User feedback for search engine boosting

• US 8,660,993 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Holt, Alexander W., Moran, Michael E., Schaffer, Jeffrey S.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOSER, BRUCE M
• Application Number:
  US11/961,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20090164446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,259 Days
• Field of Search: 707/5, 707/999.005, 707/705, 707/722, 707/723, 707/7, 707/999.007, 707/999.102, 707/999.107, 707/706, 707/748, 707/661, 707/662, 707/999.003, 707/663, 707/666
• US Class Current: 707/663
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3326 using relevance feedback from the user, e.g. relevance feedback on documents, documents sets, document terms or passages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A system, method and program product for that utilizes user feedback as a boosting mechanism for closed loop content space search processes, such as site-specific web search engines. A search engine is disclosed that includes: a system for searching a database of content items such as web pages; a data collection system for collecting user feedback from users viewing displayed content items regarding information appearing in said displayed content items; a scoring system for assigning a score to content items from the database based on the user feedback; and a system for ranking a set of search results based on the score assigned to content items in the set of search results.

Claims

1. A computerized web server system that utilizes feedback to rank a set of search results for a single-website specific search, the system comprising:

a system for searching a database of content items associated with a single website;

a data collection system for collecting user feedback from users viewing displayed content items, the user feedback being solely based on informational content appearing in said displayed content items, the displayed content items associated with the single website;

an archive system for archiving the user feedback and removing at least a portion of the user feedback from the archive system in response to a predetermined time period elapsing, wherein the archive system further archives the user feedback associated with any content items that have been changed;

a scoring system for assigning a score to content items from the database based on the user feedback currently in the archive system, wherein the score is based solely on user feedback, which is based solely on informational content appearing in said displayed content items; and

a system for ranking the set of search results based on the score assigned to content items in the set of search results.

2. The computerized web server system of claim 1, wherein the single website is selected from the group consisting of:

a single retail website, a single educational website and a single portal website.

3. The computerized web server system of claim 1, wherein the database of content items comprises a distributed database.

4. The computerized web server system of claim 1, wherein the data collection system further collects date/time information, user information, and web page information.

5. The computerized web server system of claim 1, wherein the data collection system includes an embedded question in displayed content items.

6. The computerized web server system of claim 1, wherein the scoring system determines the score for a content item based on an average value of all feedback received for the content item.

7. The computerized web server system of claim 6, wherein the scoring system weights the score based on a factor selected from the group consisting of:

a number of responses, timing of when responses were received, and profile information of the user submitting the response.

8. The computerized web server system of claim 1, wherein the scoring system assigns an average score to content items that have no user feedback.

9. A program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium for providing a search engine that utilizes feedback to rank a set of search results for a single-website specific search, comprising:

program code for searching a database of content items associated with a single website;

program code for collecting user feedback from users viewing displayed content items content items, the user feedback being solely based on informational content appearing in said displayed content items, the displayed content items associated with the single website;

program code for archiving the user feedback and removing at least a portion of the user feedback from an archive in response to a predetermined time period elapsing, wherein the program code for archiving further archives the user feedback associated with any content items that have been changed;

program code for assigning a score to content items from the database based on the user feedback currently in the archive, wherein the score is based solely on user feedback, which is based solely on informational content appearing in said displayed content items; and

program code for ranking the set of search results based on the score assigned to content items in the set of search results.

10. The program product of claim 9, wherein the single website is selected from the group consisting of:

a single retail website, a single educational website and a single portal website.

11. The program product of claim 9, wherein the database of content items comprises a distributed database.

12. The program product of claim 9, wherein the user feedback further includes date/time information, user information, and web page information.

13. The program product of claim 9, wherein the user feedback is obtained from an embedded question in a displayed content item.

14. The program product of claim 9, wherein the score for a content item is based on an average value of all feedback received for the content item.

15. The program product of claim 14, wherein the score is based on a factor selected from the group consisting of:

a number of responses, timing of when responses were received, and profile information of the user submitting the response.

16. The program product of claim 9, wherein the scoring system assigns an average score to content items that have no user feedback.

17. A method of utilizing feedback to rank a set of search results for a single-website specific search, comprising:

collecting user feedback from users viewing displayed content items, the user feedback being solely based on informational content appearing in said displayed content items associated with a single website;

searching a database of content items, the displayed content items associated with the single website;

archiving the user feedback and removing at least a portion of the user feedback from an archive in response to a predetermined time period elapsing, wherein the archiving further includes archiving the user feedback associated with any content items that have been changed;

assigning a score to content items from the database based on the user feedback currently in the archive, wherein the score is based solely on user feedback, which is based solely on informational content appearing in said displayed content items; and

ranking the set of search results based on the score assigned to content items in the set of search results.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the single website is selected from the group consisting of:

a single retail website, a single educational website and a single portal website.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the database of content items comprises a distributed database.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the user feedback collects date/time information, user information, and web page information.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the user feedback is obtained from an embedded question in displayed content items.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the score for a content item is based on an average value of all feedback received for the content item.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the score is based on a factor selected from the group consisting of:

a number of responses, timing of when responses were received, and profile information of the user submitting the response.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein an average score is applied to content items that have no user feedback.

25. A method for deploying a system for utilizing feedback to rank a set of search results for a single-website specific search, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being configured to;

search a database of web pages associated with a single website;

collect user feedback from users viewing displayed web pages associated with the single website, the user feedback being solely based on informational content appearing in said displayed web pages;

archive the user feedback and remove at least a portion of the user feedback from an archive in response to a predetermined time period elapsing, wherein the archiving further includes archiving the user feedback associated with any content items that have been changed;

assign a score to web pages from the database based on the user feedback currently in the archive, wherein the score is based solely on user feedback, which is based solely on informational content appearing in said displayed content items; and

rank the set of search results based on the score assigned to web pages in the set of search results.