Search engine methods and systems for displaying relevant topics

• US 20070265996A1
• Filed: 03/01/2007
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DataCloud Technologies, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kang Jo Mgmt LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Kotlar, Dennis, Odom, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,716,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/313 Selection or weighting of terms for indexing

Abstract

The present invention provides search engine methods and systems for displaying relevant and timely topics. In an embodiment, a method for displaying topics related to a search constraint entered by a user includes receiving a search constraint; identifying a first preliminary set of topics related to the search constraint, wherein the first preliminary set of topics are representative of a sample set of general data items; identifying a second preliminary set of topics related to the search constraint, wherein the second preliminary set of topics is representative of a sample set of current event data items; identifying a set of display topics that is a subset of the first preliminary set of topics and the second preliminary set of topics; and displaying the set of display topics. In other embodiments, other systems and methods are provided.

Claims

1. A method for displaying topics related to a search constraint entered by a user to request search results that identify data items within a set of information that are related to the search constraint, comprising:

(a) receiving a search constraint;

(b) identifying a first preliminary set of topics related to the search constraint, wherein the first preliminary set of topics are representative of a sample set of general data items;

(c) identifying a second preliminary set of topics related to the search constraint, wherein the second preliminary set of topics is representative of a sample set of current event data items;

(d) identifying a set of display topics that is a subset of the first preliminary set of topics and the second preliminary set of topics; and

(e) displaying the set of display topics.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a set of display topics comprises:

(i) selecting a general topic threshold number of topics from the first preliminary set of topics; and

(ii) selecting a current event topic threshold number of topics from the second preliminary set of topics.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising selecting a proper name topic threshold number of proper names from the second preliminary set of topics.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the proper names are randomly selected.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting a general topic threshold number of topics includes selecting a personal topic threshold number of topics, wherein personal topics are topics that the user has previously found relevant.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein personal interest topics are stored in a personal interest topic repository.

7. A method for displaying topics related to a search constraint entered by a user to request search results that identify data items within a set of information that are related to the search constraint, comprising:

(a) receiving the search constraint;

(b) identifying a set of topics related to the search constraint;

(c) ranking each of the topics within the set of topics;

(d) creating subject matter domains associated with the set of topics;

(e) determining the most representative topic for each subject matter domain; and

(f) displaying the most representative topic for each subject matter domain.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising displaying the highest ranked topics that have not been displayed as one of the highest ranked topics for each subject matter domain, wherein the total number of displayed topics does not exceed a topic threshold.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying a set of topics associated with the search constraint comprises:

(i) conducting a search to generate search results, wherein the search results include a set of data items; and

(ii) determining a set of topics from the search results by extracting topics associated with each data item in the search results.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein conducting a search comprises a GOOGLE search, a YAHOO search, an MSN search, an Ask.com search or an A9 search.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein conducting a search comprises conducting a search on a sample set of representative data within the set of information.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein conducting a search comprises conducting a search on a sample set of current events data items.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the sample set of current events data items is retrieved periodically from one or more current event websites.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more current event websites includes at least one of MSN.COM, ESPN.COM, and CNN.COM.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein current event items are updated at a rate based on subject matter.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein sports information is updated every thirty minutes, wherein financial information is updated every thirty minutes, wherein health information is updated once a day, wherein general news information is updated every two hours.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein ranking each of the topics within the set of topics includes:

(i) assigning the highest ranking to a topic within the identified topics, when the topic is a current topic and a personal interest topic;

(ii) assigning the second highest ranking to a topic within the identified topics, when the topic is a current topic;

(iii) assigning the third highest ranking to a topic within the identified topics, when the topic is a personal interest topic; and

(iv) assigning the fourth highest ranking to a topic within the identified topics that is neither a current topic or a personal interest topic.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein creating subject matter domains associated with the set of topics comprises:

(i) clustering data items having topics associated with the search constraint, where data items are clustered together when they share topics; and

(ii) creating subject matter domains based on a clustering of data items that minimizes the overlap of topics across subject matter domains.

20. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the most representative topic for each subject matter domain includes:

(i) identifying those topics within a subject matter domain that occurs in more than some fraction of the distribution of data items within the set of information; and

(ii) identifying a topic identified in step (i) as a most representative topic when the topic has the highest ranking.

21. The method of claim 7, wherein each topic comprises a word combination of two or more substantially contiguous words, wherein two words are substantially contiguous if they are separated only by zero or more words selected from a predetermined list of words.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the predetermined list of words comprise STOP words.

23. The method of claim 7, wherein the set of information includes one or more of information located within an enterprise network, information located within a server, information located within a personal computer, information located on the Internet, or information contained within email messages or email attachments.

24. The method of claim 7, wherein data items includes one or more of text documents, graphic documents, audio files, video files, multimedia documents, email messages, email attachments, or Internet web page.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein each topic comprises a word combination of two or more substantially contiguous words, wherein two words are substantially contiguous if they are separated only by zero or more words selected from a predetermined list of words.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the predetermined list of words comprise STOP words.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein the set of information includes one or more of information located within an enterprise network, information located within a server, information located within a personal computer, information located on the Internet, or information contained within email messages or email attachments.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein data items includes one or more of text documents, graphic documents, audio files, video files, multimedia documents, email messages, email attachments, or Internet web page.

18. The method of claim 18, wherein within each ranking topics are ranked based on their frequency of occurrence within the search results, wherein those topics that occur least frequently are considered more relevant.

25. A method for displaying topics related to a search constraint entered by a user to request search results that identify data items within a set of information that are related to the search constraint, comprising:

(a) receiving the search constraint;

(b) identifying a set of topics associated with the search constraint;

(c) creating subject matter domains associated with the set of topics;

(d) determining the most representative topic for each subject matter domain; and

(e) displaying the most representative topic for each identified subject matter domains.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein determining the most representative topic for each subject matter domain includes:

(i) identifying those topics within a subject matter domain that occur in more than some fraction of the distribution of data items within the set of information; and

(ii) identifying a topic identified in step (i) as the most representative topic when the topic occurs least frequently in the set of information.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising ranking each of the topics within the set of topics.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein ranking each of the topics within the set of topics includes:

(i) assigning the highest ranking to a topic within the identified topics, when the topic is a current topic and a personal interest topic;

(ii) assigning the second highest ranking to a topic within the identified topics, when the topic is a current topic;

(iii) assigning the third highest ranking to a topic within the identified topics, when the topic is a personal interest topic; and

(iv) assigning the fourth highest ranking to a topic within the identified topics that is neither both a current topic or a personal interest topic.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein within each ranking topics are ranked based on their frequency of occurrence within the search results, wherein those topics that occur least frequently are considered more relevant.

34. A method to rank topics identified when a user enters a search query, comprising:

(a) assigning a highest ranking to a topic within the identified topics, when the topic is both a current topic and a personal interest topic;

(b) assigning a second highest ranking to a topic within the identified topics, when the topic is a current topic;

(c) assigning a third highest ranking to a topic within the identified topics, when the topic is a personal interest topic; and

(d) assigning a fourth highest ranking to a topic within the identified topics that is neither a current topic or a personal interest topic.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein each topic comprises a word combination of two or more substantially contiguous words, wherein two words are substantially contiguous if they are separated only by zero or more words selected from a predetermined list of words.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the predetermined list of words comprise STOP words.