INCREASING SEARCH RESULT VALIDITY

• US 20150227631A1
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amadeus (Amadeus Global Travel Distribution S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Amadeus (Amadeus Global Travel Distribution S.A.)
• Inventors: Robelin, Charles-Antoine, Isnardy, Luc, Legrand, Guillaume, Laburthe, Francois
• Granted Patent: US 9,984,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24539 using cached or materialised query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Methods, search platforms, systems, and storage media for handling queries in a database system. The database system includes at least one client and at least one search platform. The search platform maintains pre-collected search results which are associated which confidence factors. A confidence factor indicates a probability of the associated pre-collected search result being valid. The search platform receives a query indicating at least one search criterion to the search platform. The confidence factors associated with the identified pre-collected search results are utilized to increase the mean probability of pre-collected search results returned to the client. For example, pre-collected search results complying with the at least one search criterion and being associated with confidence factors having values exceeding a given threshold are returned to the client.

Claims

1. A method of handling queries at a search platform maintaining a plurality of pre-collected search results associated with a plurality confidence factors, each confidence factor indicating a probability of the associated pre-collected search result being valid, the method comprising:

receiving, at the at least one search platform, a query from a client indicating at least one search criterion; and

utilizing, with the at least one search platform, the confidence factors associated with the pre-collected search results to increase the mean probability that the pre-collected search results returned to the client in response to the query are valid,

wherein the returned pre-collected search results comply with the at least one search criterion.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein utilizing the confidence factors associated with the pre-collected search results comprises:

identifying, at the search platform, pre-collected search results complying with the at least one search criterion and being associated with confidence factors having values greater than a given threshold.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the given threshold is prescribed by the client.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the given threshold is autonomously set by the search platform.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the pre-collected search results are identified by applying, at the search platform, the given threshold as a further search criterion in addition to the at least one search criterion indicated by the query.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein utilizing the confidence factors associated with the pre-collected search results further comprises:

validating the pre-collected search results with a primary data source returning more valid database query results; and

returning the validated pre-collected search results to the client.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the pre-collected search results are returned to the client before the pre-collected search results are validated with the primary data source, and further comprising:

updating the pre-collected search results at the client with the validated pre-collected search results.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising:

deriving the confidence factor values from a probabilistic model that models a validity of pre-collected search results over time.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the probability of a pre-collected search result i being valid at a time t after a previous collection of the pre-collected search result i is given by e⁻

λ

t, herein λ

_i denotes a decrease rate of the probability of the pre-collected search result i being valid and t_i denotes a time of since a last re-collection of the pre-collected search result i.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein e⁻

λ

t is calculated in response to the query based on a stored value of λ

_i and a difference between a stored value of a time of the last re-collection of the pre-collected search result i and a current time.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein a value of λ

_i is derived from past re-collections of the pre-collected search result i.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein utilizing the confidence factors comprises:

filtering out pre-collected search results complying with the at least one search criterion and being associated with confidence factor values below the threshold.

13. A system for determining a payment strategy for a payment platform, the system comprising:

at least one processor; and

program code configured to be executed by the at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to;

maintain pre-collected search results being associated which confidence factors, wherein each confidence factor indicates a probability of the pre-collected associated search result being valid;

receive a query from a client, the query indicating at least one search criterion; and

utilize the confidence factors associated with the identified pre-collected search results to increase the mean probability that the pre-collected search results returned to the client in response to the query are valid,

wherein the returned pre-collected search results comply with the at least one search criterion.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the program code is configured to be executed by the at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to:

identify pre-collected search results complying with the at least one search criterion and being associated with confidence factors having values exceeding a given threshold.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the program code is configured to be executed by the at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to:

apply the threshold as a further search criterion in addition to the at least one search criterion indicated by the query.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the program code is configured to be executed by the at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to:

validate pre-collected search results complying with the at least one search criterion and being associated with confidence factor values below the threshold with a primary data source returning more valid database query results; and

return the validated pre-collected search results corresponding to the query to the client.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the program code is configured to be executed by the at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to:

filter out pre-collected search results complying with the at least one search criterion and being associated with confidence factor values below the threshold.

18. A system comprising:

a search platform; and

a client configured to transmit a query indicating at least one search criterion to the at least one search platform,

wherein the search platform is configured to;

maintain pre-collected search results being associated with confidence factors, wherein each confidence factor indicates a probability of the associated pre-collected search result being valid; and

utilize the confidence factors associated with the identified pre-collected search results to increase the mean probability that the pre-collected search results returned to the client in response to the query are valid,

wherein the returned pre-collected search results comply with the at least one search criterion.

19. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium; and

program code stored on the computer readable storage medium and configured, upon execution, to cause at least one processor to;

maintain pre-collected search results being associated with confidence factors, wherein each confidence factor indicates a probability of the associated pre-collected search result being valid;

receive a query from a client, the query indicating at least one search criterion; and

utilize the confidence factors associated with the identified pre-collected search results to increase the mean probability that the pre-collected search results returned to the client in response to the query are valid,

wherein the returned pre-collected search results complies with the at least one search criterion.