System to conduct search updates at determined frequency

• US 20140297623A1
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Wen, Wen, Ng, Patricia
• Granted Patent: US 9,449,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

A method and system for automatically updating searches are described. In one embodiment, a first search result may be compared with a second search result to automatically identify at least one data item within the first search result that is changed relative to the second search result. The at least one data item may comprise a transaction term. A notification of the at least one data item may be transmitted to a user device.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A system comprising:

a commerce database storing item data for a plurality of items offered for sale;

a search criteria database storing search criteria associated with a user, the search criteria including search frequency information indicating frequency of a search update to be performed using the search criteria;

a search server to retrieve the search criteria from the search criteria database and to perform an update search of the commerce database, the search being performed using the search criteria and in accordance with the search frequency information; and

a notification engine to identify an update to a previous search result based on the update search and to generate a notification of the update to the previous search result.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the notification engine is to compare an update search result, generated by the update search, to the previous search result.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the notification engine is to generate an email message to be sent to the user.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the notification engine is to transmit the email message to the user.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the notification engine is to generate a user interface, including the notification, to be presented to the user.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the notification engine is to transmit the user interface to the user.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the user interface is a webpage.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the search frequency information indicates that the search update is to be performed at least one of hourly, daily, or weekly.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the update is at least one of a modification of an existing data item within a commerce database or an addition of a new data item to the commerce database.

11. A method comprising:

storing search criteria associated with a user, the search criteria including search frequency information indicating frequency of a search update to be performed using the search criteria;

performing an update search of a commerce database, using the search criteria and in accordance with the search frequency information;

determining an update to a previous search result based on the update search; and

generating a notification of the update to the previous search result, the notification to be presented to the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining of the update comprises comparing an update search result, generated by the update search, to the previous search result.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the generating of the notification of the update comprises generating an email message to the sent to the user.

14. The method of claim 13, including transmitting the email message to the user.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the generation of notification of the update comprises generating a user interface, including the notification, to be presented to the user.

16. The method of claim 15, including transmitting the user interface to the user.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the user interface is a webpage.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the search frequency information indicates that the search update is to be performed at least one of hourly, daily, or weekly.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the update is at least one of a modification of an existing data item within a commerce database or an addition of a new data item to the commerce database.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the commerce database contains item data for a plurality of items offered for sale.

21. A storage device storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

performing an update search of a commerce database, using search criteria associated with the user, the commerce database storing item data for a plurality of items offered for sale;

determining an update to a previous search result based on the update search; and

generating a notification of the update to the previous search result, the notification to be communicated to a user in accordance with notification frequency information.