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

• US 7,921,119 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• 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: Bowman, Dwayne, Spiegel, Joel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US11/877,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20080177728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 707/5, 707/706, 707/713, 707/728, 707/749, 707/913, 704/256, 704/270.1
• US Class Current: 707/749
• 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 received search terms;

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

generating a relevance ranking for at least a portion of the identified items based at least in part upon rating scores associated with the identified demographic groups, each rating score representing a number of selections of an identified item by users in a respective demographic group during at least one prior period of time when the item is identified in results based on queries containing at least one of the search terms received for the user; and

providing a query result to the user, in response to the received one or more search terms, including at least a portion of the identified items ranked according to the generated relevance ranking.

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 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.

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 add the item to a tentative list of purchases 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 review information about the item for a length of time 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 take a number of actions when reviewing information about the item during the prior period of time.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. The method of claim 1 including, before the generating of the relevance rankings for the multiple identified items, tracking selections of the items by users in multiple predefined demographic groups during one or more periods of time.

12. 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.

13. 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.

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

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

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings is further based on behavioral information about the user.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings is further based on behavioral information about another user.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings is further based on preference information for the user.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the items is a book.

20. 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 received search terms;

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

generating a relevance ranking for at least a portion of the identified items based at least in part upon rating scores associated with for the identified demographic groups, each rating score representing a number of selections of an identified item by users in a respective demographic group during at least one prior period of time when the item is identified in results based on queries containing at least one of the search terms received for the user; and

providing a query result to the user, in response to the received one or more search terms, including at least a portion of the identified items ranked according to the generated relevance ranking.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 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.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 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.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 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.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 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.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 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.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 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.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 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.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 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.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 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.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 including, before the generating of the relevance rankings for the multiple identified items, tracking selections of the items by users in multiple predefined demographic groups during one or more periods of time.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings is further based on behavioral information about the user.

32. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings is further based on behavioral information about another user.

33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein the generating of the relevance ratings is further based on preference information for the user.

34. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein at least one of the items is a book.

35. 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 search terms and that identifies one or more demographic groups to which the user belongs;

a relevance ranking subsystem that generates a relevance ranking for at least a portion of the identified items based at least in part upon rating scores associated with the identified demographic groups, each rating score representing a number of selections of an identified item by users in a respective demographic group during at least one prior period of time when the item is identified in results provided for queries containing at least one of the search terms received for the user; and

an output subsystem that provides a query result to the user, in response to the received one or more search terms, including at least a portion of the identified items ranked according to the generated relevance ranking.