Search engine using user intent

• US 20060064411A1
• Filed: 09/22/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Snap Technologies Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Snap Technologies Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Gross, William, McGovern, Thomas, Sturtevant, Reed
• Application Number:
  US11/234,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20060064411A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions
• 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 system and method for ranking search results based on a series of attributes derived from the behavior of past searchers is disclosed. The attributes provide a measure of the relevancy between a search query and a URL, file, or other resource based on its relevancy to prior users. The system comprises (1) an attribute database including a plurality of prior search terms or phases; a first set of resources associated with each of the queries; and the attributes, i.e., metrics, characterizing the relevance of the first set of resources to the queries; and (2) a search processor adapted to identify a second set of resources determined to be relevant to a user query; rank each of the second set of resources based on the metrics associated with the query and resource; and provide the user with the search results ranked in accordance the metrics and displayed in a manner to increase the utility of the results for the user.

Claims

1. A system for generating ranked search results based on past user behavior, the system comprising:

an attribute database comprising a plurality of queries, a first set of resources associated with each of the queries, and a set of one or more metrics characterizing the relevance of the first set of resources to the plurality of queries;

wherein the set of one or more metrics are derived from post-search user behavior of a plurality of prior users; and

a search processor adapted to;

a) receive a query from a user;

b) identify a second set of resources relevant to the received query from the user;

c) retrieve from the attribute database the one or more metrics associated with the received query and each of the second set of resources;

d) rank each of the second set of resources based on the retrieved one or more metrics; and

e) return at least a portion of the second set of resources ranked in accordance the retrieved one or more metrics.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first set of resources comprises one or more resource locators.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more resource locators include at least one Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of one or more metrics associated with a URL are selected from the group consisting of:

the average number of prior user click-throughs from a search result page to the associated URL;

the frequency with which the prior users viewed the associated URL;

the number of webpages at a domain associated with the URL, the average number of webpages viewed by the prior users at the domain associated with the URL;

the average time spent by prior users viewing webpages at the domain associated with the URL;

the average number of prior users that downloaded files from the domain associated with the URL;

the average number of prior users that executed scripts from the domain associated with the URL;

the average number of prior users that placed orders at the domain associated with the URL;

the average number of prior users that made purchases at the domain associated with the URL; and

the average number of sessions created by prior users.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the set of one or more metrics are further selected from the group consisting of:

URL character length, URL number count, URL hyphen count, top level domain type, country domain.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the post-search user behavior of the prior users is derived from one or more clickstreams recorded for of each of the prior users.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the one or more recorded clickstreams are recorded by one or more Internet surface providers (ISPs) providing Internet access to the prior users.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the one or more recorded clickstreams are recorded by a computing device of one or more of the prior users.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second set of resources are derived from history logs originating from one of more of a plurality of sources of relevant search results:

the set of sources selected from the group consisting of;

at least one algorithmic search index, the attribute database, and a combination thereof.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the search processor is adapted to generated a cost function for each of the resources of the second set of resources.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the cost function is a least squares algorithm base is part on a ranking of the second set of resources defined by one or more human editors.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display processor adapted to:

select one of a plurality of page display types based at least in part on the received query; and

generate a search result page with ranked search results formatted in accordance with the selected page display type.

14. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of page display types comprises a navigation page type.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of page display types comprises a cluster page type.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of page display types comprises a product page type.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of page display types comprises a general page type.