Automatic update of searches

• US 9,367,621 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2014
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Wen, Wen, Ng, Patricia
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Hanh
• Application Number:
  US14/159,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20140324807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706, 707/728, 707/754, 707/758, 715/751
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

A method and system for automatically updating searches are described. In one embodiment, a first search result may be compared with a second search result to automatically identify at least one data item within the first search result that is changed relative to the second search result. The at least one data item may comprise a transaction term. A notification of the at least one data item may be transmitted to a user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a data item that is changed within a first search result relative to a second search result, the data item being absent from the second search result and corresponding to a listed item, the identifying of the data item being performed by a processor of a machine; and

communicating a notification of the data item to a user device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the first search result with the second search result, wherein the identifying of the data item is based on the comparison.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the comparing the first search result with the second search result includes parsing the first search result and performing a checksum on the parsed first search result.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein comparing the first search result with the second search result includes tagging the data item as being absent from the second search result.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the communicating of the notification includes transmitting the data item tagged as being the listed item.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving search criteria from the user device;

performing the current search based on the search criteria received from the user device; and

retrieving the current search result in response to the performing of the current search.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving the second search result from a search results database, and wherein the retrieving is performed periodically according to a pre-defined frequency.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating of the notification includes sending an email notification of the data item to an email address hosted by an email server, the email notification being retrievable from the email server by the user device, the email notification indicating the change relative to the second search result.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a further data item within the first search result that is the same as the second search result; and

communicating a message notifying that that the further data item within the first search result is the same as the second search result.

10. A system comprising:

a processor configured by an update notification engine to identify a data item that is changed within a first search result relative to a second search result, the data item being absent from the second search result and corresponding to a listed item; and

a notification module configured to communicate a notification of the data item to a user device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the update notification engine is further configured to:

compare the first search result with the second search result; and

identify the data item within the first search result based on the comparison.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the update notification engine is further configured to:

parse the first search result and perform a checksum on the parsed first search result.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the update notification engine is further configured to tag the data item as being absent from the second search result.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the notification module is further configured to transmit the data item tagged as being the listed item.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the update notification engine is further configured to:

receive search criteria from the user device; and

perform a current search based on the search criteria from the user device; and

retrieve the first search result in response to the performing of the current search.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the update notification engine is further configured to:

retrieve the second search result from a search results database, and wherein the retrieving is performed periodically according to a pre-defined frequency.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the notification module is further configured to send an email notification of the data item to an email address hosted by an email server, the email notification being retrievable from the email server by the user device, the email notification indicating the change relative to the second search result.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the update notification engine is further configured to detect that a further data item within a first search result that is the same as the second search result, and wherein the notification module is further configured to communicate a message notifying that the further data item within the first search result is the same as the second search result.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

identifying a data item that is changed within a first search result relative to a second search result, the data item being absent from the second search result and corresponding to a listed item; and

communicating a notification of the data item to a user device.