SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DYNAMICALLY UPDATING RELEVANCE OF A SELECTED ITEM

• US 20080016101A1
• Filed: 07/11/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: Shopping.com Ltd. (eBay Inc.)
• Inventors: Glickamn, Oren, Ashkenazi, Amir, Ginsburg, Adam
• Granted Patent: US 8,065,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Systems and methods for dynamically updating ranking of items retrieved in response to a search query are provided. Specifically, systems and methods according to the invention preferably decrease a value associated with a selected item and increase a value of non-selected items that, prior to the selection, had a lesser weight than the selected item. Alternatively, if the list was ranked from higher value to lowest value, than the selected item would be rewarded by an increase in its score and the non-selected items that previously had a higher value would have their respective values decreased. It should be noted than any and all values and weights described herein may be normalized to ensure appropriate results. Alternative embodiments of the invention are directed to methods and systems for classifying groups of items into meta-products and then updating the rankings of the items based at least in part on the meta-product classification.

Claims

1. A system for updating the order of display of a plurality of items, the items that were retrieved in response to a search query, the system comprising:

a server comprising;

a server storage device;

a server processor connected to the server storage device, the server storage device storing a server program for controlling the server processor; and

wherein the server is operative to communicate with each of a plurality of workstations, each of the workstations comprising;

a workstation storage device;

a workstation processor connected to the workstation storage device, the workstation storage device storing a workstation program for controlling the workstation processor; and

the workstation processor operative with the workstation program to;

display the plurality of items;

receive a selection of one of the

plurality of items;

the server processor operative with the server program to update the order of display of the plurality of items in response to the selection, the updating comprising;

adjusting a value of the selected

item with respect to the search query;

adjusting a value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item with respect to the search query; and

the workstation processor further operative with the workstation program to display a list of the plurality of items in response to the search query, the order of the list being based on an adjusted value associated with each of the items.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the adjusting the value of the selected item with respect to the search query comprises increasing the value of the selected item and the adjusting the value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item with respect to the search query comprises decreasing the value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the adjusting the value of the selected item with respect to the search query comprises decreasing the value of the selected item and the adjusting the value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item with respect to the search query comprises increasing the value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising updating the order of the list based on the adjusting the value of the selected item and the adjusting the value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the value of each of the plurality of items is based at least in part on a relevance of each of the items to the search query.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the order of the list is based at least in part on the revenue generated by each of the plurality of items on the list.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of items represents features of goods.

8. The system of claim 1, the server processor is further operative with the server program to add a new item to the plurality of items.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the adding the new item comprises attributing a value to the new item that causes the new item to be displayed.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the server processor is further operative with the server program to normalize a plurality of different queries wherein in response to each of the plurality of normalized queries the same plurality of items is returned.

11. A system for updating a relevance of each of a first plurality of items to a search query, the relevance of each of the items to the search query being characterized by a weight, the system comprising:

a web server coupled to a computer network, the web server that receives the search query from the computer network;

a click log that receives information relating to a user selection of an item from the first plurality of items that were retrieved in response to the search query;

a ranking server coupled to the click log that updates the weight associated with at least a portion of the items based on information received from the click log, the updating the weight comprising adjusting the weight of the selected item and adjusting the weight of the items that, prior to the selection, were displayed above the selected item; and

a ranking database coupled to the ranking server that stores the updated weight of the plurality of items with respect to the search query.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising a request server coupled to the ranking database that provides ranking information to a query integrator in order to rank a second plurality of items that were retrieved in response to a second query, the ranking information being based on an updated weight of the plurality of items.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the first plurality of items is the same as the second plurality of items.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the first query is the same as the second query.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the adjusting a value of the selected item with respect to the search query comprises increasing the value of the selected item and the adjusting a value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item with respect to the search query comprises decreasing the value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the adjusting a value of the selected item with respect to the search query comprises decreasing the value of the selected item and the adjusting a value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item with respect to the search query comprises increasing the value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item.

17. The system of claim 11 further comprising updating the order of the list based on the adjusting the value of the selected item and the adjusting a value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item.

18. A method for updating the order of display of items, the items being classified into a plurality of groups based on item characteristics, the items that were retrieved in response to a search query, the method comprising:

updating the order of the groups based on a value that represents each of the groups;

in response to a user selection of one of the items retrieved by the search query;

adjusting a value of a group that includes the selected item; and

adjusting the value of each of the groups that are displayed in a higher position with respect to the search query than the group that includes the selected item; and

displaying a list of the plurality of items in response to the search query, the order of the list being based at least in part on the value associated with each of the groups.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the adjusting a value of the selected group with respect to the search query comprises increasing the value of the selected group and the adjusting a value of each of the plurality of groups that are displayed in a higher position than the selected group with respect to the search query comprises decreasing the value of each of the plurality of groups that are displayed in a higher position than the selected group.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the adjusting a value of the selected group with respect to the search query comprises decreasing the value of the selected group and the adjusting a value of each of the plurality of groups that are displayed in a higher position than the selected group with respect to the search query comprises increasing the value of each of the plurality of groups that are displayed in a higher position than the selected group.

21. The method of claim 18 further comprising updating the order of the list based on the adjusting the value of the selected group and the adjusting a value of each of the plurality of groups that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the value of each of the plurality of groups is based at least in part on a relevance of each of the groups to the search query.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the order of the list is based at least in part on the revenue generated by each of the plurality of items on the list.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising adding a new group to the plurality of groups.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the adding the new group comprises attributing a value to the new group that causes the new group to be displayed at the bottom of the list.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising displaying at the top of the list a portion of the items in the group with the highest value.

27. The method of claim 18, further comprising displaying at the top of the list a portion of the items in the group with the lowest value.

28. The method of claim 18, further comprising normalizing a plurality of different queries wherein in response to each of the plurality of normalized queries the same plurality of items is returned.

29. A method for classifying a set of items into meta-products, the items that were retrieved in response to a search query, the method comprising:

calculating a plurality of feature weights with respect to the user query, the feature weights being based at least in part on historical behavioral data, the plurality of feature weights corresponding to a plurality of features included in the items;

selecting a first feature based at least in part on the calculating;

partitioning the items into a first group and a second group, each of the items in a first group including the first feature and each of the items in a second group not including the first feature;

repeating the partitioning until a threshold number of groups are formed wherein each of the groups represents a quantity of historical behavioral data, the quantity being within a predetermined range; and

ranking the items within each group based on the respective feature weights of each of the items.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the historical behavioral data relates to merchant click data.

31. The method of claim 29 wherein the quantity of behavioral data relates to user query data.

32. The method of claim 29 further comprising displaying on a user workstation a predetermined number of items from a plurality of meta-products.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising normalizing a plurality of different queries wherein in response to each of the plurality of normalized queries the same plurality of items is returned.

34. The method of claim 29, further comprising augmenting the user query by incorporating merchant click data from related narrower queries.

35. A method for updating a relevance of each of a first plurality of items to a search query, the relevance of each of the items to the search query being characterized by a weight, the method comprising:

receiving the search query from the computer network;

receiving information from a web server, said information relating to a user selection of an item from the first plurality of items that were retrieved in response to the search query;

updating the weight associated with at least a portion of the items, the updating being based on information received from the web server, the updating comprising adjusting the weight of the selected item and adjusting the weight of the items that, prior to the selection, were displayed above the selected item; and

storing the updated weight of the plurality of items.

36. The method of claim 35 further comprising providing ranking information to a query integrator in order to rank a second plurality of items that were retrieved in response to a second query, the ranking information being based on an updated weight of the plurality of items.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the first plurality of items is the same as the second plurality of items.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein the first query is the same as the second query.

39. The method of claim 35 wherein the adjusting a value of the selected item with respect to the search query comprises increasing the value of the selected item and the adjusting a value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item with respect to the search query comprises decreasing the value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item.

40. The method of claim 35 wherein the adjusting a value of the selected item with respect to the search query comprises decreasing the value of the selected item and the adjusting a value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item with respect to the search query comprises increasing the value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item.

41. The method of claim 35 further comprising updating the order of the list based on the adjusting the value of the selected item and the adjusting a value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item.

42. A computer readable medium that updates a relevance of each of a first plurality of items to a search query, the relevance of each of the items to the search query being characterized by a weight, the computer readable medium comprising:

a first instruction code that receives the search query from the computer network;

a second instruction code that receives information from a web server, said information relating to a user selection of an item from the first plurality of items that were retrieved in response to the search query;

a third instruction code that updates the weight associated with at least a portion of the items, the updating being based on information received from the web server, the updating comprising adjusting the weight of the selected item and adjusting the weight of the items that had previously been displayed above the selected item; and

a fourth instruction code that stores the updated weight of the plurality of items.

43. The computer readable medium of claim 42 further comprising a fifth instruction code that provides ranking information to a query integrator in order to rank a second plurality of items that were retrieved in response to a second query, the ranking information being based on an updated weight of the plurality of items.

44. The computer readable medium of claim 43 wherein the first plurality of items is the same as the second plurality of items.

45. The computer readable medium of claim 43 wherein the first query is the same as the second query.

46. The method of claim 42 wherein the third instruction code comprises increasing the value of the selected item and the adjusting a value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item with respect to the search query comprises decreasing the value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item.

47. The method of claim 42 wherein the third instruction code further comprises decreasing the value of the selected item and the adjusting a value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item with respect to the search query comprises increasing the value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item.

48. The method of claim 42 wherein the third instruction code further comprises updating the order of the list based on the adjusting the value of the selected item and the adjusting a value of each of the plurality of items that are displayed in a higher position than the selected item.