Document scoring based on query analysis

• US 8,266,143 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Dean, Jeffrey, Haahr, Paul, Henzinger, Monika, Lawrence, Steve, Pfleger, Karl, Sercinoglu, Olcan, Tong, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Vy, Hung T
• Application Number:
  US13/244,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705, 707/706, 707/722, 707/723, 707/725, 707/728, 707/732, 707/733, 707/734, 707999003-999005
• US Class Current: 707/725
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system may determine an extent to which a document is selected when the document is included in a set of search results, generate a score for the document based, at least in part, on the extent to which the document is selected when the document is included in a set of search results; and rank the document with regard to at least one other document based, at least in part, on the score.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more devices, the method comprising:

identifying, by at least one of the one or more devices, a group of search result documents that are responsive to a search query;

determining, by at least one of the one or more devices, a measure of staleness of a search result document in the group of search result documents;

determining, by at least one of the one or more devices, whether a stale document is preferred for the search query, where determining whether a stale document is preferred for the search query includes;

determining, based on selections of older documents over newer documents, whether a first document was previously selected over a second document in a set of search results relating to the search query or a similar search query,

where the first document is ranked lower than the second document, and where the first document is older than the second document;

identifying the search query as a search query for which a stale document is preferred when the first document was previously selected over the second document in the set of search results relating to the search query or the similar search query;

generating, by at least one of the one or more devices, a score for the search result document based on;

the measure of staleness of the search result document, and

whether a stale document is preferred for the search query; and

ranking, by at least one of the one or more devices, the search result document with regard to at least one other search result document, of the group of search result documents, based on the generated score.

2. The method of claim 1, where ranking the search result document includes ranking the search result document with regard to the at least one other search result document based on the generated score, independent of a relevance of the search result document to the search query.

3. The method of claim 1, where the measure of staleness of the search result document is based on a creation date associated with the search result document.

4. The method of claim 1, where the measure of staleness of the search result document is based on anchor growth associated with the search result document.

5. The method of claim 1, where the measure of staleness of the search result document is based on a measure of change of content associated with the search result document.

6. The method of claim 1, where the measure of staleness of the search result document is based on a rate of at least one of:

growth of a quantity of links to the search result document, or

growth of a quantity of links from the search result document.

7. A method performed by one or more devices, the method comprising:

identifying, by at least one of the one or more devices, a group of search result documents that are responsive to a search query;

determining, by at least one of the one or more devices, a measure of staleness of a search result document in the group of search result documents;

determining, by at least one of the one or more devices, whether a stale document is preferred for the search query;

generating, by at least one of the one or more devices a first score for the search result document based on;

the measure of staleness of the search result document, and

whether a stale document is preferred for the search query;

generating, by at least one of the one or more devices, a second score, for the search result document, that is based on a relevance of the search result document to the search query;

combining, by at least one of the one or more devices, the first and second scores to generate an overall score; and

ranking by at least one of the one or more devices, the search result document with regard to at least one other search result document, of the group of search result documents, based on the overall score.

8. The method of claim 7, where combining the first and second scores includes:

adjusting the second score by an amount that is based on the first score.

9. The method of claim 7, where the measure of staleness of the search result document is based on at least one of:

a creation date associated with the search result document,

anchor growth associated with the search result document,

a measure of change of content associated with the search result document,

a rate of growth of a quantity of links to the search result document, or

a rate of growth of a quantity of links from the search result document.

10. A system, comprising:

one or more devices to;

identify a group of search result documents that are responsive to a search query;

determine a measure of staleness of a search result document in the group of search result documents;

determine whether a stale document is preferred for the search query, where when determining whether a stale document is preferred for the search query, the one more devices are to;

analyze selections of older documents over newer documents,

determine, based on the analyzed selections, whether a first document was selected over a second document in a set of search results relating to the search query or a similar search query,

where the first document is ranked lower than the second document, and where the first document is older than the second document, and

identify the search query as a search query for which a stale document is preferred when the first document was previously selected over the second document in the set of search results relating to the search query or the similar search query;

generate a score for the search result document based on;

the measure of staleness of the search result document, and

whether a stale document is preferred for the search query; and

rank the search result document with regard to at least one other search result document, of the group of search result documents, based on the generated score.

11. The system of claim 10, where when ranking the search result document, the one or more devices are to rank the search result document with regard to the at least one search result document based on the generated score, independent of a relevance of the search result document to the search query.

12. The system of claim 10, where the measure of staleness of the search result document is based on at least one of:

a creation date associated with the search result document,

anchor growth associated with the search result document,

a measure of change of content associated with the search result document,

a rate of growth of a quantity of links to the search result document, or

a rate of growth of a quantity of links from the search result document.

13. A system, comprising:

one or more devices to;

identify a group of search result documents that are responsive to a search query;

determine a measure of staleness of a search result document in the group of search result documents;

determine whether a stale document is preferred for the search query;

generate a first score for the search result document based on;

the measure of staleness of the search result document, and

whether a stale document is preferred for the search query; and

generate a second score, for the search result document, that is based on a relevance of the search result document to the search query;

combine the first and second scores to generate an overall score; and

rank the search result document with regard to at least one other search result document, of the group of search result documents, based on the overall score.

14. The system of claim 13, where when combining the first and second scores, the one or more devices are to:

adjust the second score by an amount that is based on the first score.

15. The system of claim 13, where the measure of staleness of the search result document is based on at least one of:

a creation date associated with the search result document,

anchor growth associated with the search result document,

a measure of change of content associated with the search result document,

a rate of growth of a quantity of links to the search result document, or

a rate of growth of a quantity of links from the search result document.

16. A computer-readable memory device, comprising:

a plurality of computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

identify a group of search result documents that are responsive to a search query;

determine a measure of staleness of a search result document in the group of search result documents;

determine whether a stale document is preferred for the search query, the computer-executable instructions to determine whether a stale document is preferred for the search query including a plurality of computer-executable instructions to;

determine, based on analyzed past selections of documents, whether a first document was previously selected over a second document in a set of search results relating to the search query or a similar search query,

where the first document is ranked lower than the second document, and where the first document is older than the second document, and

identify the search query as a search query for which a stale document is preferred when the first document, that was ranked lower than the second document, was previously selected over the second document in the set of search results relating to the search query or the similar search query;

generate a score for the search result document based on;

the measure of staleness of the search result document, and

whether a stale document is preferred for the search query; and

rank the search result document with regard to at least one other search result document, of the group of search result documents, based on the generated score.

17. The computer-readable memory device of claim 16, where the plurality of computer-executable instructions, which cause the one or more processors to rank the search result document, further cause the one or more processors to:

rank the search result document with regard to the at least one other search result document based on the generated score, independent of a relevance of the search result document to the search query.

18. The computer-readable memory device of claim 16, where the measure of staleness of the search result document is based on at least one of:

a creation date associated with the search result document,

anchor growth associated with the search result document,

a measure of change of content associated with the search result document,

a rate of growth of a quantity of links to the search result document, or

a rate of growth of a quantity of links from the search result document.

19. A computer-readable memory device, comprising:

a plurality of computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

identify a group of search result documents that are responsive to a search query;

determine a measure of staleness of a search result document in the group of search result documents;

determine whether a stale document is preferred for the search query;

generate a first score, for the search result document based on;

the measure of staleness of the search result document, and

whether a stale document is preferred for the search query;

generate a second score, for the search result document, that is based on a relevance of the search result document to the search query;

combine the first and second scores to generate an overall score; and

rank the search result document with regard to at least one other search result document, of the group of search result documents, based on the overall score.

20. The computer-readable memory device of claim 19, where the plurality of computer-executable instructions, which cause the one or more processors to combine the first and second scores, further cause the one or more processors to:

adjust the second score by an amount that is based on the first score.

21. The computer-readable memory device of claim 19, where the measure of staleness of the search result document is based on at least one of:

a creation date associated with the search result document,

anchor growth associated with the search result document,

a measure of change of content associated with the search result document,

a rate of growth of a quantity of links to the search result document, or

a rate of growth of a quantity of links from the search result document.