Abstract:
A system and related techniques monitor and manage the delivery of automatic help resources to users engaged in search activity. According to embodiments of the invention, automatic help logic may detect the initiation of search activity. The auto help logic may capture, record and examine user behavior and search data to characterize the search progress or effectiveness experienced by that user. When the auto help logic determines that the user has reached an impasse or experienced ineffective results or progress, the logic may generate and present automatic help. If further user behavior does not predict satisfactory progress, further, graduated or tiered help may be generated and presented. According to embodiments of the invention in a further regard, the user may selectively configure the type or content of automatic help which they wish to receive, or turn that facility on or off on a per-session or longer basis.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   Not applicable. 
   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not applicable. 
   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates to the field of computerized information retrieval, and more particularly to a system and method which intelligently monitors a user&#39;s search activity to automatically detect that a user is encountering an impasse or lack of success, and automatically initiate help functionality including alternative search terms, spelling corrections and other assistance. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Web-based and other search services today offer users powerful information capabilities. The user interface for search experience has grown in sophistication, including to parse a user&#39;s inputted search terms or search results themselves to detect potential misspellings or other input errors. In general many of these search assistance tools are initiated only after discrete events in the search workflow, such as after the user has hit “enter” or otherwise transmitted their search input to a remote server or other location. 
   However, users performing search activity may encounter difficulties in their search and navigation efforts at any time in their search experience. Sometimes that difficulty may arise at the beginning of a search session, or it may develop after the user has progressed through several layers of search refinement, only to have further progress stymied or interrupted. 
   The need for query help is moreover often not or not only predicated on correcting typographical errors, but on other higher-level indicators that the user has gotten “off-track” or otherwise reached an impasse, dead end or other unproductive phase in their search activity. Those indicators of an unproductive phase may include search page dwell time, or other time-based or other parameters characterizing the user&#39;s search activity. Other problems in search assistance and navigation technology exist. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention overcoming these and other problems in the art relates in one regard to a system and method for automatically sensed search help, in which automatic help logic may detect and monitor a user&#39;s search activity to introduce search aids when user difficulty is automatically detected. According to embodiments of the invention in one regard, search activity may be detected by navigation to a known search site or engine, or other triggers. The user&#39;s search progress may be monitored by the automatic help logic, which control logic may track a set of indicators reflecting the user&#39;s likely search progress or alternatively, lack of progress or search effectiveness. Those indicators may include user behavior or data such as the length of the user&#39;s dwell time on a search page or on search results, the number of re-traces through search navigation paths, the number of times a “next page” or other navigation action is taken, the presence of spelling errors or repeated spelling errors, or other parameters or data indicating that the user may not be making satisfactory progress to pertinent search results. According to embodiments of the invention in one regard, the automatic help logic may generate and present a series of graduated or tiered help resources, depending on the user&#39;s response and further search progress. The user may therefore be provided with, for instance, a sequence of any one or more of modified spell checking, suggested search refinements, alternative content sources, commercial advertisements, potentially relevant images, video or other media or other search tools or assists, depending on the inferred effectiveness or progress of the user&#39;s search activity. According to embodiments of the invention in a further regard, the user may selectively turn on, turn off or configure the automatic search help resources they wish to receive, on a per-session, per-search, permanent or other basis. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an overall environment in which a system and method for automatically sensed search help may operate, according to embodiments of the invention. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an overall environment in which a system and method for automatically sensed search help may operate, according to embodiments of the invention in another regard. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an overall environment in which a system and method for automatically sensed search help may operate, according to embodiments of the invention in a further regard. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a flowchart of overall automatic search help processing, according to embodiments of the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1  illustrates an environment in which a system and method for automatically sensed search help may operate, according to embodiments of the invention. As illustrated in that figure a user may operate a client  102  such as a desktop or laptop computer, a network-enabled cellular telephone, wireless email client, or other client, machine or device to perform various tasks including search, Web browsing and other tasks, applications and functions. The user may interact with those resources via a user interface  104 , such as a graphical user interface, command-line user interface, voice-recognition interface or other interface, for example to navigate to search page  106 , such as an Internet or other public or private networked search page. In general the user may supply search input  124  such as typed words or other alphanumeric or other data to conduct a search via a search service  114  (or search an email server  117 ) to receive a set of search results  108  reflecting content which contains or reflects information related to the search input  124 . 
   According to embodiments of the invention as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the user&#39;s search activity may be monitored by auto help logic  116 , which may for example be hosted in the client  102  or otherwise, to detect periods or points at which the user&#39;s search activity has become ineffective or unproductive. More specifically, the auto help logic  116  or other help engine or logic may detect that the user has engaged in a search session by detecting, for instance, that the user has navigated to an Internet search service or other search engine or resource (e.g. email server  117 ). The auto help logic  116  may capture or access user data and behavior related to that search activity, for instance to identify a set of variables or parameters which may indicate or predict that the user&#39;s search activity may have become ineffective or unproductive. For example, the auto help logic  116  may in general capture time-based variables, such as dwell time on search page  106 , as well as behavioral data, such as lack of selection of any results within the set of results  108 , as well as other data to generate the predictive inference that the user has not located the intended information of interest based on their search input  124 . 
   Auto help logic  116  may in embodiments as illustrated likewise access a search session log  112  which may contain search terms, query refinements and other information captured from current and/or prior search sessions to analyze and predict the user&#39;s search patterns, intended results and other predictive or analytic information. In general, upon reaching the predictive inference that the user has reached an ineffective point in their search activity, the auto help logic  116  may generate or present automatic help  110  to the user, for instance as a set of selectable search options or refinements within search page  106 , or in other formats. 
   According to embodiments of the invention in one regard, and as for example illustrated in  FIG. 2 , auto help logic  116  may, include or access a set of predictive variables  118  to assist in the analysis of the user&#39;s search effectiveness or ineffectiveness. As illustrated the set of predictive variables  118  may contain a set of time-based, behavior-based and other variables or factors, including search session length, number of query refinements, number of navigation re-traces, the number of “next-page” button hits, or other parameters, actions or behavior. According to embodiments of the invention in one regard, time-based variables may in general indicate a lack of search progress or effectiveness when they reflect longer than typical times associated with search activity. Those typical or average time periods may for example be reflected in the search session log  112 , may be collected on an individual or aggregate basis by search service  114 , or otherwise derived or recorded. Behavior-related factors in the set of predictive variables  118  may for example include repetitive behavior or actions, or actions reflecting discontinuity in the user&#39;s search work flow. Other types, categories and values for predictive variables  118  are possible, and those variables may be extensible through network or other updates. 
   According to embodiments of the invention, and as likewise illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the auto help logic  116  may furthermore access or generate tiered auto help  120  as one form or type of automatic help resource, in which in general more than one type or form of help assistance may be generated and presented to the user, in sequence. The sequence or progression of help resources may include, for example, a relaxing of spell checking match logic applied to search input  124  or other data, the generation of synonyms or other alternative or extended search terms, the generation or display of help text, the accessing and display or search results from alternative sources, or other resources, text or actions which may be presented one after the other, in groups of two or more, or in other sequences. According to embodiments of the invention in one regard, the tiered auto help  120  may be successively generated analysis by auto help logic  116  conditioned on the user&#39;s perceived search progress, as one or more types of help are delivered and the user continues their search and related activity. According to embodiments of the invention in a further regard, also illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the auto help logic  116  may furthermore generate and present selectable help options  122 , for instance to permit the user to turn automatic help on, off or configure options for that help on a per-search, per-session, permanent or other basis. 
   According to embodiments of the invention in another regard, and as for example illustrated in  FIG. 3 , when auto help logic  116  is active and tiered auto help  120  options are being applied, the sequence of tiered auto help  120  delivered or presented to the user may include diverse help media or types, including, for example, commercial content  126  such as a banner or streaming media related to the search input  124 . The tiered auto help  120  may likewise include image content  128  related to the user&#39;s search input  124 , for example, image content  128  having file name or metadata related to that input. Other media types, delivery formats and content for tiered auto help  120  are possible. 
   Overall processing of automatically sensed search help is illustrated in  FIG. 4 , according to embodiments of the invention. In step  402 , processing may begin. In step  404 , auto help logic  116  or other logic or resources may detect the initiation of a search session, for instance by identifying that a user has navigated to a known search service, Web site or other location. In step  406 , the user&#39;s current and/or prior search behavior and search data, including for instance search input  124 , time recorded at a subject Web site or other location or in other activity, may be captured or accessed. In embodiments that captured information may be stored to search session log  112 . 
   In step  408 , auto help logic  116  may apply tests, thresholds or other processing to the search session and related data to characterize the user&#39;s search progress or productivity. For example, the auto help logic  116  may examine the dwell time on a Web site or other parameters to characterize the effectiveness of the user&#39;s search activity. In step  410 , the auto help logic  116  or other logic or resources may generate a predictive analysis of the lack of user search success or effectiveness, for example based on time-based, behavior-based or other predictive variables  118  such as dwell time, number of navigation retraces, the presence or repetition of spelling errors, next-page button hits or other behavior or data. In step  412 , initial automatic help  110  may be generated by auto help logic  116  based on that predictive analysis, for instance when a threshold for lack of search effectiveness is reached, or based on other criteria. 
   The automatic help  110  may be or include, for example, a set of text, images, selectable options and other resources including automatically suggested query refinements or additions, suggested synonyms, or other aid, help or assistance intended to increase the effectiveness of the user&#39;s search activity. In step  414 , the auto help logic  116  may capture or sense further user search success or effectiveness, for example analyzing further click-through, navigation, search term refinement or other parameters or behavior. In step  416 , the auto help logic  116  may generate further or tiered automatic help  120 , for example adding or suggesting additional sources for the set of search results  108 , adding automatic advertising or streaming media related to the search input  124 , or additional or graduated help measures or information. 
   In step  418 , the auto help logic  116  may receive user automatic-help configuration inputs, for example, to turn off automatic help features on a temporary, per-session or permanent basis, to select types or tiers of help to which automatic processing may progress during search sessions, or to alter other automatic help parameters or functions. In step  420 , processing may repeat, return to a prior processing point, jump to a further processing point or end. 
   The foregoing description of the invention is illustrative, and modifications in configuration and implementation will occur to persons skilled in the art. For instance, while the invention has generally been described in terms of a user accessing one search service  114 , in embodiments the user may access more than one search service or search engine in conducting their search activity. 
   Similarly, while the invention has in embodiments been generally described as involving auto help logic  116  which is hosted in client  102 , in embodiments that control logic and related resources may be partly or wholly hosted or deployed in other local or remote resources, such as in a remote server or other location. Other hardware, software or other resources described as singular may in embodiments be distributed, and similarly in embodiments resources described as distributed may be combined. The scope of the invention is accordingly intended to be limited only by the following claims.