ENABLING CLUSTERED SEARCH PROCESSING VIA TEXT MESSAGING

• US 20080275864A1
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhu, Tong, Kim, Ben
• Granted Patent: US 7,693,902 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for searching data, grouping search results into categories that are ordered according to search relevance, and reviewing the search results via text messaging. In one embodiment, a search term is submitted via a search request text message to a short code for a search service. The search service searches for content based on the search term and context data, such as location of a submitting client device. The search results are clustered into categories and ranked by relevance to the search term and context within each category. The categories are also ranked relative to each other. The most relevant search result from the most relevant category is transmitted in an initial result text message, which also includes instructions to access additional results via subsequent text messages. Each result text message also includes a link to a web page of categorized search results for display in a browser.

Claims

1. A method for searching data, comprising:

receiving from a requesting device, a search request text message that includes a search term and an identifier of the requesting device;

obtaining a plurality of categories of search results, wherein each category is ordered by relevance to at least the search term, and wherein each search result within each category is ordered by relevance to at least the search term; and

transmitting to the requesting device, an initial result text message that comprises a quantity of characters not greater than a predefined quantity of message characters that are allowed for a character-limited messaging protocol, and wherein the initial result text message includes;

a most relevant search result of a most relevant category;

a user instruction for requesting a subsequent result text message; and

a selectable link to a web page of the plurality of categories of search results.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the requesting device, a subsequent request text message that requests the subsequent result text message; and

transmitting to the requesting device, the subsequent result text message with a subsequent search result.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the subsequent search result comprises one of the following:

another search result of the most relevant category; and

a first search result of a second most relevant category.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining context data associated with the requesting device;

determining an additional search term based on the context data; and

obtaining the plurality of categories of search results based on the search term and the additional search term.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining context data associated with the requesting device;

ordering each search result with each category by relevance to the search term and the context data; and

ordering each category by relevance to the search term and the context data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing a plurality of user click streams; and

defining each of the categories based on the plurality of user click streams prior to obtaining the plurality of categories of search results.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each category includes search results from a separate content source.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the requesting device, a indication that the selectable link was selected, wherein selectable text of the selectable link comprises a quantity of characters less than the predefined quantity of message characters that are allowed for the character-limited messaging protocol; and

transmitting the web page to the requesting device for rendering the web page with an application that is not limited to the predefined quantity of message characters that are allowed for the character-limited messaging protocol.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for searching data, the computer-executable instructions when installed onto a computing device enable the computing device to perform the operations of claim 1.

10. A server for searching data, comprising:

a processor;

a communication interface in communication with the processor and in communication with a client device; and

a memory in communication with the processor and storing data and instructions that cause the processor to perform a plurality of operations, including;

receiving from a requesting device, a search request text message that includes a search term and an identifier of the requesting device;

obtaining a plurality of categories of search results, wherein each category is ordered by relevance to at least the search term, and wherein each search result within each category is ordered by relevance to at least the search term; and

transmitting to the requesting device, an initial result text message that comprises a quantity of characters not greater than a predefined quantity of message characters that are allowed for a character-limited messaging protocol, and wherein the initial result text message includes;

a most relevant search result of a most relevant category;

a user instruction for requesting a subsequent result text message; and

a selectable link to a web page of the plurality of categories of search results.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform operations of:

receiving from the requesting device, a subsequent request text message that requests the subsequent result text message; and

transmitting to the requesting device, the subsequent result text message with a subsequent search result.

12. The server of claim 11, wherein the next most relevant search result comprises one of the following:

another search result of the most relevant category; and

a first search result of a second most relevant category.

13. The server of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform operations of:

obtaining context data associated with the requesting device;

ordering each search result with each category by relevance to the search term and the context data; and

ordering each category by relevance to the search term and the context data.

14. The server of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform operations of:

analyzing a plurality of user click streams; and

defining each of the categories based on the plurality of user click streams prior to obtaining the plurality of categories of search results.

15. A client for enabling a user to search data, comprising:

a processor;

a communication interface in communication with the processor and with a search server;

an input device in communication with the processor and enabling a user to enter data;

an output device in communication with the processor for outputting data to a user;

a memory in communication with the processor and storing data and instructions that cause the processor to perform a plurality of operations, including;

receiving a user input comprising a search term;

transmitting to the search server, a search request text message that includes the search term and a client identifier;

receiving an initial result text message that that comprises a quantity of characters not greater than a predefined quantity of message characters that are allowed for a character-limited messaging protocol, wherein the initial result text message includes;

a search result from an ordered list of a plurality of categories of search results, wherein each category comprises search results from at least one corresponding data source, and wherein each data source comprises data of a data type different from another data source, and wherein the order list is ordered based on a score for each of the plurality of categories, wherein each score is based on a relevance of each of the plurality of categories to at least the search term;

a user instruction for requesting a subsequent result text message; and

a selectable link to a web page of the plurality of categories of search results; and

outputting the initial result text message.

16. The client of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform operations of:

receiving a second user input for requesting the subsequent result text message;

transmitting a subsequent request text message that requests the subsequent result text message;

receiving the subsequent result text message with a subsequent search result; and

outputting the subsequent result text message.

17. The client of claim 16, wherein the subsequent search result comprises one of the following:

another search result of the most relevant category; and

a first search result of a second most relevant category.

18. The client of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform operations of:

receiving a selection input, indicating that the selectable link was selected, wherein selectable text of the selectable link comprises a quantity of characters less than the predefined quantity of message characters that are allowed for the character-limited messaging protocol;

transmitting a link selection message, indicating that the selectable link was selected;

receiving the web page; and

rendering the web page with an application that is not limited to the predefined quantity of message characters that are allowed for the character-limited messaging protocol.

19. The client of claim 15, wherein the client is a mobile device, and the search term indicates a location of the client.

20. A system for searching data, comprising:

a client that performs a plurality of operations, including;

transmitting a search request text message that includes a search term and an identifier of the client; and

receiving an initial result text message that comprises a quantity of characters not greater than a predefined quantity of message characters that are allowed for a character-limited messaging protocol;

a search server in communication with the client, and that performs a plurality of operations, including;

receiving the search request text message from the client;

obtaining a plurality of categories of search results, wherein each category is ordered by relevance to at least the search term, and wherein each search result within each category is ordered by relevance to at least the search term; and

transmitting to the requesting device, the initial result text message, which includes;

a most relevant search result of a most relevant category;

a user instruction for requesting a subsequent result text message; and

a selectable link to a web page of the plurality of categories of search results; and

a content server in communication with the search server, and storing content for the search results.