EVENT DATABASE FOR EVENT SEARCH AND TICKET RETRIEVAL

• US 20130024431A1
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: PARTHASARATHY, SURESH, ROYCHOUDHURI, SUBRATA, ARORA, ANUJ, KANUMURI, PHANINDRA, KANSAL, MANISH, DEVU, SRIKRISHNA SATISH, SEERA, SARABJIT SINGH
• Application Number:
  US13/189,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20130024431A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/692
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1748 De-duplication implemented within the file system, e.g. based on file segments de-duplication techniques in storage systems for the management of data blocks G06F3/0641
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3334 Selection or weighting of terms from queries, including natural language queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for managing event data and exploring the event data in an event database are provided. A data acquisition system may process the event database to remove duplicates and assign event data ranks to the event data. The event data rank may be based on query log data. In turn, a search engine communicatively connected to the event database may generate search results that include the event data. The search engine may receive an event data search request from a user. The event data matching the event data search request is retrieved from the event database and formatted, by the search engine, for display in rank order based on the event data rank, proximity of user location to an event location, and extent of query match in various event fields like title, description, etc.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing event data, the method comprising:

receiving event data;

verifying that the event data satisfies a structure associated with an event database;

reformatting the event data when the event data does not satisfy the structure associated with the event database;

storing the event data in the event database;

checking the event database for duplicates;

removing duplicates located in the event database;

calculating an event data rank for each record having event data in the event database; and

storing the rank associated with the event in the event database.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein removing duplicates located in the event database further comprises:

merging records based on scores associated with providers of the duplicate event data.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event data rank is based on query log data.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event data rank is based on social media data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event data rank is based on event data quality.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event data rank is calculated via a regression model of various components of the event data rank calculation.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a synonym list is utilized to identify duplicates in the event database.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the synonym list includes click associations extracted from query logs.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the click associations indicate that two or more different search requests entered by users refer to a common object retrieved by the users.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a cosine text similarity measure is utilized to identify duplicates in the event database.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the event database is part of an index utilized by a search engine.

12. A computer-readable media storing computer useable instruction for performing a method for locating event data, the method comprising:

receiving a request for event data;

retrieving the event data matching the request event data from an event database;

generating search results that include the event data matching the request; and

transmitting the search results in display rank order to a user based on freshness of the matching event data to the user.

13. The media of claim 12, wherein the display rank order is modified dynamically based on proximity of user location to a location associated with the matching event data.

14. A computer system configured to locate event data, the computer system comprising:

a search engine configured to receive a request for event data from a user, retrieve event data matching the request from an event database, and obtain search results that include the matching event data in display rank order based on freshness of the matching event data included in the search results for the user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the search engine allows a user to initiate a purchase transaction via the matching event data obtained for the user.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the display rank order is assigned based on at least one of:

user location, social media data, weather, or an extent to which the matching event data stored in the event database is similar to the event data in the request.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the matching event data includes public events and private events.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein freshness is measured based on a period of time that passed since the user received certain pieces of information associated with the matching event data.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the search results include any of the following:

images, games, trivia, videos, or news associated with the matching event data.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the event database is configured to store venue name, event, start time, and historical information associated with the venue.