Analyzing a query log for use in managing category-specific electronic content

• US 8,073,867 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2008
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chowdhury, Abdur R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Greta
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weinrich, Brian E.
• Application Number:
  US12/124,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20080222125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 707/771, 707/948, 705/26.1
• US Class Current: 707/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3325 Reformulation based on results of preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/345 Summarisation for human users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/948 Product or catalog
• 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 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

Providing category-specific electronic content includes receiving a request for electronic content. The request has an attribute. The attribute of the received request is compared to an attribute related to a query included in a log of search queries. An indication of a category that represents a search query from a log of search queries that is related to an attribute that matches the attribute of the received request is accessed, and electronic content that is representative of the identified category is accessed and provided.

Claims

1. A method for providing category-specific electronic content, the method comprising:

receiving a request for electronic content submitted by a user, the request comprising a search query;

determining a time at which the request for electronic content was submitted;

determining a time period based on the time at which the request for electronic content was submitted;

accessing information that reflects one or more categories that correspond to previously received search queries submitted to one or more search engines at a time corresponding to the determined time period, the accessed information being generated based on an analysis of a query log of the previously received search queries submitted to the one or more search engines at the time corresponding to the determined time period,

wherein the query log is maintained at a search interface distinct from the one or more search engines;

determining an attribute of the user;

identifying a first set of queries from a plurality of queries that are previously submitted to the one or more search engines during the determined time period by users having an attribute that matches the determined attribute;

selecting a category that corresponds to at least one of the queries included in the first set;

identifying a second set of queries from the first set, the second set corresponding to the selected category;

determining a probability that a query from the first set is included in the second set;

identifying, based on the accessed information and the probability, at least one category of the one or more categories, the at least one category corresponding to a typical request representative of requests previously submitted to the one or more search engines during the determined time period by the users having the attribute that matches the determined attribute; and

providing, to the user, electronic content that is representative of the at least one category,

wherein the one or more categories are arranged in a graphic tree in which each child category is more specific than its associated parent category.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

providing the electronic content that is representative of the at least one category comprises performing a search process based on the search query included in the request and the at least one category.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the request for electronic content comprises receiving a request for an advertisement; and

providing the electronic content that is representative of the at least one category comprises selecting an advertisement that is representative of the at least one category.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

handling the request for electronic content based on at least one category that corresponds to the previously received search queries submitted to the one or more search engines during the determined time period, and based on at least one category that corresponds to the previously received search queries submitted to the one or more search engines by the users.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein identifying the at least one category comprises identifying at least one category that corresponds to previously received search queries submitted to the one or more search engines during the determined time period by the users having the attribute that matches the determined attribute of the user that submitted the request for electronic content.

6. A nontransitory computer readable storage medium comprising a computer program product, the computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed, operate to cause a computer to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request for electronic content submitted by a user, the request comprising a search query;

determining a time at which the request for electronic content was submitted;

determining a time period associated with the request for electronic content based on the time at which the request for electronic content was submitted;

accessing information that reflects one or more categories that correspond to previously received search queries submitted to one or more search engines at a time corresponding to the determined time period, the accessed information being generated based on an analysis of a query log of the previously received search queries submitted to the one or more search engines at the time corresponding to the determined time period,

wherein the query log is maintained at a search interface distinct from the one or more search engines;

determining an attribute of the user;

identifying a first set of queries from a plurality of queries that are previously submitted to the one or more search engines during the determined time period by users having an attribute that matches the determined attribute;

selecting a category that corresponds to at least one of the queries included in the first set;

identifying a second set of queries from the first set, the second set corresponding to the selected category;

determining a probability that a query from the first set is included in the second set;

identifying, based on the accessed information and the probability, at least one category of the one or more categories, the at least one category corresponding to a typical request representative of requests previously submitted to the one or more search engines during the determined time period by the users having the attribute that matches the determined attribute; and

providing, to the user, electronic content that is representative of the at least one category,

wherein the one or more categories are arranged in a graphic tree in which each child category is more specific than its associated parent category.

7. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein:

providing the electronic content that is representative of the at least one category comprises performing a search process based on the search query included in the request and the at least one category.

8. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein:

receiving the request for electronic content comprises receiving a request for an advertisement; and

providing the electronic content that is representative of the at least one category comprises selecting an advertisement that is representative of the at least one category.

9. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the computer program product further comprises instructions that, when executed, operate to cause a computer to perform operations comprising:

handling the request for electronic content based on at least one category that corresponds to the previously received search queries submitted to the one or more search engines at a time corresponding to the determined time period, and based on at least one category that corresponds to the previously received search queries submitted to the one or more search engines by the users.

10. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6,

wherein identifying the at least one category comprises identifying at least one category that corresponds to previously received search queries submitted to the one or more search engines during the determined time period by the users.

11. A method for providing category-specific electronic content, the method comprising:

receiving a request for electronic content submitted by a user, the request comprising a search query;

determining a time period based on a time the request was submitted by the user;

determining an attribute of the user that submitted the request for electronic content;

identifying a first set of queries from a plurality of queries that are previously submitted to a search engine during the determined time period by users having an attribute that matches the determined attribute;

selecting a category that corresponds to at least one of the queries included in the first set;

identifying a second set of queries from the first set, the second set corresponding to the selected category;

determining a probability that a query from the first set is included in the second set;

accessing information that reflects one or more categories that correspond to previously received search queries submitted to the search engine by the users having the attribute that matches the determined attribute of the user, the accessed information being generated based on an analysis of a query log of the previously received search queries submitted to the search engine by the users;

based on the accessed information and the probability, identifying at least one category that corresponds to a typical search query representative of the search queries previously submitted to the search engine during the determined time period by the users having the attribute that matches the determined attribute of the user that submitted the request; and

providing, to the user, electronic content that is representative of the at least one category,

wherein the one or more categories are arranged in a graphic tree in which each child category is more specific than its associated parent category.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

providing the electronic content that is representative of the at least one category comprises performing a search process based on the search query included in the request and the at least one category.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein:

receiving the request for electronic content comprises receiving a request for an advertisement; and

providing the electronic content that is representative of the at least one category comprises selecting an advertisement that is representative of the at least one category.

14. The method of claim 11,

wherein identifying the at least one category comprises identifying at least one category that corresponds to the previously received search queries submitted to the search engine by the users having the attribute that matches the determined attribute of the user that submitted the request for electronic content at a time corresponding to the determined time period.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the attribute of the user that submitted the request for electronic content comprises determining a gender of the user.

16. A nontransitory computer readable storage medium comprising a computer program product, the computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed, operate to cause a computer to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request for electronic content submitted by a user, the request comprising a search query;

determining a time period based on a time the request was submitted by the user;

determining an attribute of the user that submitted the request for electronic content;

identifying a first set of queries from a plurality of queries that are previously submitted to a search engine during the determined time period by users having an attribute that matches the determined attribute;

selecting a category that corresponds to at least one of the queries included in the first set;

identifying a second set of queries from the first set, the second set corresponding to the selected category;

determining a probability that a query from the first set is included in the second set;

accessing information that reflects one or more categories that correspond to previously received search queries submitted to the search engine by the users having the attribute that matches the determined attribute of the user that submitted the request for electronic content, the accessed information being generated based on an analysis of a query log of the previously received search queries submitted to the search engine by the users having the attribute that matches the determined attribute of the user that submitted the request for electronic content;

based on the accessed information and the probability, identifying at least one category that is representative of the previously received search queries submitted to the search engine during the determined time period by the users having the attribute that matches the determined attribute of the user that submitted the request for electronic content; and

providing, to the user, electronic content that is representative of the at least one category,

wherein the one or more categories are arranged in a graphic tree in which each child category is more specific than its associated parent category.

17. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein:

providing the electronic content that is representative of the at least one category comprises performing a search process based on the search query and the at least one category.

18. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein:

receiving the request for electronic content comprises receiving a request for an advertisement; and

providing the electronic content that is representative of the at least one category comprises selecting an advertisement that is representative of the at least one category.

19. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16,

wherein identifying the at least one category comprises identifying at least one category that corresponds to the previously received search queries submitted to the search engine by the users having the attribute that matches the determined attribute of the user that submitted the request for electronic content at a time corresponding to the determined time period.

20. The nontransitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein determining the attribute of the user that submitted the request for electronic content comprises determining a gender of the user.