Method and system of triggering a search request

• US 8,788,476 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2009
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Scott A., Cooper, Thomas E., Jockisch, Jeff G.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CAM LINH T
• Application Number:
  US12/540,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20100042619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,804 Days
• Field of Search: 707/999.004, 707/702, 707/706, 707/769
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24568 Data stream processing; Continuous queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A method and system are described for creating a recurring or triggered search request. A search request is associated with a condition which initiates an information search. A search result, including a search query associated with a search request and a condition may be provided to a user via any or all communication services and/or devices associated with the user. A tool is provided to enable a user to select an existing search request and/or search result which may be used to create a triggered or ‘favorite’ search query which may be triggered as designated. Triggered search requests may be suggested to a user using automated and/or human assisted techniques.

Claims

1. A method of providing access to information, comprising:

receiving a request;

defining, by a processor, a conditional request comprising a search query and a trigger condition when available conditional requests fail to match the request;

presenting the request and the conditional request to a person;

associating the conditional request with an originator of the request when the conditional request is accepted by the person; and

generating a search based on the search query when the trigger condition occurs after the conditional request is accepted by the person; and

performing the search via an automated resource selected based on an action obtained from the person before the trigger condition occurs when the trigger condition occurs after the conditional request is accepted by the person.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

defining the conditional request based on a selection by a human assistant from a list of trigger conditions ranked based on the request and directing the request to the human assistant when the human assistant is ranked highest for the request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger condition is specified by a human assistant based on a previous search associated with the request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the search query is received from a user different from the originator of the request.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

associating a search resource with the conditional request when an action of a human assistant enables the trigger condition.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

presenting information of the available conditional requests based on a ranking of the available conditional requests for at least one of a keyword, a category, a user submitting the request, a guide performing searches, a trigger event, and a search result.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a user associated with the request;

receiving a search result of a human assistant responsive to the request;

ranking conditional requests including the conditional request based on a keyword of the request;

presenting an indicator of the conditional request to the human assistant in an order based on the ranking;

obtaining a selection of the human assistant;

determining that the conditional request is accepted when the indicator is the selection; and

providing a notification of the conditional request to the user.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

obtaining information of a plurality of conditional requests based on a search phrase submitted by the human assistant; and

presenting information of a keyword, a category, a time, a user, a searcher, a resource, a search result and a trigger of the conditional request to the human assistant.

9. A system, comprising:

a user device submitting a request; and

a search service device receiving the request from the user device, defining a conditional query comprising a search request and a trigger condition when a match for the request is not found among available conditional queries, presenting the request and the conditional query to a person, associating the conditional query with an originator of the request when the conditional query is accepted by the person, determining a trigger criterion which enables the trigger condition, taking an action responsive to an occurrence of the trigger criterion and determining when the trigger condition occurs based on a resource identified by a guide responsive to the action.

10. The system of claim 9, comprising;

a guide device defining the trigger condition or the search request and receiving the conditional request based on a rank of the guide device for the request; and

a database storing information pertaining to users, available conditional requests, guides and trigger conditions.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing therein a program for causing a computer to execute an operation including providing access to information, comprising:

receiving a request;

determining whether a query matching the request is available;

providing information of a suggested search when the determining indicates that a triggered request including the query and a trigger is not available;

selecting a human assistant ranked highest for the suggested search;

presenting conditional requests including a conditional request comprising the suggested search and the trigger to the human assistant;

obtaining an acceptance of the conditional request from the human assistant;

associating the conditional request with an originator of the request when the acceptance is obtained and the trigger has not occurred; and

transmitting the suggested search to an automated search resource selected by the human assistant prior to an occurrence of the trigger when the trigger occurs subsequent to the obtaining of the acceptance.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the request requires information to be obtained by a human searcher who is independent of a user submitting the request.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the request is received based on historical information of a user associated with the suggested search.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein a guide selected to respond to the request provides the acceptance.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operation comprises:

formulating the suggested search by a guide based on the request;

defining, by the guide, the trigger; and

responding to conditional requests associated with users using a search result obtained using the suggested search and the trigger.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein an advertisement associated with the conditional request is transmitted to the originator of the request prior to the occurrence of the trigger, and the responding includes transmitting at least one advertisement.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the providing, the transmitting, and the determining are performed by selecting at least one guide.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the trigger comprises a criterion which causes information of an observation to be provided to a guide to obtain a search result regarding the occurrence of the trigger.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, comprising:

presenting an indicator of a resource for observing the trigger and a notification of an occurrence of the criterion to the guide when the criterion occurs;

obtaining from the guide, selections of the indicator, a response and an advertisement when an action of the guide indicates that the trigger occurs based on the observation of the resource; and

providing the response and the advertisement as a part of the search result.

20. A computer-implemented method of accessing information, comprising:

receiving a request;

linking, by a processor, a conditional search comprising a search query and a condition to an originator of the request when an action indicating acceptance of the conditional search is received;

receiving, by the processor, the action from the originator or a human assistant processing the request;

ranking conditional searches based on the request;

presenting the conditional searches including the conditional search to a user or the human assistant;

providing an indicator of the conditional search to the human assistant when a criterion and not all criteria comprising the condition is satisfied is met after the conditional request is linked to the originator;

performing a search when an action of the human assistant responsive to the indicator determines that the condition occurs; and

providing a result to the user at each occurrence of provided by the human assistant performing a search for information regarding occurrence of the condition.