PRODUCT SEARCHING SYSTEM AND METHOD USING SEARCH LOGIC ACCORDING TO EACH CATEGORY

• US 20070027856A1
• Filed: 07/25/2006
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Naver Corporation
• Original Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Hyang Cheol
• Granted Patent: US 8,209,318 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

A product search system and a product search method which is performed in the product search system. The product search system includes: maintaining a database including a product identifier and a product category of the product identifier; receiving an original query for search of a product from a user terminal, and extracting a category query associated with the original query; selecting at least one product category included in the database, as a category corresponding to the original query, using the category query; identifying a product identifier type associated with the selected category; searching the database by applying a search logic corresponding to the identified product identifier type from a plurality of search logics; and outputting a result of the search as a product identifier type that matches the original query.

Claims

1. A product search method in a product search system, the method comprising:

maintaining a database including a product identifier and a product category of the product identifier;

receiving an original query for search of a product from a user terminal, and extracting a category query associated with the original query;

selecting at least one product category included in the database using the category query;

identifying a product identifier type associated with the selected category;

searching the database by applying a search logic corresponding to the identified product identifier type from a plurality of search logics; and

outputting a result of the search as a product identifier type that matches the original query.

2. The product search method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the at least one category comprises:

searching the database using the category query and extracting product identifiers whose similarity to the category query is greater than a predetermined level; and

selecting at least one product category as a category corresponding to the original query, in an order of a greater number of the extracted product identifiers.

3. The product search method of claim 1, wherein the database further comprises a search field which is generated by using the product identifier and the product category, and the selecting of the category comprises:

searching the database, and extracting product identifiers corresponding to search fields whose similarity to the category query is greater than a predetermined level; and

selecting at least one product category as a category corresponding to the original query, in an order of a greater number of the extracted product identifiers.

4. The product search method of claim 1, wherein, when the identified product identifier type is an electronics/computer type, the searching of the database comprises:

searching the database using a first query which is generated by removing a space or a special character from the original query, and generating a first search result;

separating the original query into a plurality of words according to the space, searching the database by using a word as a second query among the plurality of words, and generating a second search result when a number of the first search results is less than a predetermined reference value, the word comprising at least one of the group including alphabetic characters, numerals, special characters, and combinations thereof; and

searching the database by using a word as a third query among the second query, and generating a third search result when an addition of the number of the first search results and the number of the second search results is less than the reference value, the word having a first letter as an alphabetic character and having a last letter as an alphabetic character or a numeral, and which includes at least one numeral, and

the outputting of the search result outputs at least one of the first search result, the second search result, and the third search result as the product identifier that matches the original query.

5. The product search method of claim 4, wherein the searching of the database further comprises:

separating the original query into a plurality of tokens using a predetermined engine indexer, searching the database using the tokens, and generating a fourth search result when an addition of the number of the first search results, the number of the second search results, and the number of the third search results is less than the reference value, and

the product identifier that matches the original query includes the fourth search result.

6. The product search method of claim 5, wherein the searching of the database further comprises:

generating a fifth search result including at least one token in the database, when an addition of the number of the first search results, the number of the second search results, the number of the third search results, and the number of the fourth search results is less than the reference value, and

the product identifier that matches the original query includes the fifth search result.

7. The product search method of claim 4, wherein searching of the database using the third query and the generating of the third search result comprises:

arranging a plurality of third queries according to a descending series based on a length of each of the plurality of third queries; and

searching the database according to the arranged order and generating the third search result.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the searching of the database using the third query and the generating of the third search result comprises:

separating the third query into tokens which comprise a group of only alphabetic characters or a group of only numerals;

connecting the tokens with a space and generating a fourth query; and

searching the database using the fourth query, and generating the third search result.

9. The product search method of claim 8, wherein the searching of the database using the fourth query and the generating of the third search result comprises:

repeating searching the database and generating the third search result, while reducing a number of the tokens included in the fourth query from a tail end of the fourth query; and

generating a search result as the third search result and stopping the searching, when the search result is found.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the identified product identifier type is a brand type, the searching of the database comprises:

searching the database using a first query which is generated by removing a space or a special character from the original query, and generating a first search result;

separating the original query into a plurality of words according to the space, searching the database by using a word as a second query among the plurality of words, and generating a second search result when a number of the first search results is less than a predetermined reference value, the word having a first letter and a last letter as alphabetic characters or numerals and which includes at least one numeral; and

separating the second query into the space or the special character, generating a plurality of tokens, searching the database by using a third query which is generated by connecting the plurality of tokens with the space, and generating a third search result, when an addition of the number of the first search results and the number of the second search results is less than the reference value, and

the outputting of the search result outputs at least one of the first search result, the second search result, and the third search result as the product identifier that matches the original query.

11. The product search method of claim 1, wherein, when the identified product identifier type is cosmetics, powdered milk, diapers, or other general product identifier type, the searching of the database comprises:

searching the database using a first query which is generated by removing a space or a special character from the original query, and generating a first search result;

searching the database using a second query which is generated by separating the original query into a plurality of words according to the space, and generating a second search result when a number of the first search results is less than a predetermined reference value; and

searching the database using a third query which is generated by analyzing a morpheme of the original query, and generating a third search result when an addition of the number of the first search results and the number of the second search results is less than the reference value, and

the outputting of the search result outputs at least one of the first search result, the second search result, and the third search result as the product identifier that matches the original query.

12. The product search method of claim 1, wherein, when the identified product identifier type is an electronics/computer type or a brand type, the searching of the database comprises:

separating the original query into a plurality of words according to a space;

determining a word which comprises at least one of the group including alphabetic characters, numerals, special characters, and combinations thereof among the plurality of words, as a search query; and

searching the database using the search query, and generating a search result.

13. The product search method of claim 1, wherein the identified product identifier type is an electronics/computer type or a brand type, the searching of the database comprises:

separating the original query into a plurality of words according to a space;

extracting a word which comprises at least one of the group including alphabetic characters, numerals, special characters, and combinations thereof from the plurality of words;

determining a word having a first letter and a last letter as alphabetic characters or numerals and which includes at least one numeral, as a search query, from the extracted word; and

searching the database using the search query, and generating a search result.

14. The product search method of claim 1, wherein, when the identified product identifier type is an electronics/computer type or a brand type, the searching of the database comprises:

generating a plurality of tokens by processing the original query according to a predetermined separation logic;

connecting the plurality of tokens with a space and determining the connected plurality of tokens as a search query;

repeating searching the database and generating the search result, while reducing a number of the tokens included in the search query from a tail end of the search query.

15. The product search method of claim 14, wherein the generating of the plurality of tokens comprises:

separating the original query into a plurality of words according to the space;

extracting a word which comprises at least one of the group including alphabetic characters, numeral, special characters, and combinations thereof from the plurality of words; and

generating the plurality of tokens by separating the extracted word into the plurality of tokens which comprise a group of only alphabetic characters or a group of only numerals, or separating the extracted word into the special characters.

16. A computer-readable record medium storing a program for implementing a product search method in a product search system, the method comprising:

maintaining a database including a product identifier and a product category of the product identifier;

receiving an original query for search of a product from a user terminal, and extracting a category query associated with the original query;

selecting at least one product category included in the database using the category query;

identifying a product identifier type associated with the selected category;

searching the database by applying a search logic corresponding to the identified product identifier type from a plurality of search logics; and

outputting a result of the search as a product identifier type that matches the original query.

17. A product search system comprising:

a database including a product identifier and a product category of the product identifier;

a receiving unit receiving an original query for search of a product from a user terminal;

an extraction unit extracting a category query associated with the original query;

a category selection unit selecting at least one product category included in the database, as a category corresponding to the original query, using the category query;

a product identifier type identifying unit identifying a product identifier type associated with the selected category;

a search unit searching the database by applying a search logic corresponding to the identified product identifier type from a plurality of search logics; and

an outputting unit outputting the search result as a product identifier that matches the original query.

18. The product search system of claim 17, wherein, when the identified product identifier type is an electronics/computer type, the search unit comprises:

a first search unit searching the database using a first query which is generated by removing a space or a special character from the original query, and generating a first search result;

a second search unit separating the original query into a plurality of words according to the space, searching the database by using a word as a second query among the plurality of words, and generating a second search result when a number of the first search results is less than a predetermined reference value, the word comprising at least one of the group including alphabetic characters, numeral, special characters, and combinations thereof; and

a third search unit searching the database by using a word as a third query among the second query, and generating a third search result when an addition of the number of the first search results and the number of the second search results is less than the reference value, the word having a first letter as an alphabetic character and having a last letter as an alphabetic character or a numeral, and which includes at least one numeral, and

the output unit outputs at least one of the first search result, the second search result, and the third search result as the product identifier that matches the original query.

19. The product search system of claim 17, wherein, when the identified product identifier type is a brand type, the search unit comprises:

a first search unit searching the database using a first query which is generated by removing a space or a special character from the original query, and generating a first search result;

a second search unit separating the original query into a plurality of words according to the space, searching the database by using a word as a second query among the plurality of words, and generating a second search result when a number of the first search results is less than a predetermined reference value, the word having a first letter and having a last letter which are alphabetic characters or numerals and which includes at least one numeral; and

a third search unit separating the second query into the space or the special character, generating a plurality of tokens, and searching the database by using a third query which is generated by connecting the plurality of tokens with the space, and generating a third search result, when an addition of the number of the first search results and the number of the second search results is less than the reference value, and

the output unit outputs at least one of the first search result, the second search result, and the third search result as the product identifier that matches the original query.

20. The product search system of claim 17, wherein, when the identified product identifier type is cosmetics, powdered milk, diapers, or other general product identifier type, the search unit comprises:

a first search unit searching the database using a first query which is generated by removing a space or a special character from the original query, and generating a first search result;

a second search unit searching the database using a second query which is generated separating the original query into a plurality of words according to the space, and generating a second search result when a number of the first search results is less than a predetermined reference value; and

a third search unit searching the database using a third query which is generated by analyzing a morpheme of the original query, and generating a third search result when an addition of the number of the first search results and the number of the second search results is less than the reference value, and

the output unit outputs at least one of the first search result, the second search result, and the third search result as the product identifier that matches the original query.