Traffic driver for suggesting stores

• US 8,819,052 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Zhang, Xiaodi, Hang, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Chau, Dung K
• Application Number:
  US12/916,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,397 Days
• Field of Search: 707/767, 707/766, 707/769, 707/999.003, 707/999.004, 707/999.005, 707/999.007, 707/999
• US Class Current: 707/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A system and method for providing a suggested store at or through which to purchase a product or service. When a user enters a query for a product or service into a user interface, the system may use the query as a search argument to search files to find one or more pictures illustrating information about a product or service represented by the query. The picture could illustrate where the queried product or service may be purchased. Auto-complete processes may also be used to process the query as it is being entered, to generate an auto-suggestion key word based on fewer than all the letters of the query, to use as a search argument for the search. Both the query and the auto-suggestion key word may be used as search arguments to find the relevant picture in a variety of search logic sequences to provide the picture to the user.

Claims

1. A system to search one or more files to find at least one picture, the system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

storage configured to receive and store a search query from a client machine;

an auto-complete application to process the search query, the search query comprising a user-generated key word, to generate an auto-suggestion key word in response to detecting fewer than all of letters of the user-generated key word; and

a search engine coupled to the auto-complete application and to use a first search argument and a second search argument to search at least one of the one or more files, using the user-generated keyword and the auto-suggestion key word to find the at least one picture,

the search engine to search one of the one or more files using the user-generated key word as a search argument and,

responsive to the at least one picture being found, to transmit the at least one picture, and

responsive to the at least one picture not being found, to automatically search, without response to a new search query from the client machine, the one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as a search argument.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the auto-complete server is configured to generate an auto-suggestion key word by using no fewer than three letters of the user-generated keyword.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a presentation server to present the at least one picture for display.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein, responsive to the at least one picture not being found using the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument, the search engine searches other ones of the one or more files using user-generated key word as the first search argument and the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument, until the at least one picture is found.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the search engine searches one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the first search argument and, responsive to the at least one picture not being found, searches the one of the one or more files using user-generated keyword as the second search argument.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein, responsive to the at least one picture not being found using user-generated keyword as the second search argument, the search engine searches other ones of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the first search argument and user-generated keyword as the second search argument, until the at least one picture is found.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one picture is configured to be transmitted as a selectable picture that includes a link to a web page indentifying aspects of an outlet store.

8. A method to find at least one picture in one or more files, the method comprising:

configuring storage to receive and store a query from a client machine, the query comprising a user-generated key word;

responsive to the query from the client machine, using an auto-complete server to process the query to generate an auto-suggestion key word in response to detecting fewer than all of letters of the user-generated key word; and

using a search engine coupled to the auto-complete server to use a first search argument and a second search argument to search at least one of the one or more files, using the user- generated key word and the auto-suggestion key word to find the at least one picture, wherein the auto-suggestion key word is used automatically and without response to a new search query,

the search engine searches one of the one or more files using the user-generated key word as a search argument and,

responsive to the at least one picture being found, transmits the at least one picture, and

responsive to the at least one picture not being found, automatically searches, without response to a new search query from the client machine, the one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as a search argument.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the auto-complete server is configured to generate an auto-suggestion key word by using no fewer than three letters of the user-generated keyword.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising using a presentation server to present the at least one picture for display.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the display is a drop down display.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising, responsive to a plurality of different queries, using the search engine to find the same picture.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one picture is at least one of a group consisting of plain text, product, and traffic driver.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the one or more files are configuration files.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one picture comprises a brand name.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the at least one picture further comprises an identification of a store that sells products under the brand name and a link to an online page for the store.

17. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one picture comprises an image of a product.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one picture further comprises an identification of a store that sells the product and a link to an online page for the store that sells the product.

19. The method of claim 8 further comprising, responsive to the query, using the search engine to find a plurality of different pictures for the user to select.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising, responsive to the user selecting one of the plurality of pictures, using the search engine to find a link to an online page that identifies various aspects of the selected picture.

21. The method of claim 8 further comprising using the search engine to search one of the one or more files using the user-generated key word as the first search argument and, responsive to the at least one picture not being found, using the search engine to search the one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising, responsive to the at least one picture not being found using the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument, using the search engine to search other ones of the one or more files using the user-generated key word as the first search argument and the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument, until the at least one picture is found.

23. The method of claim 8 further comprising using the search engine to search one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the first search argument and, responsive to the at least one picture not being found, using the search engine to search the one of the one or more files using the user-generated key word as the second search argument.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising, responsive to the at least one picture not being found using the user-generated key word as the second search argument, using the search engine to search other ones of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the first search argument and the user-generated key word as the second search argument, until the at least one picture is found.

25. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one of the one or more files is distinguished by an identifying number, the numbers ranging from lower numbers to higher numbers, and the search proceeds from files distinguished by lower identifying numbers to files distinguished by higher identifying numbers.

26. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one of the one or more files is distinguished by an identifying number, the numbers ranging from lower numbers to higher numbers, and the search proceeds from files distinguished by higher identifying numbers to files distinguished by lower identifying numbers.

27. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one picture is configured to be transmitted as a selectable picture that includes a link to a web page identifying aspects of an outlet store.

28. A computer-readable storage device having embedded therein a set of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of the computer causes the computer to execute operations comprising:

configuring storage to receive and store a query from a client machine, the query comprising a user-generated key word;

responsive to the query from the client machine, using an auto-complete server to process the query to generate an auto-suggestion key word in response to detecting fewer than all of letters of the user-generated key word; and

using a search engine coupled to the auto-complete server and configured to use a first search argument and a second search argument for searching at least one of the one or more files, using the user-generated key word and the auto-suggestion key word to find the at least one picture, wherein the auto-suggestion key word is used automatically and without response to a new search query,

the search engine searches one of the one or more files using the user-generated key word as a search argument and,

responsive to the at least one picture being found, transmits the at least one picture, and

responsive to the at least one picture not being found, automatically searches, without response to a new search query from the client machine, the one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as a search argument.

29. The computer-readable storage device of claim 28 the operations further comprising generating an auto-suggestion key word by using no fewer than three letters of the user-generated keyword.

30. The computer-readable storage device of claim 28 the operations further comprising using a presentation server to present the at least one picture for display.

31. The computer-readable storage device of claim 30 the operations further comprising using the presentation server to present the at least one picture for display on a drop down display.

32. The computer-readable storage device of claim 28 the operations further comprising, responsive to a plurality of different queries, using the search engine to find the same picture.

33. The computer-readable storage device of claim 28 wherein the at least one picture is one of a group consisting of plain text, product, and traffic driver.

34. The computer-readable storage device of claim 28 wherein the one or more files are configuration files.

35. The computer-readable storage device of claim 28 wherein the at least one picture comprises a brand name.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35 wherein the at least one picture further comprises an identification of a store that sells products under the brand name and a link to an online page for the store.

37. The computer-readable storage device of claim 28 wherein the at least one picture comprises an image of a product.

38. The computer-readable storage device of claim 37 wherein the at least one picture further comprises an identification of a store that sells the product and a link to an online page for the store that sells the product.

39. The computer-readable storage device of claim 28 the operations further comprising, responsive to the user-generated key word, using the search engine to find a plurality of different pictures for the user to select.

40. The computer-readable storage device of claim 39 the operations further comprising, responsive to the user selecting one of the plurality of pictures, using the search engine to find a link to an online page identifying various aspects of the selected picture.

41. The computer-readable storage device of claim 28 the operations further comprising using the search engine to search one of the one or more files using the user-generated key word as the first search argument and, responsive to the at least one picture not being found, using the search engine to search the one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument.

42. The computer-readable storage device of claim 41 the operations further comprising, responsive to the at least one picture not being found using the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument, using the search engine to search other ones of the one or more files using the user-generated key word as the first search argument and the auto-suggestion key word as the second search argument, until the at least one picture is found.

43. The computer-readable storage device of claim 28 the operations further comprising using the search engine to search one of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the first search argument and, responsive to the at least one picture not being found, using the search engine to search the one of the one or more files using the user-generated key word as the second search argument.

44. The computer-readable storage device of claim 43 the operations further comprising, responsive to the at least one picture not being found using the user-generated key word as the second search argument, using the search engine to search other ones of the one or more files using the auto-suggestion key word as the first search argument and the user-generated key word as the second search argument, until the at least one picture is found.

45. The computer-readable storage device of claim 28 the operations further comprising using the auto-suggestion key word as a search argument to search files until the user-generated key word is entered and, if no match is found, using the user-generated key word as a search argument to search at least some of the files that were searched using the auto-suggestion key word as a search argument.

46. The computer-readable storage device of claim 28 wherein the at least one picture is configured to be transmitted as a selectable picture that includes a link to a web page identifying aspects of an outlet store.