Unified Search Interface for Enterprise and Social Data

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face challenges in efficiently searching for and analyzing information from both enterprise and social network sources, as current methods require separate searches across different platforms, leading to inconvenience and difficulty in relating search results.

Innovation Solution

A system and method that allow users to send a single search query to both enterprise and social site domains, with normalized search queries enabling simultaneous retrieval and rendering of matching content on a user interface, facilitating asynchronous or concurrent display of enterprise and social search results without obscuring each other.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If users perform multiple searches using separate search engines for enterprise and social sites, then they can access information from both domains, but it takes additional time and is inconvenient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation retrieval efficiencyVSAvoidtime for multiple searches

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple search engines (enterprise search and social site search) into a single unified search interface. Users can simultaneously search both enterprise content and social network content by submitting one query, which is then distributed to appropriate search engines. The results are integrated and displayed together, eliminating the need for separate search operations and reducing time loss.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The unified search system performs multiple functions through a single interface: it searches enterprise databases, queries social network platforms, normalizes different search result formats, and presents integrated results. This multi-functional approach allows users to access diverse information sources without needing to know or use multiple separate search systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If users launch separate search engines for enterprise and social sites, then they can search both domains, but the search results appear in different displays making analysis difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess to multiple information sourcesVSAvoiddifficulty in analyzing and relating results

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges search results from enterprise and social site domains into a single unified display interface. Results from different sources are integrated and presented together in one view, allowing users to easily compare, analyze, and understand relationships between enterprise information and social network information without switching between different displays or pages.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The unified search system acts as an intermediary between multiple search engines and the user. It receives queries, distributes them to appropriate search engines, collects results from different domains, normalizes the varied result formats, and presents them in a standardized unified display. This intermediary function simplifies the complexity of multiple separate searches for the user.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If a single search interface is used for multiple domains, then convenience is improved, but the system complexity increases due to query normalization across different formats

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesingle search interface convenienceVSAvoidquery normalization complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces a query normalization layer as an intermediary component between the unified search interface and multiple search engines. This normalization layer automatically adapts and converts search queries into the appropriate formats required by different search engines (enterprise search format, social site format, etc.), handling the complexity of format conversion transparently without requiring user intervention or awareness of the underlying complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and isolates the query normalization functionality into a separate, dedicated component or module. This extraction allows the complex format conversion logic to be handled independently from the user interface and search execution, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining ease of use. The normalization complexity is contained in a specific module rather than distributed throughout the entire system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS10331688B2Systems and methods for searching content from multiple sources

Publication Date: 2019.06.25 HYLAND SWITZERLAND SARL

AI summary

A method for searching data on multiple domains includes transmitting a search query to an enterprise domain; receiving, from the enterprise domain, enterprise content matching the search query; receiving, from the enterprise domain, a search query normalized for searching a social site domain, the normalized search query being the search query in a format recognizable by the social site domain; transmitting the normalized search query to the social site domain; and receiving, from the social site domain, social site content matching the normalized search query.