Obscuring search results to increase traffic to network sites

• US 9,311,404 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2011
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Adrian X., Woods, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, TUANKHANH D
• Application Number:
  US13/227,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20130066889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,678 Days
• Field of Search: 707706-787
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a system alters search results to increase traffic at network sites, and comprises a computer system including at least one processor. The system processes a search query including an inquiry to determine corresponding search results and an answer to the inquiry, wherein the search results include one or more network sites and a corresponding description of content. The search results are filtered to remove from view the answer from the description of content for the network sites. The filtered search results are displayed to enable access of the network site having a corresponding description of content indicating the network site contains the answer. Alternatively, the answer is highlighted for readily viewing by the user. Embodiments of the present invention further include a method and computer program product for altering search results in substantially the same manners described above.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of altering search results to increase traffic at network sites comprising:

receiving a search query including a fact-based inquiry;

determining a fact-based answer to the fact-based inquiry, wherein determining comprises;

forming a hypothetical answer, wherein forming the hypothetical answer further comprises examining the search results and determining the hypothetical answer based on common content within the search results;

assigning a measure of confidence to the hypothetical answer; and

determining that the assigned measure of confidence exceeds a confidence threshold;

receiving search results for the search query, wherein the search results include a reference enabling access to a network site and a corresponding description of content;

filtering the search results to alter the description of content by removing the fact-based answer from view within the description of content for the network site and indicating that the network site contains the fact-based answer, wherein filtering the search results includes at least one of deleting the fact-based answer from the search results and masking the fact-based answer within the search results; and

displaying the filtered search results including the reference to the network site.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein filtering the search results further includes:

removing the fact-based answer and at least one accompanying character adjacent the fact-based answer from the search results.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein filtering the search results further includes:

replacing the fact-based answer with information indicating the presence of the fact-based answer at the network site.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein forming the hypothetical answer further comprises:

determining the hypothetical answer without examining the search results.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the fact-based inquiry is in the form of a question and the determined fact-based answer answers the question.

6. A system for altering search results to increase traffic at network sites comprising:

a computer system including at least one processor configured to;

receive a search query including a fact-based inquiry;

determine a fact-based answer to the fact-based inquiry, wherein determining comprises;

forming a hypothetical answer, wherein forming the hypothetical answer further comprises examining the search results and determining the hypothetical answer based on common content within the search results;

assigning a measure of confidence to the hypothetical answer; and

determining that the assigned measure of confidence exceeds a confidence threshold;

receive search results for the search query, wherein the search results include a reference enabling access to a network site and a corresponding description of content;

filter the search results to alter the description of content by removing the fact-based answer from view within the description of content for the network site and indicating that the network site contains the fact-based answer, wherein filtering the search results includes at least one of deleting the fact-based answer from the search results and masking the fact-based answer within the search results; and

display the filtered search results including the reference to the network site and altered description of content to enable access of the network site.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein filtering the search results further includes:

removing the fact-based answer and at least one accompanying character adjacent the fact-based answer from the search results.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein filtering the search results further includes:

replacing the fact-based answer with information indicating the presence of the fact-based answer at the network site.

9. A computer program product for altering search results to increase traffic at network sites comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising computer readable program code configured to;

receive a search query including a fact-based inquiry;

determine a fact-based answer to the fact-based inquiry, wherein determining comprises;

forming a hypothetical answer, wherein forming the hypothetical answer further comprises examining the search results and determining the hypothetical answer based on common content within the search results;

assigning a measure of confidence to the hypothetical answer; and

determining that the assigned measure of confidence exceeds a confidence threshold;

receive search results for the search query, wherein the search results include a reference enabling access to a network site and a corresponding description of content;

filter the search results to alter the description of content by removing the fact-based answer from view within the description of content for the network site and indicating that the network site contains the fact-based answer, wherein filtering the search results includes at least one of deleting the fact-based answer from the search results and masking the fact-based answer within the search results; and

display the filtered search results including the reference to the network site and altered description of content to enable access of the network site.

10. A computer-implemented method of determining search results comprising:

receiving a search query that includes a fact-based inquiry;

determining a fact-based answer to the fact-based inquiry, wherein determining comprises;

forming a hypothetical answer, wherein forming the hypothetical answer further comprises examining the search results and determining the hypothetical answer based on common content within the search results;

assigning a measure of confidence to the hypothetical answer; and

determining that the assigned measure of confidence exceeds a confidence threshold;

determining search results for the search query, wherein the search results include a reference enabling access to a network site and a corresponding description of content;

determining that the description of content contains the determined answer;

filtering the search results to visually distinguish the determined fact-based answer from the search results within the description of content for the network site, wherein filtering the search results includes at least one of deleting the fact-based answer from the search results and masking the fact-based answer within the search results; and

displaying the visually distinguishable determined answer in the description of content within the search results.