Sharing context data across programmable search engines

• US 20070038603A1
• Filed: 08/10/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Guha, Ramanathan
• Application Number:
  US11/202,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038603A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Context information, obtained by one programmable search engine and relating to a user, is stored in a central shared repository so that it can be used by other programmable search engines, in order to provide more effective targeted search results for the user in the future. Information obtained from other sources, including from the user him- or herself, can also be stored in the repository for future use. A programmable search engine consults the shared repository when processing queries and/or results, so as to incorporate previously stored context information concerning the user.

Claims

1. A method of processing a search query for a search engine to provide a set of search results to the search query, the method comprising:

receiving a search query for a user from a host system;

retrieving, from a repository, at least one previously stored context associated with at least one of the user and a host system;

processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering at least one of;

execution of the search engine on the query; and

the search results;

to produce processed search results; and

providing the processed search results to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the query comprises at least one of:

pre-processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering execution of the search engine on the query, to produce search results responsive to the pre-processed query; and

post-processing the search results using the identified context by programmatically altering the search results.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the query comprises:

pre-processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering execution of the search engine on the query, to produce search results responsive to the pre-processed query; and

post-processing the search results using the identified context by programmatically altering the search results.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the previously stored context is performed by a first context server, and wherein the previously stored context was stored by an entity other than the first context server.

5. A method of processing a search query for a search engine to provide a set of search results for the search query, the method comprising:

receiving a search query for a user from a host system;

receiving at least one context associated with at least one of the user and a host system;

storing the received context;

processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering at least one of;

execution of the search engine on the query; and

the search results;

to produce processed search results; and

providing the processed search results to the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein storing the received context comprises storing the received context in a repository accessible to a plurality of context servers.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein storing the received context comprises storing the received context in a database.

8. A method of processing a search query for a search engine to provide a set of search results for the search query, the method comprising:

receiving a search query for a user from a host system;

receiving at least one context associated with at least one of the user and a host system;

determining whether the received context corresponds to a persistent characteristic of at least one of the user and a host system;

responsive to the received context corresponding to a persistent characteristic of at least one of the user and a host system, storing the received context;

processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering at least one of;

execution of the search engine on the query; and

the search results;

to produce processed search results; and

providing the processed search results to the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein storing the received context comprises storing the received context in a repository accessible to a plurality of context servers.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein storing the received context comprises storing the received context in a database.

11. A method of sharing contexts among context servers, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first entity, at least one context associated with at least one of a user and a host system; and

sharing the received at least one context with at least a second entity different from the first entity, wherein the second entity comprises a context server for processing the query using the context.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first entity comprises a context server.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein sharing the context is performed responsive to determining that the received context corresponds to a persistent characteristic of at least one of a user and a host system.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein sharing the context comprises storing the context in a repository accessible to the second entity.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein sharing the context comprises storing the context in a database.

16. A computer program product for processing a search query for a search engine to provide a set of search results to the search query, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for;

receiving a search query for a user from a host system;

retrieving, from a repository, at least one previously stored context associated with at least one of the user and a host system;

processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering at least one of;

execution of the search engine on the query; and

the search results;

to produce processed search results; and

providing the processed search results to the user.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein processing the query comprises at least one of:

pre-processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering execution of the search engine on the query, to produce search results responsive to the pre-processed query; and

post-processing the search results using the identified context by programmatically altering the search results.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein processing the query comprises:

pre-processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering execution of the search engine on the query, to produce search results responsive to the pre-processed query; and

post-processing the search results using the identified context by programmatically altering the search results.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein retrieving the previously stored context is performed by a first context server, and wherein the previously stored context was stored by an entity other than the first context server.

20. A computer program product for processing a search query for a search engine to provide a set of search results for the search query, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for;

receiving a search query for a user from a host system;

receiving at least one context associated with at least one of the user and a host system;

storing the received context;

processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering at least one of;

execution of the search engine on the query; and

the search results;

to produce processed search results; and

providing the processed search results to the user.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein storing the received context comprises storing the received context in a repository accessible to a plurality of context servers.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein storing the received context comprises storing the received context in a database.

23. A computer program product for processing a search query for a search engine to provide a set of search results for the search query, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for;

receiving a search query for a user from a host system;

receiving at least one context associated with at least one of the user and a host system;

determining whether the received context corresponds to a persistent characteristic of at least one of the user and a host system;

responsive to the received context corresponding to a persistent characteristic of at least one of the user and a host system, storing the received context;

processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering at least one of;

execution of the search engine on the query; and

the search results;

to produce processed search results; and

providing the processed search results to the user.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein storing the received context comprises storing the received context in a repository accessible to a plurality of context servers.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein storing the received context comprises storing the received context in a database.

26. A computer program product for sharing contexts among context servers, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for;

receiving, at a first entity, at least one context associated with at least one of a user and a host system; and

sharing the received at least one context with at least a second entity different from the first entity, wherein the second entity comprises a context server for processing the query using the context.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the first entity comprises a context server.

28. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein sharing the context is performed responsive to determining that the context corresponds to a persistent characteristic of at least one of a user and a host system.

29. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein sharing the context comprises storing the received context in a repository accessible to the second entity.

30. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein sharing the received at least one context comprises storing the received at least one context in a database.

31. A system for processing a search query for a search engine to provide a set of search results to the search query, the system comprising:

an input mechanism, for receiving a search query for a user from a host system;

a shared context repository, for storing contexts;

a context server, for, responsive to the input mechanism receiving a search query, retrieving from the shared context repository at least one previously stored context associated with at least one of the user and a host system;

a context processor, coupled to the context server, for processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering at least one of;

execution of the search engine on the query; and

the search results;

to produce processed search results; and

an output mechanism, coupled to the context processor, for providing the processed search results to the user.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the context processor performs at least one of:

pre-processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering execution of the search engine on the query, to produce search results responsive to the pre-processed query; and

post-processing the search results using the identified context by programmatically altering the search results.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the context processor performs at least one of:

pre-processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering execution of the search engine on the query, to produce search results responsive to the pre-processed query; and

post-processing the search results using the identified context by programmatically altering the search results.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the previously stored context was stored by an entity other than the context server.

35. A system for processing a search query for a search engine to provide a set of search results for the search query, the system comprising:

an input mechanism, for receiving a search query for a user from a host system;

a search engine interface, for identifying a context for the search query;

a shared context repository, for storing the identified context;

a context processor, for, responsive to the input mechanism receiving a search query, processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering at least one of;

execution of the search engine on the query; and

the search results;

to produce processed search results; and

an output mechanism, coupled to the context processor, for providing the processed search results to the user.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the shared context repository is accessible to a plurality of context servers.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the shared context repository comprises a database.

38. A system for processing a search query for a search engine to provide a set of search results for the search query, the system comprising:

an input mechanism, for receiving a search query for a user from a host system;

a search engine interface, for identifying a context associated with at least one of the user and a host system;

a shared context repository, for, responsive to the received context corresponding to a persistent characteristic of at least one of the user and a host system, storing the received context;

a context processor;

for, responsive to the input mechanism receiving a search query, processing the query using the identified context by programmatically altering at least one of;

execution of the search engine on the query; and

the search results;

to produce processed search results; and

an output mechanism, coupled to the context processor, for providing the processed search results to the user.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the shared context repository is accessible to a plurality of context servers.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the shared context repository comprises a database.

41. A system for sharing contexts among context servers, the system comprising:

a search engine interface, associated with a first entity, for identifying at least one context associated with at least one of a user and a host system; and

a shared context repository, for storing the identified context and for providing it to a context server associated with a second entity different from the first entity.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the shared context repository provides the identified context responsive to a determination that the context corresponds to a persistent characteristic of at least one of a user and a host system.

43. The system of claim 41, wherein the shared context repository comprises a database.