Identifying the items most relevant to a current query based on items selected in connection with similar queries

• US 7,305,390 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2005
• Issued: 12/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Spiegel, Joel R., Bowman, Dwayne
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US11/107,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20050177569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/5, 707/6, 707/7, 707/8, 707/10, 707/101, 707/102, 706/45
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3349 Reuse of stored results of previous queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

The present invention provides a software facility for identifying the items most relevant to a current query based on items selected in connection with similar queries. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the facility receives a query specifying one or more query terms. In response, the facility generates a query result identifying a plurality of items that satisfy the query. The facility then produces a ranking value for at least a portion of the items identified in the query result by combining the relative frequencies with which users selected that item from the query results generated from queries specifying each of the terms specified by the query. The facility identifies as most relevant those items having the highest ranking values.

Claims

1. A method in a computing system for ranking items in a search result, the method comprising:

receiving one or more search terms for a user;

identifying a plurality of items that match at least one of the terms;

identifying one or more demographic groups to which the user belongs;

tracking selections of the items by users in multiple predefined demographic groups during one or more periods of time including, for each of multiple search queries that are each from a user;

identifying one or more of the predefined demographic groups to which the user belongs;

providing an indication to the user of a search result that includes items satisfying the query;

for each of the included items that the user selects during the one or more periods of time and for each of the identified predefined demographic groups, increasing a rating value corresponding to a combination of the selected item and the predefined demographic group;

generating a relevance ranking for each of multiple of the identified items based on a number of selections of that item by users in the identified demographic groups during at least one prior period of time; and

providing an indication of the generated relevance rankings for the multiple items.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the selections of an item during a prior period of time that are used for the generating of the relevance ranking for the item are each purchases of the item during the prior period of time.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein each of the item purchases during the prior period of time are purchases of an item by a user after the item was presented to the user as part of search results.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the selections of an item during a prior period of time that are used for the generating of the relevance ranking for the item are each to display additional information about the item during the prior period of time.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the selections of an item during a prior period of time that are used for the generating of the relevance ranking for the item are each to add the item to a tentative list of purchases during the prior period of time.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the selections of an item during a prior period of time that are used for the generating of the relevance ranking for the item are each to review information about the item for a length of time during the prior period of time.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the selections of an item during a prior period of time that are used for the generating of the relevance ranking for the item are each to take a number of actions when reviewing information about the item during the prior period of time.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing of the indication of the generated relevance rankings for the multiple items includes displaying those items in an order based on the generated relevance rankings for those items.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings for items based on selections during at least one prior period of time is performed so as to weight recent selections more heavily than less recent selections.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings for items based on numbers of selections during at least one prior period of time is performed so as to reflect changes in the numbers of selections during the at least one prior period of time from one or more other earlier periods of time.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings for each of the items is further based on the number of selections of the item during multiple prior periods of time, and wherein the generating of the relevance ratings is further performed so as to weight selections in more recent of the multiple prior periods of time more heavily than selections in less recent of the multiple prior periods of time.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of selections of an item during a prior period of time that is used for the generating of the relevance ranking for the item represents a frequency with which the item was selected during the prior period of time.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified demographic groups are each based at least in part on an age of users in the group.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified demographic groups are each based at least in part on a sex of users in the group.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified demographic groups are each based at least in part on income of users in the group.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the identified demographic groups are each based at least in part on geography of users in the group.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings for each of multiple of the items identified as matching at least one term for a user is further based on behavioral information about the user.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings for each of multiple of the items identified as matching at least one term for a user is further based on behavioral information about another user.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings for each of multiple of the items identified as matching at least one term for a user is further based on preference information for the user.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the items is a book.

21. A computer-readable storage medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method for ranking items in a search result, the method comprising:

receiving one or more search terms for a user;

identifying a plurality of items that match at least one of the terms;

identifying one or more demographic groups to which the user belongs;

tracking selections of the items by users in multiple predefined demographic groups during one or more periods of time including, for each of multiple search queries that are each from a user;

identifying one or more of the predefined demographic groups to which the user belongs;

providing an indication to the user of a search result that includes items satisfying the query;

for each of the included items that the user selects during the one or more periods of time and for each of the identified predefined demographic groups, increasing a rating value corresponding to a combination of the selected item and the predefined demographic group;

generating a relevance ranking for each of multiple of the identified items based on a number of selections of that item by users in the identified demographic groups during at least one prior period of time; and

providing an indication of the generated relevance rankings for the multiple items.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the selections of an item during a prior period of time that are used for the generating of the relevance ranking for the item are each purchases of the item during the prior period of time.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 22 wherein each of the item purchases during the prior period of time are purchases of an item by a user after the item was presented to the user as part of search results.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the selections of an item during a prior period of time that are used for the generating of the relevance ranking for the item are each to display additional information about the item during the prior period of time.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the selections of an item during a prior period of time that are used for the generating of the relevance ranking for the item are each to add the item to a tentative list of purchases during the prior period of time.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the selections of an item during a prior period of time that are used for the generating of the relevance ranking for the item are each to review information about the item for a length of time during the prior period of time.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the selections of an item during a prior period of time that are used for the generating of the relevance ranking for the item are each to take a number of actions when reviewing information about the item during the prior period of time.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the providing of the indication of the generated relevance rankings for the multiple items includes displaying those items in an order based on the generated relevance rankings for those items.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings for items based on selections during at least one prior period of time is performed so as to weight recent selections more heavily than less recent selections.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings for items based on numbers of selections during at least one prior period of time is performed so as to reflect changes in the numbers of selections during the at least one prior period of time from one or more other earlier periods of time.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings for each of the items is further based on the number of selections of the item during multiple prior periods of time, and wherein the generating of the relevance ratings is further performed so as to weight selections in more recent of the multiple prior periods of time more heavily than selections in less recent of the multiple prior periods of time.

32. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the number of selections of an item during a prior period of time that is used for the generating of the relevance ranking for the item represents a frequency with which the item was selected during the prior period of time.

33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings for each of multiple of the items identified as matching at least one term for a user is further based on behavioral information about the user.

34. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings for each of multiple of the items identified as matching at least one term for a user is further based on behavioral information about another user.

35. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings for each of multiple of the items identified as matching at least one term for a user is further based on preference information for the user.

36. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein each of the items is a book.

37. A computing system for ranking items in a search result, comprising:

an input subsystem that receives one or more search terms for a user;

an item identification subsystem that identifies a plurality of items that match at least one of the terms and identifies one or more demographic groups to which the user belongs;

a selection tracking subsystem that tracks selections of the items by users in multiple predefined demographic groups during one or more periods of time including, for each of multiple search queries that are each from a user;

identifying one or more of the predefined demographic groups to which the user belongs;

providing an indication to the user of a search result that includes items satisfying the query;

for each of the included items that the user selects during the one or more periods of time and for each of the identified predefined demographic groups, increasing a rating value corresponding to a combination of the selected item and the predefined demographic group;

a relevance ranking subsystem that generates a relevance ranking for each of multiple of the identified items based on a number of selections of that item by users in the identified demographic groups during at least one prior period of time; and

an output subsystem that provides an indication of the generated relevance rankings for the multiple items.