System and method for modulating search relevancy using pointer activity monitoring

A server system for providing search results responsive to search queries, comprising:

• a memory;
• one or more processors;
• and
• a program, wherein the program is stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the program comprising:
• instructions for receiving from client devices user hover periods associated with a plurality of search results which correspond to multiple search queries, a respective user hover period comprising information about a length of time that a user hovers a user-controlled pointer over a display region occupied by a respective search result of the plurality of search results and wherein the respective hover period comprises a period of time during which the user-controlled pointer hovers over the display region occupied by the respective search result without user selection of the respective search result;
• instructions for updating relevancy values of the search results at least partially in accordance with their respective user hover periods;
• and
• instructions for responding to a search query after the update of the relevancy values by identifying a set of search results for the search query in accordance with their relevancy values, the set of search results including at least one search result whose respective relevancy value has been updated at least partially in accordance with one or more respective user hover periods.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by a server system, the one or more programs comprising:

• instructions for receiving at the server from client devices user hover periods associated with a plurality of search results which correspond to multiple search queries, a respective user hover period comprising information about a length of time that a user hovers a user-controlled pointer over a display region occupied by a respective search result of the plurality of search results and wherein the respective hover period comprises a period of time during which the user-controlled pointer hovers over the display region occupied by the respective search result without user selection of the respective search result;
• instructions for updating relevancy values of the search results at least partially in accordance with their respective user hover periods;
• and
• instructions for responding to a search query after the update of the relevancy values by identifying a set of search results for the search query in accordance with their relevancy values, the set of search results including at least one search result whose respective relevancy value has been updated at least partially in accordance with one or more respective user hover periods.