System and Method for Determining Semantically Related Terms

• US 20090198684A1
• Filed: 04/06/2009
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harris, Graham, Collins, Robert J., Riedel, Lance, Sebastian, Shaji, Yuan, Jeff, Harris, Jesse, Sabah, Mohammad, Kushida, Grant, Zhou, Yiping
• Application Number:
  US12/419,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20090198684A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/36 Creation of semantic tools, e.g. ontology or thesauri
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for determining semantically related terms. Generally, one or more seed terms are received from a user. A system searches a first index comprising a plurality of terms and one or more webpages associated with each term of the plurality of terms to determine a plurality of webpages associated with the seed terms. The system then searches a second index comprising a plurality of webpages and one or more terms associated with each webpage of the plurality of webpages to determine a plurality of potential terms associated with the plurality of webpages associated with the seed terms. At least one term of the plurality of potential terms is suggested to a user.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for determining semantically related terms, comprising:

receiving one or more seed terms at a keyword suggestion module running in conjunction with at least one processor of at least one server;

searching, with the keyword suggestion module, a first database comprising a first index to determine a plurality of webpages associated with the seed terms, the first index comprising a plurality of terms and for each term of the plurality of terms, an association between one or more webpages and the term;

searching, with the keyword suggestion module, a second database comprising a second index to determine a plurality of potential terms associated with the plurality of webpages associated with the seed terms, the second index comprising a plurality of identifiers for webpages and for each webpage associated with an identifier of the plurality of identifiers for webpages, an association between one or more terms and the webpage; and

sending at least one term of the plurality of potential terms from the keyword suggestion module to a user device to suggest the at least one term of the plurality of potential terms to a user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication that a first term suggested to the user is relevant to the user; and

modifying the seed terms to comprise the first term as a positive seed term.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the indication of relevance to the user is an indication of relevance to the user on a scale.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an indication that a second term suggested to the user is not relevant to the user; and

modifying the seed terms to comprise the second term as a negative seed term.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

searching the first index to determine a second plurality of webpages associated with the modified seed terms;

searching the second index to determine a second plurality of potential terms associated with the second plurality of webpages associated with the modified seed terms; and

sending at least one term of the second plurality of potential terms to user to suggest the at least one term of the second plurality of potential terms to the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second databases are the same database and the first and second indexes are the same index.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second indexes are distinct indexes.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more seed terms comprise at least one term received at an internet search engine.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more seed terms comprises a positive seed term.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more seed terms comprises a negative seed term.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first index comprises a first set of vectors representing for each webpage at an advertisement campaign management system, whether a term at the advertisement campaign management system is associated with the webpage.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second index comprises a second set of vectors representing for each webpage at the advertisement campaign management system, at least a weight of each term associated with the webpage.

13. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions for determining semantically related terms, the set of instructions to direct a processor to perform acts of:

receiving one or more seed terms;

searching a first index to determine a plurality of webpages associated with the seed terms, the first index comprising a plurality of terms and for each term of the plurality of terms, an association between one or more webpages and the term;

searching a second index to determine a plurality of potential terms associated with the plurality of webpages associated with the seed terms, the second index comprising a plurality of identifiers for webpages and for each webpage associated with an identifier of the plurality of identifiers for webpages, an association between one or more terms and the webpage; and

sending at least one term of the plurality of potential terms to a user to suggest the at least one term of the plurality of potential terms to the user;

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising a set of instructions to direct a processor to perform acts of:

receiving an indication that a first term suggested to the user is relevant to the user; and

modifying the seed terms to comprise the first term as a positive seed term.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the indication of relevance to the user is an indication of relevance to the user on a scale.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising a set of instructions to direct a processor to perform acts of:

searching the first index to determine a second plurality of webpages associated with the modified seed terms;

searching the second index to determine a second plurality of potential terms associated with the second plurality of webpages associated with the modified seed terms; and

sending at least one term of the second plurality of potential terms to user to suggest the at least one term of the second plurality of potential terms to the user.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more seed terms comprises a positive seed term.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more seed terms comprises a negative seed term.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first index comprises a first set of vectors representing for each webpage at an advertisement campaign management system, whether a term at the advertisement campaign management system is associated with the webpage.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the second index comprises a second set of vectors representing for each webpage at the advertisement campaign management system, at least a weight of each term associated with the webpage.

21. A system for determining semantically related terms comprising:

one or more database servers comprising at least one memory module storing a first database comprising a first index and a second database comprising a second index, wherein the first index comprises a plurality of terms and for each term of the plurality of terms, an association between one or more webpages and the term, and wherein the second index comprises a plurality of identifiers for webpages and for each webpage associated with an identifier of the plurality of identifiers for webpage, an association between one or more terms and the webpage;

a keyword suggestion module running in conjunction with at least one processor of at least one server, the keyword suggestion module operative to access the first and second indexes stored at the one or more database servers, the keyword suggestion module configured to;

receive one or more seed terms;

search the first index to determine a plurality of webpages associated with the seed term;

search the second index to determine a plurality of potential terms associated with the plurality of webpages associated with the seed terms; and

send at least one term of the plurality of potential terms to a user to suggest the at least one term of the plurality of potential terms to the user.