TRAFFIC DRIVER FOR SUGGESTING STORES

• US 20110238645A1
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Zhang, Xiaodi, Hang, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 8,819,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A system and method for providing a suggested store at or through which to purchase a product or service. When a user enters a query for a product or service into a user interface, the system may use the query as a search argument to search files to find one or more pictures illustrating information about a product or service represented by the query. The picture could illustrate where the queried product or service may be purchased. Auto-complete processes may also be used to process the query as it is being entered, to generate an auto-suggestion key word based on fewer than all the letters of the query, to use as a search argument for the search. Both the query and the auto-suggestion key word may be used as search arguments to find the relevant picture in a variety of search logic sequences to provide the picture to the user.

Claims

1. A system for searching one or more files to find at least one picture, the system comprising one or more computer processors and storage configured as:

an auto-complete server for processing a search query from a user, the query comprising letters, to generate an auto-suggestion key word in response to detecting fewer than all of the letters of the query; and

a search engine coupled to the auto-complete server and capable of using a first search argument and a second search argument to search at least one of the one or more files using the query and the auto-suggestion key word to find the at least one picture.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the auto-complete server is triggered to generate an auto-suggestion key word by the first three letters of the query.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a presentation server to present the at least one picture for display.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the search engine searches one of the one or more files using the query as the first search argument and, responsive to the at least one picture not being found, searches the one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein, responsive to the at least one picture not being found using the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument, the search engine searches other ones of the one or more files using the query as the first search argument and the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument, until the at least one picture is found.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the search engine searches one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the first search argument and, responsive to the at least one picture not being found, searches the one of the one or more files using the query as the second search argument.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein, responsive to the at least one picture not being found using the query as the second search argument, the search engine searches other ones of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the first search argument and the query as the second search argument, until the at least one picture is found.

8. A method to find at least one picture in one or more files, the method comprising:

responsive to a query from a user, the query comprising letters, using an auto-complete server to process the query to generate an auto-suggestion key word in response to detecting fewer than all of the letters of the query; and

using a search engine coupled to the auto-complete server and capable of using a first search argument and a second search argument to search at least one of the one or more files using the query and the auto-suggestion key word to find the at least one picture.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the auto-complete server is triggered to generate an auto-suggestion key word by the first three letters of the query.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising using a presentation server to present the at least one picture for display.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the display is a drop down display.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising, responsive to a plurality of different queries, using the search engine to find the same picture.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the picture is one of the group consisting of plain text, product, and traffic driver.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the one or more files are configuration files.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one picture comprises a brand name.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the at least one picture further comprises an identification of a store that sells products under the brand name and a link to an online page for the store.

17. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one picture comprises an image of a product.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one picture further comprises an identification of a store that sells the product and a link to an online page for the store that sells the product.

19. The method of claim 8 further comprising, responsive to the query, using the search engine to find a plurality of different pictures for the user to select.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising, responsive to the user selecting one of the plurality of pictures, using the search engine to find a link to an online page that identifies various aspects of the selected picture.

21. The method of claim 8 further comprising using the search engine to search one of the one or more files using the query as the first search argument and, responsive to the at least one picture not being found, using the search engine to search the one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising, responsive to the at least one picture not being found using the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument, using the search engine to search other ones of the one or more files using the query as the first search argument and the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument, until the at least one picture is found.

23. The method of claim 8 further comprising using the search engine to search one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the first search argument and, responsive to the at least one picture not being found, using the search engine to search the one of the one or more files using the query as the second search argument.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising, responsive to the at least one picture not being found using the query as the second search argument, using the search engine to search other ones of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the first search argument and the query as the second search argument, until the at least one picture is found.

25. The method of claim 8 wherein each of the individual files is distinguished by an identifying number, the numbers ranging from lower numbers to higher numbers, and the search proceeds from files distinguished by lower identifying numbers to files distinguished by higher identifying numbers.

26. The method of claim 8 wherein each of the individual files is distinguished by an identifying number, the numbers ranging from lower numbers to higher numbers, and the search proceeds from files distinguished by higher identifying numbers to files distinguished by lower identifying numbers.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embedded therein a set of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of the computer causes the computer to execute the following operations:

responsive to a query from a user, the query comprising letters, using an auto-complete server to process the query to generate an auto-suggestion key word in response to detecting fewer than all of the letters of the query; and

using a search engine coupled to the auto-complete server and capable of using a first search argument and a second search argument for searching at least one of the one or more files using the query and the auto-suggestion key word to find the at least one picture.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 27 the operations further comprising enabling the auto-complete server to be triggered to generate the auto-suggestion key word by the first three letters of the query.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 27 the operations further comprising using a presentation server to present the at least one picture for display.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 29 the operations further comprising using the presentation server to present the at least one picture for display on a drop down display.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 27 the operations further comprising, responsive to a plurality of different queries, using the search engine to find the same picture.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 27 wherein the picture is one of the group consisting of plain text, product, and traffic driver.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 27 wherein the one or more files are configuration files.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 27 wherein the at least one picture comprises a brand name.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 34 wherein the at least one picture further comprises an identification of a store that sells products under the brand name and a link to an online page for the store.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 27 wherein the at least one picture comprises an image of a product.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 36 wherein the at least one picture further comprises an identification of a store that sells the product and a link to an online page for the store that sells the product.

38. The computer readable medium of claim 27 the operations further comprising, responsive to the one query, using the search engine to find a plurality of different pictures for the user to select.

39. The computer readable medium of claim 38 the operations further comprising, responsive to the user selecting one of the plurality of pictures, using the search engine to find a link to an online page identifying various aspects of the selected picture.

40. The computer readable medium of claim 27 the operations further comprising using the search engine to search one of the one or more files using the query as the first search argument and, responsive to the at least one picture not being found, using the search engine to search the one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument.

41. The computer readable medium of claim 40 the operations further comprising, responsive to the at least one picture not being found using the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument, using the search engine to search other ones of the one or more files using the query as the first search argument and the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument, until the at least one picture is found.

42. The computer readable medium of claim 27 the operations further comprising using the search engine to search one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the first search argument and, responsive to the at least one picture not being found, using the search engine to search the one of the one or more files using the query as the second search argument.

43. The computer readable medium of claim 42 the operations further comprising, responsive to the at least one picture not being found using the query as the second search argument, using the search engine to search other ones of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the first search argument and the query as the second search argument, until the at least one picture is found.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 the operations further comprising using the auto-suggestion key word as a search argument to search files until the query is entered and, if no match is found, using the query as a search argument to search at least some of the files that were searched using the auto-suggestion key word as a search argument.