AUTOMATED SEARCH

• US 20100198812A1
• Filed: 02/02/2009
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsaran, Vitaliy, Brightman, Alan Jay, Athsani, Athellina
• Granted Patent: US 8,458,177 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system and method for automated search which may allow users to program their mobile devices to automatically bring up search results when a user or his mobile device meets a certain set of spatial, temporal, activity, or social context conditions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

collecting status information about an entity based on a search condition set by a user;

comparing collected status information with the search condition to determine relevancy;

automatically initiating a search when the collected status information is relevant to the search condition; and

providing search results to the user,

wherein the search condition is selected from the group consisting of spatial, temporal, social and activity conditions.

2. The method of claim 1, where the status information is selected from the group consisting of a time of day, and the entity'"'"'s location, current activity and social context information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity is the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity is a user-designated entity.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ranking search results according to their relevance to a search query.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

starting a second search with a search query refined by the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving explicit profile information about the entity to compile a profile for the entity.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing historical status information about the entity, inferring implicit profile information about the entity from the entity'"'"'s historical status information, and updating the entity'"'"'s profile with the implicit profile information.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

aggregating search results for future use.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing historical status information about the entity, inferring implicit profile information about the entity from the entity'"'"'s historical status information, and generating a profile for the entity with the implicit profile information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a relevancy algorithm is used to compare the status information with the search condition to determine relevancy.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the status information comprises the entity'"'"'s browsing activity information.

13. A system comprising:

a tracking server for collecting an entity'"'"'s status information; and

a database for storing a search condition; and

an automated search query server, comparing the entity'"'"'s status information with the search condition to determine whether they are relevant, and automatically initiating a search when they are relevant.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the entity is the user.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the entity is a user-designated entity.

16. The method of claim 13, where the status information is selected from the group consisting of a time of day, and the entity'"'"'s location, current activity and social context information.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the search condition is set by the user.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the database further stores a profile of the entity.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the profile comprises explicit profile information.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the profile comprises implicit profile information inferred from the entity'"'"'s historical status information.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the profile comprises the entity'"'"'s browsing activity information.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the tracking server infers the entity'"'"'s activity information from the entity'"'"'s movements.

23. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having instructions which, when performed by a computer, perform a method comprising:

collecting status information about an entity based on a search condition set by a user;

comparing collected status information with the search condition to determine relevancy;

automatically initiating a search when the collected status information is relevant to the search condition; and

providing search results to the user,

wherein the search condition is selected from the group consisting of spatial, temporal, social and activity conditions.