Search enhancement system having ranked general search parameters

• US 20070005686A1
• Filed: 06/20/2006
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fish, Edmund, Harrison, Bradley
• Granted Patent: US 7,467,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3338 Query expansion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

The system and method comprises enhancement of results for a search engine, wherein the results from the search engine are refined or reorganized, based upon information from an identified secondary source. The results obtained using a conventional search are compared against the identified secondary source, e.g. a ratings service, and are filtered and/or sorted appropriately. In some embodiments, identification of the secondary source, such as a ratings service comprising information which may supplement the subject of a search query, is based upon information entered by the user. In alternate embodiments, the secondary source is associated with a user, as part of general user-specified search parameters, wherein one or more parameters are consulted automatically for searches for appropriate subject matter.

Claims

1. A process implemented on a network, comprising the steps of:

obtaining from a user a set of one or more general search parameters;

determining at least one ranking based on any of applicability, validity and relevance of at least one of the obtained general search parameters in regard to at least one subject matter, wherein the rankings are associated with user actions; and

storing the set of obtained general search parameters and the determined rankings for at least one future search initiated by the user.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the user actions comprise user inputs.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein the user inputs are any of solicited and explicitly entered.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein any of the applicability, validity and relevance of the obtained general search parameters is selectable by the user.

5. The process of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a search query from the user, the search query comprising one or more query parameters other than and/or in addition to one or more previously obtained general search parameters;

determining the subject matter of the received search query;

selecting one or more of the stored and/or previously obtained general search parameters based upon any of applicability, validity and relevancy of the stored and/or previously obtained search parameters with the determined subject matter of the received search query, wherein the selection is at least partially based on at least one of the stored rankings; and

providing a refined search, wherein the refinement comprises any of using the selected ones of the stored and/or previously obtained general search parameters in conjunction with the received query parameters to perform the search;

performing the search with the received query parameters and subsequently refining search results with the selected ones of the stored and/or previously obtained general search parameters; and

performing the search with the received query parameters and subsequently providing any of organizing and sorting of the search results with the selected ones of the stored and/or previously obtained general search parameters.

6. The process of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

sending results of the refined search to any of the user and a recipient.

7. The process of claim 6, wherein the recipient is any of selected by the user and determined based on any of the results of the refined search and information input by users.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein the recipient is any of a selected peer, a friend, a family relative, a student, a neighbor, any of a person or entity within a zip code region, and a member of a network of people associated in some manner with the user.

9. The process of claim 8, wherein the network of people comprises any of people with similar interests, similar characteristics, similar histories, similar patterns and a chain of friends.

10. The process of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

receiving information from a recipient; and

selectively sending results of the refined search to the recipient based upon any of the received information from the recipient and a selection of the recipient by the user.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein the received information comprises any of a characteristic of the recipient and an interest in the results of the refined search by the recipient.

12. The process of claim 5, wherein the step of determination of the subject matter of the received search query comprises any of explicit indication by the user and inferential determination based upon user input or action.

13. The process of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

obtaining from the user at least one parameter after receipt of the query at the time of the search.

14. The process of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one source selection from the user; and

modifying the search query based upon information from the selected source.

15. The process of claim 5, wherein the step of obtaining the general search parameters from the user occurs any of before and after a particularized search.

16. A system implemented across a network, comprising:

means for obtaining from a user one or more general search parameters;

means for determining at least one ranking based on any applicability, validity and relevance of at least one of the obtained general search parameters in regard to at least one subject matter, wherein rankings are associated with user actions; and

means for storing at least one of the set of obtained general search parameters and the determined rankings for at least one future search initiated by the user.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the user actions comprise user inputs.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the user inputs are any of solicited and explicitly entered.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein any of the applicability, validity and relevance of the obtained general search parameters is selectable by the user.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for receiving a search query from the user, the search query comprising one or more query parameters other than at least one of the earlier obtained general search parameters;

means for determining aspects of the subject matter of the received search query;

means for selecting one or more of the stored obtained general search parameters based upon any of applicability, validity and relevance of the stored obtained search parameters with the determined subject matter of the received search query, wherein the selection is at least partially based on at least one of the stored rankings; and

means for providing a refined search, wherein the refinement comprises any of

means for using the selected ones of the stored obtained general search parameters at least in part in conjunction with at least one of the received query parameters to perform the search;

means for performing the search with at least one of the received query parameters and subsequently refining search results with at least one of the selected ones of the stored obtained general search parameters; and

means for performing the search with at least one of the received query parameters and subsequently providing any of organizing and sorting of the search results with the selected ones of the stored obtained general search parameters.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

sending results of the refined search to any of the user and a recipient.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the recipient is any of selected by and/or for the user and determined based on any of the results of the refined search and information input by the user.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the recipient is any of a selected peer, a friend, a family relative, a student, a neighbor, any of a person or entity within a zip code region, and a member of a network of people associated with the user.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the network of people comprises any of people with similar interests and a chain of friends.

25. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

information received from a recipient; and

a selective transmission of at least some results of the refined search to the recipient based upon any of the received information and a selection of the recipient by the user.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the received information comprises any of a characteristic of the recipient and an interest in the results of the refined search by the recipient.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the determination of the subject matter of the received search query comprises any of explicit indication by the user and inferential determination based upon user input or action.

28. The system of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

means for obtaining from the user at least one parameter after receipt of the query at the time of the search.

29. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

means for receiving at least one source selection from the user; and

means for modifying at least one aspect of the search query based upon information from the selected source.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein the means for obtaining the general search parameters from the user occurs any of before and after a particularized search.