FRIENDLY SEARCH AND SOCIALLY AUGMENTED SEARCH QUERY ASSISTANCE LAYER

• US 20090307205A1
• Filed: 06/05/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: THRALL, Anthony D., O'SULLIVAN, Joseph, CHURCHILL, Elizabeth F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,055,673 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Community search query technology operable to provide users with the means to collaborate on search queries and share their query results with other users in a community is disclosed. The community search query technology provides a collaborative search engine that utilizes community feedback and personal profiles. The community search query technology also comprises personal task, information management, project creation, listing queries by activity categories, setting deadlines for ongoing search needs, setting up search queues, and annotation of search sessions.

Claims

1. A socially augmented search query assistance system, comprising logic for:

providing a search webpage suitable for input of a search query;

providing a social search webpage operable to organize information related to at least one search;

providing a friend list selection on the social search webpage operable to communicate information of the search query to at least one search friend on the friend list;

receiving at least one search recommendation response from the at least one search friend; and

performing an internet search based on the at least one search recommendation response.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising logic for learning meta-data based on the at least one search recommendation response from the at least one search friend.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising logic for using the meta-data to improve future searches performed by a meta-search algorithm.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one search friend comprises a group of friends.

5. A socially augmented search query assistance system, comprising:

a search input interface operable to receive a search query from a user;

a social search manager module operable to request at least one search query suggestion from at least one search friend; and

a search engine operable to perform an information search based on the search query and the at least one search query suggestion from the at least one search friend.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a meta-learning module operable to create meta-data based on the at least one search query suggestion from the at least one search friend.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a meta-search module operable to use the meta-data for future searches.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising a feedback module operable to send a feedback from the user to the at least one search friend.

9. The system of claim 5, further comprising an advertising server for providing advertising to the user related to the search query.

10. A method for socially augmented search query assistance, the method comprising:

receiving a search query from a user;

receiving a selection of at least one search friend from the user;

providing the search query to the selected search friend;

receiving at least one search response from the selected search friend; and

providing at least one search result to the user based on the at least one search response.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising modifying a search algorithm based on the at least one search response.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising using the search algorithm for a search.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising learning meta-data based on the at least one search response.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising using the meta-data to improve future searches performed by a meta-search algorithm.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising sending a feedback from the user to the at least one search friend.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing advertising related to the search query.

17. A computer-readable medium comprising program code for providing socially augmented search query, the program code for:

receiving a search query from a user;

receiving a selection of at least one search friend from the user;

providing the search query to the selection of the at least one search friend;

receiving at least one search recommendation from the selection of the at least one search friend; and

providing at least one search result based on the at least one search recommendation.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising program code for modifying a search algorithm based on the at least one search recommendation.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising program code for using the search algorithm for a search.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising program code for learning meta-data based on the at least one recommendation from the at least one search friend.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, further comprising program code for using the meta-data to improve future searches performed by a meta-search algorithm.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising program code for sending a feedback response from the user to the at least one search friend.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising program code for providing advertising to the user related to the search query.

24. An interface for presentation on a webpage, the interface comprising:

a query area operable to receive a search query;

a results area operable for presentation of at least one search result; and

a recommender area on or near the at least one search result operable to present at least one icon representing at least one friend who recommends the at least one search result.

25. The interface of claim 24, further comprising a search list area for a list of at least one current search.

26. The interface of claim 24, further comprising an ask friends button operable to invite at least one user from a plurality of users to participate in a search.

27. The interface of claim 24, further comprising a user area for presenting a list of at least one user from a plurality of users.

28. The interface of claim 24, further comprising a user icon area for presenting a list of at least one user from a plurality of users in the form of a list of at least one icon.

29. The interface of claim 24, further comprising a time frame area operable for inputting the timeframe for the search query.

30. The interface of claim 24, further comprising a request area operable for requesting a list of at least one search project.

31. The interface of claim 24, further comprising a note area operable for storing at least one note on the search query.

32. The interface of claim 24, further comprising an ad area operable for presenting at least one advertisement message.