SEARCH DOCUMENT GENERATION AND USE TO PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS

• US 20080059454A1
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Switchbook Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Switchbook Incorporated
• Inventors: Andrieu, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

Particular embodiments provide a search service using a search document. Complex, multi-site, multi-query searches may be performed using the search document. To use a search document, a user may activate the service. The search document may then capture data for an entire search performed for the users search across various online and offline resources. One or more partial search results may be determined for a search document. Partial search results may be automatically determined based on one or more resources being visited by a user during a search. Also, partial search results may be specified by a user from pages being visited, such as a user may select items on a page to be included in the search document. The partial search results are then used to provide a recommendation to the user for the specified search.

Claims

1. A method for using a search document, the method comprising:

receiving an indication for activating a search document;

determining one or more partial search results as a user is performing a search by accessing a plurality of resources, the one or more partial search results being determined over multiple queries being performed by a user;

storing the one or more partial search results in the search document;

providing an interface to the search document to the user, allowing the user to interact with and modify the one or more partial search results; and

providing a recommendation to the user using the one or more partial search results, wherein the recommendation is a reference to a resource potentially available to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation is based on information in one or more search documents created by other users.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing the recommendation comprises:

sending a representation of the search document to a server; and

receiving the recommendation from the server, the recommendation being determined by the server based on partial search results found in the one or more search documents created by other users.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the recommendation comprises:

determining metadata based on the one or more partial search results, the metadata associated with a first resource;

determining an agent for a second resource; and

using the agent to determine the recommendation using the metadata associated with the first resource, the recommendation automatically determined from the second resource.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising organizing the one or more partial search results into one or more folders in the search document either automatically or by user-specification.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more partial search results comprises:

reviewing information in the one or more resources;

determining a partial search result based on a relevance to the search document; and

storing the partial search result in the search document.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more partial search results comprises:

receiving a selection from a user indicating a partial search result; and

storing the selected partial search result in the search document.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the recommendations comprises using information determined from user interaction with, or modification of, one or more partial search results to determine the recommendation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more recommendations are provided by a second user, who received a representation of the search document.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the partial search results comprise indicative partial search results and potential partial search results.

11. A method for providing recommendations using a search document, the method comprising:

determining first search document information from a target search document associated with a user;

determining second search document information from one or more prior search documents associated with other users;

determining a recommendation from the second search document information based on a rating of resources in the second search document information; and

providing the determined recommendation to the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the recommendation comprises determining a similarity rating for the one or more prior search documents.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the similarity rating is determined using indicative partial search results in the target search document and indicative partial search results in a prior search document to determine a similarity rating for the prior search document.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising using the similarity rating between search documents to rate resources found within the prior search documents.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein using the similarity rating comprises:

determining resources in a prior search document; and

rating the resources based on the similarity rating.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the resources are found in potential search results.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein rating the resources comprises:

determining a contribution value based on the similarity rating and an indicativeness rating for each resource; and

determining a recommendation value based on contribution values for similar resources across the prior search documents.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining partial search results for the target search document; and

removing any partial search results that are found in the recommendation determined.

19. Software encoded in one or more computer-readable media for execution by the one or more processors and when executed operable to:

receive an indication for activating a search document;

determine one or more partial search results as a user is performing a search, using one or more search services, the one or more partial search results being determined over multiple queries being performed by a user;

store the one or more partial search results in the search document;

provide an interface to the search document to the user, allowing the user to access and edit the one or more partial search results; and

provide a recommendation to the user using the one or more partial search results, wherein the recommendation is a reference to a resource potentially available to the user.

20. Software encoded in one or more computer-readable media for execution by the one or more processors and when executed operable to:

determine first search document information from a target search document associated with a user;

determine second search document information from one or more prior search documents associated with other users;

determine a recommendation from the second search document information based on a rating of resources in the second search document information; and

provide the determined recommendation to the user.