METHOD FOR DETERMINING RELEVANT SEARCH RESULTS

• US 20150046290A1
• Filed: 10/27/2014
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ESW Holdings, Inc. (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Original Assignee: S.L.I. Systems Incorporated (Avolin LLC)
• Inventors: Ryan, Shaun William
• Granted Patent: US 9,460,161 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3334 Selection or weighting of terms from queries, including natural language queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3338 Query expansion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy

Abstract

Systems and methods for determining search results. The method may include receiving an at least partial search term, and identifying keywords based on the at least partial search term, wherein each keyword has an associated keyword measure based on the number of times each keyword has been previously searched for within a predetermined time period. For each keyword search results associated with the keyword may be identified, wherein each result has an associated search measure. A relevance measure may be determined for each result using the keyword measure the search measure, and used to provide at least one of the results as a search result for the at least partial search term.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for determining search results, comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a computer processing device, an at least partial search term input into a search interface of an e-commerce entity'"'"'s website;

identifying, by a computer processing device, keywords based on the at least partial search term, wherein each keyword has an associated keyword measure based on the number of times each keyword has been previously searched for within a predetermined time period;

for each keyword;

identifying, by a computer processing device, search results in the form of products sold by the e-commerce entity and associated with the keyword, wherein each result has an associated search measure; and

determining, by a computer processing device, a relevance measure for each result using the keyword measure and the search measure; and

providing, by a computer processing device, at least one of the results as a search result for the at least partial search term based on the corresponding relevance measure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the keyword measure is time weighted to give more recently searched for keywords a higher weighting.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the search measure is based on the number of times a search result is selected following a keyword search.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the relevance measure for each result is determined by multiplying the respective keyword measure by the respective search measure.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an overall relevance measure for a result appearing in the search results associated with more than one keyword by summing the relevance measures determined for the result in relation to each keyword.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising ranking the search results for the at least partial search term according to relevance measure.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting at least one search result for the at least partial search term together with at least one keyword for selection by a user.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving notification that one of the keywords presented for selection has been highlighted by the user; and

increasing the keyword measure associated with the highlighted keyword.

9. The method claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an updated at least partial search term;

re-identifying keywords based on the updated at least partial search term; and

re-determining relevant search results based on the re-identified keywords.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

re-presenting search results based on the updated at least partial search term.

11. A computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory machine readable medium, the computer program product comprising instructions that, when read by a machine, operate to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive an at least partial search term input into a search interface of an e-commerce entity'"'"'s website;

identify keywords based on the at least partial search term, wherein each keyword has an associated keyword measure based on the number of times each keyword has been previously searched for within a predetermined time period;

for each keyword;

identify search results in the form of products sold by the e-commerce entity and associated with the keyword, wherein each result has an associated search measure; and

determine a relevance measure for each result using the keyword measure and the search measure; and

provide at least one of the results as a search result for the at least partial search term based on the corresponding relevance measure.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the keyword measure is time weighted to give more recently searched for keywords a higher weighting.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the relevance measure for each result is determined by multiplying the respective keyword measure by the respective search measure.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising instructions to:

determine an overall relevance measure for a result appearing in the search results associated with more than one keyword by summing the relevance measures determined for the result in relation to each keyword.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising instructions to:

present at least one search result for the at least partial search term together with at least one keyword for selection by a user.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising instructions to:

receive notification that one of the keywords presented for selection has been highlighted by the user; and

increase the keyword measure associated with the highlighted keyword.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising instructions to:

receive an updated at least partial search term;

re-identify keywords based on the updated at least partial search term; and

re-determine relevant search results based on the re-identified keywords.

18. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one storage device storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving an at least partial search term input into a search interface of an e-commerce entity'"'"'s website;

identifying keywords based on the at least partial search term , wherein each keyword has an associated keyword measure based on the number of times each keyword has been previously searched for within a predetermined time period;

for each keyword;

identifying search results in the form of products sold by the e-commerce entity and associated with the keyword, wherein each result has an associated search measure; and

determining a relevance measure for each result using the keyword measure and the search measure; and

providing at least one of the results as a search result for the at least partial search term based on the corresponding relevance measure.