Using model information groups in searching

• US 8,688,535 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Yuan, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Airapetian, Mila
• Application Number:
  US13/068,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20110288956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy

Abstract

Managing user accesses is disclosed, including: generating journal files over a predetermined period of time, wherein a journal file includes merchandise information associated with an accessed webpage; determining, for a merchandise category, information related to an attribute based at least in part on the generated journal files; aggregating information associated with the attribute from journal files associated with the merchandise category, wherein the aggregated information is to be included in a model information group associated with the merchandise category; and returning, in a subsequent search of merchandise information corresponding to the merchandise category, search results that are based at least in part on information associated with the model information group. Conducting searches of merchandise information is disclosed, including: determining a merchandise category associated with a query based at least in part on received keywords associated with the query; retrieving a model information group corresponding to the determined merchandise category; extracting attribute information from the retrieved model information group based at least in part on a quantity associated with an attribute; and presenting the extracted attribute information.

Claims

1. A method for managing user accesses of merchandise information, comprising:

generating journal files over a predetermined period of time, wherein a journal file includes merchandise information associated with an accessed webpage;

determining, for a merchandise category, information related to an attribute associated with the merchandise category based at least in part on the generated journal files, wherein the information related to an attribute includes at least a first type associated with the attribute;

aggregating information associated with the attribute from journal files associated with the merchandise category, wherein aggregating information includes generating a quantity associated with the first type associated with the attribute based at least in part on a number of times the first type associated with the attribute appears in the journal files, wherein the aggregated information is to be included in a model information group associated with the merchandise category; and

performing a subsequent search of merchandise information using information associated with the model information group, wherein performing the subsequent search includes determining whether a matching merchandise category can be found in response to a query keyword associated with the subsequent search;

in the event that the matching merchandise category can be found, extracting attribute information from the model information group associated with the merchandise category;

in the event that the matching merchandise category cannot be found, searching a merchandise category tree using the query keyword and returning information from one or more matching nodes of the merchandise category tree.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein information related to an attribute includes one or more of the following:

merchandise brand information, merchandise model number information, merchandise color information, and merchandise category information.

3. A method for conducting searches of merchandise information, comprising:

determining whether a matching merchandise category can be found in response to a query based at least in part on received keywords associated with the query;

in the event that the matching merchandise category can be found;

retrieving a model information group corresponding to the determined matching merchandise category;

extracting attribute information from the retrieved model information group based at least in part on a quantity associated with an attribute, wherein the attribute includes at least a first type associated with the attribute and wherein the quantity associated with the attribute is based at least in part on a number of times the first type associated with the attribute appears in a set of generated journal files; and

presenting the extracted attribute information from the retrieved model information group;

in the event that the matching merchandise category cannot be found, searching a merchandise category tree using the received keywords and returning information from one or more matching nodes of the merchandise category tree.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein extracting attribute information includes extracting attribute information whose corresponding quantity exceeds a predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein extracting attribute information includes extracting attribute information whose corresponding quantity is the greatest among a plurality of types associated with the attribute.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising identifying attribute information of the retrieved model information group that matches a keyword associated with the query.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining in the event that a keyword associated with the query does not match attribute information of the retrieved model information group, eliminating the keyword from the query.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising updating the retrieved model information group using keywords associated with the query that are not eliminated.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising updating journal files based at least in part on the information returned from the one or more matching nodes of the merchandise category tree.

10. A system for conducting searches of merchandise information, comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine whether a matching merchandise category can be found in response to a query based at least in part on received keywords associated with the query;

in the event that the matching merchandise category can be found;

retrieve a model information group corresponding to the determined matching merchandise category;

extract attribute information from the retrieved model information group based at least in part on a quantity associated with an attribute, wherein the attribute includes at least a first type associated with the attribute and wherein the quantity associated with the attribute is based at least in part on a number of times the first type associated with the attribute appears in a set of generated journal files; and

present the extracted attribute information from the retrieved model information group;

in the event that the matching merchandise category cannot be found, search a merchandise category tree using the received keywords and return information from one or more matching nodes of the merchandise category tree; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor configured to extract attribute information includes extracting attribute information whose corresponding quantity exceeds a predetermined threshold.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor configured to extract attribute information includes extracting attribute information whose corresponding quantity is the greatest among a plurality of types associated with the attribute.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising the processor configured to identify attribute information of the retrieved model information group that matches a keyword associated with the query.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising the processor configured to determine in the event that a keyword associated with the query does not match attribute information of the retrieved model information group, to eliminate the keyword from the query.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising the processor configured to update the retrieved model information group using keywords associated with the query that are not eliminated.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising the processor configured to update journal files based at least in part on the information returned from the one or more matching nodes of the merchandise category tree.

17. A computer program product for conducting searches of merchandise information, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

determining whether a matching merchandise category can be found in response to a query based at least in part on received keywords associated with the query;

in the event that the matching merchandise category can be found;

retrieving a model information group corresponding to the determined matching merchandise category;

extracting attribute information from the retrieved model information group based at least in part on a quantity associated with an attribute, wherein the attribute includes at least a first type associated with the attribute and wherein the quantity associated with the attribute is based at least in part on a number of times the first type associated with the attribute appears in a set of generated journal files; and

presenting the extracted attribute information from the retrieved model information group;

in the event that the matching merchandise category cannot be found, searching a merchandise category tree using the received keywords and returning information from one or more matching nodes of the merchandise category tree.