Unified Search Application Integrating Third-Party Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
As the amount of electronic information grows, users face challenges in separating relevant information from irrelevant data, particularly in presenting search results that cater to individual interests across various sources, including public and private information, and different corpora on computing devices.
Innovation Solution
A search application on a computing device integrates results from multiple sources, including native applications, third-party applications, and remote services, by registering these applications to receive and aggregate search queries, and ranks results based on user interactions and preferences to prioritize relevant information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If search results are integrated from multiple sources including third-party applications, then the quantity and diversity of information available to users is improved, but the complexity of managing and organizing these results worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a search application as an intermediary component that mediates between multiple data sources (native applications, third-party applications, remote services) and the user. This search application consolidates search queries, receives results from various sources, and presents unified search results to users, thereby managing the complexity of integrating multiple information sources without increasing user-facing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The search application performs multiple functions: it searches native applications, integrates third-party application data, queries remote search services, ranks results, and presents unified output. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate search systems into a single universal search interface
2Adaptability or versatility
If third-party application data is integrated into search results, then the versatility of information sources is improved, but the difficulty of sorting and prioritizing results worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different ranking criteria and presentation formats to results from different sources. Native application results may be ranked by relevance to the query, third-party application results may be ranked by user interaction history or application priority, and remote service results may use different ranking algorithms. Each source type receives localized treatment according to its characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates user interaction feedback to refine result sorting. When users select or interact with results from particular third-party applications, this feedback is used to adjust the ranking and prioritization of future results from those sources, making the sorting process adaptive rather than static
3Measurement precision
If search results are prioritized based on user interactions, then the relevance of presented information is improved, but the time required to analyze and rank results worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing ranking criteria and user preference profiles before actual search queries are executed. User interaction patterns are analyzed and stored in advance, so that when search results need to be ranked, the system can apply pre-computed ranking rules rather than analyzing all user behavior from scratch each time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial ranking by presenting results in prioritized groups rather than fully sorting all possible results. The most relevant results based on user interactions are presented first in a condensed format, allowing users to access high-value information quickly without requiring complete analysis and sorting of all available results
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented search method includes receiving a registration request from each of one or more computer applications installed on a computing device and registering the applications in response to the request, wherein the registration request indicates an intent by the application to receive search query information from a search application associated with the device. The method also includes receiving user input on the device in the form of a query, providing the query to the one or more registered applications, receiving responses from the one or more registered applications that include data that is managed by the one or more registered applications; integrating the responses into a result set; and presenting the result set with the computing device.