REAL-TIME SEARCH TUNING

• US 20150127637A1
• Filed: 11/01/2013
• Published: 05/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Castro, Pablo Martin, Shvets, Eugene, Kothari, Nikhil, Cavanagh, Gary Liam
• Granted Patent: US 9,760,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

Embodiments are directed to dynamically tuning search result rankings to control how the search results are presented in a user interface and to dynamically updating search result rankings based on tuning inputs. In one scenario, a computer system receives search results with associated search result attributes. The search results are displayed within a user interface according to each search result'"'"'s determined ranking. The computer system then receives a tuning input at the user interface. The tuning input indicates that a search result ranking model is to be adjusted for various specified search result attributes. Moreover, the search result ranking model determines how each search result is ranked. The computer system then dynamically updates the displayed search results as the search result ranking model is tuned for the specified search result attributes. The dynamic updating includes repositioning, adding and removing search results according to the determined ranking for each search result.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising the following:

one or more processors;

system memory;

one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform a method for dynamically tuning search result rankings to control how the search results are presented in a user interface, the method comprising the following;

an act of receiving one or more search results, the search results being displayed within a user interface according to each search result'"'"'s determined ranking, each search result having one or more associated search result attributes;

an act of receiving a tuning input at the user interface, the tuning input indicating that a search result ranking model is to be adjusted for one or more specified search result attributes, the search result ranking model determining how each search result is ranked; and

an act of dynamically updating the displayed search results as the search result ranking model is tuned for the specified search result attributes, the dynamic updating including at least one of repositioning, adding and removing search results according to the determined ranking for each search result.

2. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

an act of receiving at least one search term at the user interface; and

an act of sending the received search term to a second computer system that is configured to process the search, wherein the search results are received from the second computer system.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the search result ranking model divides the search result attributes into weights and scoring functions, and further divides the scoring functions into at least one of the following:

freshness, distance, magnitude, and tags.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the tuning input modifies the search result ranking model such that weight added to or removed from search results according to the tuning input.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the search results are based on a specified search term, and wherein the search result ranking is associated with the specified search term.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the tuning input is applied to a value associated with the search term.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the user interface provides a means for tuning the specified search result attributes within the search result ranking model.

8. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising an act of storing a set of search result raking model settings as a tuning profile, the profile corresponding to a specified search term or attribute.

9. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising:

an act of determining that a search term or attribute has been received for which a tuning profile has been stored; and

an act of accessing the stored tuning profile to apply the stored search result ranking model settings to the received search term or attribute.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein tuning profile is applied to searches received from a specified user or from a specified group of users.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the tuning profile applies to a plurality of different search terms.

12. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the search terms or attributes which are to be adjusted are provided by at least one of a user, a computer system and a software application.

13. A computer system comprising the following:

one or more processors;

system memory;

one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform a method for dynamically updating search result rankings based on tuning inputs, the method comprising the following;

an act of providing one or more search results, the search results being ranked according to a search results ranking model, each search result having one or more associated search result attributes;

an act of receiving a tuning input indicating that the search result ranking model is to be adjusted for one or more specified search result attributes, the search result ranking model determining how each search result is ranked; and

an act of dynamically updating the provided search results according to the updated ranking based on the tuning input, such that the user interface displaying the search results is dynamically updated to reflect the changed search results rankings.

14. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising:

an act of receiving a search term for which the search results are to be provided;

an act of determining that one or more stored tuning profiles is associated with the received search term; and

an act of applying the tuning profiles associated with the received search term to the search results resulting from the received search term.

15. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising an act of mapping the tuning input to one or more search algorithms, such that the search is performed using the tuning input.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein dynamically updating the provided search results according to the updated ranking comprises at least one of repositioning, adding and removing search results from the user interface according to the determined ranking for each search result.

17. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising an act of providing one or more suggested changes to a search user based on context information associated with the user.

18. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the tuning input defines interpolations for one or more search result attributes, the interpolations indicating the rate at which search result ranking change based on the tuning input.

19. The computer system of claim 13, wherein one or more associated search result attributes are automatically updated upon changing another related search result attribute.

20. At a computer system including at least one processor and a memory, a computer-implemented method for dynamically tuning search result rankings to control how the search results are presented in a user interface, the method comprising:

an act of receiving one or more search results, the search results being displayed within a user interface according to each search result'"'"'s determined ranking, each search result having one or more associated search result attributes;

an act of receiving a tuning input at the user interface, the tuning input indicating that a search result ranking model is to be adjusted for one or more specified search result attributes, the search result ranking model determining how each search result is ranked; and

an act of dynamically updating the displayed search results as the search result ranking model is tuned for the specified search result attributes, the dynamic updating including at least one of repositioning, adding and removing search results according to the determined ranking for each search result.

21. A computer program product for implementing a method for dynamically tuning search result rankings to control how the search results are presented in a user interface, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to perform the method, the method comprising:

an act of receiving one or more search results, the search results being displayed within a user interface according to each search result'"'"'s determined ranking, each search result having one or more associated search result attributes;

an act of receiving a tuning input at the user interface, the tuning input indicating that a search result ranking model is to be adjusted for one or more specified search result attributes, the search result ranking model determining how each search result is ranked; and

an act of dynamically updating the displayed search results as the search result ranking model is tuned for the specified search result attributes, the dynamic updating including at least one of repositioning, adding and removing search results according to the determined ranking for each search result.

22. A computer program product for implementing a method for dynamically updating search result rankings based on tuning inputs, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, cause the computing system to perform the method, the method comprising:

an act of providing one or more search results, the search results being ranked according to a search results ranking model, each search result having one or more associated search result attributes;

an act of receiving a tuning input indicating that the search result ranking model is to be adjusted for one or more specified search result attributes, the search result ranking model determining how each search result is ranked; and

an act of dynamically updating the provided search results according to the updated ranking based on the tuning input, such that the user interface displaying the search results is dynamically updated to reflect the changed search results rankings.