BUILDING A RESEARCH DOCUMENT BASED ON IMPLICIT/EXPLICIT ACTIONS

• US 20100030763A1
• Filed: 07/29/2008
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hall, Ashley, Chi, Liang-Yu
• Granted Patent: US 9,361,375 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A system and method is described that maintains a record of research performed by a user of an information retrieval system in a manner that reduces the amount of work required by the user to maintain such a record. The system and method obtains information implicitly generated through the interaction of the user with the information retrieval system while performing research and uses such information to automatically construct a research document for the user about a particular research topic. The research document or a means of access thereto is then presented to the user. The research document is configured to maintain both the implicitly-generated data recorded by the system as well as data explicitly provided or collected by the user, such as retrieved document content and user notes, in a manner that is highly-organized and easy to access, augment, and maintain.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining a record of research performed by a user of an information retrieval system, comprising:

obtaining first information related to one or more queries submitted to a search engine by a user;

obtaining second information related to one or more documents identified by the search engine responsive to receiving the one or more queries and accessed by the user via the search engine;

automatically generating a research document based on at least the first information and the second information, wherein the research document identifies a research topic, at least one query among the one or more queries that is deemed related to the research topic, and at least one document among the one or more documents that is deemed related to the research topic; and

presenting the research document to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining third information comprising behavioral signals provided by the user while interacting with the information retrieval system; and

wherein automatically generating the research document based on at least the first information and the second information comprises automatically generating the research document based on the first information, the second information and the third information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically identifying the research topic based on the one or more queries and/or the one or more documents.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically generating the research document comprises:

automatically generating the research document responsive to determining that the user is performing research about the research topic.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically generating the research document comprises:

automatically generating the research document responsive to user input received via a user interface to the search engine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more queries comprise a plurality of queries,

wherein automatically generating the research document comprises including each query in the plurality of queries in either a first set of queries deemed related to the research topic or in a second set of queries deemed unrelated to the research topic, and

wherein presenting the research document to the user comprises presenting a research document to the user that includes a display area for reviewing the first set of queries and a user interface element for providing access to the second set of queries.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more documents comprises a plurality of documents,

wherein automatically generating the research document comprises including each document in the plurality of documents in either a first set of documents deemed briefly accessed by the user or in a second set of documents deemed not briefly accessed by the user, and

wherein presenting the research document to the user comprises presenting a research document to the user that includes a display area for reviewing information about the second set of documents and a user interface element for providing access to information about the first set of documents.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the research document to the user comprises presenting information about each document deemed related to the research topic in association with a query submitted by the user for which such document was identified.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the research document to the user comprises:

presenting a research document in which content selected and/or generated by the user may be stored in association with each document deemed related to the research topic.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the first information and the second information on a client computer system associated with the user prior to receiving an indication from the user that the research document should be saved; and

storing the first information and the second information on a server responsive to receiving an indication from the user that the research document should be saved.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein storing the first information and the second information on the client computer system comprises:

storing the first information and the second information in a Web cookie stored in local memory of the client computer system.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein storing the first information and the second information on the client computer comprises:

storing the first information and the second information in a document object model associated with a search results page presented to the user by the information retrieval system.

13. A system comprising:

a search engine configured to receive one or more queries submitted by a user, to identify documents responsive to receiving each of the one or more queries, and to facilitate access by the user to the identified documents;

a research session manager connected to the search engine, the research session manager configured to obtain first information related to the one or more queries and second information related to one or more of the identified documents accessed by the user via the search engine, to automatically generate a research document based on at least the first information and the second information, and to present the research document to the user;

wherein the research document identifies a research topic, at least one query among the one or more queries that is deemed related to the research topic, and at least one document among the one or more of the identified documents accessed by the user that is deemed related to the research topic.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the research session manager is further configured to obtain third information comprising behavioral signals provided by the user while interacting with the search engine and to automatically generate the research document based on the first information, the second information and the third information.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the research session manager is further configured to automatically identify the research topic based on the one or more queries and/or the one or more of the identified documents accessed by the user.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the research session manager is configured to automatically generate the research document responsive to determining that the user is performing research about the research topic.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the research session manager is configured to automatically generate the research document responsive to user input received via a user interface to the search engine.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more queries comprise a plurality of queries and wherein the research session manager is configured to include each query in the plurality of queries in either a first set of queries deemed related to the research topic or in a second set of queries deemed unrelated to the research topic and to present a research document to the user that includes a display area for reviewing the first set of queries and a user interface element for providing access to the second set of queries.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more of the identified documents accessed by the user comprises a plurality of documents and wherein the research session manager is configured to include each document in the plurality of documents in either a first set of documents deemed briefly accessed by the user or in a second set of documents deemed not briefly accessed by the user and to present a research document to the user that includes a display area for reviewing information about the second set of documents and a user interface element for providing access to information about the first set of documents.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the research session manager is configured to present the research document to the user by presenting information about each document deemed related to the research topic in association with a query submitted by the user for which such document was identified.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the research session manager is configured to present a research document to the user in which content selected and/or generated by the user may be stored in association with each document deemed related to the research topic.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the research session manager is further configured to store the first information and the second information on a client computer system associated with the user prior to receiving an indication from the user that the research document should be saved and to store the first information and the second information on a server responsive to receiving an indication from the user that the research document should be saved.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the research session manager is configured to store the first information and the second information on the client computer system by storing the first information and the second information in a Web cookie stored in local memory of the client computer system.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the research session manager is configured to store the first information and the second information on the client computer system by storing the first information and the second information in a document object model associated with a search results page presented to the user by the search engine.

25. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processor to maintain a record of research performed by a user of an information retrieval system, the computer program logic comprising:

first means for enabling the processor to obtain first information related to one or more queries submitted to a search engine by a user;

second means for enabling the processor to obtain second information related to one or more documents identified by the search engine responsive to receiving the one or more queries and accessed by the user via the search engine;

third means for enabling the processor to generate a research document based on at least the first information and the second information, wherein the research document identifies a research topic, at least one query among the one or more queries that is deemed related to the research topic, and at least one document among the one or more documents that is deemed related to the research topic; and

fourth means for enabling the processor to present the research document to the user.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the computer program logic further comprises:

means for enabling the processor to obtain third information comprising behavioral signals provided by the user while interacting with the information retrieval system; and

wherein the third means comprises means for enabling the processor to automatically generate the research document based the first information, the second information and the third information.

27. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the computer program logic further comprises:

means for enabling the processor to automatically identify the research topic based on the one or more queries and/or the one or more documents.

28. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the third means comprises:

means for enabling the processor to generate the research document responsive to determining that the user is performing research about the research topic.

29. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the third means comprises:

means for enabling the processor to generate the research document responsive to user input received via a user interface to the search engine.

30. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the one or more queries comprise a plurality of queries,

wherein the third means comprises means for enabling the processor to include each query in the plurality of queries in either a first set of queries deemed related to the research topic or in a second set of queries deemed unrelated to the research topic, and

wherein the fourth means comprises means for enabling the processor to present a research document to the user that includes a display area for reviewing the first set of queries and a user interface element for providing access to the second set of queries.

31. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the one or more documents comprises a plurality of documents,

wherein the third means comprises means for enabling the processor to include each document in the plurality of documents in either a first set of documents deemed briefly accessed by the user or in a second set of documents deemed not briefly accessed by the user, and

wherein the fourth means comprises means for enabling the processor to present a research document to the user that includes a display area for reviewing information about the second set of documents and a user interface element for providing access to information about the first set of documents.

32. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the fourth means comprises means for enabling the processor to present information about each document deemed related to the research topic in association with a query submitted by the user for which such document was identified.

33. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the fourth means comprises means for enabling the processor to present a research document in which content selected and/or generated by the user may be stored in association with each document deemed related to the research topic.

34. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the computer program logic further comprises:

fifth means for enabling the processor to store the first information and the second information on a client computer system associated with the user prior to receiving an indication from the user that the research document should be saved; and

sixth means for enabling the processor to store the first information and the second information on a server responsive to receiving an indication from the user that the research document should be saved.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the fifth means comprises means for enabling the processor to store the first information and the second information in a Web cookie stored in local memory of the client computer system.

36. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the fifth means comprises means for enabling the processor to store the first information and the second information in a document object model associated with a search results page presented to the user by the information retrieval system.