System and Method for Personalized Search While Maintaining Searcher Privacy

• US 20170032044A1
• Filed: 06/15/2016
• Published: 02/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hudson Bay Wireless, LLC
• Original Assignee: Hudson Bay Wireless, LLC
• Inventors: Hayes, Paul Vincent
• Application Number:
  US15/183,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20170032044A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search

Abstract

Personalization of Internet search is effected through the use of ResultRank and searcher selected profile attributes and searcher selected query context attributes. These attributes are also referred to as hats (worn by the searcher). Searcher privacy is maintained by allowing limited use of a searcher'"'"'s profile by the search engine. Query language interpretation is improved by capture and use of searcher behavior and hat selection, in past search sessions, without storage of individual profile or context information. ResultRank is maintained and adjusted, on a per hat basis such that future, similarly hatted searchers benefit from these past sessions. An average of ResultRank, across searcher selected hats, is utilized for improved SERP ranking Recognition of QLP'"'"'s is improved by use of the hats. Custom support of public and private language community circles is incorporated. The technique is applied to organic as well as sponsored results. Steps are taken to minimize the impact of any attempt to artificially adjust ResultRank.

Claims

1. A method for personalized search while maintaining searcher privacy comprising the steps of:

using a search engine to crawl computer networks to scrape and index established network content;

using the search engine to select a set of matching search results based on relevance to a received search query;

using a local computing device to allow a user to select a set of self-profiling and contextual hats, storing the set for repeated use by the search engine;

using the search engine to rank the set of relevant organic and sponsored results based on an overall ranking algorithm which incorporates ResultRank with hats;

using a local computing device to accept search queries from the user;

using a local computing device to communicate the search queries to the search engine;

using the local computing device to communicate search engine result presentations (SERPs) to users;

using a local computing device to allow the user to select individual search result abstracts within the SERPs, and to study and review the SERPs;

using a local computing device to allow the search engine to monitor searcher interaction with the SERPs; and

using a combination of the user'"'"'s personal identifier and a unique result identifier and a time period stamp is used to generate a one-way hash which is stored in a database.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of checking a one-way hash against the database in order to detect multiple selections of the same result, in the same time period, by the same user.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing a unique identifier for the profile hat selection combination;

combining the unique identifier with a time period stamp for the query and a searcher identifier, all of which is used to generate the one-way hash.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of confirming that a new one-way hash matches the one-way hash stored in the database before the search engine will update ResultRank.

5. A system for personalized search while maintaining searcher privacy comprising:

a main server search engine for crawling computer networks to scrape and index established network content, the main server search engine selecting a set of matching search results based on relevance to a received search query;

a local computing device for allowing a user to select a set of self-profiling and contextual attributes relating to the user and for storing the set for repeated use by the search engine;

a trusted third party server for authenticating the user and sending a certificate to the user and the main server search engine;

a proxy server for initiating search queries to the main server search engine, the query including a copy of the certificate received from the trusted third party server;

wherein the proxy server prevents the main server from obtaining personally identifying information;

wherein the main server search engine ranks the set of search results based on the attributes relating to the user;

wherein the local computing device communicates search engine result presentations (SERPs) to users;

wherein the local computing device allows the user to select individual search results abstracts within the SERPs and to study and review the SERPs, and allow the search engine to monitor user interaction with the SERPs.