SEARCH INTERFACE THAT PROVIDES A MECHANISM FOR MANIPULATING EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT CRITERIA

摘要

A user interface for querying and displaying records from a database allows explicit and implicit profiles to be stored and selectively, and independently, incorporated in a search. Implicit profiles are derived from the selections of resources by a user without requiring the user to specify any rules by which selections are made. A machine-learning algorithm is used to derive a model by which user-preferences can be predicted. Explicit profiles are rules entered by the user. For example, the user may select certain categories of resources that the user prefers to exclude from searches. Queries are defined by selecting predefined criteria, and one or both of the explicit and implicit profiles. In an embodiment, profiles are displayed and manipulated just as categories of other criteria to add and remove them from queries. The queries can be saved and edited.