System and method for enhanced search

Abstract

Embodiments of the present systems and methods may provide a fundamentally different approach to process the ‘search key words’ from users. For example, the process may progress through a series of steps that will understand ‘WHY’ a user is looking for the information instead of just ‘WHAT’ the user is searching. This will give the present techniques a very different way to look for the information and generate the search outputs. For example, a method may provide search results to a user of a computing device, the method may comprise receiving at least one search term from the user via the computing device, collecting information relating to the user other than the at least one search term, and providing search results to the user via the computing device based on the search term and on the collected information relating to the user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for providing search results to a user of a computing device, the method comprising:
 receiving at least one search term from the user via the computing device;   collecting information relating to the user other than the at least one search term; and   providing search results to the user via the computing device based on the search term and on the collected information relating to the user.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the information relating to the user comprises at least one of the user's location, the user's mental/physical status, the user's occupation, the user's passions, the user's hobbies, the user's academic background, the user's ethnicity. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the information relating to the user is collected from at least one of the computing device of the user, from social media systems, from public or private databases, from a browsing history of the user, from email messages of the user, and from text messages of the user. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing search results further comprises:
 ranking each search result webpage based on attributes of content of each webpage and attributes of the user determined from the collected information relating to the user.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 updating the search result webpages and the ranking of the search result webpages when attributes of the user determined from the collected information relating to the user change.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 updating the search result webpages and the ranking of the search result webpages based on user interaction with the search results.   
     
     
         7 . A system for providing search results to a user of a computing device, the system comprising a processor, memory accessible by the processor, and computer program instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to perform:
 receiving at least one search term from the user via the computing device;   collecting information relating to the user other than the at least one search term; and   providing search results to the user via the computing device based on the search term and on the collected information relating to the user.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the information relating to the user comprises at least one of the user's location, the user's mental/physical status, the user's occupation, the user's passions, the user's hobbies, the user's academic background, the user's ethnicity. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the information relating to the user is collected from at least one of the computing device of the user, from social media systems, from public or private databases, from a browsing history of the user, from email messages of the user, and from text messages of the user. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein providing search results further comprises:
 ranking each search result webpage based on attributes of content of each webpage and attributes of the user determined from the collected information relating to the user.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 updating the search result webpages and the ranking of the search result webpages when attributes of the user determined from the collected information relating to the user change.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 updating the search result webpages and the ranking of the search result webpages based on user interaction with the search results.   
     
     
         13 . A computer program product for providing search results to a user of a computing device, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a computer, to cause the computer to perform a method comprising:
 receiving at least one search term from the user via the computing device;   collecting information relating to the user other than the at least one search term; and   providing search results to the user via the computing device based on the search term and on the collected information relating to the user.   
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 12 , wherein the information relating to the user comprises at least one of the user's location, the user's mental/physical status, the user's occupation, the user's passions, the user's hobbies, the user's academic background, the user's ethnicity. 
     
     
         15 . The computer program product of  claim 12 , wherein the information relating to the user is collected from at least one of the computing device of the user, from social media systems, from public or private databases, from a browsing history of the user, from email messages of the user, and from text messages of the user. 
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 12 , wherein providing search results further comprises:
 ranking each search result webpage based on attributes of content of each webpage and attributes of the user determined from the collected information relating to the user.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 updating the search result webpages and the ranking of the search result webpages when attributes of the user determined from the collected information relating to the user change.   
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 updating the search result webpages and the ranking of the search result webpages based on user interaction with the search results.