System and technique for suggesting alternate query expressions based on prior user selections and their query strings
US6671681B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 31, 2000 |
| Grant date | Dec 30, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 8, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S707/99936
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An invention for monitoring user choices and selections on a search result web page and providing alternative query expressions to further narrow and enhance the user's search. Monitoring and recording user choices and selections is achieved by a query manager. Query strings are then standardized. The search is performed on an Internet search engine, and each search result item in the result output set is then associated with a list of alternative standardized queries by an alternate query matching manager. Each search result item in the result output set that is associated with the alternate queries is then flagged. The resulting flagged list of alternative queries is displayed to the user by a page presentation manager using a graphical user interface for subsequent user selection. Upon selection of the graphical user interface for alternate query expressions, an alternate query selection manager retrieves and displays each alternate query to the user.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.