System and method for determining a composite score for categorized search results

• US 8,145,618 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2010
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Larson, Brian, Pfleger, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Colan, Giovanna
• Application Number:
  US12/902,075
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 707/780, 707/722, 707/715, 707/732, 707/600, 705/7.14, 705/14.26, 705/26.3
• US Class Current: 707/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A system and method for scoring documents is described. One or more documents are identified responsive to a search criteria. A text match score indicating a quality of match of the identified documents is determined. A category match score is determined over categories. A document-categories score is determined indicating a quality of match between an identified document and a plurality of categories. A search criteria-categories score is determined indicating a quality of match between the search criteria and the categories. An overall score is determined based on the text match score and the category match score.

Claims

1. A system for scoring documents, comprising:

one or more computers; and

a storage medium coupled to the one or more computers and having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving a search criteria;

identifying one or more documents responsive to a search criteria;

determining a text match score for each document based on degree of match between the responsive document and the search criteria;

determining a document-categories score for each of a plurality of categories based on a degree of match between each document and each of the categories;

determining a search criteria-categories score for each of the one or more categories based on a degree of match between the search criteria and each of the one or more categories, wherein the search criteria-categories score for a particular category indicates the degree of match between the search criteria and the category;

determining a category match score for each document by combining the document-categories score of each of the one or more categories and the respective search criteria-categories score;

determining an overall score for each document based on the text match score of each document and the respective category match score; and

determining, based on the overall score for each document, a ranked order for the one or more documents.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the search criteria is a search query comprising one or more query terms, and

wherein the text match score indicates a quality of match between the query terms and each document, and

wherein the search criteria-categories score indicates a quality of match between the query terms and each of the plurality of categories.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the search criteria includes a concept, the concept comprising one or more terms, and

wherein the text match score indicates a quality of match between the terms and each document, and

wherein the search criteria-categories score indicates a quality of match between the terms and each of the one or more categories.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

defining the categories by aggregating a plurality of documents in a text corpus.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

mapping one or more of the documents to one or more of the plurality of categories; and

associating one or more association strengths to matches between each document and the one or more categories.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining the document-categories score based on the degree of match for each document using the association strengths.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

associating words and word phrases with the plurality of categories; and

assigning association strengths to the word and word phrase associations.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

calculating the search criteria-categories score using a degree of match for the search criteria based on the association strengths of the word and word phrase associations.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining an aggregate category match score using the document-categories score and the search criteria-categories score.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

evaluating a dot product of the document-categories score and the search criteria-categories score.

11. A method for analyzing documents, the method comprising:

receiving a search criteria;

identifying one or more documents responsive to the search criteria;

determining a text match score for each document based on degree of match between the responsive document and the search criteria;

determining a document-categories score for each of a plurality of categories based on a degree of match between each document and each of the categories;

determining a search criteria-categories score for each of the one or more categories based on a degree of match between the search criteria and each of the one or more categories, wherein the search criteria-categories score for a particular category indicates the degree of match between the search criteria and the category;

determining a category match score for each document by combining the document-categories score of each of the one or more categories and the respective search criteria-categories score;

determining an overall score for each document based on the text match score of each document and the respective category match score; and

determining, based on the overall score for each document, a ranked order for the one or more documents.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the search criteria is a search query comprising one or more query terms, and

wherein the text match score indicates a quality of match between the query terms and each document, and

wherein the search criteria-categories score indicates a quality of match between the query terms and each of the plurality of categories.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the search criteria includes a concept, the concept comprising one or more terms, and

wherein the text match score indicates a quality of match between the terms and each document, and

wherein the search criteria-categories score indicates a quality of match between the terms and each of the one or more categories.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

defining the categories by aggregating a plurality of documents in a text corpus.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

mapping one or more of the documents to one or more of the plurality of categories; and

associating one or more association strengths to matches between each document and the one or more categories.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining the document-categories score based on the degree of match for each document using the association strengths.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

associating words and word phrases with the plurality of categories; and

assigning association strengths to the word and word phrase associations.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

calculating the search criteria-categories score using a degree of match for the search criteria based on the association strengths of the word and word phrase associations.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining an aggregate category match score using the document-categories score and the search criteria-categories score.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

evaluating a dot product of the document-categories score and the search criteria-categories score.

21. A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving a search criteria;

identifying one or more documents responsive to the search criteria;

determining a text match score for each document based on degree of match between the responsive document and the search criteria;

determining a document-categories score for each of a plurality of categories based on a degree of match between each document and each of the categories;

determining a search criteria-categories score for each of the one or more categories based on a degree of match between the search criteria and each of the one or more categories, wherein the search criteria-categories score for a particular category indicates the degree of match between the search criteria and the category;

determining a category match score for each document by combining the document-categories score of each of the one or more categories and the respective search criteria-categories score;

determining an overall score for each document based on the text match score of each document and the respective category match score; and

determining, based on the overall score for each document, a ranked order for the one or more documents.

22. The computer storage medium of claim 21, wherein the search criteria is a search query comprising one or more query terms, and

wherein the text match score indicates a quality of match between the query terms and each document, and

wherein the search criteria-categories score indicates a quality of match between the query terms and each of the plurality of categories.

23. The computer storage medium of claim 21, wherein the search criteria includes a concept, the concept comprising one or more terms, and

wherein the text match score indicates a quality of match between the terms and each document, and

wherein the search criteria-categories score indicates a quality of match between the terms and each of the one or more categories.

24. The computer storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

defining the categories by aggregating a plurality of documents in a text corpus.

25. The computer storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

mapping one or more of the documents to one or more of the plurality of categories; and

associating one or more association strengths to matches between each document and the one or more categories.

26. The computer storage medium of claim 25, further comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

determining the document-categories score based on the degree of match for each document using the association strengths.

27. The computer storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

associating words and word phrases with the plurality of categories; and

assigning association strengths to the word and word phrase associations.

28. The computer storage medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

calculating the search criteria-categories score using a degree of match for the search criteria based on the association strengths of the word and word phrase associations.

29. The computer storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

determining an aggregate category match score using the document-categories score and the search criteria-categories score.

30. The computer storage medium of claim 29, further comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

evaluating a dot product of the document-categories score and the search criteria-categories score.