ITERATIVE AND INTERACTIVE CONTEXT BASED SEARCHING

• US 20100057728A1
• Filed: 08/27/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deseret Digital Media, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Frogzog, LLC
• Inventors: Maxwell, Brent C., Wesemann, Darren Leroy, Quick, William M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location

Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for iteratively and interactively searching for information. Embodiments of the invention can provide a user with relevant location-specific information in response to a query from the user. Provided information can also be relevant to a user'"'"'s predicted future behavior. As context for a user is obtained and/or accumulated, such as, for example, through an interactive query dialogue, the probability of providing relevant information in response to a query from the user increases.

Claims

1. At a computer system including one or more processors and system memory, the computer system including a database of searchable information, a method for providing a user with requested information, the method comprising:

an act of receiving a query from another computing device, the query including search terms of a user request for information;

an act of parsing the query to identify the included search terms and to identify the user;

an act of accessing relevant contextual data for the user based on the search terms and the identity of the user, the relevant contextual data including at least accumulated behavioral data for the user, the accumulated behavioral data indicative of one or more prior interactions the user has had with the computer system;

an act of formulating a current context for the query from the relevant contextual data for the user;

an act of determining that the search terms in view of the current context insufficiently define the user request for information;

an act of entering into an interactive query dialogue with the other computing device to obtain additional relevant contextual data for the user, including performing one or more times;

an act of submitting a further query back to the other computing device, the further query requesting the additional contextual data for the user; and

an act of receiving the additional contextual data from the other computing device, the additional contextual data having been entered by the user at the other computing device;

an act of formulating a refined context for the query from the current context and the additional contextual data;

an act of using the search terms in view of the refined context to search the searchable information in the database for any relevant portions of data responsive to the query;

an act of identifying one or more relevant portions of data responsive to the query from the database; and

an act of returning the one or more portions of data to the other computing device in response to the query.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising prior to receiving the query from the other computer system an act of accumulating relevant contextual data for the user from one or more of:

past searches from the user, past locations of the user, and past purchases of the user.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing relevant contextual data comprises an act of accessing environmental data corresponding to the location of user.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing relevant contextual data comprises an act of accessing external contextual data from one or more external data sources.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the act of accessing external contextual data from one or more external data sources comprises an act of accessing external data form one or more of a weather service, a flight information service, and a sports score service.

6. The method as recite din claim 1, wherein the act of determining that the search terms in view of the current context insufficiently define the user request for information comprises an act of determining that the search terms in view of the current context are insufficient for a reason selection from among:

the search terms in view of the current context are ambiguous and the search terms in view of the current context are likely to provide an inappropriate number of relevant results.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of entering into an interactive query dialogue with the other computing device comprises an act of exchanging a plurality of SMS messages with the other computing device.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of using the search terms in view of the refined context to search the searchable information in the database comprises an act of using the search terms in view of the refined context to search for location-specific merchant related information, the location-specific merchant related information entered into the database by one or more merchants to target the merchant related information to specified geographic areas, the location-specific merchant related information including one or more of offers, events, promotions, and coupons.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of using the search terms in view of the refined context comprises an act of attempting to predict the future behavior of the user;

and

wherein the act of identifying one or more relevant portions of data responsive to the query from the database comprises an act of identifying portions of data with a higher probability of relevancy to the user'"'"'s future behavior than at least one other portion of data in the database.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of identifying one or more relevant portions of data responsive to the query from the database comprises an act of portions of search logic, including one or more of:

matching rules, forward chaining rules, backward chaining rules, conditional logic, and probability equations, interoperating to identifying one or more relevant portions of data based on the search terms in view of the refined context.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of portions of search logic, including one or more of:

matching rules, forward chaining rules, backward chaining rules, conditional logic, and probability equations, interoperating to identifying one or more relevant portions of data based on the search terms in view of the refined context comprises an act of identifying location-specific information based on an identified location of the user.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the act of identifying location-specific information based on an identified location of the user comprises an act of identifying location-specific data having a higher probability of relevancy to the user'"'"'s future behavior than at least one other portion of data in the database.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving a query from another computing device comprises an act of receiving an SMS message sent to a short code corresponding to a search system at the computer system.

14. A computer program product for use at a computer system, the computer system including a database of searchable information, the computer program product for implementing a method for providing a user with requested information, the computer-program product comprising one or more computer storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause the computer system to perform the method, including the following:

receive a query from another computing device, the query including search terms of a user request for information;

parse the query to identify the included search terms and to identify the user;

access relevant contextual data for the user based on the search terms and the identity of the user, the relevant contextual data including at least accumulated behavioral data for the user, the accumulated behavioral data indicative of one or more prior interactions the user has had with the computer system;

formulate a current context for the query from the relevant contextual data for the user;

determine that the search terms in view of the current context insufficiently define the user request for information;

enter into an interactive query dialogue with the other computing device to obtain additional relevant contextual data for the user, including performing one or more times;

submitting a further query back to the other computing device, the further query requesting the additional contextual data for the user; and

receiving the additional contextual data from the other computing device, the additional contextual data having been entered by the user at the other computing device;

formulate a refined context for the query from the current context and the additional contextual data;

use the search terms in view of the refined context to search the searchable information in the database for any relevant portions of data responsive to the query;

identify one or more relevant portions of data responsive to the query from the database; and

returning the one or more portions of data to the other computing device in response to the query.

15. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to accumulate relevant contextual data for the user from one or more of:

past searches from the user, past locations of the user, and past purchases of the user prior to receiving the query from the other computer system.

16. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to use the search terms in view of the refined context to search the searchable information in the database comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to use the search terms in view of the refined context to search for location-specific merchant related information, the location-specific merchant related information entered into the database by one or more merchants to target the merchant related information to specified geographic areas, the location-specific merchant related information including one or more of offers, events, promotions, and coupons.

17. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to use the search terms in view of the refined context comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to attempt to predict the future behavior of the user;

and

wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to identify one or more relevant portions of data responsive to the query from the database comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to identify portions of data with a higher probability of relevancy to the user'"'"'s future behavior than at least one other portion of data in the database.

18. The computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to identify one or more relevant portions of data responsive to the query from the database comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more of:

matching rules, forward chaining rules, backward chaining rules, conditional logic, and probability equations, to interoperate to identify one or more relevant portions of data based on the search terms in view of the refined context.

19. The computer program product as recited in claim 18, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more of:

matching rules, forward chaining rules, backward chaining rules, conditional logic, and probability equations, to interoperate to identify one or more relevant portions of data based on the search terms in view of the refined context comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to identify location-specific information based on an identified location of the user.

20. The computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to identify location-specific information based on an identified location of the user comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to identify location-specific data having a higher probability of relevancy to the user'"'"'s future behavior than at least one other portion of data in the database.

21. A search system, the search system comprising:

system memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer storage media having stored there on computer-executable instructions representing a parser, a context formulation module, a search evaluation module, and search logic, the parser configured to;

receive a query from another computing device, the query including search terms of a user request for information; and

parse the query to identify the included search terms and to identify the user;

wherein the context formulation module is configured to;

access relevant contextual data for the user based on the search terms and the identity of the user, the relevant contextual data including past searches of the user, past user locations for the user, past purchases of the user, attributes captured from surveys taken by the user, and environmental data based on the users location; and

formulate a context for a received query from the relevant contextual data for the user;

wherein the query evaluation module is configured to;

determine whether the search terms in view of the current context sufficiently define the user request for information; and

when the search terms in view of the context insufficiently define the user request for information enter into an interactive query dialogue with the other computing device to obtain additional relevant contextual data for the user, including performing one or more times;

submitting an SMS message including a further query back to the other computing device, the further query requesting the additional contextual data for the user; and

receiving an SMS message including the additional contextual data from the other computing device, the additional contextual data having been entered by the user at the other computing device;

wherein the search logic includes one or more portions of search logic including;

matching rules, forward chaining rules, backward chaining rules, conditional logic, and probability equations, and wherein the portions of search logic interoperate to;

use search terms in view of a context to search the searchable information in the database for any relevant portions of data responsive to the query;

identify one or more relevant portions of data responsive to the query from the database; and

return the one or more portions of data to the other computing device in response to the query.

22. The search system as recited in claim 21, wherein use search terms in view of a context to search the searchable information in the database comprises using search terms in view of a context to search for location-specific merchant related data having a higher probability of relevancy to the user'"'"'s future behavior than at least one other portion of data in the database, the location-specific merchant related data including one or more of:

an offer, a promotion, and a coupon from a merchant.