Application of weights to online search request

• US 7,945,571 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Legit Services Corporation
• Original Assignee: Legit Services Corporation
• Inventors: Wanker, William Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Vital; Pierre M
• Assistant Examiner(s): OBISESAN, AUGUSTINE KUNLE
• Application Number:
  US11/945,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/749
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A machine-implemented search method comprises inputting a search query from a user, and before the query is executed, inputting from the user a weighting factor that has a specified relationship to the query. The method further includes initiating a search by causing the query to be applied according to the weighting factor, and returning a result of the search to the user. The weighting factor may represent, for example, a weight to be given to one of multiple information sources that are available to be searched in response to the query, such as an online search engine or a merchant online commerce web site. Alternatively, the weighting factor may represent a weight to be given to a term in the query.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented search method comprising:

inputting a search query from a user, the search query including a plurality of elements;

enabling the user to specify a first weighting factor for weighting an element in the search query before the search query is executed;

enabling the user to group two or more of the plurality of elements into one or more categories before the search query is executed;

enabling the user to specify a second weighting factor for weighting a category of the one or more categories before the search query is executed;

initiating a search by causing the search query to be executed according to the first weighting factor and the second weighting factor;

returning a result of the search to the user

using the first weighting factor to build a historical record of user modifications of default search query weighting factors;

analyzing the historical record;

based on a result of analyzing the historical record, determining a default weighting factor to use for a future search query; and

in response to a predetermined user input, causing a plurality of different suggested weighting factor paradigms to be outputted to a user, each said paradigm indicating a manner of selecting one or more weighting factors for a search query, each said paradigm chosen to emphasize a different particular preference set.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first weighting factor represents a weight to be given to an information source of a plurality of information sources available to be searched in response to the query.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first weighting factor represents a weight to be given to a term in the query.

4. A processing system comprising:

a processor;

a network interface, coupled to the processor, through which to communicate over a network with a terminal device used by a consumer; and

a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processing system to perform a process that comprises;

inputting a search query from a user, the search query including a plurality of elements;

before the search query is executed, inputting from the user a first weighting factor for weighting an element of the plurality of elements in the search query;

enabling the user to group two or more of the plurality of elements into one or more categories before the search query is executed;

enabling the user to specify a second weighting factor for weighting a category of the one or more categories before the search query is executed;

initiating a search by causing the query to be executed according to the first weighting factor and the second weighting factor;

returning a result of the search to the user

using the first weighting factor to build a historical record of user modifications of default search query weighting factors;

analyzing the historical record;

based on a result of analyzing the historical record, determining a default weighting factor to use for a future search query; and

in response to a predetermined user input, causing a plurality of different suggested weighting factor paradigms to be outputted to the user, each said paradigm indicating a manner of selecting one or more weighting factors for a search query, each said paradigm chosen to emphasize a different particular preference set.

5. A processing system as recited in claim 4, wherein the first weighting factor represents a weight to be given to an information source of a plurality of information sources available to be searched in response to the query.

6. A processing system as recited in claim 4, wherein the first weighting factor represents a weight to be given to a term in the query.

7. A processing system as recited in claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of elements in the search query is an information comparison field to be used in comparing results of the search.

8. A machine-implemented method comprising:

inputting a search query from a user, the search query including a plurality of information comparison fields to be used in comparing results of a search;

enabling the user to specify a first weighting factor for weighting an information comparison field of the plurality of information comparison fields in the search query, before the search query is executed;

enabling the user to group two or more of the plurality of information comparison fields into one or more categories before the search query is executed;

enabling the user to specify one or more second weighting factors for weighting each category of the one or more categories before the search query is executed;

initiating a search by causing the search query to be executed according to the first weighting factor and each said second weighting factor;

causing a result of the search to be returned to the user

using the first weighting factor to build a historical record of user modifications of default search query weighting factors;

analyzing the historical record;

based on a result of analyzing the historical record, determining a default weighting factor to use for a future search query; and

in response to a predetermined user input, causing a plurality of different suggested weighting factor paradigms to be outputted to the user, each said paradigm indicating a manner of selecting one or more weighting factors for a search query, each

said paradigm chosen to emphasize a different particular preference set.