Information search method and server

• US 10,185,749 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2014
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Xie, Piaorui
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Dennis
• Application Number:
  US14/561,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20150088905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: 707769, 707723, 707728, 707722, 707748, 707736, 707706, 707707, 707749, 707751, 707770, 705319
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A method for searching for information. The method includes obtaining page information of network services of users and storing the page information in a user page database; receiving a search request including a keyword from a search user; searching a full amount inverse database for a common webpage entry according to the keyword and obtaining a page score of the common webpage entry; searching the user page database for a friend webpage entry of all friends of the search user according to the keyword and obtaining a page score of the friend webpage entry; and sorting the common webpage entry searched out and the friend webpage entry searched out in descending order according to the page scores and feeding back the sorted webpage entries to the search user.

Claims

1. A method for searching for information, comprising:

obtaining webpage entries from a plurality of network services of a plurality of users;

storing the obtained webpages entries in a user webpage database;

receiving a search request including a keyword from a search user;

searching a common webpage database for a plurality of common webpage entries according to the keyword, and obtaining page of scores for the plurality of common webpage entries;

searching the user webpage database for a plurality of friend webpage entries of friends of the search user according to the keyword, and obtaining page scores for the plurality of friend webpage entries; and

separately sorting the plurality of common webpage entries and the plurality of friend webpage entries in descending order according to the page scores;

generating, by processing circuitry of an information processing apparatus, a combined list of webpage entries based on the separately sorted plurality of common webpage entries and the separately sorted plurality of friend webpage entries; and

feeding back the combined list of webpage entries to the search user, wherein

when the combined list of webpage entries includes a duplicate webpage entry that is included in both the sorted plurality of common webpage entries and the sorted plurality of friend webpage entries, including the duplicate webpage entry from only the sorted plurality of friend webpage entries in the combined list of webpage entries such that the duplicate webpage entry is presented earlier in the combined list of webpage entries.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network services are provided by a same network service provider.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the searching the user webpage database for the plurality of friend webpage entries of the friends of the search user according to the keyword comprises:

obtaining identifiers of the friends of the search user from a friend database;

finding the friend webpage entries corresponding to the identifiers of the friends in the user webpage database; and

searching for a required friend webpage entry according to the keyword from the found plurality of friend webpage entries.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining the page score of the friend webpage entry of the plurality of friend webpage entries according to a friend factor and an original page score;

wherein the friend factor is a predetermined value, or the friend factor is a multiplier of a predetermined value by a user intimacy, wherein the user intimacy is frequency of information transmission between the search user and the friend corresponding to the friend webpage entry.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtaining the page scores for the plurality of common webpage entries comprises:

calculating an original page score and a page factor of the common webpage entry of the plurality of common webpage entries, multiplying the original page score by the page factor to obtain a multiplier, and using the multiplier as the page score of the common webpage entry.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the separately sorting the plurality of friend webpage entries and the plurality of common webpage entries in descending order according to the page scores comprises:

sorting the plurality of common webpage entries in descending order according to the page scores, and selecting first P common webpage entries from the sorted plurality of common webpage entries;

sorting the plurality of friend webpage entries in descending order according to the page scores, and selecting first Q friend webpage entries from the sorted plurality of friend webpage entries;

deleting the duplicate webpage entry which is included in both the first P common webpage entries and the first Q friend webpage entries; and

sorting the remaining common webpage entries and the remaining friend webpage entries in descending order according to the page scores to generate the combined list of webpage entries,

wherein P and Q are natural numbers.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein Q is less than P.

8. A server for searching for information, comprising a memory and a processor communicating with the memory, wherein the memory stores instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:

obtain webpage entries from a plurality of network services of a plurality of users, and store the obtained webpage entries in a user webpage database;

receive a search request including a keyword from a search user;

search a common webpage database for a plurality of common webpage entries according to the keyword, and obtain page scores for the plurality of common webpage entries; and

search the user webpage database for a plurality of friend webpage entries of friends of the search user according to the keyword, and obtain page scores for the plurality of friend webpage entries;

separately sort the plurality of common webpage entries and the plurality of friend webpage entries in descending order according to the page scores;

generate a combined list of webpage entries based on the separately sorted plurality of common webpage entries and the separately sorted plurality of friend webpage entries; and

feed back the combined list of webpage entries to the search user, wherein

when the combined list of webpage entries includes a duplicate webpage entry that is included in both the sorted plurality of common webpage entries and the sorted plurality of friend webpage entries, including the duplicate webpage entry from only the sorted plurality of friend webpage entries in the combined list of webpage entries such that the duplicate webpage entry is presented earlier in the combined list of webpage entries.

9. The server according to claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

obtain identifiers of the friends of the search user from a friend database;

find the friend webpage entries corresponding to the identifiers of the friends in the user webpage database; and

search for a required friend webpage entry according to the keyword from the found plurality of friend webpage entries.

10. The server according to claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine the page score of the friend webpage entry of the plurality of friend webpage entries according to a friend factor and an original page score;

wherein the friend factor is a predetermined value, or the friend factor is a multiplier of a predetermined value by a user intimacy, wherein the user intimacy is frequency of information transmission between the search user and the friend corresponding to the friend webpage entry.

11. The server according to claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

calculate an original page score and a page factor of the common webpage entry of the plurality of common webpage entries, multiply the original page score by the page factor to obtain a multiplier, and use the multiplier as the page score of the common webpage entry.

12. The server according to claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

sort the plurality of common webpage entries in descending order according to the page scores, and select first P common webpage entries after sorting from the sorted plurality of common webpage entries;

sort the plurality of friend webpage entries in descending order according to the page scores, and select first Q friend webpage entries from the sorted plurality of friend webpage entries;

delete the duplicate webpage entry which is included in both the first P common webpage entries and the first Q friend webpage entries; and

sort the remaining common webpage entries and the remaining friend webpage entries in descending order according to the page scores to generate the combined list of webpage entries, wherein P and Q are natural numbers.

13. A method for searching for information, comprising:

obtaining webpage entries from a plurality of network services of a plurality of users;

storing the obtained webpage entries in a user webpage database;

receiving a search request including a keyword from a search user;

searching a common webpage database for a plurality of common webpage entries according to the keyword;

searching the user webpage database for a plurality of friend webpage entries of friends of the search user according to the keyword; and

separately sorting the plurality of common webpage entries and the plurality of friend webpage entries;

generating, by processing circuitry of an information processing apparatus, a combined list of webpage entries based on the separately sorted plurality of common webpage entries and the separately sorted plurality of friend webpage entries; and

feeding back the combined list of webpage entries to the search user, wherein

when the combined list of webpage entries includes a duplicate webpage entry that is included in both the sorted plurality of common webpage entries and the sorted plurality of friend webpage entries, including the duplicate webpage entry from only the sorted plurality of friend webpage entries in the combined list of webpage entries such that the duplicate webpage entry is presented earlier in the combined list of webpage entries.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the sorting the plurality of common webpage entries and the plurality of friend webpage entries comprises:

arranging the plurality of friend webpage entries before the plurality of common webpage entries.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the separately sorting the plurality of common webpage entries and the plurality of friend webpage entries further comprises:

deleting the duplicate webpage entry which is included in both the plurality of common webpage entries and the plurality of friend webpage entries from the plurality of common webpage entries.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the separately sorting the plurality of common webpage entries and the plurality of friend webpage entries further comprises:

obtaining page scores of the plurality of friend webpage entries, and sorting the plurality of friend webpage entries in descending order according to the page scores.