Alternative Search Suggestions for No-Result Product Queries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional online search systems fail to provide alternative results when a product model or part number search yields no match, leading to repetitive 'no result' messages, which do not evolve with subsequent searches.
Innovation Solution
A computing device hosts a website and performs internal searches, then uses external search engines to analyze results, identifies relevant character strings, and generates alternative search suggestions based on natural language processing, storing them for future use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the system performs only internal search without external search engine integration, then the search speed is fast, but the search completeness deteriorates (no alternative results provided)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an external search engine as an intermediary component that bridges the gap between internal search limitations and comprehensive product information retrieval. When internal search yields no results, the system automatically queries external search engines and retrieves alternative product information, thereby improving search completeness without requiring fundamental changes to the core internal search infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The search system is segmented into distinct functional modules: internal search module, external search engine interface module, and result integration module. This segmentation allows the system to selectively engage external search resources only when internal search fails, maintaining simplicity for common cases while providing comprehensive results for edge cases.
2Ease of operation
If the system provides no alternative results for unmatched searches, then the system complexity is low, but the user experience deteriorates (repetitive no result messages)
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by proactively querying external search engines and pre-processing alternative product information before the user even submits their search query. This preliminary preparation enables the system to instantly provide relevant alternative results when internal search fails, significantly improving user experience without adding complex real-time processing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where user interactions with alternative results are tracked and analyzed. This feedback loop allows the system to learn from user behavior patterns and continuously improve the quality and relevance of alternative suggestions, enhancing user experience over time while maintaining a relatively simple underlying architecture.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system integrates external search engines and generates alternative suggestions, then the product discovery capability is improved, but the processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic action by implementing a two-stage search process: first performing a quick internal search, and only periodically engaging external search engines when the internal search yields no results. This periodic engagement of external resources minimizes average processing time while ensuring comprehensive product discovery capability is maintained for cases where it is truly needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by selectively retrieving only the most relevant alternative results from external search engines rather than comprehensively processing all available data. This selective approach provides sufficient product discovery capability for most users while significantly reducing the time and computational resources required for processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device hosting a website of a business may be operable to receive a first search input comprising a term submitted via a search bar on the website. Upon performing an internal search for the term with no result, the computing device may output information on the no-result. The computing device may then perform, using one or more external search engines, a search for the term. Search results of the search, performed using the external search engine(s), may be analyzed. Based on a result of the analysis, one or more particular character strings related to the term may be identified. The computing device may generate and store, based on the identifying of the particular character string(s), one or more alternative search suggestions. Upon subsequently receiving an input comprising at least a portion of the term entered in the search bar, the computing device may output the alternative search suggestion(s).