AUTOMATED TOOL FOR HUMAN ASSISTED MINING AND CAPTURING OF PRECISE RESULTS

• US 20110208712A1
• Filed: 05/02/2011
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Inventors: Cooper, Thomas E., Jones, Scott A.
• Application Number:
  US13/098,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20110208712A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

An automated tool for human assisted analysis of search results for obtaining precise results responsive to a request. A single query entry triggers a search using one or more resources and results returned from the resources are displayed in a corresponding embedded renderer. A human provider analyzes the returned results and extracts pertinent information for delivery to a requestor who submitted the query.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

passing a request to a resource;

providing a ranked list of resources associated with a keyword of the query, the ranked list including the resource;

choosing, by a person, the resource;

building a response based on a selection by a human provider from results returned from a search via the resource; and

delivering the response as an answer to the request.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

selecting, by a human provider ranked highest for the request, a result returned by the resource;

building, by the human provider, the response based on content indicated by the result; and

recording a location associated with the result.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the location is a URL of a web page of the selection.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

delivering an index page tab for directing a user to the location of the content within the web page.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

weighting keywords of the query; and

selecting the keyword based on the weighting of the keyword.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resource is an Internet directory.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resource is a search engine.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the person is an administrator and the list includes a default resource for the keyword and the ranking is determined by the administrator.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the person is the human provider and the ranking is based on frequency of use by human providers.

10. The method according to claim 2, comprising:

obtaining a portion of the content selected by the human provider; and

recording the content in association with the answer and the location, the content including a portion of the answer.

11. A persistent computer readable medium storing therein a program for causing a computer to execute an operation including aiding a human assisted search, comprising:

passing a request to a resource;

providing a ranked list of resources associated with a keyword of the query, the ranked list including the resource;

choosing, by a person, the resource; and

building a response based on a selection of a human provider from results returned from a search via the resource; and

delivering the response as an answer to the request.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operation further comprises:

selecting a highest ranking human provider associated with the keyword; and

choosing, by the highest ranking human provider the resource.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operation further comprises:

building the response based on a search of a resource accessible only to the human provider.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operation further comprises:

including the resource in the ranked list of resources based on popularity of the resource among human providers performing searches.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operation further comprises:

including the resource in the ranked list of resources based on previous use of the resource to obtain another answer.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operation further comprises:

obtaining, by the human provider, information from a media file indicated by a search result returned by the resource;

composing, by the human provider, the response including a portion of the information;

recording an indicator of a location of the media file, an indicator of the resource, an indicator of the response, an indicator of the information, and an identifier of the human provider; and

selecting the human provider as the person based on a ranking of the human provider for the request.

17. A computer interface, comprising:

a query window indicating a query to be searched by a human searcher;

search resource selection controls for selecting a search resource from a list of available search resources to search with the query;

a ranking indicator associated with the search resource selection controls;

a keyword indicator providing information of a keyword associated with the available search resources.

18. The interface according to claim 17, further comprising:

result windows displaying search results of the selected search resources.

19. The interface according to claim 18, wherein the available search resources are selected for queries associated with the keyword by an administrator.

20. An apparatus for performing a search, comprising:

a user device submitting a request and receiving an answer of a human provider;

a provider system receiving the request, receiving a search result from a resource, selecting the search result and enabling the human provider to compose a direct answer to the request based on a search of content located by the search result, the search being performed by the human provider; and

a search system receiving the request, selecting the provider system, directing the request to the resource as determined by a selection of a person from a ranked list of available resources, determining the available resources, and recording a location indicated by the search result and the resource.