Identifying on a graphical depiction candidate points and top-moving queries

• US 8,803,882 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2008
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lam, Andy, Buckley, Jamie P., Williams, Hugh Evan, Craswell, Nicholas Eric, Govani, Tabreez
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery A
• Application Number:
  US12/134,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20090303238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,258 Days
• Field of Search: 345/440
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

Computer-readable media and computerized methods for identifying candidate points on a graphical depiction of relative popularity of an entity (e.g., entertainer, sports team, and the like) are provided. Points on the graphical depiction are ranked based on a number of user-submitted web queries that reference the entity that are received during a particular time frame. Peak points and slope values (i.e., derived from an angle of inclination of inclines on the graphical depiction) may be captured by analyzing movements in the rank of an entity over time. An algorithmic process may then be applied to the peak points and slope values to determine points of interest of the entity'"'"'s popularity, such as the highest-ranked periods and/or dramatic positive movements in rank of the entity. These points of interest are selected as candidate points and are surfaced as icons on a visual representation of the graphical depiction.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable memory devices storing computer-usable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computing device, cause the processor of the computing device, to perform a method for automatically selecting one or more candidate points on a graphical depiction of queries referencing an entity, the method comprising:

receiving from a search engine a user-initiated selection of the entity and a time frame in which the queries referencing the entity are to be retrieved, wherein the time frame is divided into temporal increments;

presenting on a user-interface (UI) display the graphical depiction of a rank of the entity over the time frame, wherein the rank represents a relative popularity of the entity, in relation to a plurality of entities of a predefined category, as determined from the user-submitted queries collected at a search engine;

automatically initiating a selection procedure for identifying the one or more candidate points on the graphical depiction that are each associated with a positive movement of the rank, wherein the selection procedure comprises;

(i) identifying locations on the graphical depiction between adjacent inclines and declines as peak points and valley points;

(ii) ascertaining the rank at the temporal increments corresponding with each of the peak points and the valley points;

(iii) deriving slope values based on an angle of inclination of the inclines; and

(iv) based on the rank of the peak points and the valley points, and

the derived slope values, selecting the one or more candidate points; and

surfacing the one or more selected candidate points by presenting, at the user-interface (UI) display, an indicator of each of the one or more selected candidate points on the graphical depiction.

2. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein the plurality of entities of the predefined category comprise substantially comparable subjects of queries grouped according to at least one of people, sports teams, products, geographic locations, music, companies, tools, or types of entertainers.

3. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein the temporal increments of the graphical depiction represent at least one of months, weeks, days, or units of time that uniformly divide the time frame.

4. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein selecting the one or more candidate points comprises:

comparing the rank associated with each of the peak points against each other to determine a highest ranked peak point; and

identifying the highest ranked peak point with the time frame as one of the one or more candidate points.

5. The one or more devices of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that a plurality of the peak points share the highest ranking;

tracing backward along the graphical depiction to ascertain a valley point immediately preceding each of the plurality of peak points;

calculating a rank differential between the valley point associated with each of the plurality of peak points; and

identifying a peak point of the plurality of peak points associated with a largest rank differential as one of the one or more candidate points, thereby capturing the peak point on the graphical depiction having a greatest positive movement in the rank with respect to a precedent valley point.

6. The one or more devices of claim 4, wherein comparing the rank associated with each of the identified temporal increments comprises:

determining that a plurality of the peak points share the highest ranking;

selecting a peak point, of the plurality of the highest ranked peak points, that is latest in time within a scope of the time frame; and

identifying the latest peak point as one of the one or more candidate points.

7. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein selecting the one or more candidate points comprises:

identifying a peak point that is latest in time within a scope of the time frame;

ascertaining that the slope value of an incline preceding the latest peak point is greater than a predefined threshold slope to ensure sufficient positive movement of the rank is associated with the latest peak point, and

identifying the latest peak point as one of the one or more candidate points.

8. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein selecting the one or more candidate points to feature comprises:

identifying a remainder of the peak points that are not identified as one of the one or more candidate points;

comparing the slope values of the inclines adjacent to the remaining peak points, and

identifying a peak point of the remaining peak points adjacent to an incline having a greatest slope value as one of the one or more candidate points.

9. The one or more devices of claim 8, wherein the method further comprising recursively identifying a peak point of the remaining peak points as one of the one or more candidate points until a predefined number of candidate points are accumulated.

10. The one or more devices of claim 8, wherein the method further comprising:

batching the user-submitted queries received during a scope of a temporal increment associated with a peak point identified as one of the one or more candidate points into query groupings based on commonality of the search terms therein;

enumerating a number of the user-submitted queries encompassed by each of the query groupings;

determining that the number of the user-submitted queries associated with each of the query groupings fails to meet a predefined threshold; and

withdrawing the identified peak point from the one or more candidate points.

11. The one or more devices of claim 1, wherein presenting an indicator for each of the one or more candidate points at a user-interface (UI) display of the graphical depiction comprises surfacing an icon substantially overlaying the peak points associated with each of the one or more candidate points, wherein the graphical depiction is a line graph indicating a movement in rank of the entity over time.

12. The one or more devices of claim 11, wherein the icon exposes information related to its respective peak point upon detecting a user-initiated indication thereof, wherein exposing information comprises causing an explanation object to be displayed in association with the icon, and wherein the explanation object communicates at least one representation of a user-submitted query to rationalize the indicated peak point.

13. A method for automatically selecting one or more candidate points on a graphical depiction of queries referencing an entity, the method comprising:

receiving from a search engine a user-initiated selection of the entity and a time frame in which the queries referencing the entity are to be retrieved, wherein the time frame is divided into temporal increments;

presenting on a user-interface (UI) display the graphical depiction of a rank of the entity over the time frame, wherein the rank represents a relative popularity of the entity, in relation to a plurality of entities of a predefined category, as determined from the user-submitted queries collected at a search engine;

automatically initiating a selection procedure for identifying the one or more candidate points on the graphical depiction that are each associated with a positive movement of the rank, wherein the selection procedure comprises;

(i) identifying locations on the graphical depiction between adjacent inclines and declines as peak points and valley points;

(ii) ascertaining the rank at the temporal increments corresponding with each of the peak points and the valley points;

(iii) deriving slope values based on an angle of inclination of the inclines; and

(iv) based on the rank of the peak points and the valley points, and

the derived slope values, selecting the one or more candidate points; and

surfacing the one or more selected candidate points by presenting, at the user-interface (UI) display, an indicator of each of the one or more selected candidate points on the graphical depiction.