Matching and ranking of sponsored search listings incorporating web search technology and web content

• US 20060161534A1
• Filed: 01/18/2006
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sabharwal, Mohit, Zagha, Marco J., Chawia, Devika, Carson, Charles C. Jr., Harvey, James B., Nemenman, Matvey
• Granted Patent: US 7,698,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system is disclosed for generating a search result list in response to a search request from a searcher using a computer network. A first database is maintained that includes a first plurality of search listings. A second database is maintained that includes documents having general web content. A search request is received from the searcher. A first set of search listings is identified from the first database having documents generating a match with the search request and a second set of search listings is identified from the second database having documents generating a match with the search request. A confidence score is determined for each listing from the first set of search listings wherein the confidence score is determined in accordance with a relevance of each listing when compared to the listings of the second set of search listings. The identified search listings from the first set of search listing are ordered in accordance, at least in part, with the confidence score for each search listing.

Claims

1. A method of generating a search result list in response to a search request from a searcher using a computer network, comprising:

maintaining a first database including a first plurality of search listings;

maintaining a second database including documents having a general web content;

receiving a search request from the searcher;

identifying from the first database a first set of search listings having documents generating a match with the search request and identifying from the second database a second set of search listings having documents generating a match with the search request;

determining a confidence score for each listing from the first set of search listings wherein the confidence score is determined in accordance with a relevance of each listing when compared to the listings of the second set of search listings; and

ordering the identified search listings from the first set of search listing in accordance, at least in part, with the confidence score for each search listing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each search listing is associated with one or more search terms.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the one or more search terms associated with at least one search listing is automatically generated based on information located at a first address associated with the at least one search listing.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying the query before identifying the first set.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein each listing from the first set of search listings is associated with a first set of attributes, each attribute of the first set of attributes associated with an attribute weight, and

wherein the confidence score is determined by weighting at least one attribute for each listing with the associated attribute weight.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein the searcher is associated with a geographical region, and

wherein the confidence score is determined by weighting at least one attribute for each listing with a second set of attribute weights associated with the geographical region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified search listings are further ordered in accordance with a list of negative keywords.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the identified search listings are associated with at least one feature, and

wherein the identified search listings are further ordered in accordance with the at least one feature.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the confidence scores are determined using a machine-learning method.

10. A server for generating a search result list in response to a search request from a searcher using a computer network, comprising:

a memory for use in storing data and instructions; and

a processor in communication with the memory and for enabling actions based on the stored instructions, the stored instruction including instructions for;

communicating with a first database, the first database including a first plurality of search listings;

communicating with a second database, the second database including documents having a general web content;

receiving a search request from the searcher;

identifying from the first database a first set of search listings having documents generating a match with the search request and identifying from the second database a second set of search listings having documents generating a match with the search request;

determining a confidence score for each listing from the first set of search listings wherein the confidence score is determined in accordance with a relevance of each listing when compared to the listings of the second set of search listings; and

ordering the identified search listings from the first set of search listing in accordance, at least in part, with the confidence score for each search listing.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein the stored instructions further comprise instructions for

modifying the search request in a first manner for identifying the first set of search listings;

and

modifying the search request in a second manner for identifying the second set of search listings.

12. The server of claim 11, wherein each listing from the first set of search listings is associated with a first set of attributes, each attribute of the first set of attributes associated with an attribute weight, and

wherein the confidence score is determined by weighting at least one attribute for each listing with the associated attribute weight.

13. The server of claim 12,

wherein the first database is associated with a set of first database attribute weights, and

wherein the confidence score is determined by weighting at least one attribute for each listing with the set of first database attribute weights.

14. The server of claim 10, wherein the stored instructions further comprise instructions for:

storing the second set of search listings; and

updating, automatically, the second set of search listings after a predetermined period of time.

15. The server of claim 10, wherein the first database is maintained by a first entity and the second database is maintained by a second entity.

16. The server of claim 10, wherein the identified search listings are further ordered in accordance with a list of negative keywords.

17. The server of claim 10,

wherein the identified search listings are associated with at least one feature, and

wherein the identified search listings are further ordered in accordance with the at least one feature.

18. The server of claim 10, wherein each search listing is associated with one or more search terms.

19. A processor-readable medium having processor-executable code thereon for enabling actions for performing actions to generate a search result list in response to a search request from a searcher using a computer network, comprising:

maintaining a first database including a first plurality of search listings;

maintaining a second database including documents having a general web content;

receiving a search request from the searcher;

identifying from the first database a first set of search listings having documents generating a match with the search request and identifying from the second database a second set of search listings having documents generating a match with the search request;

determining a confidence score for each listing from the first set of search listings wherein the confidence score is determined in accordance with a relevance of each listing when compared to the listings of the second set of search listings; and

ordering the identified search listings from the first set of search listing in accordance, at least in part, with the confidence score for each search listing.

20. The processor-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the identified search listings are further ordered in accordance with a list of trademark keywords.

21. The processor-readable medium of claim 19,

wherein the identified search listings are associated with at least one feature, and

wherein the identified search listings are further ordered in accordance with the at least one feature.

22. The processor-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the at least one feature is selected from the group comprising historical click-through data, conversion data, whether a match occurred in a title, whether a match occurred in an abstract, whether a match occurred in a URL, whether a match occurred in a display host, whether a match occurred in a bidded keyphrase, whether a match occurred in an algorithmically generated keyword, and whether a match occurred in an algorithmically generated summary.

23. The processor-readable medium of claim 19, wherein each search listing may be associated with one or more search terms.