighting the search results includes at least one of the following weightings:
• 1) adding a weight score to a search result for every word in the search result which matches a word in the search string (“regular weight”);
• 2) adding a weight score to a search result if the search contains a code and the search result has a matching code (“code weight”);
• 3) adding a weight score to a search result if the first word of the search term exists anywhere in the search result (“first word weight”);
• 4) adding a weight score to a search result if the first word of the search term exists in the search result as the first word (“positional weight”);
• and
• 5) adding a weight score to the search result if the search term and the search result are an exact match (“exact match weight”).

A computer-readable medium containing a set of instructions for execution by a computer, wherein the set of instruction facilitate the searching of a database for one or more entries in the database, wherein the instructions comprise the instructions for:

• (a) providing a facility for receiving a search term;
• (b) performing a pre-processing step on the search term, the preprocessing step including sub-steps of (1) adding one or more substitutions to the search term in the event that an element of the search term has an equivalent, (2) comparing elements of the search term with an exclusion list and removing elements from the search term which are present in the exclusion list, and (3) removing noise characters from the search term, the pre-processing step resulting in a search string for use in searching of the database;
• (c) forwarding the search string to a database server;
• (d) receiving a list of search results from the database server;
• (e) ordering the search results, and
• (f) returning the search results.

A computer-readable medium containing a set of instructions for execution by a computer, wherein the set of instruction facilitate the searching of a database for one or more entries in the database, wherein the instructions comprise the instructions for:

• (a) providing a facility for receiving a search term;
• (b) performing a pre-processing step on the search term, the preprocessing step resulting in a search string for use in searching of the database;
• (c) forwarding the search string to a database server;
• (d) receiving a list of search results from the database server;
• (e) weighting the search results, and
• (f) returning the search results,
• wherein the instructions for weighting the search results perform at least one of the following weightings:
• 1) adding a weight score to a search result for every word in the search result which matches a word in the search string (“regular weight”);
• 2) adding a weight score to a search result if the search contains a code and the search result has a matching code (“code weight”);
• 3) adding a weight score to a search result if the first word of the search term exists anywhere in the search result (“first word weight”);
• 4) adding a weight score to a search result if the first word of the search term exists in the search result as the first word (“positional weight”);
• and
• 5) adding a weight score to the search result if the search term and the search result are an exact match (“exact match weight”).