Introduction to Google’s New Patent
Google recently filed a new patent for a way to provide search results based on a user’s browsing and email history. The patent outlines a new way to search within the context of a search engine, within an email interface, and through a voice-based assistant. This innovation aims to solve the problem of remembering what you saw but not where you saw it or how you found it.
The Problem it Solves
The new patent, titled Generating Query Answers From A User’s History, helps people find information they’ve previously seen within a webpage or an email by enabling them to ask for what they’re looking for using everyday language. For example, a user could ask, “What was that article I read last week about chess?” Traditional search engines don’t enable users to easily search their own browsing or email history using natural language, but this invention changes that.
How it Works
The invention works by taking a user’s spoken or typed question, recognizing that the question is asking for previously viewed content, and then retrieving search results from the user’s personal history, such as their browser history or emails. It uses filters like date, topic, or device used to narrow down the search results. What’s novel about the invention is the system’s ability to understand vague or fuzzy natural language queries and match them to a user’s specific past interactions, including showing the version of a page as it looked when the user originally saw it, known as a cached version of the web page.
Query Classification (Intent) And Filtering
The system first determines whether the intent of the user’s spoken or typed query is to retrieve previously accessed information. This process is called query classification and involves analyzing the phrasing of the query to detect the intent. The system compares parts of the query to known patterns associated with history-seeking questions and uses techniques like semantic analysis and similarity thresholds to identify if the user’s intent is to seek something they’d seen before, even when the wording is vague or conversational.
Query Classification
The similarity threshold is an interesting part of the invention because it compares what the user is saying or typing to known history-seeking phrases to see if they are similar. It’s not looking for an exact match but rather a close match. This allows the system to understand the user’s intent even when they don’t use precise language.
Filtering
After identifying the history-seeking intent, the system applies filters such as the topic, time, or device to limit the search to content from the user’s personal history that matches those criteria. The time filter, for instance, constrains the search to within a specific time frame mentioned or implied in the search query. This helps the system narrow down the search results to what the user is trying to find. For example, if a user speaks phrases like “last week” or “a few days ago,” then it knows to restrict the query to those respective time frames.
Scope of Search: What Is Searched
The system figures out the scope of what is going to be searched, which is limited to predefined sources such as browser history, cached versions of web pages, or emails. Rather than searching the entire web, the system focuses only on the user’s personal history, making the results more relevant to what the user is trying to recall.
Cached Versions of Previously Viewed Content
Another interesting feature described in the patent is web page caching. Caching refers to saving a copy of a web page as it appeared when the user originally viewed it. This enables the system to show the user that specific version of the page in search results, rather than the current version, which may have changed or been removed. The cached version acts like a snapshot in time, making it easier for the user to recognize or remember the content they are looking for.
Potential Applications Of The Patent Invention
The system described in the patent can be applied in several real-world contexts where users may want to retrieve content they’ve previously seen. These include search engines, email clients, and voice assistants. For instance, the patent refers to the use of this technique in the context of a search engine that retrieves results not from the public web, but from the user’s personal history, such as previously visited web pages and emails.
Search Engines
The system is designed to search only content the user has previously accessed, but the patent notes that some implementations may also include additional documents relevant to the query, even if the user hasn’t viewed them before.
Email Clients
The system treats previously accessed emails as part of the searchable history. For example, it can return an old email like “Grandma’s turkey meatballs” based on vague, natural language queries.
Voice Assistants
The patent includes examples of “a voice-based search” where users speak conversational queries like “I’m looking for a turkey recipe I read on my phone.” The system handles speech recognition and interprets intent to retrieve relevant results from personal history.
Conclusion
Google’s new patent for searching based on a user’s browsing and email history is a significant innovation that aims to make it easier for users to find information they’ve previously seen. By understanding natural language queries and applying filters like date, topic, or device, the system provides a more personalized and relevant search experience. With potential applications in search engines, email clients, and voice assistants, this technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we search for information online.