Organizing search history into collections

• US 8,473,485 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2011
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wong, Sandy, Connell, Derrick, Soin, Ravi, Shuman, Andrew, Latuskiewicz, Marek, Yin, Jun, Vlcek, Kim, Yao, Yinghua
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khakhar, Nirav K
• Application Number:
  US13/172,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20130006952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 707/708, 707/721, 707/759, 707/765, 707/766, 707/767, 707/771
• US Class Current: 707/721
• 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

Computer-storage media, methods, and systems for improving the ability of a user to accomplish a task that is pending during a search session are provided. This pending task can be distilled by identifying a current searching intent associated with a recently submitted query and by determining which candidate tasks are most comparable to the current searching intent of a user. The candidate tasks are mined from a search history of the user by categorizing those navigation events that appear to share a semantically common concept. Upon performing a comparison, the candidate task that captures the user'"'"'s true current searching intent is designated as the pending task. When a user invokes the pending task, a collection of elements that are associated with the pending task are dynamically organized into a sharable content page, thereby providing a collaborative experience that involves exposing the collection to contacts and accepting feedback therefrom.

Claims

1. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for gathering related elements for publishing in a collection, the method comprising:

receiving a query, submitted by a user, at a web-browser application in operable communication with a search engine;

distilling the user'"'"'s searching intent from the query;

automatically determining at least one relevant task via a process comprising;

(a) inspecting one or more candidate tasks within a log of the user'"'"'s search history, wherein the one or more candidate tasks represent a respective semantic concept that is abstracted from at least one navigation event within the user'"'"'s search history;

(b) comparing the searching intent of the user against the one or more candidate tasks; and

(c) based on, in part, the comparison, designating at least one of the one or more candidate tasks that match the searching intent as the at least one relevant task;

presenting on a UI display a representation of the at least one relevant task;

detecting a user-initiated selection directed toward the representation of the at least one relevant task; and

incident to detecting the user-initiated selection, dynamically generating an online document that includes the collection of elements that are related to the at least one relevant task.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the elements include navigation events comprising at least one of queries, clicked-through links, or websites that have been visited.

3. The media of claim 2, wherein the navigation events are drawn from a search history stored in a log associated with the user.

4. The media of claim 2, wherein the navigation events are drawn from general searching behavior stored in a log associated with various users that are demographically situated with the user.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein dynamically generating an online document comprises preparing a shareable content page that suggests the elements that align with a topic of the at least one relevant task.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein presenting on a UI display a representation of the at least one relevant task comprises automatically issuing a prompt incorporated with search results that are responsive to the query.

7. The media of claim 6, wherein the prompt is configured as a widget that notifies the user the at least one task is being recommended.

8. The media of claim 7, wherein presenting on a UI display a representation of the at least one relevant task comprises surfacing a task bar that includes modules that, upon receiving user interaction, reveal information concerning the at least one relevant task.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the modules on the task bar are dynamically modified in accordance with a context of an ongoing search session.

10. A computerized method, carried out by a processing unit, for identifying and sharing a task that captures a user'"'"'s searching intent, the method comprising:

mining one or more candidate tasks by analyzing a log of the user'"'"'s search history, wherein the one or more candidate tasks each represent a semantic concept that is abstracted from at least one navigation event within the search-history log;

comparing a searching intent derived from a recently received query against the one or more candidate tasks;

upon comparison, identifying a relevant task from the one or more candidate tasks that corresponds with the searching intent of the query;

exposing a representation of the identified relevant task to the user; and

automatically composing a sharable content page associated with the relevant task, wherein the sharable content page includes first elements that reflect navigation events drawn from the search-history log and second elements that reflect automatically provided information outside the search-history log that substantially aligns with the user'"'"'s searching intent.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first elements of the sharable content page indicate the navigation events of the user'"'"'s log of search history that share a semantically common concept with the relevant task.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the searching intent is derived by parsing the query upon receipt at a search engine.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising writing navigation events of a search session within the user'"'"'s log of search history.

14. The method of claim 13, grouping the navigation events within the user'"'"'s log of search history into the one or more candidate tasks that respectively share a semantically common concept.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the exposed representation of the relevant task includes a link that directs the user to the sharable content page.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein automatically composing a sharable content page comprises selecting for display as the first elements links to suggested web pages that share a semantically common concept with the relevant task.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein exposed representation of the relevant task includes a control that allows the user to post a link of the sharable content page to one or more contacts via a social network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the sharable content page is capable of publishing comments provided by the contacts upon the contacts invoking the posted link.

19. A computer system for recognizing that a user is carrying out a task and for providing a collection of elements that advances the task, the computer system comprising a processing unit coupled to a computer-storage medium, the computer-storage medium having stored thereon a plurality of computer software components executable by the processing unit, the computer software components comprising:

a query classifier for passively recognizing, during an ongoing search session, a searching intent of at least one navigation event implemented by the user;

a collections component for categorizing navigation events previously implemented by the user into one or more candidate tasks and for selecting a task from the one or more candidate tasks that is relevant to the user'"'"'s searching intent;

a search engine for generating search results that are responsive to a query submitted by the user; and

a user experience layer for rendering a representation of the relevant task in conjunction with the search results within a search-results page.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein the collections component is configured for composing a sharable content page using first elements drawn from the navigation events stored within a log associated with the user and automatically suggested second elements that relate to the relevant tasks and for sharing the sharable content page with the user'"'"'s contacts within one or more social networks.