Application Spam Detector

• US 20150312271A1
• Filed: 04/28/2014
• Published: 10/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Quixey, Inc.
• Inventors: Glover, Eric J., Plonka, Nachum
• Granted Patent: US 9,432,395 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/145 the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A method for performing an application search. The method includes receiving a search query from a remote device and determining a consideration set of applications based on the search query. The consideration set indicates one or more applications corresponding to the search query. For each application indicated in the consideration set, the method includes determining whether the application is a potential spam application based on one or more developer features indicating features associated with a developer of the application. When the application is determined to be a potential spam application, the method includes applying a penalty to the application. The method further includes generating search results based on the consideration set and any penalties applied to the one or more application indicated in the consideration set and providing the search results. The search results indicate one or more of the applications indicated in the consideration set.

Claims

1. A method for performing an application search comprising:

receiving, by a processing device, a search query from a remote device;

determining, by a processing device, a consideration set of applications based on the search query, the consideration set indicating one or more applications corresponding to the search query;

for each application indicated in the consideration set;

determining, by the processing device, whether the application is a potential spam application based on one or more developer features indicating features associated with a developer of the application;

when the application is determined to be a potential spam application, applying, by the processing device, a penalty to the application;

generating, by the processing device, search results based on the consideration set and any penalties applied to the one or more applications indicated in the consideration set, the search results indicating one or more of the applications indicated in the consideration set; and

providing, by the processing device, the search results.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the developer features include a number of source objects published by the developer and, for each of the source objects, a number of feedback units attributed to the source object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the application is a potential spam application comprises:

determining whether the number of source objects exceeds a source object threshold; and

when the number of source objects exceeds the source object threshold, determining i) whether a significant percentage of the source objects have less than a first threshold of feedback units attributed thereto, and ii) whether all of the source objects have less than a second threshold of feedback units attributed thereto, the second threshold being greater than the first threshold;

wherein the application is identified as a potential spam application when a significant percentage of the source objects have less than the first threshold of feedback units attributed thereto and all of the source objects have less than the second threshold of feedback units attributed thereto.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the penalty comprises removing the application from the consideration set, such that the consideration set no longer indicates the application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a result score for each application indicated in the consideration set based on the search query and application data of the application.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein applying the penalty includes multiplying the result score of the application by a reduction factor.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating the search results comprises ranking the applications in the consideration set based on the respective result scores of the applications in the consideration set.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein applying the penalty includes:

comparing a title of the potential spam application with the search query;

when the title of the potential spam application does not match the search query, applying the penalty to the potential spam application; and

when the title of the potential spam application does match the search query;

determining whether another application in the consideration set has a title that matches the title of the potential spam application; and

when another application in the consideration set has a title that matches the title of the potential spam application, only applying the penalty when the result score of the other application is greater than the result score of the potential spam application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the search results includes transmitting the search results to the remote device via a network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the search results includes feeding the search results to a subsequent search process.

11. A search engine for performing an application search comprising:

a storage device;

a processing device that executes computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions, when executed by the processing device, causing the processing device to;

receive a search query from a remote device;

determine a consideration set of applications based on the search query, the consideration set indicating one or more applications corresponding to the search query;

for each application indicated in the consideration set;

determine whether the application is a potential spam application based on one or more developer features indicating features associated with a developer of the application;

when the application is determined to be a potential spam application, apply a penalty to the application; and

generate search results based on the consideration set and any penalties applied to the one or more applications indicated in the consideration set, the search results indicating one or more of the applications indicated in the consideration set; and

provide the search results.

12. The search engine of claim 11, wherein the developer features include a number of source objects published by the developer and, for each of the source objects, a number of feedback units attributed to the source object.

13. The search engine of claim 12, wherein determining whether the application is a potential spam application comprises:

determining whether the number of source objects exceeds a source object threshold; and

when the number of source objects exceeds the source object threshold, determining i) whether a significant percentage of the source objects have less than a first threshold of feedback units attributed thereto, and ii) whether all of the source objects have less than a second threshold of feedback units attributed thereto, the second threshold being greater than the first threshold;

wherein the application is identified as a potential spam application when a significant percentage of the source objects have less than the first threshold of feedback units attributed thereto and all of the source objects have less than the second threshold of feedback units attributed thereto.

14. The search engine of claim 11, wherein applying the penalty comprises removing the application from the consideration set, such that the consideration set no longer indicates the application.

15. The search engine of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the processing device to determine a result score for each application indicated in the consideration set based on the search query and application data of the application.

16. The search engine of claim 15, wherein applying the penalty includes multiplying the result score of the application by a reduction factor.

17. The search engine of claim 16, wherein generating the search results comprises ranking the applications in the consideration set based on the respective result scores of the applications in the consideration set.

18. The search engine of claim 15, wherein applying the penalty includes:

comparing a title of the potential spam application with the search query;

when the title of the potential spam application does not match the search query, applying the penalty to the potential spam application; and

when the title of the potential spam application does match the search query;

determining whether another application in the consideration set has a title that matches the title of the potential spam application; and

when another application in the consideration set has a title that matches the title of the potential spam application, only applying the penalty when the result score of the other application is greater than the result score of the potential spam application.

19. The search engine of claim 11, wherein providing the search results includes transmitting the search results to the remote device via a network.

20. The search engine of claim 11, wherein providing the search results includes feeding the search results to a subsequent search process.