Displaying User Feedback for Search Results From People Related to a User

• US 20070112758A1
• Filed: 05/10/2006
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Livaditis, E.
• Application Number:
  US11/382,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20070112758A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A query submitter may submit a search query. In response, the query submitter may be provided with search results and user feedback related to the search results. The user feedback may include a rating of a particular search result. The user feedback for the particular search result may have been provided by a particular user. The user feedback may be displayed to the query submitter if the particular user is related to the query submitter. A particular user may be related to the query submitter if the particular user is known to the query submitter or the particular user and the query submitter share one or more attributes.

Claims

1. A method, performed at least partially on a computer, for displaying user feedback corresponding to a subset of a user population for a search result, the method comprising:

identifying a subset of user identities that relate to a query submitter from which a search query was received; and

accessing, for a search result that is identified to be responsive to the search query, a subset of ratings that correspond to the search result, the subset of ratings corresponding to ratings indicated by the subset of user identities that relate to the query submitter.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the subset of user identities is gleaned from user identities that are determined to be known to the query submitter.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein user identities are determined to be known to the query submitter if the user identities are within a particular degree of separation from the query submitter.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein user identities are determined to be known to the query submitter if the user identities exist in at least one of a contact list, co-user list or white list belonging to the query submitter.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the subset of user identities is gleaned based on attributes shared between the user identities and the query submitter.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the ratings include a rating related to a relationship between the search result and at least a portion of the search query.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the ratings include a rating of the search result.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the ratings include a rating of content within the search result.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the ratings.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the ratings to sort or filter the search results.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the ratings are hidden from the user.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a subset of user identities includes identifying users that relate to the query submitter and mapping the users to user identities.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying ratings that correspond to the search result in response to at least one of an express user indication to identify ratings or an inferred indication to identify ratings based on user action.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the search result is a web page.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accessing all of the ratings that correspond to the search result; and

identifying, from among the accessed ratings, the ratings that correspond to the identified subset of user identities.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the subset of ratings comprises accessing less than all of the ratings that correspond to the search result.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 being further configured to use the ratings to sort or filter the search results.

17. An apparatus for displaying user feedback corresponding to a subset of a user population for a search result, the apparatus being configured to:

identify a subset of user identities that relate to a query submitter from which a search query was received; and

access, for a search result that is identified to be responsive to the search query, a subset of ratings that correspond to the search result, the subset of ratings corresponding to ratings indicated by the subset of user identities that relate to the query submitter.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the subset of user identities is gleaned from user identities that are determined to be known to the query submitter based on whether the user identities are within a particular degree of separation from the query submitter.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the subset of user identities is gleaned from user identities that are determined to be known to the query submitter based on whether the user identities exist in at least one of a contact list, co-user list or white list belonging to the query submitter.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the subset of user identities is gleaned based on attributes shared between the user identities and the query submitter.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the ratings include at least one of a rating related to a relationship between the search result and at least a portion of the search query, a rating of the search result and a rating of content within the search result.

23. The apparatus of claim 17 further being configured to:

access all of the ratings that correspond to the search result; and

identify, from among the accessed ratings, the ratings that correspond to the identified subset of user identities.

24. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein being configured to access the subset of ratings comprises being configured to access less than all of the ratings that correspond to the search result.

25. A system for displaying user feedback corresponding to a subset of a user population for a search result, the system comprising:

means for identifying a subset of user identities that relate to a query submitter from which a search query was received; and

means for accessing, for a search result that is identified to be responsive to the search query, a subset of ratings that correspond to the search result, the subset of ratings corresponding to ratings indicated by the subset of user identities that relate to the query submitter.