Methods and systems for enhanced placement search engine based on user usage

• US 8,316,021 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emergency 24 Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Emergency 24 Incorporated
• Inventors: Monteverde, Dante
• Primary Examiner(s): Casanova, Jorge A
• Application Number:
  US12/827,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20120005181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 707/748, 707/732, 707/733, 707/734
• US Class Current: 707/734
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

Systems and methods for search engines are disclosed wherein the search engine results and the information on which such are based are altered based on users specifically providing feedback to the search engine the appropriateness of one or more of the search results provided in response to a search query made by the user to the search engine. Therefore, the search engine is a dynamic and evolving ranking system for determining search results to be displayed to users in response to a search query.

Claims

1. A web-based computer search engine system for receiving a search query from a user at a remote computer and returning a search results webpage, the system comprising:

an input for receiving the search query from the user displayable on the remote computer;

a processor for processing the search query and for causing the results webpage to be transmitted to the remote computer in response to the search query, the results webpage including respective links to, and respective website information relating to the content of, websites responsive to the search query;

a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for storing the website information; and

a feedback input displayable on the remote computer and adapted to receive a first feedback from the user relating to a perceived relevance of the website information included in the search results webpage relative to the search query, and further adapted to receive a second feedback from the user relating to a perceived relevance of at least one of the websites visited by the user relative to the search query, the second user feedback received after the user visits the at least one of the websites,

wherein the processor is adapted to receive the first and second feedbacks and is further adapted to amend the website information at least in part based on the first and second feedbacks.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer readable recording medium includes information relating to whether the user has provided a minimum number of first and second feedbacks;

and the first and second feedbacks analyzed by the processor when amending the website information include only the first and second feedbacks for the users that have completed the minimum number of entries.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first or second feedbacks includes a numerical ranking of relevance.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first or second feedbacks includes a comment received from the user.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the second feedback includes a description of the perceived the relevance of the at least one websites visited by the user relative to the search query.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is adapted to receive the first and second feedbacks and compare the first or second feedbacks to a feedback received from another user.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising providing the user a monetary incentive to provide the first and second feedbacks.

8. A method of receiving a search query from a user at a remote computer and returning a search results webpage, the method including the steps of:

providing an input displayable on the remote computer;

receiving a search query from the remote computer via the input;

processing, via a processor, the search query;

causing the search results webpage to be transmitted to the remote computer in response to the search query, the results webpage including respective links to, and respective website information relating to the content of, websites responsive to the search query;

storing the website information;

receiving a first feedback from the user relating to a perceived relevance of the website information included in the search results webpage relative to the search query;

receiving a second feedback from the user relating to a perceived relevance of at least one of the websites visited by the user relative to the search query, the second user feedback received after the user visits at least one of the websites;

receiving the first and second feedbacks; and

amending the website information at least in part based on the first and second feedbacks.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising aggregating first and second feedbacks received from a plurality of users.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of causing the results webpage to be transmitted to the remote computer includes providing a feedback input displayable on the search results webpage.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the steps of receiving the first and second user feedbacks include providing a ranking input adapted to receive a numerical ranking, a comment input adapted to receive a text comment, or a relevance input adapted to receive a relevance ranking from the user.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of aggregating first and second feedbacks from a plurality of users, and amending the website information based on the aggregate of the first and second feedbacks.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising amending the website information using only the first and second feedbacks provided by users that have provided a predetermined number of first and second feedbacks.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing the user a monetary incentive to provide the first and second feedbacks.