Patent Document ID: 9798780
Application ID: 14501292
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method in a search system, comprising: receiving a current search request from a user for new or updated search of information, the current search request comprising user input that comprises at least one of: a search query feature; an indication of interest in particular search features; and a request to resume to any preceding search state; a bookmark identifying a file; and a bookmark identifying an earlier search feature; and in response to the receiving of the current search request automatically: forming an intent model of a current search intent of the user based on: the user input of the current search request; any earlier received search request from the user that was refined by the current search request; and a database of searchable files; wherein the intent model comprises or identifies at least one search feature; wherein the intent model further comprises a measure of the user's interest in the at least one of the search features; wherein the intent model further comprises a measure of uncertainty of the user's interest in the at least one of the search features; identifying and ranking a plurality of potential further search features according to the intent model; determining for each of the search features ability of the search feature in question to change the intent model based on the database of searchable files; establishing a summarized representation of the intent model and search features predicted as potentially relevant by the model and a summarized representation of the determined ability of the predicted potentially relevant search features to change the intent model; identifying and ranking a plurality of files according to their estimated relevance according to the intent model and the uncertainty of the estimated relevance; and sending to the user an output set comprising a representation of the intent model and at least one of: a representation of the search features predicted as potentially relevant by the model; a representation of the predicted relevance of the one or more search features; a representation of predicted relative relevance of the one or more search features; a representation of ability of the predicted potentially relevant search features to change the intent model; an identification of one or more of the identified files; a representation of relevance of the one or more identified files; a representation of relative relevance of the one or more identified files; a representation of the ranking of the one or more identified files.