Microsoft Patent Outlines Search Engine Switch Hijacking
A new patent granted to Microsoft describes a method of predicting a possible switch by a user to a different search engine before it occurs and a way to intercept the switch to prevent a user from using another search engine – or actively promote a switch to another search engine.
How do you prevent Bing users from switching to Google and how do you suggest to unhappy Google users that they should be using Bing instead? If users can’t figure it out themselves, could Microsoft push them in either direction?
A patent granted yesterday is titled “Predicting and using search engine switching behavior” and largely described a real-time approach to predict a possible switch of a search engine, based on results of a survey that researched user behavior that led up to short-term switching or long-term “defecting” to another search engine. Using the data derived from the study, a search engine would monitor user actions (for example performed query, clicks on a result, clicks on the back button, clicks to the second page of search results) and create a real-time string or individual code of events, which could provide a reliable indication whether a user is likely to switch or not.
The patent also describes how this information could be used – for example to support or prevent switching or estimating overall search engine performance. However, in Microsoft’s case, the company provides specific examples to “discourage” search engine switching:
“1. Devote more computational resources to processing the user’s queries so that relevant information will be more likely to be surfaced.
4. Offer a radically different search experience by providing the option to engage in a real-time chat with a search associate who could help the user with the user’s search. Other possibilities include different search interfaces, such as those based on categorized overviews, query facets, two- or three-dimensional information visualization techniques, other techniques, and the like.”
Microsoft also notes that the prediction tool could be included in a browser via a plug-in and provide active support to switch from other search engines: “A tool may facilitate switching between multiple engines. For example, a toolbar plugin may track user behavior and attempt to predict when a user is going to switch. The tool may submit the current query to a user’s preferred engine but when the tool detects that the user is going to switch, it may relay the same query to other engines previously specified. As a user browses the results of a preferred engine the tool may highlight and potentially re-query other engines for unread documents that are potentially relevant. The tool may then give the user the option to view the result set of the other engine, either in a separate browser tab or in a new browser window. The tool may proactively support the use of multiple engines by closely coupling querying on a user’s favorite engine with querying on rival engines.
Patent Search Engine - News
Some believe that Google made the patent purchase because its planning to introduce a new product. While some say that the popular search engine company is trying to protect itself from patent litigation. The company, according to some officials from
A new patent granted to Microsoft describes a method of predicting a possible switch by a user to a different search engine before it occurs and a way to intercept the switch to prevent a user from using another search engine – or actively promote a
Google's Android is being sued by every proprietary company out there trying to protect their products from the search engine steam-roller. Everyone knows that Apple invented the smartphone and Google just copied it and flogged it for free to spoil
Search engine giant Google is looking to acquire mobile chip technology maker InterDigital, after failing to purchase Novell's massive patent portfolio. Google had made a $900 million offer to acquire Novell's patent portfolio, but was armed out of
On the sweet end, the software maker learned it could depose Google CEO Larry Page for up to two hours to help the court determine if the search engine willfully infringed on Oracle's patents. The bitter and the sweet are importantly related,
Second Patent Awarded to Vortaloptics for Vertical Search Software ...
Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) February 24, 2010
Vortaloptics has been awarded its second patent for its vertical search software. The patent allows for better control of search data sources and how they are displayed for the end user.
Typically, search engines provide little option for selectively presenting search results from multiple data sources that vary in their structure and content. Vortaloptics sought to solve this limitation by building a more flexible approach to merging and presenting search results from multiple data sources â for the benefit of the websiteâs business model and its end users.
The first patent awarded to Vortaloptics dealt with its Software as a Service (SaaS) interface that provided the website administrator immediate control over search results in real-time and enabled specific keywords to be associated with specific URLs within a database.
This second patent builds on the software platform, providing deeper control for websites over their on-site search engines. Most search indexes are not the product of a single data source, but rather multiple data sources of varying content and structure. Vortaloptics research and user trends reveal that search engine relevancy is best manipulated and prioritized by humans, not algorithms. Different businesses will have different goals for their website and their on-site search engines. Thus, the business model of a website and the intent of its end users will determine the most effective prioritization of its search engine data sources.
âAs with the first patent, controllability was a major impetus for creating our vertical search data source management tool. This allows any business to build a search engine that is a compilation of the data sources that best reflect their goals and the needs of their users, and gives them the ability to accurately assign fixed priorities to those data sources,â says David Gosse, CEO of Vortaloptics and co-author of the patent. âBusinesses can now custom-design search databases that specifically fulfill their unique niche and easily modify the content in real-time to produce the most relevant and fine-tuned search results pages.â
For instance, a vertical website such as a regional golf club that sells golf equipment and pro golf lessons may wish to amplify their revenues by expanding their web presence through e-tail equipment sales and expert golf advice content. To accomplish this, they could become an affiliate of a national golf equipment supplier to harness their deep product database. They might also wish to syndicate content from trusted golf journalists and periodicals in order to increase their breadth of content.
Yahoo patent explores how the search engine might use data about how people act on the Web to predict that kind of info 
Vortaloptics research and user trends reveal that search engine relevancy is best manipulated and prioritized by... 
Vortaloptics research and user trends reveal that search engine relevancy is best manipulated and prioritized by... 
Vortaloptics research and user trends reveal that search engine relevancy is best manipulated and prioritized by... 
Vortaloptics research and user trends reveal that search engine relevancy is best manipulated and prioritized by... Patent Search Engine - Bookshelf
Patent searching made easy, how to do patent searches on the Internet and in the library
B. Google Patent Search Google is arguably the web's most popular search engine (see Chapter 7). Recently, Google has added the capability to search US ...Patent it yourself
O. MicroPatent Patent Searches on the Internet because of its ... P. Science Search Engine one problem with using traditional search engines for scientific ...Patent, copyright & trademark
In addition, you can search the USPTO database with a speedier search engine using Google Patent Search (www.google.com/patents). ...Patent searching, tools & techniques
The variety of available search engines and data providers makes selecting the most ap- propriate one somewhat daunting. Each patent search engine has ...The Complete Patent Kit, A Practical Guide for Getting Your Own Patent...and Protecting It Once You Have It
patent application. The reason for this is that both the patent search and now ... You can do searches on some of the search engines to search for websites ...Daily Knowledge Directory
Google Patent Search
Search and find the full text to over seven million U.S. patents from the USPTO.
Want to Apply a Patent?
Post By: Patent Search Engine Post Date: 27.10.10 0 Comment ... In general, Patent Search Engine covers more advanced uses of patent searching. ...
Google Patent Search
Patent Search Engines
[Home][Associations][Career][Caselaw][Drawings][Engines][Firms][Journals][N ews] [Patent Offices][Patent Search Sites][Schools][Search/Document Firms][Statutes/Regs] ...
FreePatentsOnline
Offers access to patents and patent applications. It also has a database search feature for easy access to United States and European patents.