Method and system for determining an order of presentation of search results

• US 8,775,398 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2009
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Sun, Ken, Ghatare, Sanjay Pundlkrao, Dumon, Olivier G., Netzloff, Julie, Rehman, Muhammad Faisal, McDonald, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Yicun
• Application Number:
  US12/475,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,863 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706, 707/707
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions

Abstract

A method and system for determining an order of presentation of the search results is provided. An example system comprises a search request detector, a search engine, and an intermingler. The search request detector may be configured to receive a search request, and the search engine may be configured to determine search results based on the search request. The search results may comprise a first set of items in a first format and a second set of items in a second format. The number of items in the first set and the number of items in the second may reflect a predetermined target ratio and respective exposure percentages for items in the first format and items in the second format. The intermingler may be configured to determine an order of presentation of the search results in a list of search results based on the target ratio.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system comprising:

a search request detector to receive a search request;

a search engine to determine search results based on the search request, the search results comprising a first set of items in a first format and a second set of items in a second format, a number of items in the first set and the number of items in the second set reflecting a target ratio; and

an intermingler to determine an order of presentation of the search results in a list of search results based on the target ratio, the order of presentation comprising a respective position of each of the search result within the list of search results, the intermingler to select a next item for positioning in the list of search results based on a desired exposure percentage associated with the first set of items in the first format.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the intermingler is to:

select an item from the first set and position it in the list of search results;

determine a first new ratio between items from the first set in the list of search results and items from the second set in the list of search results, assuming a next selected item is from the first set;

determine a second new ratio between items from the first set in the list of search results and items from the second set in the list of search results, assuming the next selected item is from the second set;

compare a first difference between the first new ratio and the target ratio with a second difference between the second new ratio and the target ratio; and

select a next item for positioning in the list of search results from the first set or from the second set, based on a result of the comparing.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the intermingler is to:

determine that the first difference is less than the second difference; and

select the next item from the first set of items in the first format and position it in the list of search results as the next item.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the search request is related to an on-line trading platform.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first format is associated with auction items available via the on-line trading platform.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the first format is associated with fixed-price items available via the on-line trading platform.

7. The system of claim 4, comprising an adjusting module to periodically update the target ratio based on revenue associated with items in the first format and items in the second format.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the adjusting module is to:

monitor, over a period of time, revenue associated with items in the first format and revenue associated with items in the second format;

determine that the monitored revenue associated with items in the first format is greater than monitored revenue associated with items in the second format; and

adjust the target ratio to increase exposure of items in the first format.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the search request is related to searching for information on the World Wide Web.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the target ratio is associated with a target exposure percentage for items in the first format, and the intermingler is to:

determine a first new exposure percentage in the list of search results for items from the first set, assuming a next selected item is from the first set;

determine a second new exposure percentage in the list of search results for items from the first set, assuming the next selected item is from the second set;

compare a first difference between the first new exposure percentage and the target exposure percentage with a second difference between the second new exposure percentage and the target exposure percentage; and

select a next item for positioning in the list of search results from the first set or from the second set, based on a result of the comparing.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising:

using one or more processors to perform operations of;

receiving a search request;

determining search results based on the search request, the search results comprising a first set of items in a first format and a second set of items in a second format, a number of items in the first set and the number of items in the second set reflecting a target ratio; and

determining an order of presentation of the search results in a list of search results based on the target ratio, the order of presentation comprising a respective position of each of the search result within the list of search results, the determining comprising selecting a next item for positioning in the list of search results based on a desired exposure percentage associated with the first set of items in the first format.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining of the order of presentation of the search results comprises:

selecting an item from the first set and positioning it in the list of search results;

determining a first new ratio between items from the first set in the list of search results and items from the second set in the list of search results, assuming a next selected item is from the first set;

determining a second new ratio between items from the first set in the list of search results and items from the second set in the list of search results, assuming the next selected item is from the second set;

comparing a first difference between the first new ratio and the target ratio with a second difference between the second new ratio and the target ratio; and

selecting a next item for positioning in the list of search results from the first set or from the second set, based on a result of the comparing.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the selecting of the next item for presentation comprises:

determining that the first difference is less than the second difference; and

selecting the next item from the first set of items in the first format and positioning it in the list of search results as the next item.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the search request is related to an on-line trading platform.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first format is associated with auction items available via the on-line trading platform.

16. The method of claim 14, comprising periodically updating the target ratio based on revenue associated with items in the first format and items in the second format.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the updating of the target ratio comprises:

monitoring, over a period of time, revenue associated with items in the first format and revenue associated with items in the second format;

determining that the monitored revenue associated with items in the first format is greater than the monitored revenue associated with items in the second format; and

adjusting the target ratio to increase exposure of items in the first format.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the search request is related to searching for information on the World Wide Web.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the target ratio is associated with a target exposure percentage for items in the first format, the determining of the order of presentation of the search results comprising:

determining a first new exposure percentage in the list of search results for items from the first set, assuming a next selected item is from the first set;

determining a second new exposure percentage in the list of search results for items from the first set, assuming the next selected item is from the second set;

comparing a first difference between the first new exposure percentage and the first target exposure percentage with a second difference between the second new exposure percentage and the second target exposure percentage; and

selecting a next item for positioning in the list of search results from the first set or from the second set, based on a result of the comparing.

20. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having instruction data to cause a machine to:

receive a search request;

determine search results based on the search request, the search results comprising a first set of items in a first format and a second set of items in a second format, a number of items in the first set and the number of items in the second set reflecting a target ratio; and

determine an order of presentation of the search results in a list of search results based on the target ratio, the order of presentation comprising a respective position of each of the search result within the list of search results, the determining comprising selecting a next item for positioning in the list of search results based on a desired exposure percentage associated with the first set of items in the first format.