Method and system for adaptive categorial presentation of search results

• US 7,519,595 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2004
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Alexander, Zubin, Knapp, John E., Solaro, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jalil; Neveen Abel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pulliam; Christyann R
• Application Number:
  US10/891,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20060031214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting

Abstract

Search results are classified and presented by groups based on the type of each search result. Within the groups, the search results are ranked according to a rating, such as the relevancy of the result to the search request. The groups are also ordered, e.g., based upon the highest rated search result included in each group. The relative number of search results presented in the groups can vary, based upon the relative values of the highest rated search results in successive groups. When additional search results associated with a group are not initially presented for display, the group is selectively expandable to display additional search results. The expanded group, if not already first in the list, is moved to the first position, while other groups are displayed below the expanded group.

Claims

1. A method in a computing system for displaying search results in response to a search query, the method comprising:

receiving the search query;

identifying search results for the received search query, each search result having a rating and a type, the rating of a search result indicating relevancy of the search result to the received search query, wherein the search results with the same type form a group;

specifying an order for the groups based on a highest rating of a search result within each group, the groups being ordered from a first group to a last group;

selecting a number of search results of the first group that have ratings that are the highest ratings to be displayed for the first group;

determining whether to increase the number of selected search results for the first group by comparing a rating of an individual non-selected search result of the first group to a highest rating of a search result of a second group, wherein the rating of the individual non-selected search result is lower than any of the ratings of the search results selected to be displayed for the first group;

when the rating of the individual non-selected search result of the first group is higher than the highest rating of the search result of the second group, then increasing the number of the selected search results for the first group by selecting the non-selected search result of the first group with the highest rating to be displayed for the first group; and

displaying search results in group order on a display,

wherein the number of search results displayed for the first group is more than the number of search results displayed for groups other than the first group,

wherein the selected search results are displayed for the first group, but the non-selected search results are not displayed, and

wherein the search results of each group are ranked based on their ratings within the group.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein when the rating of the individual non-selected search result of the first group is higher than the highest rating of the search result of the second group, then increasing the number of the selected search results for the first group by further selecting either all of the non-selected search results of the first group or a predetermined number of the non-selected search results of the first group with the highest ratings.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determined to increase- the number of the selected search results for the first group is increased when the rating of the individual non-selected search result of the first group is higher than the highest rating of the search result in the second group by a predetermined amount.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying for the first group a count of the non-selected search results of the first group.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying at least one of the non-selected search results for the first group and the non-selected search results for the second group, wherein the displaying includes:

receiving an indication of a desire to view at least one of the non-selected search results of the first group and the non-selected search results of the second group; and

increasing at least one of the number of the selected search results for the first group and the number of the selected search results for the second group.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the search results of each group are ranked in descending order based on their ratings within the group.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a principal content of each search result; and

assigning a type to each search result based upon the principal content of the search result.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the type associated with each search result includes a content type for the search result, and wherein the content type includes one of:

an article;

a map;

a dictionary entry;

a multimedia file, wherein the multimedia file includes at least one of a motion video, a still image, and an audio file;

a web resource; and

a homework tool.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an additional entry that includes information other than search results.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein displaying an additional entry includes displaying a sponsored link.

11. A computer-readable storage medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method for providing search results in response to a search query, the method comprising:

receiving search results responsive to the search query, wherein each of the search results has a rating and a type;

associating each of the search results with one of at least two groups based on the type associated with each of the search results;

sequencing the groups into a group order;

determining, for each group, a number of search results to be displayed in the group;

determining the rating of a selected search result in a first group, wherein the selected search result is an individual search result that is not among the search results determined to be displayed in the first group;

determining the rating of a selected search result in a second group;

comparing the rating of the selected search result in the first group with the rating of the selected search result in the second group;

based at least in part on the comparison, increasing at least one of the number of the search results to be displayed in the first group and the number of the search results to be displayed in the second group; and

providing the groups in the group order with the number of search results to be displayed in each group.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein sequencing the groups into a group order includes sequencing the groups into a group order based on the highest rated result in each of the groups.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the selected search result in the second group is the highest-rated search result in the second group.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the method further comprises placing the search results into a search result order within each group based on the rating associated with each of the search results.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the method further comprises providing an additional entry that includes information other than search results.

16. A computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium coupled to the processor, the computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the computing device to perform a method for providing search results responsive to a search query, the method comprising;

receiving search results responsive to the search query, wherein each of the search results has a rating and a type;

associating each of the search results with one of at least two groups based on the type associated with each of the search results;

sequencing the groups into a group order;

determining, for each group, a number of search results to be displayed in the group;

determining the rating of a selected search result in a first group, wherein the selected search result is an individual search result that is not among the search results determined to be displayed in the group;

determining the rating of a selected search result in a second group;

comparing the rating of the selected search result in the first group with the rating of the selected search result in the second group;

based at least in part on the comparison, increasing one of the number of the search results to be displayed in the first group and the number of the search results to be displayed in the second group; and

providing the groups in the group order with the number of search results in each group.

17. The computing device of claim 16 wherein sequencing the groups into a group order includes sequencing the groups into a group order based on the highest rated result in each of the groups.

18. The computing device of claim 16 wherein the selected search result in the second group is the highest-rated search result in the second group.

19. The computing device of claim 16 wherein the method further comprises placing the search results into a search result order within each group based on the rating associated with each of the search results.

20. The computing device of claim 16 wherein the method further comprises providing additional information that includes information other than search results.