Two MIT professors are asking AskJeeves.com, an Internet search engine, more than just where to find the cheapest airfares--they want to know if the company has stolen technology that they developed.

Last Thursday, MIT Professors Boris Katz and Patrick Winston filed suit in Massachusetts District Court against the California-based Ask Jeeves, Inc. for patent infringement.

The two scientists allege that technology used by the Internet search services, whose sites include AskJeeves.com, Ask.com, Ajkids.com and the telephone service Ask Jeeves's Corporate Answering Service, infringe upon two United States patents for coding issued to the two scientists in 1994 and 1995.

The professors are requesting "treble damages for willful infringement of the two patents and an injunction prohibiting Ask Jeeves from making, using or selling the Internet search products," according to a statement released by the professors' lawyers.

Ask Jeeves denies any wrongdoing, and is planning to fight the allegation full-force.

The patents in question contain coding information that makes Web searches easier by using a "natural language system," which allows users to input plain English sentences or questions to search Internet sites.

Common questions or phrases are stored in a computer database, and when a user asks a question that matches any of the descriptions, the appropriate information is called up.

AskJeeves.com uses the same technology, the professors allege.