Search engine system for locating web pages with product offerings

• US 7,430,561 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bailey, David R., Rajaraman, Anand, Feldman, Todd J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo; Thuy N
• Application Number:
  US11/393,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20060167864A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/10, 707/6, 707/101, 707/102, 707/103.X, 707/104.1, 705/26, 705/27, 705/7, 705/37, 709/203, 706/15
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A search engine system assists users in locating web pages from which user-specified products can be purchased. Web pages located by a crawler program are scored, based on a set of criteria, according to likelihood of including a product offering. A query server accesses an index of the scored web pages to locate pages that are both responsive to a user'"'"'s search query and likely to include a product offering. In one embodiment, the responsive web pages are listed on a composite search results page together with responsive products included in a product catalog.

Claims

1. A search engine having a computer-readable medium, the search engine system comprising:

a crawler configured to crawl web sites and to locate web pages of said web sites;

a score generator configured to analyze the web pages located by the crawler, and to generate scores reflective of likelihoods that particular web pages located by the crawler include a product offering; and

an index tool configured to use the scores generated by the score generator to generate an indexed data repository that provides functionality for substantially excluding, from a scope of a search, web pages that do not include a product offering.

2. The search engine system of claim 1, further comprising a query server configured to use the indexed data repository to identify web pages that are both responsive to a user'"'"'s search query and deemed likely to include a product offering.

3. The search engine system of claim 2, wherein the query server is configured to display a merchant rating for at least some of said web pages that are both responsive to the user'"'"'s search query and deemed likely to include a product offering.

4. The search engine system of claim 2, wherein the query server is configured to generate a search results page that provides functionality for the user to rate a merchant associated with a responsive web page located by the crawler.

5. The search engine system of claim 2, wherein the query server is additionally configured to apply the user'"'"'s search query to a repository of product catalog data of at least one known merchant.

6. The search engine system of claim 5, wherein the query server is configured to respond to the search query by generating a composite search results page that lists both (1) the responsive web pages deemed likely to include a product offering, and (2) responsive products represented in the product catalog data.

7. The search engine system of claim 1, wherein the index tool is configured to exclude, from the indexed data repository, web pages having scores that fall below a selected threshold.

8. The search engine system of claim 1, wherein the index tool is configured to include, in said indexed data repository, information reflective of said likelihoods that particular web pages include a product offering.

9. The search engine system of claim 1, wherein the score generator is configured to check a web page located by the crawler for each of a plurality of indicia of a product offering.

10. The search engine system of claim 1, wherein the score generator is configured to generate, for a web page located by the crawler, a score that represents a likelihood that the web page offers a product for sale.

11. The search engine system of claim 10, wherein the score generator is configured to generate the score, at least in part, by checking the web page for each of a plurality of indicia of a product offering.

12. The search engine system of claim 10, wherein the score generator is configured to generate the score based further upon content of one or more other web pages of an associated web site.

13. A search engine system, comprising:

a page analyzer configured to analyze content of web pages located by a web crawler to assess whether such web pages include a product offering;

a first data repository containing indexed information about web pages identified by the page analyzer as likely including a product offering;

a second data repository containing product catalog data of a plurality of merchants, said second data repository comprising a computer-readable medium; and

a query server configured to receive a search query specified by a user, and to identify web pages represented in the first repository, and products represented in the second data repository, that are responsive to the search query.

14. The search engine system of claim 13, wherein the query server is configured to substantially exclude, from a search results set for said search query, web pages that are responsive to the search query but are not likely to include a product offering.

15. The search engine system of claim 13, wherein the query server is configured to generate a composite search results page listing responsive web pages represented in the first data repository and responsive products represented in the second data repository.

16. The search engine system of claim 13, wherein the first data repository contains indexed information about web pages of merchants that are not affiliated with the search engine system.

17. The search engine system of claim 16, wherein the second data repository contains product catalog data of merchants that are affiliated with the search engine system.

18. The search engine system of claim 13, wherein the first data repository includes, for particular web pages located by the web crawler, product category information obtained from automatically analyzing content of the web pages.

19. The search engine system of claim 13, wherein the page analyzer is configured to check a web page located by the crawler for each of a plurality of indicia of a product offering.

20. A computer-implemented method performed by execution of instructions stored in computer storage, the method, comprising:

receiving a search query specified by a user;

processing the search query to identify a set of web pages that are both (a) responsive to the search query and (b) likely, based on a set of criteria that is separate from the search query, to include a product offering; and

outputting a representation of the set of web pages for presentation to the user;

whereby a need for the user to consider web pages that satisfy the search query but do not include a product offering is substantially reduced.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the set of web pages comprises web pages from a plurality of different web sites.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the set of web pages comprises at least one web page of a merchant web site that is not affiliated with a search engine system that performs said method.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises applying the set of criteria to web pages located by a crawler to generate scores reflective of likelihoods that particular web pages include a product offering.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising using the scores to exclude, from said set of web pages, web pages having scores that do not satisfy a selected threshold.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein processing the search query comprises applying the search query to an indexed data repository that is substantially limited to web pages that have been determined, via the set of criteria, to likely include a product offering.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein processing the search query further comprises identifying a list of responsive products included in a repository of merchant catalog data, said responsive products identified without use of the set of criteria.

27. A computer program stored in computer storage, said computer program including instructions that, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method that comprises:

receiving a search query specified by a user;

processing the search query to identify a set of web pages that are both (a) responsive to the search query and (b) likely, based on a set of criteria that is separate from the search query, to include a product offering; and

outputting a representation of the set of web pages for presentation to the user;

whereby a need for the user to consider web pages that satisfy the search query but do not include a product offering is substantially reduced.