Ordering directory assistance search results by local popularity of search results
First Claim
1. A method of ordering search results in response to a directory assistance search request by a directory assistance user in a public telecommunication network, comprising:
- examining the search request to identify a category associated with the search request;
searching a database for search results categorized with the category, the search results including a geographic value and a popularity value, the popularity value being indicative of a number of selections of the respective search result when returned as a search result of previous search requests made by previous directory assistance users with locations proximate to a location associated with the directory assistance user;
returning search results categorized within the category and having geographic values within a distance from the location associated with the directory assistance user; and
ordering the returned search results according to their respective popularity values.
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Abstract
A platform for ordering search results according to result popularity a directory assistance service, itself, to determine the popularity of the listings associated with a particular category and, therefore, the order in which those listings should be delivered resulting from a category search. Priority may be determined by the popularity of each search result. For example, directory assistance users in a particular location will likely know which businesses have a reputation for providing the best service or highest-quality products. Such factors will determine the popularity of these businesses. Businesses that are more popular are likely to be selected more frequently from the category search results than those that are less popular. The system may examine the history of search results for each listing and order the results of a particular category search according to the number of historical requests for each returned listing.
32 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method of ordering search results in response to a directory assistance search request by a directory assistance user in a public telecommunication network, comprising:
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examining the search request to identify a category associated with the search request; searching a database for search results categorized with the category, the search results including a geographic value and a popularity value, the popularity value being indicative of a number of selections of the respective search result when returned as a search result of previous search requests made by previous directory assistance users with locations proximate to a location associated with the directory assistance user; returning search results categorized within the category and having geographic values within a distance from the location associated with the directory assistance user; and ordering the returned search results according to their respective popularity values. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A system for ordering search results in response to a directory assistance search request by a directory assistance user in a public telecommunication network, comprising:
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a database; and a processing station configured to examine the search request to identify a category associated with the search request;
search the database for search results categorized within the category, the search results including a geographic value and a popularity value indicative of a number of selections of the respective search result when returned as a search result of previous search requests made by previous directory assistance users with locations proximate to a location associated with the directory assistance user;
return search results categorized within the category and having geographic values within a distance from the location associated with the directory assistance user; and
order the returned search results according to their respective popularity values. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A system for ordering search results in response to a directory assistance search request by a directory assistance user in a public telecommunication network, comprising:
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a database; means for examining the search request to identify a category associated with the search request; means for searching a database for search results categorized with the category, the search results including a geographic value and a popularity value, the popularity value being indicative of a number of selections of the respective search result when returned as a search result of previous search requests made by previous directory assistance users with locations proximate to a location associated with the directory assistance user; means for returning search results categorized within the category and having geographic values within a distance from the location associated with the directory assistance user; and means for ordering the returned search results according to their respective popularity values.
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Specification