Searching system having a server which automatically generates search data sets for

Abstract

A system has a primary server storing search data sets (“staks”) and a linked social network server. Interaction with the server is via a client and a Web site. There is a software agent code executing on the client. The software agent component provides full integration with underlying search engines so that users can continue to search in the normal way, using their favourite search engines, while benefiting from management of search staks, automatic stak selection, and result promotion. The system allows users to manage their staks and providing a range of social networking style services to help users make contact with other like-minded searchers. In addition, it allows users to search for relevant staks. The software agent component provides browser-based access to allow users to manage and share their searchers direct from their browser, as well as providing the benefits of search promotions as they search normally. The Web site provides a wide range of additional features to users and allows them to monitor their own activity and stak activities in more detail, and includes a wide range of social networking style features based around the sharing of search information. The engine provides back-end functionality needed to drive a search service including: the management, storage and indexing of stak information; the generation of search promotions; user management; stak search and recommendations.

Description

INTRODUCTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The invention relates to information retrieval or searching. It relates especially to wide area network searching such as using the Internet.[0003]2. Prior Art Discussion[0004]Internet searching has become quite efficient due to the manner of distributing storage and retrieval processing across computer resources.[0005]An example of the art in this field is U.S. Pat. No. 7,467,131 (Google, Gharachorloo et al)), which describes methods of handling search queries with use of a cache.[0006]US2008 / 0133495 (MH2 Technology, Fischer) shows how the results of a search can be weighted and re-ranked according to the sharing activity of users in a social network. In one example (page 4) this document describes how search results might be re-ranked if a given users recent social network activity was travel related; in this case results which matched travel terms could be promoted. The overall approach is to build an individual user profile from t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0031]allow the client system to share individual search data set items directly with other users or with entire communities of which they are a member, and

[0050]navigate through the results with results being pre-cached to improve response times, allow the user to tag or share a previewed result, or to open it in a new browser tab, and / or

Problems solved by technology

For example, if a group of friends are planning a summer vacation and conduct much of their research by using a variety of online resources, once interesting information has been located there is little support provided to help users share this information effectively, with searchers typically using email and conversation as a way to share their “finds”.

But this is a very inefficient way to share information within the group and such an ad-hoc approach to sharing will inevitably result in missed opportunities and wasted research.

Some individuals will find that they frequently want to revisit a page or site that they had previously located, but because they neglected to bookmark it they now have to repeat the search and spend valuable time re-finding the page.

Also, searchers may remain ignorant of relevant results located by another searcher.

Sometimes searchers will select results that are relevant to the current topic but that will not meet their particular individual requirements or needs at the time.

These results are unlikely to be explicitly communicated to or shared with others in the group by the unsatisfied searcher and so may be missed entirely.

However, it could be that these unshared results prove to offer good compromises with respect to other users' needs, if they had been communicated.

Images