VISUAL SEARCH ENGINE FOR PERSONAL DATING

• US 20100169376A1
• Filed: 12/29/2008
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chu, Dennis
• Application Number:
  US12/345,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169376A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/780
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90328 using search space presentation or visualization, e.g. category or range presentation and selection

Abstract

Embodiments are directed towards enabling generation of visual search criteria using visual elements for at least within an online dating context. A friend creates a dream date avatar for an intended search result recipient by combining one or more visual search criteria. The dream date avatar embodying the visual search criteria may be sent to other friends, each of which may then modify the search criteria by visually modifying the dream date avatar. Each time a modified dream date avatar is sent over a network, a new search may be performed, with the subsequent search results being sent to the intended search result recipient. The intended recipient may also modify the dream date avatar using visual search criteria resulting in another search to be performed. Moreover, the intended recipient may terminate one or more of the searches to minimize a likelihood of being spammed.

Claims

1. A network device, comprising:

a transceiver to send and receive data over a network; and

a processor that is operative to perform actions, including;

graphically displaying one or more graphical elements representing search criteria to a first friend of an intended search result recipient;

receiving selections of one or more of the graphically displayed elements representing search criteria;

generating at least a visual representation of a combination of the received one or more graphical elements;

using the one or more received search criteria associated with the visual representation to perform a search; and

providing a result of the search to the intended search result recipient.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operative to perform actions, further including:

receiving from the first friend a list of one or more other friends of the intended search result recipient;

sending to each of the one or more other friends in the received list, the visual representation;

allowing at least one of the other friends to visually modify the visual representation using one or more of the graphically displayed elements representing search criteria; and

for each modified visual representation by the one or more other friends;

performing another search using the one or more search criteria represented by the visual representation; and

providing each result of the other searches to the intended search result recipient.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the graphically elements representing the search criteria includes at least one of a physical characteristic of the visual representation, including at least a hair color, an eye color, a weight, or a height, and wherein the graphically displayed search criteria further enables at least the first friend to visually select another search criteria that visually represents at least one of an intangible search criteria.

4. The network device of claim 1, wherein the visual representation represents a dream date in at least an avatar visual form as defined by the first friend for the intended search result recipient within an online dating context.

5. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operative to perform actions, further including providing the intended search result recipient a capability to terminate at least one search or receipt of at least one result of a search generated by other than the intended search result recipient.

6. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operative to perform actions, further including wherein the visual representation is generated by combining graphic search criteria useable to perform a search for at least one of employment search results, a product search result, or a service search result.

7. A system that is operative to manage a search query, comprising:

a graphical user interface displayable at a client device useable to receive and to display search criteria as graphical elements; and

a network device that is configured to provide the graphical user interface to the client device and to perform actions, including;

providing to the client device, associated with a first friend of an intended search result recipient, a plurality of different graphical elements representing search criteria;

receiving selections from the first friend of one or more of the graphical elements;

generating a visual representation that includes at least an avatar by combining the graphically elements representing search criteria;

employing the visual representation of the search criteria to perform a search; and

providing a result of the search to the intended search result recipient.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the network device is configured to perform actions, further including:

sending the visual representation, including the avatar, to at least a second friend;

receiving a second selection from the second friend of one or more of the graphical elements representing search criteria;

modifying the visual representation of the search criteria based on the received second selection;

performing another search based on the modified visual representation; and

providing a result of the other search to the intended search result recipient.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the intended search result recipient is provided with a capability to inhibit receipt of the result of the search or a result of another search by the intended search result recipient.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the network device is configured to perform actions, further including:

sending the visual representation of the search criteria to the intended search result recipient;

receiving a modification to the visual representation based on other selections of at least one of the graphical element representing search criteria from the intended search result recipient; and

performing another search based on the modified visual representation.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the avatar visually represents a dream date for the intended search result recipient based on selections of the displayed search criteria by the first friend.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions when installed onto a computing device enable the computing device to perform actions, comprising:

graphically displaying one or more search criteria to a first friend of an intended search result recipient, the graphically displayed search criteria being visual representations of components to a dating profile;

receiving selections of one or more of the graphically displayed search criteria, wherein the selections;

generating a visual representation based on a combination of the received one or more search criteria;

using the one or more received search criteria embodied by the generated visual representation to perform a search; and

providing a result of the search to the intended search result recipient.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the computing device perform actions, further comprising:

sending the visual representation of the search criteria to a plurality of other friends of the intended search result receipt;

generating modifications to the visual representation based on selections of other graphically displayed search criteria received from one of the plurality of other friends; and

providing another search result to the intended search result recipient based on another search performed using the modified visual representation.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein each graphically displayed search criteria is associated with at least one keyword, the at least one keyword usable to perform the search.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the visual representation visually represents search criteria for use in performing a search for at least one of a online dating profile, a job, a product, or a service.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the one or more graphically displayed search criteria visually represents at least one or a financial status of online dating candidate, a recreation of the online dating candidate, or a educational status of the online dating candidate.

17. A method that modifies a computing device such that the computing device is enabled to perform a search query, comprising:

graphically displaying visual elements to a user, the visual elements associated with search criteria;

receiving selections of one or more of the graphically displayed visual elements;

generating at least an avatar based on the received selections, the avatar visually representing search criteria for an online dating candidate;

receiving a selection of another user;

performing a search for the online dating candidate based on the represented search criteria; and

providing a search result to the other user.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving the visual representation;

determining one or more keywords associated with each of the search criteria embodied by the visual representation; and

using the one or more determined keywords to perform the search.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a third user;

sending the generated avatar to the third user;

receiving modifications to the avatar based on selections by the third user of at least one other graphically displayed visual element representing at least one search criteria; and

providing a result of another search based on the modified avatar to the other user.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein generating at least the avatar further comprising generating a graphical environment for display of the avatar, the graphical environment further configured to visually represent at least one other search criteria.