Automated Assistant Collaborative Search Session Merging
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Solution Overview
Problem
In shared automated assistant environments, multiple users conducting similar searches can lead to redundant activations, wasting network and computational resources and negatively impacting user experience due to repeated searches.
Innovation Solution
Implementing collaborative search sessions where an automated assistant detects relevance of a query to multiple users and allows them to join or refine the search session, generating modified search results based on user inputs, thereby reducing redundant searches and improving resource utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple users conduct separate searches using a shared automated assistant, then each user can perform their own search independently, but network and computational resources are wasted due to redundant activations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate search sessions into a single collaborative search session when multiple users are searching for similar items. The automated assistant detects that multiple users are conducting similar searches and combines them into one shared session, where search results and refinements are visible to all participants. This eliminates redundant search activations and resource consumption while maintaining individual user autonomy.
2Ease of operation
If multiple users conduct separate searches, then each user has full control over their search, but user experience is negatively impacted by repeated searches
Solution Approach 1:
The system combines multiple user searches into a collaborative session where users can still independently add constraints and refine searches, but all users benefit from shared search results and progress. This maintains user control while eliminating the time waste of repeating searches that have already been performed by other users.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated assistant provides feedback to users about the collaborative search session, including information about other participants and the current state of the search. This allows users to understand that their search is being shared, adjust their expectations, and see the value of collaboration by observing how their constraints collectively refine the results.
3Loss of energy
If the automated assistant allows collaborative search sessions, then resource utilization improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automated assistant automatically detects when multiple users are conducting similar searches and initiates collaborative session merging without requiring user intervention. The system self-manages the complexity of session coordination, result sharing, and constraint integration, freeing users from having to manually manage collaborative aspects while still achieving resource efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described herein for collaborative search sessions through an automated assistant. A method includes: receiving, from a first user of a first client device, a first query in a query session; providing, to the first user, a first set of search results; determining, based on at least one term in the first query, that the first query is relevant to a second user of the first client device; providing, to the second user, a selectable option to join the query session; in response to receiving, from the second user, an indication of acceptance of the selectable option, adding the second user to the query session; receiving, from the second user, additional input; generating, based on the additional input received from the second user, a modified set of search results; and providing, to the first user and the second user, the modified set of search results.