Prioritizing search results by client search satisfaction

• US 7,472,119 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Naam, Ramez, Sathe, Saleel, Dai, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu; Kuen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sweeney; Patrick E
• Application Number:
  US11/171,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20070005575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/5, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method prioritizes search results provided to a client according to client satisfaction with previous search results. The method tracks client activity with respect to the previous search results, determines individual client satisfaction for each item according to the tracked client activity, and provides one or more of the items determined to have a high client satisfaction. A user interface provides prioritized search results to a client according to client satisfaction with a previous search similar to the current search. The user interface comprises an item display of at least one item determined to have a high client satisfaction level and at least one item not determined to have a high client satisfaction level.

Claims

1. A method for prioritizing search results provided to a client by a search engine according to client satisfaction with previous search results provided to the client, said method comprising:

storing a first search query in a first search session provided by the client on at least one of a server-side device and a client-side device, said first search session being defined by the first search query;

storing a list of other search queries from the client executed nearly before or nearly after the first search query;

storing a first search result provided to the client in response to the first search query on at least one of the server-side device and the client-side device, wherein first search result comprises first items of various interest to the client;

tracking client activity with respect to said first items in the first search result within the first search session;

storing said client activity on at least one of the server-side device and the client-side device;

determining an individual client satisfaction level for each of said first items according to said tracked client activity in the first search session, said individual client satisfaction level being associated with the client only;

storing said determined individual client satisfaction levels of said items on at least one of the server-side device and the client-side device;

receiving a second search query defining a second search session from the client similar to said stored first search query of the first search session by the client;

storing a second search result including second items of said second query, wherein the second items including at least some of said first items from the first search result in the first search session;

providing to said client only a selection element for selecting one or more of items included in both the second search result of the second search query and the first search result of the first search query that are also determined to have a high client satisfaction level based on the determining step; and

providing the list of other search queries as a resource for additional potential search queries in response to providing the selection element in the second search session.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing further comprises indicating to the client that the items determined to have a high client satisfaction level are likely of most interest to the client based upon the previous activities of the client, wherein said previous client activities may include at least one of (i) selecting or dwelling on an item, (ii) long-term viewing of an item, (iii) short-term viewing of an item, (iv) dwelling on a portion of an item, (v) dwelling on a specific portion of an item after moving through the item, (vi) pausing after a period of activity, (vii) significant slowing of the rate of client interaction, (viii) immediate closure of an item after a brief glance, (ix) attempting to return to a prior state after an information access action, (x) undoing the effect of a recent action, (xi) issuing an undo command, (xii) deleting an item, and (xiii) considering the rate and frequency of client communications.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing one or more of said items comprises retrieving said items from said server-side device when said search query, said search results, and said individual client satisfaction levels are stored on the server-side device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said receiving a second search query comprises receiving said second search query from another client-side device and said providing one or more of said items comprises providing said items on said another client-side device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said storing a search result of items comprises storing a search result of internet links.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said receiving a second search query comprises receiving a second search query identical to said search query.

7. A user interface for providing prioritized search results to a client according to the client satisfaction level of the search results of a previous search conducted by the client similar to a current search, said user interface comprising:

a query display of the previous search query in a first search session by the client;

a query display of the current search query in a second search session by the client;

an item display of the at least one item determined to have a high client satisfaction level based upon client activity with respect to search result items provided in the first search in the first search session and at least one item not determined to have a high client satisfaction level based upon client activity with respect to the items provided in the first search;

an indicator element indicating that the at least one item determined to have a high client satisfaction level has been determined to have a high client satisfaction level to the client; and

a list of potential alternate queries identifying search queries searched nearly before or nearly after submission of the first search query.

8. The user interface of claim 7 farther comprising a graphic indicating that the at least one item determined to have a high client satisfaction level is saved as a favorite item of the client.

9. The user interface of claim 7 further comprising a selection element for presenting each of the items selected by the client during the previous search, wherein selection of said selection element for presenting each of the items selected by the client during the previous search presents a second item display including those items selected by the client in the previous search.

10. The user interface of claim 9 further comprising a selection element for sorting the second item display according to the determined client satisfaction level of each item, and

a selection element for sorting the second item display according to the order in which the items were originally selected by the client.

11. The user interface of claim 9 wherein said second item display includes a selection element for returning to the item display of at least one item determined to have a high client satisfaction level and of at least one item not determined to have a high client satisfaction level based upon client activity with respect to the items provided in the previous search.

12. The user interface of claim 9 further comprising a selection element associated with each displayed item for saving the item as a favorite item of the client, and a selection element associated with each displayed item for deleting the item from the second item display.

13. The user interface of claim 7 further comprising a selection element for clearing any stored information related to the current search query and presenting the results of the current search without the prioritization based upon the previous search by the client.

14. The user interface of claim 7 further comprising a selection element associated with each displayed item for saving the item as a favorite item of the client.

15. The user interface of claim 7 further comprising a display of the date of the previous search by the client.

16. The user interface of claim 7 further comprising a graphic associated with one or more of said at least one item not determined to have a high client satisfaction level to indicate that the item is new when said item was not provided in the previous search.

17. The user interface of claim 7 further comprising a listing of search queries searched nearly before or nearly after the submission of the previous search query.

18. The user interface of claim 7 further comprising a selection element for terminating any future storage of client search activity.

19. The user interface of claim 7 further comprising a listing of recent search queries submitted by the client.

20. A system for prioritizing search results provided to a client by a search engine via a network according to client satisfaction with previous search results provided to he client, said system comprising:

a server adapted for connection with said network, said server adapted for receiving a first search query in a first search session from a client accessing the network with a client-side device, said first search session being define by the first search query

a database adapted for connection with the server for storing the received first search query provided by the client and for storing a first search result provided to the client by the server in response to the search query, wherein said first search result comprises items of various interest to the client, wherein the database stores a list of other search queries from the client executed nearly before or nearly after the first search query, wherein said server is further configured to;

track client activity with respect to said first items in the first search result within the first search session;

store said client activity on said database;

determine an individual client satisfaction level for each of said first items according to said tracked client activity in the first search session, said individual client satisfaction level being associated with the client only;

store said individual client satisfaction levels of said items on said database;

receive a second search query defining a second search session from the client similar to said stored first search query of the first search session by the client;

store a second search result including at least some of said items from the first search session;

provide to said client only a selection element for selecting one or more of items included in both the second search result of the second search query and the first search result of the first search query that are also determined to have a high client satisfaction level based on the determining step; and

providing the list of other search queries as a resource for additional potential search queries in response to providing the selection element in the second search session.