COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED SEARCH USING RESULT MATCHING

• US 20090292696A1
• Filed: 05/20/2009
• Published: 11/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gary S. Shuster
• Original Assignee: Gary S. Shuster
• Inventors: Shuster, Gary Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,386,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking

Abstract

A computer search system compares search results received for searches falling within a defined parameter envelope used for grouping search requests. The parameter envelope may be defined by various parameters, for example, time of search, origin or search request, language, or other non-keyword data associated with each search request, excluding keywords used to define the search. Each new search result (comprising a list of search hits) for incoming search requests is compared to stored search results for search requests within the same parameter envelope. Search results that are found to be similar based on a pre-defined similarity measure are provided as related search results responsive to the incoming search requests. A client-side pseudo-browsing application may control interactions with the search engine, collecting true browsing input from the client and providing pseudo-browsing information to the search engine or other information provider.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in response to a first query to which a search engine returns a first query result, comparing, at a server configured to receive the query results from a search engine, the first query result to multiple prior query results returned by the search engine in response to prior queries, to determine a similarity measure between the first query result and each of the multiple prior query results;

identifying unique result items in at least one of the multiple prior query results that are not included in the first query result, in response to determining the similarity measure for the at least one of the multiple prior query results is not less than a defined similarity threshold; and

combining the first query result and the unique result items as a combined search result responsive to the first query.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising formatting the combined search query so that the unique result items are presented in a rank order interspersed with items of the first query result.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising formatting the combined search query so that the unique result items are presented with a visible indicator to indicate that the unique result items were not returned by the search engine in response to the first query.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising formatting the combined search query so that the unique result items are presented in a separate section from the first query results.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the similarity measure for each of the multiple prior query results by counting a number of identical result items included in both the first query result and in the each of the multiple prior query results.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining the similarity measure by computing a ratio between twice the number of identical result items and a sum count of total result items in the first query result and in the each of the multiple prior query results.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining the similarity measure by determining a difference in rank for the identical result items between the first query result and in the each of the multiple prior query results.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the multiple prior query results by applying a filter to a larger set of prior query results.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising selecting the multiple prior query results by applying the filter to select results within a defined time window of the first query.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising selecting the multiple prior query results by applying the filter to select results within a defined geographic region associated with a source for the first query.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an index for comparing the first query results to the multiple prior query results.

12. A computer-readable medium encoded with instructions configured to cause a computer to:

to compare, in response to a first query associated with a first query result, the first query result to prior query results responsive prior queries, to determine a similarity measure between the first query result and each of the prior query results;

to identify unique result items in at least one of the prior query results defined by being not included in the first query result, in response to determining the similarity measure for the at least one of the multiple prior query results is not less than a defined similarity threshold; and

to provide the first query result and the unique result items as a combined search result responsive to the first query.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, further encoded with instructions configured to cause a computer to select the prior query results by applying a filter to a larger set of prior query results.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computer, a first query defined by a first set of keywords;

altering the first query by removing at least a selected one of the first set of keywords to define a second query;

receiving a search result responsive to the second query;

filtering the search result using at least the selected one of the first set of keywords to obtain a filtered search result; and

outputting the filtered search result at the computer, in response to the first query.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting the second query to a search engine without transmitting the first query to the search engine.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating an interface for entry of the first query at the computer.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a computer, an ordered list of links to network objects from a server;

simulating a response to input from a user input device of the computer by selecting ones of the links, using an programmed process operating on the computer that is not responsive to any actual input from the user input device, to select the ones of the links in a sequence that simulates selection of the ones of the links by a human operator; and

signaling selection of the links to the server, in response to selection by the programmed process.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising responding to user input from a user input device of the computer to select a user-selected one of the links, and signaling selection of the user-selected one of the links to the server, in response to selection by user input.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving network objects from the server at the computer, in response to the signaling selection of the links.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising interacting with the network objects using a programmed process to simulate interaction by a human operator with the network objects.