SEARCH TOOL PROVIDING OPTIONAL USE OF HUMAN SEARCH GUIDES

• US 20070185841A1
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Inventors: Cooper, Thomas E., Jones, Scott A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,266,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A method and system providing optional use of human search guides to allow a user to select between a human guide assisted search and an automated search. The user is provided with an option of submitting a query requesting assistance of one or more human guides, initiating a search without requesting assistance from human guide(s) using automated results, or a combination of both.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

allowing a user to enter a query and select between a human assisted search and an automated search; and

initiating a search responsive to the selection.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

returning information generated by at least one human guide in response to the search when the user selects the human assisted search.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a result for the search is generated using stored information when the user selects the automated search.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the stored information is a response to a previous request or data gathered by a human guide for responding to requests.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user selects between the human assisted search and the automated search via selectable options provided in a single window.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the automated search is executed using a previously selected resource.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the resource is selected by a human guide.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

extracting one or more keywords from the query; and

determining a subject matter of the query based on the one or more keywords.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the human guide selecting the resource is registered to conduct searches related to the one or more keywords.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the resource is utilized by a predetermined number of human guides registered to conduct searches related to the one or more keywords.

11. A method, comprising:

allowing a user to enter a query; and

initiating an automated search using the query, where an option to select a human assisted search for the query is offered after the automated search on said query has been performed.

12. A method of searching, comprising:

submitting a query to a human guide to conduct a search for a user requesting assistance with the search; and

enabling the user to initiate the search without assistance of the human guide when the user does not request assistance with the search.

13. A method of providing optional use of a human guide for a search, comprising:

determining whether a query is requested to be submitted to the human guide; and

generating a first result based on a real-time search conducted by the human guide or a second result based on stored information in accordance with said determining.

14. A method of submitting a query, comprising:

providing selectable options for submitting a query; and

directing the query to a human guide for a search upon selection of a first of the selectable options and executing the search without requiring the human guide upon selection of a second of the selectable options.

15. An interface, comprising:

a query field for entering a query to be searched; and

a selection control indicating whether the query is to be searched by one of a human or automatically.

16. The interface according to claim 15, wherein the selection control comprises:

a guide assisted search button initiating a guide assisted search; and

an automatic search engine search button initiating a search engine search.

17. The interface according to claim 16, wherein the selection control further comprises a guide assisted and automatic search engine search button initiating both the guide assisted search and the search engine search.

18. A system, comprising:

a user machine allowing a user to enter a query and select one of an automated and human assisted search; and

a system initiating a search responsive to the selection.

19. A method, comprising:

allowing a user to enter a query and select between a human assisted search, an automated search and both the human assisted search and the automated search; and

initiating a search responsive to the selection.

20. A search apparatus for providing optional use of human search guides, comprising:

a storage device maintaining a record of default or previously used resources in association with a keyword and at least one resource selected by a system administrator, said maintaining including resources used and selected by human search guides;

a user device providing a first option for submitting a request to one or more of the human search guides and a second option for initiating a search without said submitting;

a server processing the search request using the recorded default or previously used resources based on a keyword of the search request and without said submitting, where the user device enables resubmission of the search request using the first option when the second option is initially selected.

21. A search method, comprising:

receiving a query; and

providing a first option of submitting the query to request a human guide assistance for a search and a second option of conducting the search without requesting said human guide assistance.

22. The search method according to claim 21, wherein predefined resources are utilized to return automated results when the second option is selected.

23. A method, comprising:

receiving a query for a search; and

returning results from information maintained by at least one search engine upon determining that a user has selected an automated search from selectable search options including a human guide assistance for the search.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein the results are obtained using spidering, indexing or page ranking.

25. A method, comprising:

allowing a user to enter a query in an interface linked to a first destination; and

redirecting the query to a second destination when designated by the user.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the designating comprises the user activating a search with guide button.