Conducting search sessions utilizing navigation patterns

A computer-implemented system for conducting search sessions utilizing navigation patterns, comprising:

• one or more computing devices, each having one or more processors coupled to one or more memory storage devices, operate to:
• automatically record, in the one or more memory storage devices, a navigation pattern that is included in at least one prior search session, wherein the navigation pattern comprises a series of searches in the at least one prior search session, the series of searches being conducted at a first user computing device associated with a first user;
• receive, over a computer network, a new search query in a subsequent search session, the new search query being generated at a second user computing device associated with a second user;
• automatically follow the navigation pattern of the at least one prior search session by conducting the series of searches in the subsequent search session;
• and
• cause display, over the computer network, of a plurality of search results in the subsequent search session to a display device of the second user computing device, wherein the plurality of displayed search results comprise one or more search results from the series of searches conducted in the at least one prior search session.

A method being performed by one or more computing devices including at least one processor, comprising:

• receiving a first search query from a first user as part of a first search session;
• receiving a first instruction from a requesting user or the first user to begin recording the first search session;
• in response to receiving the first instruction, initiating a recording of the first search session that comprises a series of searches, the series of searches forming a search navigation pattern by the first user;
• receiving a second instruction from the first user or the requesting user to terminate recording of the first search session;
• receiving a second search query as part of a second search session of a second user;
• conducting the second search session based upon the second search query by following the series of searches in the search navigation pattern formed in the first search session;
• and
• presenting a plurality of search results in the second search session, wherein the plurality of search results comprises search results formulated at the first search session via conducting the series of searches.

A system comprising:

• a search engine having one or more processors and one or more computer-readable storage media;
• a data store coupled with the search engine,
• wherein the search engine:
• receives, at a first session, a search query issued at a first user computing device, the search query having at least one search term of a particular type;
• recognizes that at least one search session conducted prior to the first session included a search term of the particular type that was issued by a second user;
• identifies a search navigation pattern within the prior search session, wherein the search navigation pattern comprises a plurality of searches that are conducted in a particular series of prior searches associated with the search term of the particular type;
• automatically following the search navigation pattern of the prior search session by conducting, in the first session, the particular series of prior searches;
• and
• in response to the automatically following the search navigation pattern of the prior search session, causes display of a plurality of search results in the first search session as search results, wherein at least a portion of the displayed plurality of search results includes at least one search result formulated at the at least one search session.