Search engine for selecting targeted messages

• US 6,778,975 B1
• Filed: 03/05/2001
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Overture Services Incorporated (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maghoul, Farzin, Anick, Peter, Chavet, Laurent, Marais, Johannes L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Uyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Hanh B
• Application Number:
  US09/799,863
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-10
• US Class Current: 707/710
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9532 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A search engine receives query terms from a client. In response, the search engine executes a search on a web directory to identify zero or more documents that match the query terms. The identified documents are associated with one or more categories. The search engine probabilistically selects one of the categories associated with the identified documents. Each message in a message database is also associated with one or more of the categories. The search engine accesses the message database and selects at least one message associated with the selected category. The search engine returns a web page containing references to the documents matching the query terms and the one or more messages selected from the message database to the client.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a targeted message, comprising:

receiving one or more query terms;

accessing a web directory holding references to documents, each document associated with one or more categories;

identifying a set of documents referenced in the web directory that match the one or more query terms;

probabilistically selecting a category responsive to the one or more categories associated with the documents identified;

accessing a database of messages, the messages each associated with at least one category; and

selecting a message from the database of messages, the selected message associated with the selected category.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the database of messages is independent of the web directory.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining a hierarchy for the one or more categories.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the category hierarchy is substantially flat.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the categories in the hierarchy are defined responsive to a plurality of message types.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of selecting the category comprises:

selecting a hierarchical ancestor of a category associated with a document in the set.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of selecting a category comprises:

randomly selecting the category from among the one or more categories associated with the documents in the set.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting a category comprises:

selecting the category responsive to weight values associated with the categories in the set.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting a category comprises:

selecting the category responsive to weight values associated with the documents in the set.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting a message from the database of messages comprises:

selecting the message responsive to a number of shares of the selected category owned by the message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein there are no messages associated with the selected category and wherein the step of selecting a message from the database of messages comprises:

selecting a general message associated with a general category.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more query terms are received from a client and further comprising:

sending references to the identified documents and the selected message to the client.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

sorting the identified documents by an associated category of each document; and

sending the references to the identified documents to the client in the sorted order;

wherein the category is selected responsive to the category of the documents sent to the client.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein probabilistically selecting a category responsive to the one or more categories associated with the documents identified comprises non-deterministically selecting a category responsive to the one or more categories associated with the documents identified.

15. A search engine for selecting a targeted message, the search engine comprising:

a receiving module for receiving one or more query terms from a client;

a web directory access module for accessing a web directory holding references to documents, each document associated with one or more categories, and for identifying a set of documents referenced in the web directory that match the one or more query terms;

a category selection module for probabilistically selecting a category responsive to the one or more categories associated with the documents identified by the web directory access module; and

a message database access module for accessing a database of messages, the messages each associated with at least one category, and for selecting a message associated with the category selected by the category selection module.

16. The search engine of claim 15, wherein the categories in the web directory are arranged hierarchically.

17. The search engine of claim 16, wherein the category hierarchy is substantially flat.

18. The search engine of claim 16, wherein the categories in the hierarchy are defined responsive to the types of messages held in the message database.

19. The search engine of claim 16, wherein the category selection module selects a hierarchical ancestor of a category associated with a document in the set.

20. The search engine of claim 15, wherein the category selection module selects the category at random from among the one or more categories associated with the documents in the set.

21. The search engine of claim 15, wherein the category selection module selects the category responsive to weight values associated with the one or more categories.

22. The search engine of claim 15, wherein the category selection module selects the category responsive to weight values associated with the documents in the set.

23. The search engine of claim 15, wherein the message database access module selects the message responsive to shares of the selected category owned by messages in the database.

24. The search engine of claim 15, wherein, if there are no messages associated with the selected category, the message database access module selects a message associated with a general category.

25. The search engine of claim 15, further comprising:

a sending module for sending references to the identified set of documents and the selected message to the client.

26. The search engine of claim 25, wherein the sending module further comprises:

a sorting module for sorting the identified set of documents matching the query terms by the documents'"'"' associated categories;

wherein the sending module sends the references to the identified set of documents to the client in the sorted order and wherein the category selection module selects the category responsive to the category of the references to documents sent to the client.

27. A computer program product comprising:

a computer-usable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for selecting a targeted message, the computer-readable code comprising;

a receiving module for receiving one or more query terms from a client;

a web directory access module for accessing a web directory holding references to documents, each document associated with one or more categories, and for identifying a set of documents referenced in the web directory that match the one or more query terms;

a category selection module for probabilistically selecting a category responsive to the one or more categories associated with the documents identified by the web directory access module; and

a message database access module for accessing a database of messages, the messages each associated with at least one category, and for selecting a message associated with the category selected by the category selection module.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the categories in the web directory are arranged hierarchically.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the category hierarchy is substantially flat.

30. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the categories in the hierarchy are defined responsive to the types of messages held in the message database.

31. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the category selection module selects a hierarchical ancestor of a category associated with a document in the set.

32. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the category selection module selects the category at random from among the one or more categories associated with the documents in the set.

33. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the category selection module selects the category responsive to weight values associated with the one or more categories.

34. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the category selection module selects the category responsive to weight values associated with the documents in the set.

35. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the message database access module selects the message responsive to shares of the selected category owned by messages in the database.

36. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein, if there are no messages associated with the selected category, the message database access module selects a message associated with a general category.

37. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising:

a sending module for sending references to the identified set of documents and the selected message to the client.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the sending module further comprises:

a sorting module for sorting the identified set of documents matching the query terms by the documents'"'"' associated categories;

wherein the sending module sends the references to the identified set of documents to the client in the sorted order and wherein the category selection module selects the category responsive to the category of the references to documents sent to the client.