System and method for managing search results and delivering advertising and enhanced effectiveness

• US 7,552,113 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Miva Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Miva Incorporated
• Inventors: Roe, Robert D., Odell, Jack
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai; Hanh B
• Application Number:
  US11/600,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20080120278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 7, 707/205
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A search result management system manages search results provided by each of a plurality of remote search engines and provides targeted advertisement content. The system comprises a search result management component capturing at least one search session executed by a first user interface object. Capturing the search session comprises capturing at least one query session. Capturing each query session comprises: i) capturing a search query posted to a selected search engine; and ii) capturing at one search result item returned by the selected search engine. A user interface object generates an advertisement request to a distribution object and receives an advertisement impression from the distribution object. The advertisement request includes at least on equerry parameter derived from the captured search query. A display of the advertisement impression is rendered in conjunction with a display of the at least one search result item returned by the selected search engine in a user interface object separate and distinct from the first user interface object.

Claims

1. A client computer system for managing search results provided by each of a plurality of remote search engines and providing targeted advertisement content, the client computer system comprising:

a processor executing software code, the software code comprising a web browser adapted to launch a plurality of browser sessions,

wherein each browser session is identified by a browser identifier and adapted to maintain a search session,

wherein each search session includes at least one query session,

wherein each query session comprises;

i) posting a search query to a selected remote search engine;

ii) receiving at least one search result item returned by the selected remote search engine; and

iii) generating a display of the search query and the at least one search result item in the browser session;

a storage storing a search history file on the client computer system, wherein the search history file comprises a plurality of search session nodes, wherein each search session node associates with a selected one of the browser sessions and comprises;

the browser identifier of the selected one of the browser sessions; and

a plurality of query nodes, wherein each query node represents one of the query sessions of the search session maintained by the selected one of the plurality of browser sessions, and includes;

an identification of the selected remote search engine;

an indication of the search query posted to the selected search engine;

an indication of the at least one result item returned by the selected search engine; and

the software code executed by the processor further comprises a search result management system, the search result management system comprising;

a search history monitoring object configured to monitor the web browser and, for each query session of each browser session;

capture the search query and the at least one search result item; and

write, to the session node with a browser identifier matching the browser identifier of the browser session in which the search query occurred;

the indication of the search query posted to the selected search engine; and

the indication of the at least one result item returned by the selected search engine; and

a search history display object adapted to;

generate a search session display comprising, for each query node of each search session node of the search history file;

the identification of the selected search engine;

the indication of the search query; and

the indication of the at least one search result item; and

generate an advertisement request to a distribution object, the advertisement request including query parameters;

receive an advertisement impression from the distribution object; and

display, in a second user interface object distinct from the search session display;

the advertisement impression returned by the distribution object; and

wherein the query parameters being commercial terms extracted from at least one query node of the search file stored on the client computer system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the query parameters are commercial terms from the most recent query node stored in the search file.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the query parameters are commercial term that are redundant in multiple query nodes stored in the search file.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

each result item each includes an indication that the result item was clicked-through by the user in the browser session; and

the query node further includes a date/time indicator which identifies the date and time the result items was clicked-through by the user; and

wherein the query parameters are commercial term that are redundant in multiple query nodes which include result items clicked-through by the user of the display.

5. A method of operating a computer for managing search results provided by each of a plurality of remote search engines and providing targeted advertisement content, the method comprising:

capturing each query session of each of multiple web browser search sessions, each query session being with a selected search engine, the selected search engine being a one of the plurality of remote search engines, each query session comprising;

i) posting a search query to the selected search engine;

ii) receiving at least one search result item returned by the selected search engine; and

iii) displaying the search query and the at least one search result item within the web browser search session; and

wherein capturing each query session comprises capturing the search query and the at least one search result item from the query session;

writing each query session to a search history file, wherein the search history file comprises a plurality of search session nodes, wherein each search session node associates with a selected one of web browser search sessions and comprises;

the browser identifier of the selected one of the web browser search sessions; and

a plurality of query nodes, wherein each query node represents one of the query sessions of the web browser search session, and includes;

an identification of the selected remote search engine;

an indication of the search query posted to the selected search engine; and

an indication of the at least one result item returned by the selected search engine; and

wherein writing each query session to the search history file comprises;

capturing the search query and the at least one search result item; and

writing, to the session node with a browser identifier matching the browser identifier of the web browser search session in which the search query occurred;

the indication of the search query posted to the selected search engine; and

the indication of the at least one result item returned by the selected search engine; and

generate a search history display comprising, for each query node of each search session node of the search history file;

the identification of the selected search engine;

the indication of the search query; and

the indication of the at least one search result item; and

generating an advertisement request to a distribution object, the advertisement request including query parameters;

receiving an advertisement impression from the distribution object;

displaying, in a second user interface object distinct from the search history display the advertisement impression returned by the distribution object; and

wherein the query parameters being commercial terms extracted from at least one query node of the search history file.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the query parameters are commercial terms from the most recent query node stored in the search history file.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the query parameters are commercial terms that are redundant in multiple query nodes stored in the search history file.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein:

each result item includes an node including the indication that the result item of the at least was clicked-through by the user in the browser session; and

the query node further includes a date/time indicator which identifies the date and time the result items was clicked-through by the user; and

wherein the query parameters are commercial terms that are redundant in multiple query nodes that include result items clicked-through by the user query.