Search engine utilizing user navigated documents

• US 8,996,560 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mehanna, Lara
• Primary Examiner(s): Flipczyk, Marc
• Application Number:
  US13/618,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706, 707/707, 707/999.003, 707/708, 707765-768, 707/771, 707/999.005
• US Class Current: 707/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

Information may be presented to a user by receiving a selection of one or more terms passively displayed in a document, loading the terms to a search configuration, generating first results responsive to a user'"'"'s predicted interest as expressed in the search configuration, and enabling display of the first results.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, at a first point in time, a first query that includes a first set of one or more search terms from a user;

receiving a first plurality of query results based on the first generated query;

tracking navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results, wherein tracking navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results comprises tracking one or more query results with which the user does not interact;

accessing information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results;

identifying, using at least one processor, a topic based on the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results;

generating, at a second point in time subsequent to the first point in time, a second query that includes a second set of one or more search terms from the user;

receiving a second plurality of query results based on the second generated query; and

modifying, using at least one processor and without user intervention, the second plurality of query results based on the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results, wherein the modified second plurality of query results reflects a disinterest of the user in the identified topic.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the modified second plurality of query results to the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the modified second plurality of query results to the user comprises enabling a display of the second plurality of query results so that the user perceives that the second plurality of query results has been modified.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing the user a selectable option to not modify the second plurality of query results based on the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein presenting the modified second plurality of query results to the user comprises enabling a display of a plurality of labels that describe the results.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving an indication from the user to retrieve an electronic document associated with a particular label from the plurality of labels; and

enabling the display of a source document based on the received indication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the second plurality of query results based on the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results comprises:

identifying one or more additional search terms within the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results;

supplementing the second set of one or more search terms from the user with the one or more additional search terms; and

using the supplemented search terms to modify the second plurality of query results.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more additional search terms are located in different electronic documents within the first plurality of query results.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results;

generating contextual information based on the analysis; and

supplementing the second set of one or more search terms from the user with the contextual information.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising using the supplemented search terms to modify the second plurality of search results.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results comprises tracking electronic documents within the first plurality of search results that the user has not accessed.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first point in time, a first query from a user;

tracking navigation of the user through a first plurality of query results associated with the first query, wherein tracking navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results comprises tracking one or more query results with which the user does not interact;

accessing information associated with the tracked navigation of the first plurality of query results;

identifying, using at least one processor, a topic based on the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results;

receiving, at a second point in time subsequent to the first point in time, a second query from the user;

generating a second plurality of query results based on the second query; and

modifying, using the at least one processor and without user intervention, the second plurality of query results based on the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results, wherein the modified second plurality of query results reflects a disinterest of the user in the identified topic.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

analyzing the information associated with the first plurality of query results; and

predicting a user interest based on the analysis of the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein analyzing the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results comprises comparing a search term from the first query to the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising identifying predictive information associated with the predicted user interest.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein modifying the second query comprises modifying the second query based on the predictive information.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein tracking navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results comprises tracking electronic documents within the first plurality of search results that the user has not accessed.

18. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

receive, at a first point in time, a first query from a user;

track navigation of the user through a first plurality of query results associated with the first query, wherein tracking navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results comprises tracking one or more query results with which the user does not interact;

access information associated with the tracked navigation of the first plurality of query results;

identify a topic based on the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results;

receive, at a second point in time subsequent to the first point in time, a second query from the user;

generate a second plurality of query results based on the second query; and

modify, without user intervention, the second plurality of query results based on the information associated with the tracked navigation of the first plurality of query results, wherein the modified second plurality of query results reflects a disinterest of the user in the identified topic.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:

analyze the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results; and

predict a user interest based on the analysis of the information associated with the tracked navigation of the user through the first plurality of query results.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein modifying the second query comprises modifying the second query based on the user interest.