ANONYMOUS SEARCH SYSTEM USING HUMAN SEARCHERS
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- receiving a query from a user;
directing the query to a human searcher;
associating the user and the human searcher with a unique identifier of the query;
providing an indicator of the human searcher in receipt of the query to the user;
receiving a request from the user subsequent to the query;
providing an answer to the user responsive to the request;
selecting, by a processor, the human searcher to perform a search responsive to the request when the user activates the indicator of the human searcher and rejects the answer provided.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and a method for performing a search with the assistance of a computer may assign a unique identifier to a user, to a query submitted to the system by the user, to a human searcher that may respond to the query, and to a result produced by a human searcher in response to the query. These unique identifiers may be stored in a database, and associated with one another. The system maintains a database of unique identifiers for each original query associated with the unique identifier of the posing user and responding searcher, and may establish an anonymous communication channel between the user and the searcher during the initial session when the query is posed and answered, and during follow-up sessions that may occur in the future.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method, comprising:
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receiving a query from a user; directing the query to a human searcher; associating the user and the human searcher with a unique identifier of the query; providing an indicator of the human searcher in receipt of the query to the user; receiving a request from the user subsequent to the query; providing an answer to the user responsive to the request; selecting, by a processor, the human searcher to perform a search responsive to the request when the user activates the indicator of the human searcher and rejects the answer provided. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A system, comprising:
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a user system providing a user identifier, receiving a query and a request from a user, and transmitting the query and the request via a network; a server device receiving the query, associating the user identifier and a searcher device with the query, directing the query to a searcher device, providing a response to the request, providing an indicator of a searcher and a search result to the user responsive to the query, and directing the request to the searcher device when the user system rejects an answer provided responsive to the request and selects the indicator of the human searcher; and the searcher device receiving the query and the request and providing the search result to the server device, and performing a search when the request is received.
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20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a program embodied therein for causing a computer to execute operations including assisting a user submitting a query to a human searcher, comprising:
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receiving a query from a user; directing the query to a human searcher; associating the user and the human searcher with a unique identifier of the query; providing an indicator of the human searcher in receipt of the query to the user; receiving a request from the user subsequent to the query and providing an answer to the user responsive to the request; selecting the human searcher to perform a search responsive to the request when the user activates the indicator of the human searcher and rejects the answer provided.
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Specification