Rank-based estimate of relevance values

• US 8,078,606 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2009
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Slackman, Richard O.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US12/638,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 728 Days
• Field of Search: 707705-713, 707722-723, 707/728, 707/731, 707748-753, 709/203, 709216-220, 715/738, 715/749, 715/809
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method includes submitting a query to multiple search engines. The method also includes receiving a ranked list of search results from each search engine based on the query. The method includes determining a search engine weighting value for each search engine, where each search engine weighting value indicates a degree of relevance of a category of specialization of a particular search engine to a category of the query.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

submitting a query to multiple search engines via a computer network by a computing device;

receiving at the computing device, a ranked list of search results from each search engine based on the query;

determining a first weighting value of a first search engine of the multiple search engines, wherein the first search engine is specialized in a first category and wherein the first weighting value indicates a degree of relevance of the first category to a category of the query;

determining a second weighting value of a second search engine of the multiple search engines, wherein the second search engine is specialized in a second category and wherein the second weighting value indicates a degree of relevance of the second category to the category of the query; and

determining a final relevance value for each search result from the first search engine and from the second search engine,

wherein determining the final relevance value for each particular search result from the first search engine includes applying the first weighting value and a search result relevance value of the particular search result from the first search engine and wherein determining the final relevance value for each particular search result from the second search engine includes applying the second weighting value and a search result relevance value of the particular search result from the second search engine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search result relevance value of the particular search result from the first search engine is based on a first actual relevance value and wherein the search result relevance value of the particular search result from the second search engine is based on a second actual relevance value.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first actual relevance value is received from the first search engine.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising estimating the search result relevance value of the particular search result from the first search engine without using a corresponding actual relevance value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein estimating the search result relevance value of the particular search result from the first search engine includes:

determining a first search result relevance value for a most relevant search result of a first ranked list;

determining a second search result relevance value for a least relevant search result of the first ranked list; and

determining other search result relevance values in the first ranked list based on the first search result relevance value for the most relevant search result of the first ranked list and the second search result relevance value for the least relevant search result of the first ranked list.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising determining a third weighting value of the first search engine of the multiple search engines, wherein the third weighting value indicates a degree of relevance of the first category to a category of a second query.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising combining the search results into a single list.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising sorting the single list in descending order based on the final relevance values.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying at least a portion of the ordered list.

10. A system, comprising:

a processor configured to;

submit a query to multiple search engines;

receive a ranked list of search results from each search engine based on the query;

determine a first weighting value of a first search engine of the multiple search engines, wherein the first search engine is specialized in a first category and wherein the first weighting value indicates a degree of relevance of the first category to a category of the query;

determine a second weighting value of a second search engine of the multiple search engines, wherein the second search engine is specialized in a second category and wherein the second weighting value indicates a degree of relevance of the second category to the category of the query; and

determine a final relevance value for each search result from the first search engine and from the second search engine,

wherein determining the final relevance value for each particular search result from the first search engine includes applying the first weighting value and a search result relevance value of the particular search result from the first search engine and wherein determining the final relevance value for each particular search result from the second search engine includes applying the second weighting value and a search result relevance value of the particular search result from the second search engine.

11. The system of claim 10, the processor further configured to estimate a search result relevance value of the particular search result from the first search engine without using a corresponding actual relevance value.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to normalize the search result relevance value for each search result from the first search engine.

13. The system of claim 12, the processor further configured to determine a second final relevance value for each search result based on the normalized search result relevance value for each search result from the first search engine and the first weighting value.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein determining the second final relevance value includes multiplying the normalized search result relevance value by the first weighting value.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a computer system to:

submit a query to multiple search engines;

receive a ranked list of search results from each search engine based on the query;

determine a first weighting value of a first search engine of the multiple search engines, wherein the first search engine is specialized in a first category and wherein the first weighting value indicates a degree of relevance of the first category to a category of the query;

determine a second weighting value of a second search engine of the multiple search engines, wherein the second search engine is specialized in a second category and wherein the second weighting value indicates a degree of relevance of the second category to the category of the query; and

determine a final relevance value for each search result from the first search engine and from the second search engine,

wherein determining the final relevance value for each particular search result from the first search engine includes applying the first weighting value and a search result relevance value of the particular search result from the first search engine and wherein determining the final relevance value for each particular search result from the second search engine includes applying the second weighting value and a search result relevance value of the particular search result from the second search engine.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions executable by the computer system to combine the search results from a first search engine based on the first query and the search results from a second search engine based on the first query into a single list.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising instructions executable by the computer system to sort the single list in descending order based on the final relevance values.