Electronic previous search results log

• US 9,047,340 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2011
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Scott A., Bostic, Brad, O'Donnell, Eugene M., Cooper, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Casanova, Jorge A
• Application Number:
  US13/098,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20110208727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,492 Days
• Field of Search: 707/783, 707/769, 707/781, 707/788, 707/748
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2453 Query optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A method for providing a viewable search results log to allow determination of the effectiveness of search strategies and sharing results of searches with others. The search results log reveals search strategies utilized by a human searcher with which the search results log is associated. The search results produced by at least one human searcher are stored in the search results log and presented according to a view format selected by a viewer. The search results log can be interrelated to other systems such as a blog or a search engine.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing information of a previous search, comprising:

receiving a query of a user;

directing a notification to a human assistant other than the user when the query is received;

storing, by a processor, a record comprising information of the query and a search result provided to the user by the human assistant;

accepting a request to access the information from a source other than the user;

ranking records including the record based on a criterion indicated by the request; and

providing the query and the search result of the record concurrently to the source of the request in an order based on the ranking of the record and improving efficiency of access to the record.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing an identifier of an origin of the query.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

denying access to an element of the record while providing content of the record based on the source of the request and the identifier of the origin of the query.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the record based on a keyword of the query; and

directing the notification to the human assistant based on the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the record based on a location associated with the search result obtained by the human assistant.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the record based on the user associated with the query.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ranking the record based on a keyword of the query and a ranking of the search result of the record.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sorting the record based on temporal information and an identifier of the user associated with the query.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing an identifier of the human assistant in the record; and

providing selective access to a portion of the record based on the identifier of the human assistant.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the record includes data which describe a procedure performed during a search of the query and the search result;

receiving a key;

sorting search records including the record based on the key and the data; and

displaying the search result and the query of the record concurrently in an order based on the sorting.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

receiving a rating of human assistants associated with search records as a key;

sorting the records based on the key;

displaying concurrently with the query and the search result an item indicated in the record which is at least one of an identifier of the human assistant, an identifier of a resource, an identifier of a category and a temporal indicator.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing therein an instruction which when executed causes a computer to execute an operation including accessing information of a search of a query, comprising:

receiving access to a search record in response to an action related to the information received from a source other than a user wherein the search record includes a search result provided to a user responsive to the query when a human assistant accepts a notification;

directing the notification to the human assistant when the query is received;

allowing the search record to be retrieved;

determining whether the search record includes data which describe a procedure followed during the search of the query and the search result;

ranking the search record based on the action and the data;

displaying the search result and the query of the search record concurrently in an order based on the ranking of the search record;

enhancing access to the search records based on sorting options; and

blocking the displaying of a component of the search record while providing elements of the record based on an identifier of the user and the source of the action.

13. The medium of claim 12, the operation further comprising:

obtaining the action including a Uniform Resource Locator; and

providing search records sorted based on a portion of the Uniform Resource Locator.

14. The medium of claim 13, the operation further comprising:

determining a keyword indicated in the Uniform Resource Locator;

sorting the search records based on the keyword; and

providing concurrently the query and a search resource associated with the search record in an order based on the sorting of the search records.

15. The medium of claim 12, the operation further comprising:

including in the search record an identifier of the human assistant; and

selectively blocking access to a portion of the search record based on the identifier of the human assistant.

16. The medium of claim 12, the operation further comprising:

including in the search record an identifier of a resource used by the human assistant; and

selectively blocking access to the data of the search record based on the identifier of the resource.

17. The medium of claim 12, the operation further comprising:

including in the search record an identifier of an advertisement selected for the query; and

selectively blocking access to an element of the search record based on the identifier of the advertisement.

18. The medium of claim 12, the operation further comprising:

receiving, from a second human assistant, a comment regarding the search,

including in the search record an identifier of the second human assistant; and

selectively blocking access to an element of the search record based on the identifier of the second human assistant.

19. The medium of claim 12, the operation further comprising:

receiving criteria comprising the action;

sorting the search record based on an identifier of the source of the criteria; and

presenting the data of the search record and the criteria concurrently in an order based on the sorting.

20. A system, comprising:

a user device transmitting a query;

a search system receiving the query, directing a notification of the query to a human searcher other than a user when the query is received, directing the notification to the human searcher based on the user device, recording a log including information of the query and a search result provided to the user device when the notification of the query is accepted by the human searcher, receiving a request to access the log from a source other than the user ranking records including the record based on a criterion indicated by the request and providing the query and the search result concurrently in an order based on a ranking of the log for the request, ranking the log based on data included in the log which describe a search procedure performed during a search of the query and the search result and selectively blocking concurrent providing of the data of the log responsive to the request based on the source of the request and an identifier of the user of the user device and thereby enhancing efficiency of retrieval of the record.