Providing continued searching and associated indicators

• US 10,324,990 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2016
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bai, Kun, Chen, Di Ling, Kau, Christian Benjamin, Liu, Zhi Cheng, O'Sullivan, Patrick Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Hung D
• Application Number:
  US15/078,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20170277791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/243 Natural language query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A search continuation device and its operations include, for example, performing a first electronic search based on first search criteria. The first electronic search generates first search results. The operations can further include electronically storing search data associated with the first electronic search (e.g., in a user account). The operations can further include performing a second electronic search with second search criteria substantially similar to the first search criteria. The second electronic search generates second search results. The operations can further include, retrieving the search data (e.g., from the user account), and providing, based on the search data, one or more indicators for presentation with the second search results. The one or more indicators specify continued search information, such as a degree to which content contained within an item of the first search results was previously accessed or a difference between the first search results and the second search results.

Claims

1. A method of providing a continued search comprising:

performing, via an electronic processing unit of an electronic device, a first electronic search based on first search criteria, wherein the performing the first electronic search generates first search results;

electronically storing, in a memory storage unit, search data associated with the first electronic search;

performing, via the electronic processing unit, a second electronic search with second search criteria substantially similar to the first search criteria, wherein the performing the second electronic search generates second search results;

retrieving, from the memory storage unit, the search data; and

providing, via the electronic processing unit based on the search data, one or more indicators for presentation with the second search results, wherein the one or more indicators specify a difference between the first search results and the second search results;

before performing the second electronic search, detecting a selection of an item from the first search results;

analyzing a use of content contained within the item wherein the analyzing the use of the content includes

determining an amount of time that the content was displayed on an electronic display of the electronic device;

multiplying the amount of time by a reading rate associated with a user for the electronic device to produce a product; and

dividing the product by a number of words in the content;

determining a degree to which the content was accessed based on the analyzing the use of the content, wherein the providing the one or more indicators with the second search results comprises providing an indicator that specifies the degree to which the content was previously accessed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing the use of the content comprises:

determining an amount of scrolling of the content; and

dividing the amount of scrolling by a number of scrollable pages of the content.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

evaluating first content from a first item included in the first search results against second content from a second item included in the second search results, wherein the first content is stored in the search data; and

determining a difference between the first content and the second content based on the evaluating, wherein the difference between the first search results and the second search results comprises the difference between the first content and the second content.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the providing the one or more indicators comprises presenting a visual indicator associated with a link to the second content, wherein the visual indicator indicates a numerical value for the difference.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the providing the one or more indicators comprises presenting a visual indicator that specifies whether the second content was included in the first search results.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the providing the one or more indicators comprises presenting a graphical indicator that specifies whether the first content is missing from the second search results.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

logging in a user account;

storing the search data in the user account, wherein the search data includes an indication of the first search criteria; and

providing an option to select the indication of the first search criteria as the second search criteria.

8. A computer program product for electronically searching, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code including;

program code to perform, via an electronic processing unit of an electronic device, a first electronic search based on first search criteria;

program code to analyze content associated with a first item accessed from first search results of the first electronic search;

program code to determine, based on the analyzing, a degree to which the content was accessed;

program code to electronically store, to a memory storage unit associated with a user account, first data that specifies the degree to which the content was accessed;

program code to perform, via the electronic processing unit, a second electronic search based on second search criteria, wherein the second electronic search generates second search results;

program code to determine that the first item is included in the second search results; and

program code to provide an indicator with the second search results that specifies the degree to which the content was accessed;

program code to before performing the second electronic search, detect a selection of an item from the first search results;

program code to analyze a use of content contained within the item wherein the program code to analyze the use of the content includes

program code to determine an amount of time that the content was displayed on an electronic display of the electronic device;

program code to multiply the amount of time by a reading rate associated with a user for the electronic device to produce a product; and

program code to divide the product by a number of words in the content;

program code to determine a degree to which the content was accessed based on the analyzing the use of the content, wherein the providing the one or more indicators with the second search results comprises providing an indicator that specifies the degree to which the content was previously accessed.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the computer usable program code configured to analyze the use of the content comprises computer usable program code to:

determine an amount of scrolling of the content; and

divide the amount of scrolling by a number of scrollable pages of the first item.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, comprising computer usable program code to:

log in the user account before performing the first electronic search;

store second data in the user account, wherein the second data includes an indication of the first search criteria;

after storing the second data and before performing the second electronic search, access the second data from the user account;

provide a user interface element for presentation, wherein the user interface element indicates one or more keywords from the first search criteria;

detect a selection of the one or more keywords from the user interface element; and

use the one or more keywords as the second search criteria.

11. An apparatus comprising:

an electronic processing unit; and

a memory storage unit configured to store instructions, which when executed by the electronic processing unit, cause the apparatus to perform operations to perform a first electronic search based on a first set of keywords specified by first user input;

electronically store first search results associated with the first electronic search;

determine, based on second user input, a second set of keywords equivalent to the first set of keywords;

perform, via the electronic processing unit, a second electronic search with the second set of keywords, wherein the performing the second electronic search generates second search results;

retrieve, from the memory storage unit, the first search results;

evaluate second search results from the second electronic search against the first search results; and

provide one or more indicators for presentation with the second search results based on evaluation of the second search results and the first search results, wherein the one or more indicators specify a difference between first search results and the second search results;

determine that an item having a unique identifier is included in both the first search results and the second search results;

generate a listing of the second search results, wherein the listing includes a selectable link to the item;

determine one or more differences between a first version of content contained within the item and a second version of the content contained within the item, wherein the first version of the content is from a first copy of the item stored at a time before the second user input is determined and the second version of the content is from a second copy of the item accessed at a time after the second user input is determined; and

provide a visual indicator of the one or more differences, wherein the visual indicator is associated with the selectable link to the item within the listing.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory storage unit is configured to store instructions, which when executed by the electronic processing unit, cause the apparatus to perform operations to:

log in a user account;

store the first set of keywords in the user account in response to the first user input;

before the second user input is determined, present, within a graphical user interface, an indication of the first set of keywords;

detect a selection of the first set of keywords; and

use, as the second set of keywords, the first set of keywords.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the visual indicator specifies a percentage of changes between the first version of the content and the second version of the content.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory storage unit configured to store the instructions to cause the apparatus to perform operations to provide the one or more indicators is configured to store instructions, which when executed by the electronic processing unit, cause the apparatus to perform operations to present a visual indicator that specifies whether one or more items from the second search results were included in the first search results.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the memory storage unit configured to store the instructions to cause the apparatus to perform operations to provide the one or more indicators is configured to store instructions, which when executed by the electronic processing unit, cause the apparatus to perform operations to present a visual indicator that specifies whether one or more items from the first search results are missing from the second search results.