SEARCH TOOL PROVIDING OPTIONAL USE OF HUMAN SEARCH GUIDES

• US 20120109924A1
• Filed: 01/03/2012
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Scott A., Cooper, Thomas E.
• Application Number:
  US13/342,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20120109924A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3326 using relevance feedback from the user, e.g. relevance feedback on documents, documents sets, document terms or passages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A method and system providing optional use of human search guides to allow a user to select between a human guide assisted search and an automated search. The user is provided with an option of submitting a query requesting assistance of one or more human guides, initiating a search without requesting assistance from human guide(s) using automated results, or a combination of both.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving a query;

a processor directing the query to a destination;

obtaining a search result based on the destination; and

wherein the destination comprises a search engine determined by a searcher or the searcher.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the search engine indexing information of searches performed by a plurality of searchers responding to user requests.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting the destination based on whether the query is received by the search engine.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

choosing the searcher based on a ranking of the searcher for searches associated with the query.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

choosing the search engine based on frequency of use of the search engine by searchers including the searcher.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

choosing the search engine based on a rating of search results obtained by searchers using the search engine wherein the searchers include the searcher.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

ranking search engines including the search engine; and

selecting the search engine based on a selection by a user submitting the query.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining a highest ranking keyword of the query;

ranking the search engines based on historical information of searches by human searchers registered for a category associated with the keyword.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

ranking searchers including the searcher; and

selecting the search engine based on the ranking of the searchers.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

ranking search resources including the search engine;

providing a list of the search resources to the searcher;

directing the query to the search engine based on a selection by the searcher; and

obtaining the search result from the human searcher.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether a search result of a previous search by searchers is associated with a query matching the query;

directing the query to a search engine based on the determining.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

directing the query and a search result of the search engine to the searcher based on the determining and an instruction provided by a source of the query.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

submitting the query to search engines including the search engine;

receiving a response of the search engine for the query;

providing a result and the response to a source of the query and the searcher; and

obtaining the result as the search result based on a selection of the searcher.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

ranking an origin of the result relative and the search engine based on the selection.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

ranking an origin of the result relative and the search engine based on acceptance of the search result by the source of the query.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the search engine comprises a search resource indexing information of previous searches by searchers responsive to queries received by the searchers and search resources associated with a category determined for the query.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the search resources are associated with the category based on a rank of the searcher for the category.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the rank of the searcher is based on experience of the searcher.

19. A search apparatus comprising:

a device originating a query; and

a server directing the query to a destination, and obtaining a search result based on the destination, wherein the destination comprises a search engine determined by a searcher or the searcher.

20. A persistent computer readable storage medium storing therein a program for causing a computer to execute an operation including responding to a search request, comprising:

receiving a query;

directing the query to a destination;

obtaining a search result based on the destination; and

wherein the destination comprises a search engine determined by a searcher or the source of the query.