SEARCH ACTIVITY ERASER

• US 20100017414A1
• Filed: 07/18/2008
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IAC Search & Media Incorporated (IAC/InterActiveCorp)
• Original Assignee: IAC Search & Media Incorporated (IAC/InterActiveCorp)
• Inventors: Leeds, Douglas D., Collier, Erik T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,771 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A system and method of data processing receives a query at a server computer system. The system and method utilizes the query to extract a search result from a data source. The system and method receives at least one search activity record and a user preference from a client computer system over a network at a server computer system. The server computer system stores at least one search activity record on the server computer system and deletes the at least one search activity record on the server computer system based on the user preference.

Claims

1. A method of data processing comprising:

receiving at least one search activity record and a user preference from a client computer system over a network at a server computer system;

storing at least one search activity record on the server computer system; and

deleting the at least one search activity record on the server computer system based on the user preference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one search activity record is at least one search query and the method further comprising receiving the at least one search query at a search engine and extracting at least one search result from a data source and transmitting the at least one search result from the server computer system to the client computer system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one search activity record is at least one of an IP address, a user ID, a session ID cookie, and user pick data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one search activity record is deleted from the server computer system before the at least one search activity record can be used to derive additional information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional information is information that is related to a user pick pattern or user search pattern.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein user provided personal information remains on the server computer system after the at least one search activity record is deleted from the server computer system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing an eraser identification cookie on the client computer system that represents the user preference, wherein the eraser identification cookie indicates whether the at least one search activity record is to be deleted from the server computer system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the eraser identification cookie is user modifiable to allow or prevent the deletion of the at least one search activity record from the server computer system.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising storing an unfiltered results cookie, wherein the unfiltered results cookie identifies whether the user is capable of viewing unfiltered search results.

10. A machine-readable storage medium that provides executable instructions which, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method comprising:

receiving at least one search activity record and a user preference from a client computer system over a network at a server computer system;

storing at least one search activity record on the server computer system; and

deleting the at least one search activity record on the server computer system based on the user preference.

11. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one search activity record is at least one search query and the method further comprising receiving the at least one search query at a search engine and extracting at least one search result from a data source and transmitting the at least one search result from the server computer system to the client computer system.

12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one search activity record is at least one of an IP address, a user ID, a session ID cookie, and user pick data.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one search activity record is deleted from the server computer system before the at least one search activity record can be used to derive additional information.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the additional information is information that is related to a user pick pattern or user search pattern.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein user provided personal information remains on the server computer system after the at least one search activity record is deleted from the server computer system.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising storing an eraser identification cookie on the client computer system that represents the user preference, wherein the eraser identification cookie indicates whether the at least one search activity record is to be deleted from the server computer system.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the eraser identification cookie is user modifiable to allow or prevent the deletion of the at least one search activity record from the server computer system.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising storing an unfiltered results cookie, wherein the unfiltered results cookie identifies whether the user is capable of viewing unfiltered search results.

19. A system for processing data comprising:

a server computer system;

a receiving module stored on the server computer system for receiving a search activity record and a user preference;

a data store to store at least one search activity record on the server computer system, and

a deleting module to delete the at least one search activity record on the data store based on the user preference.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one search activity record is at least one search query and the system further comprises:

a search engine that utilizes the at least one query to extract at least one search result from a data source;

a transmission module to transmit the at least one search result from the server computer system to the client computer system.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one search activity record is at least one of an IP address, a user ID, a session ID cookie, and user pick data.