Search system using search subdomain and hints to subdomains in search query statements and sponsored results on a subdomain-by-subdomain basis

• US 20050228780A1
• Filed: 04/05/2004
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tran, Thai, Walther, Eckart, Lu, Qi, Kapur, Shyam, Diab, Ali, Ku, David, Gatz, Scott A., Weiner, Jeff, Shi, Norman, Kung, Chuck, Shen, Yuan Kui, Hoang, Phu, Pogue, Lynne
• Granted Patent: US 7,499,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9032 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A method and apparatus for generating search results including searching by subdomain and providing sponsored results by subdomain is provided. A search system according to embodiments of the present invention analyzes search queries to determine if they are to be routed to subdomains and presents results include sponsored hits sponsored on a subdomain by subdomain basis.

Claims

1. Using a computer system with access to electronically retrievable content in digital form, a method of providing content in response to a request, comprising:

receiving a request from a user in the form of a search query string;

determining if the search query string includes a hint string of one or more characters;

if the search query string includes a hint string, parsing the search query string and processing a remainder search query string over one or more subdomains wherein the one or more subdomains are determined from the hint string.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hint string includes a hint string operator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the subdomains include maps, telephone directory lookups, weather, news, shopping, auctions, images and hierarchical directory searches.

4. Using a computer system with access to electronically retrievable content in digital form, a method of providing search results in response to a search request wherein the search request includes at least a search query string, comprising:

parsing the search query string into tokens;

determining which tokens, if any, are hint tokens;

if the search query string includes at least one hint token, performing a hint-directed action on the search request, wherein the hint-directed action comprises one or more of submitting a remainder search string to a search engine wherein a remainder search string is a string corresponding to the search query string less the at least one hint token, directing the search request to a search system indicated by one or more of the hint tokens, and adding parameters to the search request as indicated by one or more hint tokens; and

if the search query string does not include at least one hint token, submitting the search request to a default search engine.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the parameters added to the search request comprise one or more of control switches and additional search terms.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein determining which tokens are hint tokens comprises analyzing the tokens using a set of business rules determined heuristically.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein determining which tokens are hint tokens comprises:

finding matches for one or more of the tokens in a query log, wherein the query log maintains a history of prior queries;

identifying tokens has hint tokens based on matches in the query log.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein determining which tokens are hint tokens comprises analyzing a table of possible hint tokens maintained by a search server.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising inferring an implicit hint based on prior query activity.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein a search query string having at least one hint token is parsed into a remainder search string and one or more hint tokens and the remainder search string is directed to a subdomain hinted at by a hint token.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein a search query string having at least one hint token is parsed into a remainder search string and one or more hint tokens and the remainder search string is directed to search engine for a search over a corpus hinted at by a hint token.

12. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

if the search query string includes at least one hint token, making an initial determination as to the presence of at least one location hint token in the at least one hint token;

if at least one location hint token is present, testing for exceptions wherein location hint tokens are flagged as not being location-determining;

if at least one location hint token is present and is not flagged as not being location-determining, performing a location-based search; and

if no location hint token is present or any present location hint token is flagged as not being location-determining, performing a location-independent search.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising generating a map of a location indicated by a location hint token not flagged as not being location-determining if one is present.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising combining the map and results of the location-based search in a display page returned to a requester.