History answer for re-finding search results

• US 8,060,524 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2008
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Naam, Ramez, Schechter, Michael Austin
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Khanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEEMA, AZAM M
• Application Number:
  US12/333,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/768
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A system, method, and medium are provided for providing a personalized answer to a user-defined search query by utilizing the user'"'"'s search history. A search session is instantiated, and search queries, search results, user selections of search results, and other information is recorded. A search query is received and analyzed to determine whether the query reflects user intent to re-find a search result that the user previously was presented in response to a previously issued search query. Search results pages provided to the user in response to queries include a personalized history answer that represents a previously viewed search result that the user may be attempting to re-find.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage media having machine-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for providing a personalized history answer to a user-defined search query based on the user'"'"'s search history, the method comprising:

receiving a second search query issued by a user

referencing a history profile corresponding to the user, the history profile comprising a data representation of a first search result within a first set of search results provided to the user, wherein the first search result within the first set of search results was provided to the user in response to receiving a selection indication corresponding to the first search result within the first set of search results indicating that the user selected the first search result within the first set of search results;

inferring that the second search query reflects user intent to re-find the first search result within the first set of search results; and

simultaneously providing the first search result and a set of algorithmic search results in response to the second search query for presentation to the user, wherein the first search result is displayed as the personalized history answer and is displayed differently than the set of algorithmic search results.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the history profile further comprises a selection indication corresponding to the first search result that indicates that the user selected the first search result.

3. The media of claim 2, wherein the history profile further comprises a first dwell-time value that indicates the amount of time that the user spent viewing the first search result.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the history profile further comprises a data representation of a second search result provided to the user, wherein the second search result was provided to the user in response to receiving a third search query issued by the user.

5. The media of claim 4, wherein referencing the history profile comprises determining that the first and second search results are the same.

6. The media of claim 5, wherein said inferring comprises determining that the first search query comprises a reformulation of at least one of the first and second search queries.

7. One or more computer-readable storage media having machine-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for providing a personalized history answer to a user-defined search query by utilizing the user'"'"'s history, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of search queries issued by a user;

recording a data representation of each of the plurality of search queries;

providing a plurality of search results to the user, wherein each search result satisfies one of the plurality of search queries;

recording a data representation of each of the plurality of search results;

receiving a selection indication from the user, wherein the selection indication indicates that the user selected a first search result from one of the plurality of search results;

recording the selection indication;

associating the recorded data representations and the selection indication with a history profile corresponding to the user;

receiving a first search query issued by the user;

referencing the history profile;

inferring that the first search query reflects user intent to re-find the first search result, wherein said inferring comprises determining that the first search query comprises a reformulation of a second one of the plurality of search queries; and

simultaneously providing the first search result and a set of algorithmic search results in response to the first search query for presentation to the user, wherein the first search result is displayed as the personalized history answer and is displayed differently than the set of algorithmic search results.

8. The media of claim 7, further comprising recording a plurality of dwell-time values, wherein each dwell-time value indicates an amount of time that the user spent viewing one of the plurality of search results.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein said inferring further comprises referencing at least one of a first one of a plurality of selection indications and a first one of the plurality of dwell-time values.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein said inferring further comprises that the first one of the dwell-time values exceeds a predetermined threshold.

11. The media of claim 7, further comprising determining that the first search result satisfies a re-find firing constraint.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein determining that the first search result satisfies the re-find firing constraint comprises determining that a predetermined amount of time has passed since the first search result was provided to the user.

13. The media of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a second search query issued by the user;

referencing the history profile;

inferring that the second search query reflects user intent to re-find the first search result; and

providing the first search result for display to the user, wherein determining that the first search result satisfies the re-find firing constraint comprises determining that the first and second search queries are the same.

14. The media of claim 7, wherein the personalized history answer can be displayed using a different color, in a different screen or column, accompanied by an icon, or displayed using display effects including bolding, underlining, or italics.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media having machine-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for providing a personalized history answer to a user-defined search query by utilizing the user'"'"'s history, the method comprising:

receiving a first search query issued by a user, wherein the first search query comprises a first search term;

identifying a first search result within a first set of search results that satisfies the first search query;

recording a data representation of the first search query and a data representation of the first search result, wherein the data representations of the first search query and first search result are associated with a history profile that corresponds to the user;

receiving a second search query issued by the user, wherein the second search query comprises a second search term;

identifying a second search result within a second set of search results that satisfies the second search query;

recording a data representation of each of the second search query and the second search result, wherein the data representations of the second search query and second search result are associated with the history profile;

receiving a third search query, wherein the third search query comprises a third search term;

referencing the history profile;

inferring that the third search query reflects user intent to re-find the first search result, wherein said inferring comprises determining that the first and second search results are the same;

determining that the first search result satisfies a re-find firing constraint, wherein determining that the first search result satisfies the re-find firing constraint comprises determining whether a predetermined period of time has passed;

(1) if the predetermined period of time has passed, providing the first search result for presentation to the user in response to the third search query as the personalized history answer; and

(2) if the predetermined period of time has not passed, determining that the first and third search queries are the same and providing the first search result for presentation to the user in response to the third search query as the personalized history answer.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein said inferring further comprises determining that the third search query comprises a reformulation of at least one of the first and second search queries.

17. The media of claim 15, further comprising recording a selection indication, wherein the selection indication indicates that the user selected the first search result when the first search result was provided to the user in response to the first search query issued by the user.

18. The media of claim 17, further comprising recording a first dwell-time value corresponding to the first selection indication, wherein the first dwell-time value indicates an amount of time that the user spent viewing the first search result.

19. The media of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a fourth search query issued by the user, wherein the first and fourth search queries are the same;

identifying a third search result satisfying the fourth search query, wherein the first and third search results are different;

recording a second selection indication indicating that the user selected the third search result;

recording a second dwell-time value corresponding to the third search result, wherein the second dwell-time value indicates an amount of time that the user spent viewing the third search result; and

inferring that the fourth search query reflects user intent to re-find the fourth search result, wherein said inferring comprises determining that the second dwell-time value is greater than the first dwell-time value.

20. The media of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of algorithmic search results that satisfy the third search query, wherein the plurality of algorithmic search results comprises the first search result; and

providing the plurality of algorithmic search results as a list for display to the user, wherein the first search result is displayed at the top of the list.