SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONDUCTING A PROFILE BASED SEARCH

• US 20100250578A1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Churchill, Elizabeth F., Jones, M. Cameron, Athsani, Athellina, Tesler, Lawrence Gordon
• Granted Patent: US 9,519,716 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for conducting a profile based search. The method and system includes receiving a search request including one or more search terms from a user, parsing the search request into categorical verticals, determining search refinement data relative to the categorical verticals, the search refinement data including at least one of: profile information, environmental data relative to the search request and historical behavior data relating to the search request or the user and accessing a database of aggregated search data based on the search refinement data. The method and system includes using the aggregated search data, determining a most relevant search query and a most relevant user profile, refining the search request based on the most relevant search query and most relevant user profile and generating an output display of a search result set based on the refined search request.

Claims

1. A method for conducting a profile based search, the method comprising:

receiving a search request including one or more search terms from a user;

parsing the search request into categorical verticals;

determining search refinement data relative to the categorical verticals, the search refinement data including at least one of;

profile information, environmental data relative to the search request and historical behavior data relating to the search request or the user;

accessing a database of aggregated search data based on the search refinement data;

using the aggregated search data, determining a most relevant search query and a most relevant user profile;

refining the search request based on the most relevant search query and most relevant user profile; and

generating an output display of a search result set based on the refined search request.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

refining the search request by displaying a plurality of search adjustment recommendations including recommended search terms; and

upon user selection of one or more of the search adjustment recommendations, replacing the search terms of the search request with the recommended search terms.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

conducting a search operation based on the search request; and

refining the search request by sorting and selecting the most relevant search results based on the most relevant search query and most relevant user profile.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental data relative to the search request includes temporal data, spatial data and social data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile information includes at least one of:

a query profile, a search profile and a user profile.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the search refinement data includes profile information, the method further comprising:

accessing a plurality of user profiles each profile including profile information stored therein; and

selecting one of the user profiles as the most relevant user profile for refining the search request.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

presenting a visual display to the user of a selection of one or more user profiles including an indication to whom the profile is associated; and

receiving a user selection command of one of the user profiles for refinement of the search request based on the selected user profile.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the refining of the search request is automatically performed prior to conducting a search operation.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

tracking processing operations by the user before and after the generation of the output display; and

updating profile information based on the tracking operations.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the determination of the search refinement data is based on the profile information, the method further comprising:

associating a sponsored interest with the profile; and

refining the search request based on the profile including limiting the search results solely to results associated with the sponsored interest.

11. A system for conducting a profile based search, the method comprising:

a computer readable medium having executable instructions stored thereon;

a processing device in communication with the computer readable medium operative to receive the executable instructions therefrom, the processing device, in response to the executable instructions, operative to;

receive a search request including one or more search terms from a user;

parse the search request into categorical verticals;

determine search refinement data relative to the categorical verticals, the search refinement data including at least one of;

profile information, environmental data relative to the search request and historical behavior data relating to the search request or the user;

access a database of aggregated search data based on the search refinement data;

using the aggregated search data, determine a most relevant search query and a most relevant user profile;

refine the search request based on the most relevant search query and most relevant user profile; and

generate an output display of a search result set based on the refined search request.

12. The system of claim 11, the processing device in response to further executable instructions further operative to:

refine the search request by displaying a plurality of search adjustment recommendations including recommended search terms; and

upon user selection of one or more of the search adjustment recommendations, replace the search terms of the search request with the recommended search terms.

13. The system of claim 11, the processing device in response to further executable instructions further operative to:

conduct a search operation based on the search request; and

refine the search request by sorting and selecting the most relevant search results based on the most relevant search query and most relevant user profile.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the environmental data relative to the search request includes temporal data, spatial data and social data.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the profile information includes at least one of:

a query profile, a search profile and a user profile.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the search refinement data includes profile information, the processing device in response to further executable instructions further operative to:

access a plurality of user profiles each profile including profile information stored therein; and

select one of the user profiles as the most relevant user profile for refining the search request.

17. The system of claim 16, the processing device in response to further executable instructions further operative to:

present a visual display to the user of a selection of one or more user profiles including an indication to whom the profile is associated; and

receive a user selection command of one of the user profiles for refinement of the search request based on the selected user profile.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the refining of the search request is automatically performed prior to conducting a search operation.

19. The system of claim 11, the processing device in response to further executable instructions further operative to:

track processing operations by the user before and after the generation of the output display; and

update profile information based on the tracking operations.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein the determination of the search refinement data is based on the profile information, the processing device in response to further executable instructions further operative to:

associate a sponsored interest with the profile; and

refine the search request based on the profile including limiting the search results solely to results associated with the sponsored interest.

21. A computer readable medium having executable instructions stored thereon such that when the instructions are executed by a processing device, the processing device is a system for conducting a profile based search, the method comprising:

receiving a search request including one or more search terms from a user;

parsing the search request into categorical verticals;

determining search refinement data relative to the categorical verticals, the search refinement data including at least one of;

profile information, environmental data relative to the search request and historical behavior data relating to the search request or the user;

accessing a database of aggregated search data based on the search refinement data;

using the aggregated search data, determining a most relevant search query and a most relevant user profile;

refining the search request based on the most relevant search query and most relevant user profile; and

generating an output display of a search result set based on the refined search request.