Enhancing network information retrieval according to a user search profile
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- (a) receiving, by a search engine site, a network search query from a first user;
(b) determining, by the search engine site, at least first and second search results for responding to the search query;
(c) thereafter prioritizing, by the search engine site, at least the first and second search results based on first visitation information related to at least one first network site visited previously by the first user and second visitation information related to at least one second network site visited previously by at least one other second user; and
(d) providing, by the search engine site, the user with at least a portion of the prioritized first and second search results;
wherein step (b) comprises the substeps;
(B1) displaying, by the network appliance, first visitation information to the first user prior to the first visitation information being provided to the search engine site;
(B2) receiving, by the network appliance, from the first user at least one of the following;
(i) a selection of one or more network site designations to be removed from the displayed first visitation information;
(ii) a designation of one or more network site designations in the displayed first visitation information as being private; and
(iii) a rank and/or order of one or more network site designations in the displayed first visitation information, wherein the rank and/or order is indicative of the first user'"'"'s perception of a relative importance of each such ranked and/or ordered site.
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Abstract
An enhancement to a search engine is disclosed for prioritizing search results obtained from an information search engine such as those accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet and/or a corporate intranet). In response to a user search query, the enhanced search engine of the invention prioritizes the search results using stored information indicative of network sites: (a) previously visited by the user, and/or (b) to which the user has indicated an interest (or disinterest) in the content thereof. Additionally, the invention prioritizes the search results using stored information indicative of other users that are determined to have similar searching interests. Thus, since the stored information can dynamically change, repeated performances of the same search can present different initial, more user customized, portions of the search results.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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(a) receiving, by a search engine site, a network search query from a first user; (b) determining, by the search engine site, at least first and second search results for responding to the search query; (c) thereafter prioritizing, by the search engine site, at least the first and second search results based on first visitation information related to at least one first network site visited previously by the first user and second visitation information related to at least one second network site visited previously by at least one other second user; and (d) providing, by the search engine site, the user with at least a portion of the prioritized first and second search results; wherein step (b) comprises the substeps; (B1) displaying, by the network appliance, first visitation information to the first user prior to the first visitation information being provided to the search engine site; (B2) receiving, by the network appliance, from the first user at least one of the following; (i) a selection of one or more network site designations to be removed from the displayed first visitation information; (ii) a designation of one or more network site designations in the displayed first visitation information as being private; and (iii) a rank and/or order of one or more network site designations in the displayed first visitation information, wherein the rank and/or order is indicative of the first user'"'"'s perception of a relative importance of each such ranked and/or ordered site. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus for providing search results in response to a search query provided by a user, comprising:
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a data repository for storing, for each user of a plurality of users, a corresponding profile having data indicative of an interest by the respective user in a content of various network sites; wherein, for a first of the users, the corresponding profile (P) includes one or more of; (a) data indicative of one or more sites on a network whose content is more likely to be of interest to the first user, and (b) data indicative of one or more sites on the network whose content is less likely to be of interest to the first user, and further including; (c) data indicative of one or more other users of the plurality of users, the first user and one or more other users using differing network connection appliances; a search engine for receiving a search query from the first user and determining a plurality of search results; and a prioritizer for receiving the plurality of search results, and determining relative priorities of the plurality of search results based on one or more of (a) and (b) and on (c) in the profile P, wherein the priority of each search result SRi in the plurality of search results is indicative of a likely interest by the first user in the search result SRi; wherein a listing comprising each SRi is presented by a network appliance to the first user in a position in the listing dependent upon the priority of each SRi; wherein the network appliance; displays first visitation information to the first user prior to the first visitation information being provided to the search engine; and receives from the first user at least one of the following; (i) a selection of one or more network site designations to be removed from the displayed first visitation information; (ii) a designation of one or more network site designations in the displayed first visitation information as being private; and (iii) a rank and/or order of one or more network site designations in the displayed first visitation information, wherein the rank and/or order is indicative of the first user'"'"'s perception of a relative importance of each such ranked and/or ordered site. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification