Scalable search system using human searchers

• US 8,566,306 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ChaCha Search, Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Scott A
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TRUONG V
• Application Number:
  US13/241,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 707/718
• US Class Current: 707/718
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3326 using relevance feedback from the user, e.g. relevance feedback on documents, documents sets, document terms or passages

Abstract

A system allowing a query to be submitted to a server that locates a human searcher to perform a search. The searcher performs a search including using conventional tools, browser, and provides results to the user. A searcher who produces result(s) accepted by the user is rewarded and the results can be used when a similar query is submitted by another user. The searcher is bested by comparing keywords of the query to keywords for which the searcher has registered and a high ranking searcher may be chosen by the system based on various factor(s). While the search is performed, information including videos, games, advertisements, etc., may be provided to the user based on keywords of the query and selection by the searcher. The reward for the searchers can be based on revenue from advertisements.

Claims

1. A method of performing a search comprising:

receiving a request for information from a query source;

choosing an item based on a keyword of a query of the request when human searchers are allowed to register for the keyword;

providing an interface including controls optimizing a human assisted search to a human searcher when determining that the human searcher is a highest ranking human searcher of human searchers accepting the query;

including a ranked list indicating the item in the interface;

receiving from the human searcher a selection indicating the item;

providing the item to the human searcher;

selecting a search result based on a content of the item; and

providing the search result to the query source.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising:

choosing the keyword when determining that the keyword is a highest ranking keyword of the query.

3. The method of claim 2 comprising:

determining the ranking of the keyword based on a specificity of the keyword.

4. The method of claim 2 comprising:

determining the ranking of the keyword based on a number of human searchers registered for the keyword.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising:

including in the ranked list an indicator of a search resource configured for the keyword.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising:

including in the ranked list an indicator of an advertisement ranked for the keyword.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising:

including in the interface a ranked list of search results produced by submitting the request to a search engine; and

selecting the search engine based on the keyword and the human searcher.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising:

choosing the keyword from a set of keywords determined based on word frequency in a corpus; and

limiting a count of the set to a predetermined value.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising:

adjusting the ranking of the human searcher when determining that a notification of the request delivered to the human searcher is pending for a pre-determined time interval.

10. The method of claim 1 comprising:

including in the interface an indicator of the request, an indicator of a weighting of the keyword, an indicator of the keyword, and an indicator of an alternate keyword of the query.

11. The method of claim 10 comprising:

determining the weighting of the keyword based on a number of searchers registered for the keyword.

12. The method of claim 10 comprising:

receiving from the human searcher the selection indicating an advertisement ranked for the keyword;

providing audio or video information to the query source for a pre-determined time interval based on a most recent action performed on the request;

receiving from the human searcher a selection of the indicator of the alternate keyword; and

delivering a notification of the request to a highest ranking human guide associated with the alternate keyword.

13. The method of claim 1 comprising:

providing to the human searcher a statistical datum of a plurality of searches including the keyword and a plurality of human searchers registered for the keyword; and

registering the human searcher for the keyword based on the selection by the human searcher.

14. The method of claim 1 comprising:

including in the interface an indicator of the request, an indicator of keywords of the query;

receiving a modified query indicating an additional keyword from the human searcher; and

refreshing the interface based on the additional keyword.

15. The method of claim 1 comprising:

choosing the keyword from a set of keywords determined based on a category selected for the query; and

limiting a count of the set to a predetermined value.

16. The method of claim 1 comprising:

including in the interface a search tool accessing an unpublished resource; and

copying a portion of the unpublished resource selected by the human searcher to a public website.

17. The method of claim 1 comprising:

comparing the query to a most recent previous query received from the query source; and

determining a rating of a previous search result provided to the query source based on the comparing.

18. The method of claim 17 comprising:

ranking the human searcher for the keyword based on the rating;

adjusting the ranking based on requests accepted by the human searcher; and

modifying the ranking based on searches transferred by the human searcher.

19. A non-transient computer readable storage medium including an instruction stored therein for causing a computer to execute a process comprising:

receiving a request for information from a query source;

choosing an item based on a keyword of a query of the request when the keyword is included in a predetermined set of keywords which can direct requests to human searchers;

rendering an interface including indicators facilitating a human assisted search to a human searcher when the human searcher is a highest ranking searcher notified of the query and the human searcher accepts the query;

including a ranked list indicating the item in the interface;

including a search result produced by submitting the request to a search engine;

selecting the search engine based on the keyword and the human searcher;

receiving from the human searcher a selection indicating the item;

providing the item to the human searcher;

obtaining an edited search result from the human searcher based on the providing; and

sending the edited search result and an indicator of the item to the query source.

20. A search apparatus comprising:

a query source computer providing a request for information;

a searcher computer rendering an interface including indicators optimizing a human assisted search to a human searcher and searching a storage accessible solely via the searcher computer; and

a search system receiving the request for information, choosing an item based on a keyword of a query of the request when human searchers are allowed to register for the keyword, ranking the keyword based on a number of searchers registered for the keyword, providing the interface to the searcher computer when determining that the human searcher is a highest ranking searcher which has accepted the query, including a ranked list indicating the item in the interface, receiving a selection indicating the item, providing the item to the searcher computer, obtaining a search result obtained using information from the storage and providing the search result to the query source computer.