Providing Relevance-Ordered Categories of Information

• US 20080172362A1
• Filed: 01/17/2007
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wolosin, Gabriel, Jenson, Scott, Rechis, Leland, Shacham, Yael
• Granted Patent: US 7,966,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/35 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A computer-implemented method is disclosed. The method includes receiving from a remote device a search query, generating a plurality of different category-directed result sets for the search query, determining an order for the plurality of category-directed result sets based on the search query, and transmitting the plurality of category-directed result sets to the remote device, in a manner that the result sets are to be displayed in the remote device in the determined order.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving from a remote device a search query;

generating a plurality of different category-directed result sets for the search query;

determining an order for the plurality of category-directed result sets based on the search query; and

transmitting the plurality of category-directed result sets to the remote device, in a manner that the result sets are to be displayed in the remote device in the determined order.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising formatting the plurality of category-directed results to be displayed in a tabbed array in order of decreasing correlation between each category-directed result set and the search query.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the order comprises calculating for each category-directed result set a likelihood value that represents a likelihood that a corresponding category-directed result set is responsive to the received search query.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein determining the order further comprises ordering the category-directed result sets based on the calculated likelihood values.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein calculating the likelihood value comprises:

retrieving a profile that is associated with the remote device and that includes a distribution of previously determined correlations between other search queries received from the remote device and one or more different categories of information; and

factoring a portion of the distribution into the calculated likelihood.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein calculating the likelihood value comprises:

retrieving data that is associated with other search queries received from other remote devices, the other search queries being substantially similar to the received search query, the data including a distribution of previously determined correlations between the other substantially similar search queries and one or more different categories of information; and

factoring a portion of the distribution into the calculated likelihood.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the distribution includes multiple sub-distributions, each sub-distribution being related to any one or more of a classification of device from which the query was received, a model or model group of device from which the query was received, a geographic area from which the query was received, and an approximate time of day at which the query was received.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein calculating the likelihood value comprises:

retrieving a profile that is associated with the remote device and performing a first calculation to obtain a first result based on a portion of the retrieved profile;

retrieving data that is associated with the search query and performing a second calculation to obtain a second result based on a portion of the retrieved data; and

performing a third calculation based on a weighted contribution of the first result and the second result.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the search query is received from a mobile device.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the different categories include three or more categories selected from the group consisting of location-based results, web results, images, video, shopping, blogs, maps, and books.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising formatting the at least one of the plurality of category-directed result sets in a web document to be displayed with an array of selectable controls in a graphical user interface on the remote device, with each of the selectable controls corresponding to a different category of information.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11, further comprising generating code to display a scroll arrow that, when selected, causes the array of selectable controls to scroll.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the order of the plurality of category-related result sets is determined based on a correlation between the search query and aggregated prior user activity relating to the search query or related search queries, and categories for the result sets.

14. A system for generating ordered search results, comprising:

a search query processor configured to receive and process a search request from a remote device;

a search engine that receives the processed search request and generates a plurality of category-related search results; and

a results ranker that orders categories containing the category-related search results.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a profile database that stores profiles associated with specific remote devices for use by the results ranker in ordering the categories.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising a relevance filter that stores data about other search queries received from other remote devices, the data including distributions of previously determined correlations between the other search queries and one or more different categories of information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the results ranker is configured to use the data stored in the relevance filter in ordering the categories.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the results ranker is configured to order categories based on a) a profile associated with the remote device and b) relevance data correlating other search queries received from other remote devices and one or more different categories of information, the other search queries being substantially similar to the search request.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of category-related search results includes three or more categories selected from the group consisting of location-based results, web results, images, video, shopping, blogs, maps, and books.

20. The system of claim 14, further comprising a results formatter that formats at least one of the plurality of category-related search results in a web document to be displayed in a graphical user interface on the remote device with an array of selectable controls, each of the selectable conreols corresponding to a different category of information.

21. A system for generating ordered search results, comprising:

a search query processor configured to receive and process a search request from a remote device;

a search engine that receives the processed search request and generates a plurality of category-related search results; and

a means for ordering the category-related search results in categories of search results.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a relevance filter that stores relevance data, wherein the relevance data includes distributions of previously determined correlations between other search queries received from other remote devices and one or more different categories of information, the other search queries being substantially similar to the search request.

23. The system of claim 21, further comprising a results formatter that formats at least one of the plurality of category-related search results in a web document to be displayed in a graphical user interface on the remote device with an array of selectable tabs, each of the selectable tabs corresponding to a different category of information.