Multi-user interactive web-based searches

• US 20080282169A1
• Filed: 05/08/2007
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chang, Adam, Nehushtan, Zur
• Granted Patent: US 8,458,599 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/15 Synchronised browsing

Abstract

A method for multiple users to jointly interact with web-based search results is provided. Selections of the search results by a user are immediately communicated to other users. Viewing options may be customized on a per-user basis for greater individual control over viewing the results. Results may be further acted upon to complete transactions. Individual results are easily referenced in chat windows. Status of query and transactions are communicated to all users.

Claims

1. A method for joint interaction with web-based search results, comprising:

sending, from a first user, a query to a web-based search engine;

receiving, from the web-based search engine, a set of results based on the query;

displaying, on a first display, the set of results wherein the first display is viewable by the first user;

displaying, on a second display, the set of results wherein the second display is viewable by a second user;

receiving, from at least one of the first user and the second user, at least one input based on the set of results; and

updating the first display and the second display based on the at least one input.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the first user, a filter input indicating criteria for filtering the set of results; and

filtering the set of results based on the filter input to obtain a filtered set of results; and

updating the first display based on the filtered set of results.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the second user, a filter input indicating criteria for filtering the set of results;

filtering the set of results based on the filter input to obtain a filtered set of results; and

updating the second display based on the filtered set of results.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one input indicates which results in the set of results have been selected by the at least one of the first user and second user.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining, based on the at least one input, a set of matched results wherein the set of matched results contains all results that have been selected by both the first user and the second user;

determining, based on the at least one input, a set of selected results wherein the set of selected results contains all results that have been selected by either the first user or the second user;

wherein the step of updating the first display and the second display comprises;

receiving, from at least one of the first user and the second user, at least one selection-viewing input indicating instructions for displaying the set of results;

for each at least one selection-viewing input;

in response to the at least one selection-viewing input being received from the first user, updating the first display to display the set of results, the set of matched results, or the set of selected results, based on the at least one selection-viewing input; and

in response to the at least one selection-viewing input being received from the second user, updating the second display to display the set of results, the set of matched results, or the set of selected results, based on the at least one selection-viewing input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first display contains a first set of hyperlinks to a web-based application, wherein each hyperlink in the first set of hyperlinks is associated with each result in the set of results;

the second display contains a second set of hyperlinks to a web-based application, wherein each hyperlink in the second set of hyperlinks is associated with each result in the set of results;

further comprising

receiving, from at least one of the first user and the second user, at least one link input selecting at least one hyperlink in at least one of the first set of hyperlinks and the second set of hyperlinks;

based on the at least one link input, displaying an interface associated with the at least one hyperlink wherein the interface allows the at least one of the first user and the second user to commence a transaction based on the result associated with the at least one hyperlink.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, on the first display, a first chat window;

displaying, on the second display, a second chat window;

receiving, from at least one of the first user and the second user, at least one selection input selecting a result from the set of results;

for each at least one selection input;

displaying, on the first chat window and the second chat window, a text based on the at least one selection input.

11. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 1.

12. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 2.

13. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 3.

14. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 4.

15. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 5.

16. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 6.

17. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 7.

8. A method for jointly using web-based results, comprising:

sending, from a first user, a query to a web-based search engine;

receiving, from the web-based search engine, a set of results based on the query;

displaying, on a plurality of displays, the set of results wherein each display in the plurality of displays is viewable by a user in a plurality of users that includes the first user;

receiving, from at least one of the plurality of users, at least one input based on the set of results; and

updating the plurality of displays based on the at least one input.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, based on the at least one input, a set of matched results wherein the set of matched results contains all results that have been selected by each user in the plurality of users that includes the first user; and

updating each of the plurality of displays to display the set of matched results.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, based on the at least one input, a set of selected results wherein the set of matched results contains all results that have been selected by any user in the plurality of users that includes the first user; and

updating each of the plurality of displays to display the set of selected results.

18. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 8.

19. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 9.

20. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform the method recited in claim 10.