Search Result Curation System for Online Reputation Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

The challenge lies in effectively managing online reputation by controlling and curating digital content related to individuals or businesses, as existing methods are decentralized, cumbersome, and lack comprehensive functionality for sorting, filtering, and commenting on search results, leading to issues with outdated and unauthorized content remaining accessible, which can harm reputations.

Innovation Solution

A centralized system for managing search results using a network interface, processor, and graphical user interface that allows users to sort, comment, and rank search results based on user-defined criteria, with features like authentication codes and exclusionary search terms, enabling users to create a curated bibliography of relevant and approved content.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If conventional search engines present information based on their own search and presentation logic, then information is presented with current relevance, but the order and selection of information is not controllable by the user, leading to potential reputation harm from outdated or unauthorized content

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveUser control over search result presentationVSAvoidSystem complexity for managing and curating content
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary system between the search engine and the user that acts as a curator. This intermediary service receives search results from conventional engines, applies user-defined filtering criteria, sorts results according to user preferences, and presents a customized subset. This mediator resolves the contradiction by giving users control without requiring them to directly manage the complex search engine algorithms themselves.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing user profiles, preference settings, and filtering criteria before the actual search and presentation process. Users configure their reputation management preferences in advance, and the system automatically applies these pre-set rules to filter and sort search results, eliminating the need for users to manually manage each result while maintaining control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If users manually monitor and respond to each search result, then comprehensive control over reputation content is achieved, but significant time and effort is required

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveAccuracy of reputation managementVSAvoidTime required for monitoring and curating content
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service by allowing users to configure their own preference profiles, filtering criteria, and sorting rules once. The system then automatically applies these settings to continuously monitor, filter, and present search results without requiring ongoing manual intervention. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliable, accurate filtering while eliminating the time-consuming manual monitoring process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where users can review presented results, adjust their preferences based on what they see, and the system learns from user corrections to improve future presentations. This feedback loop ensures high reliability in reputation management while keeping the time investment minimal, as the system adapts automatically rather than requiring constant manual review.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Loss of information

If all search results are presented without filtering, then complete information availability is maintained, but outdated and unauthorized content can harm reputation

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveCompleteness of search resultsVSAvoidReputation harm from negative content
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by implementing selective filtering rather than uniform filtering across all results. Different filtering rules and criteria are applied to different portions of the search results based on user-defined preferences, importance weights, and relevance thresholds. This allows the system to preserve important information while filtering out harmful content, resolving the contradiction between completeness and reputation protection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically changes parameters such as filtering thresholds, sorting weights, and inclusion/exclusion criteria based on user preferences and contextual factors. By adjusting these parameters, the system can maintain information completeness for important content while aggressively filtering harmful content, thus resolving the contradiction between preserving information and eliminating reputation harm.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Ease of operation

If users have the ability to sort and rank search results, then control over information presentation is improved, but the system requires sophisticated sorting and filtering capabilities

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveUser control over content presentationVSAvoidSystem complexity for sorting and filtering
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the complex sorting and filtering system into modular, manageable components. Each module handles a specific aspect such as date-based filtering, relevance scoring, user preference matching, or source credibility assessment. This segmentation allows the system to provide sophisticated control capabilities while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design, resolving the contradiction between user control and system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS8214380B1System and method for managing search results
Publication Date: 2012.07.03 REPIO
  • US8214380B1 patent drawing
  • US8214380B1 patent drawing
  • US8214380B1 patent drawing

AI summary

A system and method for managing search results available from a network resource using a data feed is disclosed herein as incorporating a processor programmed to retrieve user unsorted search results matching search terms provided by a user, transmit the search results along with a user selectable sorting identifier over the network for display on a graphical user interface and further programmed to sort each search result according to the user selected sorting identifier, update the sorting status of each search result, and transmit for display on the graphical user interface the search results in accordance with the sorting status and the user selected sorting identifier.