Providing comparison experiences in response to search queries

• US 8,805,750 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2009
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bailey, Peter, Chen, Liwei, Ahari, Sanaz, Malhotra, Nipoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Mai T
• Application Number:
  US12/641,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20110153528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: 706/12, 707/723, 707/769
• US Class Current: 706/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Computer-readable media, computer systems, and computing devices facilitate providing a comparison experience to a user in response to a search query. Upon receiving a search query from the user, entities are extracted from the query. The entities are associated with entity classes. The entities, entity classes, previous user behavior, and other information are used to infer whether the user likely is engaging in a comparison task. If the inference indicates that the user likely is engaging in a comparison task, a comparison experience is generated and access to the comparison experience is provided to the user.

Claims

1. One or more memory devices storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device having a processor and a memory associated with a search service, cause the computing device to perform a method of providing a comparison experience in response to a search query, the method comprising:

receiving a search query from a user;

determining that the user is engaging in a comparison task by classifying one or more entities of the search query; and

providing a comparison experience to the user in response to determining that the user is engaging in a comparison task.

2. The one or more memory devices of claim 1, wherein the search query includes a first entity.

3. The one or more memory devices of claim 2, wherein determining that the user is engaging in a comparison task includes determining that the search query includes an explicit comparison call.

4. The one or more memory devices of claim 3, wherein the explicit comparison call includes a keyword that indicates that the user is searching for comparison information associated with the first entity and a second entity, wherein the search query includes a second entity that is different than the first entity.

5. The one or more memory devices of claim 2, wherein determining that the user is engaging in a comparison task further includes:

associating the first entity with a first entity class;

referencing an entity dictionary to identify that the entity dictionary includes a third entity associated with the first entity class, wherein the third entity is different than the first entity; and

determining that the third entity had been extracted from a previous search query received from the user.

6. The one or more memory devices of claim 5, wherein determining that the user is engaging in a comparison task includes calculating a confidence interval that represents a likelihood that the user is engaging in a comparison task.

7. The one or more memory devices of claim 6, wherein the confidence interval is based on a number of times that entities associated with the first entity class have been extracted from search queries previously received from the user.

8. The one or more memory devices of claim 6, wherein the confidence interval is based on an amount of time between extraction of the third entity from the previous query received from the user and extraction of the first entity from the search query received from the user.

9. The one or more memory devices of claim 2, wherein the comparison experience includes a side-by-side display of comparison information associated with the first entity and another entity that is different from the first entity.

10. A computing device associated with a search service, wherein the computing device facilitates providing a computer implemented system that provides comparison experiences, the computing device comprising:

a system bus;

a communication connection coupled to the system bus, the communication connection connecting a network to the system bus, wherein a remote computer associated with a user communicates with the computing device associated with the search service via the network;

a processor coupled to the system bus; and

a memory coupled to the system bus, the memory having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to implement a plurality of components, the plurality of components comprising;

an entity extraction component that extracts one or more entities from a search query submitted by the user;

a classification component that associates each of the one or more extracted entities from the search query submitted by the user with at least one entity class;

an inference component that determines a likelihood that the user is engaging in a comparison task, wherein the likelihood is represented by a confidence interval calculated by the inference component; and

a comparison experience component that generates a comparison experience and provides the user access to the comparison experience, wherein a nature of access provided to the user is based on the confidence interval.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of components further includes a learning component that analyzes historical behavior associated with the user and provides the results of the analysis to the inference component, which uses the results of the analysis to calculate confidence intervals in response to subsequent search queries received from the user.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the learning component further analyzes historical behavior associated with a plurality of additional users and provides the results of the further analysis to the inference component, which uses the results of the further analysis in calculating a likelihood that particular query patterns indicate a likelihood that the user is engaging in a comparison task.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the classification component references an entity dictionary to identify at least one entity class to which a first entity of the one or more extracted entities belongs.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the comparison experience includes a side-by-side display of comparison information associated with the first entity and a second entity.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the comparison information includes subjective comparison information and objective comparison information, and further wherein the subjective comparison information includes an aggregation of user reviews associated with an entity.

16. One or more memory devices storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device having a processor and a memory, cause the computing device to perform a method of providing a comparison experience in response to a search query, the method comprising:

receiving a first search query from a user;

extracting a first entity from the first search query;

updating an entity dictionary with data regarding the first entity, wherein the data regarding the first entity includes an indication of when the first search query containing the first entity was received;

associating the first entity from the first search query with a first entity class;

receiving a second search query from the user, wherein the second search query is received at some time after receiving the first search query from the user;

extracting a second entity from the second search query;

associating the second entity from the second search query with the first entity class;

determining that the first entity from the first search query and the second entity from the second search query are not the same entity;

generating a comparison experience in response to determining that the first entity from the first search query and the second entity from the second search query are not the same entity, wherein the comparison experience includes a side-by-side display of comparison information associated with the first entity from the first search query and the second entity from the second search query; and

providing the comparison experience to the user.

17. The one or more memory devices of claim 16, further comprising determining that the first entity was previously extracted from the first search query received from the user.

18. The one or more memory devices of claim 17, further comprising determining a confidence interval representing a likelihood that the user is engaging in a comparison task when the user submits the second search query, wherein the confidence interval is calculated based on a history of the user'"'"'s search activities pertaining to the first entity.

19. The one or more memory devices of claim 18, wherein the history of the user'"'"'s search activities pertaining to the first entity includes data indicating a number of times that the first entity was extracted from a search query received from the user and an amount of time that has passed between extraction of the first entity from the first search query and receiving the second search query from the user.

20. The one or more memory devices of claim 19, further comprising determining whether the confidence interval is greater than a predetermined threshold, wherein if the confidence interval is not greater than the predetermined threshold, the method further includes:

providing a selectable option for displaying the comparison experience, wherein the selectable option is provided on a search results page presented to the user in response to receiving the second search query; and

receiving a user selection of the selectable option.