INTENT DRIVEN SEARCH RESULT RICH ABSTRACTS

• US 20100205199A1
• Filed: 02/06/2009
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Billawala, Yossef, Lin, Yi-An, Haas, Kevin, Pfeifer, Jan
• Granted Patent: US 7,958,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/345 Summarisation for human users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Techniques for providing useful information to a user in response to a search query are provided. Based on the search query, one or more potential intents of the user are identified and a plurality of matching resources are identified. For at least one matching resource, a particular abstract template is selected based on the one or more potential intents. Each abstract (a) corresponds to a different intent than any other intent to which any other abstract template of the plurality of abstract templates corresponds, and (b) dictates a different manner of displaying information about a matching resource than any other manner of displaying dictated by any other abstract template of the plurality of abstract templates. A search results page is generated and sent to the user. The search results page includes an abstract for the at least one matching resource. The abstract is displayed based on the particular abstract template.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method comprising:

receiving a query from a user;

based on the query, determining one or more potential intents of the user;

based on the query, determining a plurality of matching resources;

for a particular matching resource of the plurality of matching resources, selecting, based on the one or more potential intents, a particular abstract template from a plurality of abstract templates,

wherein each abstract template of the plurality of abstract templates;

(a) corresponds to a different intent than any other intent to which any other abstract template of the plurality of abstract templates corresponds, and

(b) dictates a different manner of displaying information about a resource than any other manner of displaying dictated by any other abstract template of the plurality of abstract templates; and

generating a search results page that includes a particular abstract for the particular matching resource, wherein the particular abstract is displayed based on the particular abstract template.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

selecting a particular abstract template includes selecting, for each matching resource of two or more matching resources of the plurality of matching resources, an abstract template from the plurality of abstract templates; and

generating a search results page includes generating a search results page that includes an abstract for each matching resource of the two or more matching resources;

each abstract that is included in the search results page and that corresponds to a matching resource for which an abstract template was selected based on the one or more potential intents is displayed based on the abstract template that was selected for the matching resource that corresponds to said each abstract.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising annotating the query to generate an annotated query, wherein determining the one or more potential intents of the user is based on the annotated query.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein annotating the query is based on one or more of the following:

information about the user, time of day when the query was submitted by the user, geographical location of the user, and a history of web use of the user.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein annotating the query includes performing at least one of:

identifying one or more synonyms of one or more words in the query and associating the one or more synonyms with the query,

generating one or more particular words that are morphological variants of one or more words in the query and associating the one or more particular words with the query, or

identifying one or more entities associated with one or more words in the query and associating the one or more entities with the query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining one or more potential intents of the user includes determining a plurality of potential intents of the user;

the method further comprising;

sending the plurality of potential intents to the user to be displayed;

receiving, from the user, a selection of a particular intent from the plurality of potential intents; and

selecting the particular abstract template from the plurality of abstract templates is based on the particular intent.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein sending the plurality of potential intents and receiving the selection of the particular intent are performed before generating the search results page.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the query is a first query and the plurality of matching resources is a first plurality of matching resources;

the method further comprising after generating the search results page;

receiving a second query from a second user;

based on the second query, determining one or more second potential intents of the second user;

based on the second query, determining a second plurality of matching resources that includes a second particular matching resource that was included in the first plurality of matching resources;

for the second particular matching resource, selecting, based on the one or more second potential intents, a second particular abstract template from the plurality of abstract templates,

wherein the second particular abstract template is different than the particular abstract template;

generating a second search results page that includes a second abstract for the second particular matching resource, wherein the second abstract is displayed based on the second particular abstract template.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

selecting a particular abstract template from a plurality of abstract templates includes selecting, for the particular matching resource, a first abstract template and a second abstract template from the plurality of abstract templates, wherein the first abstract template is different than the second abstract template;

the search results page includes a first abstract and a second abstract for the particular matching resource;

the first abstract is displayed based on the first abstract template and the second abstract is displayed based on the second abstract template.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

at least one intent of the plurality of potential intents corresponds to at least a first abstract template and a second abstract template;

the second abstract template is not included in the plurality of abstract templates;

selecting a particular abstract template from a plurality of abstract templates also includes selecting, for the particular matching resource, the second abstract template.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each abstract template of the plurality of abstract templates dictates at least one of:

which information about a matching resource is to be displayed, or

how information about a matching resource is to be displayed.

12. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the method of claim 1.

13. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the method of claim 2.

14. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the method of claim 3.

15. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the method of claim 4.

16. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the method of claim 5.

17. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the method of claim 6.

18. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the method of claim 7.

19. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the method of claim 8.

20. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the method of claim 9.

21. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the method of claim 10.

22. One or more storage media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause the method of claim 11.