Search Result Relevance via App State Filtering
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in generating search results that accurately reflect the states of software applications accessible to users, as existing methods fail to effectively filter and rank results based on user-specific app states, leading to irrelevant or hard-to-access functionality.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves receiving a search query, determining native app states accessible by the user, identifying app state records, selecting app access mechanisms, and transmitting them to the user device, ensuring that only relevant and accessible app states are displayed, improving search result relevance and user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If search results are generated without filtering by user-accessible app states, then the search system is simpler and faster, but the search results become irrelevant and difficult to access
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by determining user-accessible app states before generating search results. The search system queries app state information to identify which app states are accessible to the user, and this pre-determination is used to filter and rank search results, ensuring relevance while maintaining system efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where app state information acts as a mediator between the search query and the actual app functionality. The system uses app state records that link search results to user-accessible app states, creating a filtering layer that ensures only relevant and accessible functionality is returned
2Ease of operation
If all app states are included in search results, then the search system provides more comprehensive results, but users cannot easily access relevant functionality due to accessibility restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and separates only the accessible app states from the complete set of app states. By determining which app states are accessible to the user and filtering the search results accordingly, the system removes inaccessible functionality from the results, making the remaining results easier to access and use
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by tailoring search results to the specific user's accessibility context. Instead of providing a uniform list of all app states, the system customizes results based on which app states are actually accessible to the specific user, ensuring local relevance and ease of access
3Reliability
If the system determines user-accessible app states for every search query, then search result relevance is improved, but the response time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the determination of accessible app states as a preliminary action that is cached and reused across multiple search queries. By pre-determining which app states are accessible and storing this information, the system avoids redundant determination for each search query, reducing response time while maintaining relevance
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback mechanisms where app state information is queried and stored for future reference. The determination of accessible app states feeds back into the search result generation process, allowing efficient reuse of this information across multiple searches without repeatedly performing the full determination process
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques include receiving a search query from a user device, determining native application states that are accessible by a user of the user device, and identifying application state records based on the search query and the application states. Each application state record includes an application access mechanism (AAM) and application state information (ASI). The AAM references a native application and indicates operations for the application to perform. The ASI describes a state of the native application after the application has performed the operations. Identifying the application state records based on the application states includes determining that the ASI included in each record describes one of the application states. The techniques also include selecting AAMs from the identified application state records and transmitting the AAMs to the user device. Additional techniques include generating result scores for application state records identified based on the search query using the application states.