ANONYMOUS SEARCH SYSTEM USING HUMAN SEARCHERS
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- assigning an identifier to a human searcher in receipt of a query from a user;
associating an identifier assigned to the user and the identifier assigned to the searcher with an identifier of the query; and
providing the query to the searcher to perform a search responsive to the query.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and a method are disclosed for performing a search with the assistance of a computer. The system may assign a unique identifier to a user, to a query submitted to the system by the user, to a human searcher that may respond to the query, and to a result produced by a human searcher in response to the query. These unique identifiers may be stored in a database, and associated with one another. The system may receive a query from the user during a first communication session, and present the query to the searcher to perform a search responsive to the query. The searcher may produce search results and transmit the results to the system during the first communication session. The system may receive the search results from the searcher during the first communication session, and forward the results to the user. Because the system maintains a database of unique identifiers for each original query associated with the unique identifier of the posing user and responding searcher, the system may establish an anonymous communication channel between the user and the searcher during the initial session when the query is posed and answered, and also during follow-up sessions that may occur in the future.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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assigning an identifier to a human searcher in receipt of a query from a user; associating an identifier assigned to the user and the identifier assigned to the searcher with an identifier of the query; and providing the query to the searcher to perform a search responsive to the query.
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2. A method of performing a search with the assistance of a computer, comprising:
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assigning a unique identifier to a human searcher; receiving a query from a user during a first communication session; assigning a unique identifier to the user; assigning a unique identifier to the query; associating the unique identifier of the user with the unique identifier of the query in a database; presenting the query to the searcher to perform a search responsive to the query and produce search results during the first communication session; receiving the search results from the searcher during the first communication session; associating the unique identifier of the searcher with the unique identifier of the query in the database; and presenting the search results to the user during the first communication session. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system, comprising:
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a user system comprising a unique user identifier, in communication with a network, where the user system receives a query from a user and transmits the query and the unique user identifier over the network; a server, in communication with the network, that receives the query and the unique user identifier, associates a unique query identifier with the query, stores the query, the unique query identifier and the unique user identifier in a database, and transmits the query to a searcher system; and a searcher system, in communication with the network, that communicates the query to a searcher and generates search results for the query based on input from the searcher.
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22. A system for facilitating information exchange between a user sending a request for information and a searcher providing a response containing the information via a network, the system comprising:
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an interface coupled to the network; a database comprising; a first table for mapping a unique user identifier to the user; a second table for mapping a unique searcher identifier to the searcher; a third table for mapping a unique query identifier to the query; a request processor in communication with the interface and the database that receives the request from the user, adds a record to the first table identifying the user, adds a record to the second table identifying the searcher, adds a record to the third table identifying the query, and forwards the query to the searcher via the interface while maintaining the user'"'"'s anonymity; and a response processor in communication with the interface and the database that receives the response from the searcher via the interface, determines identity of the user from the database, and forwards the response to the user while maintaining the searcher'"'"'s anonymity. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. An article of manufacture comprising:
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a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to assist a user submitting a query to a human searcher, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to assign a unique identifier to the human searcher; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to receive the query from the user during a first communication session; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to assign a unique identifier to the user; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to assign a unique identifier to the query; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to associate the unique identifier of the user with the unique identifier of the query in a database; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to present the query to the searcher to perform a search responsive to the query and produce search results during the first communication session; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to receive the search results from the searcher during the first communication session; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to associate the unique identifier of the searcher with the unique identifier of the query in the database; and computer readable program code means for causing the computer to present the search results to the user during the first communication session.
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25. A computer program product for use with a web server computer, the computer program product comprising:
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a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in the medium for causing a computer to assist a user submitting a query to a human searcher, the computer program product having; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to assign a unique identifier to the human searcher; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to receive the query from the user during a first communication session; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to assign a unique identifier to the user; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to assign a unique identifier to the query; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to associate the unique identifier of the user with the unique identifier of the query in a database; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to present the query to the searcher to perform a search responsive to the query and produce search results during the first communication session; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to receive the search results from the searcher during the first communication session; computer readable program code means for causing the computer to associate the unique identifier of the searcher with the unique identifier of the query in the database; and computer readable program code means for causing the computer to present the search results to the user during the first communication session. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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27. A method of establishing a communication, comprising:
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storing previous queries and responses thereto, each of the queries and responses being assigned a randomly-generated ID based on content; assigning a random ID to correspond to a user submitting a query and a human searcher generating a response to the query including storing a cookie on a system of the user; correlating the query to the random ID corresponding to the user and to the human searcher generating the response; displaying said stored previous queries and responses, said displaying including providing access to the previous queries to the user for which there is a cookie on the user system; directing a current query submitted by the user to the human searcher in accordance with said correlating; providing an advertisement to the user while the human searcher is generating a response for the current query; enabling the human searcher to modify predetermined characteristics of the stored responses for use with respect to the current query; enabling the human searcher to place a notice for the user subsequent to providing the response for the current query, said notice including posting a message having a hyperlink on a system-provided message board; and locating the human searcher in response to receipt of a subsequent query from the user based on said correlating.
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28. A system, comprising:
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a user device; and a search system coupled to the user device and determining whether a user has previously participated in a search session, and reestablishing the search session with the user to allow further communication associated with a previous search of the session. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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31. A computer readable storage for controlling a computer, comprising:
a query database having a previous query field, an identifier for the query, a user identifier for the query and a searcher identifier for the query.
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32. A computer readable storage for controlling a computer, comprising:
a message database having a message field, query ID, a user ID, searcher ID and search results ID.
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33. A display, comprising:
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a query window for submitting a search query; and a stored query window displaying at least one previously searched query including an option for reestablishing a communication with a searcher who handled said at least one previously searched query.
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Specification