Endorsing search results

• US 8,825,639 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Dynin, Misha
• Primary Examiner(s): REYES, MARIELA D
• Application Number:
  US10/879,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20070203887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,716 Days
• Field of Search: 707/723, 707/731, 707/732, 707/733
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

Methods and systems for improving user search experience with a search engine by providing a way for associated users to create and share personalized lists of article identifiers through endorsements of articles. Search endorsements can be used to personalize the search engine'"'"'s ranking of articles by offering a way for users to re-rank the article identifiers for themselves and for those who trust them.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving machine-readable member profile information characterizing a first member and a second member in a member network;

receiving a first search query submitted by the first member and a second search query submitted by the second member;

responding to each of the first search query and the second search query with a) links to a collection of articles and b) one or more links for receiving input characterizing respectively ratings of the first member and ratings of the second member of articles in the collection;

receiving a selection by the first member of a link for receiving input characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating of a first of the articles in the collection;

receiving a selection by the second member of a second link for receiving input characterizing the second member'"'"'s rating of the first of the articles;

storing machine-readable information characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating and machine-readable information characterizing the second member'"'"'s rating;

receiving a third search query submitted by a third member, wherein the third search query is identical or relevant to the first search query and the second search query and the third member is not explicitly associated with the first member in the member network;

determining a collection of articles that are responsive to the third search query, wherein the collection includes the first of the articles;

identifying that the member profile information of the first member in the member network is associated with the third search query by virtue of the member profile information describing that the first member has expertise in a field associated with the third search query; and

providing the third member with information describing the collection of articles responsive to the third search query and information describing an availability of the information characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating of the first of the articles, wherein the information provided to the third member excludes any indication that information characterizing the second member'"'"'s rating of the first of the articles has been received.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ratings of the first of the articles comprise one or more of:

a binary positive or negative rating,

a scaled grade, and

a comment characterizing a member'"'"'s rating of an article.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selection by the first member of the link for receiving input characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating of the first of the articles in the collection comprises receiving the selection by the first member who is provided with a financial incentive to rate the first of the articles.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving a rating of the first of the articles independent of any search query.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable information characterizing the ratings of the first of the articles includes information that characterizes the members'"'"' ratings of the various articles based on a scaled grade.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first member'"'"'s input characterizing the first of the articles comprises a comment characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating of the first article.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, from among a plurality of different types or degrees of associations between the members in the member network, a particular type or degree of an association in the member network between the third member and the first member; and

ranking the collection of articles responsive to the third search query based on the particular type or degree of the association in the member network between the first member and the third member;

wherein providing the third member with information describing the collection of articles responsive to the third search query comprises formatting the information in an arrangement that corresponds to the ranking of the collection of articles responsive to the third search query.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the degree of the association in the member network between the first member and the third member indicates a number of intermediate relationships that separate the first member and the third member.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of different types of associations between the members in the member network include at least one of friendship associations, business associations, family associations, community associations, and school associations.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining a level of the particular type of association in the member network between the third member and the first member, the level indicating a relative strength of the particular type of association between the third member and the first member;

and

wherein ranking the collection of articles responsive to the third search query is further based on the level of the particular type of association in the member network between the third member and the first member.

11. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving machine-readable member profile information characterizing a first member and a second member in a member network;

receiving a first search query submitted by the first member and a second search query submitted by the second member;

responding to each of the first search query and the second search query with a) links to a collection of articles and b) one or more links for receiving input characterizing respectively ratings of the first member and ratings of the second member of articles in the collection;

receiving a selection by the first member of a link for receiving input characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating of a first of the articles in the collection;

receiving a selection by the second member of a second link for receiving input characterizing the second member'"'"'s rating of the first of the articles;

storing machine-readable information characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating and machine-readable information characterizing the second member'"'"'s rating;

receiving a third search query submitted by a third member, wherein the third search query is identical or relevant to the first search query and the second search query and the third member is not explicitly associated with the first member in the member network;

determining a collection of articles that are responsive to the third search query, wherein the collection includes the first of the articles;

identifying that the member profile information of the first member in the member network is associated with the third search query by virtue of the member profile information describing that the first member has expertise in a field associated with the third search query; and

providing the third member with information describing the collection of articles responsive to the third search query and information describing an availability of the information characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating of the first of the articles, wherein the information provided to the third member excludes any indication that information characterizing the second member'"'"'s rating of the first of the articles has been received.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the ratings of the first of the articles comprise one or more of:

a binary positive or negative rating,

a scaled grade, and

a comment characterizing a member'"'"'s rating of an article.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein receiving the selection by the first member of the link for receiving input characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating of the first of the articles in the collection comprises receiving the selection by the first member who is provided with a financial incentive to rate the first of the articles.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising receiving a rating of the first of the articles independent of any search query.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the machine-readable information characterizing the ratings of the first of the articles includes information that characterizes the members'"'"' ratings of the various articles based on a scaled grade.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first member'"'"'s input characterizing the first of the articles comprises a comment characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating of the first article.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 11, the operations further comprising:

determining, from among a plurality of different types or degrees of associations between the members in the member network, a particular type or degree of an association in the member network between the third member and the first member; and

ranking the collection of articles responsive to the third search query based on the particular type or degree of the association in the member network between the first member and the third member;

wherein providing the third member with information describing the collection of articles responsive to the third search query comprises formatting the information in an arrangement that corresponds to the ranking of the collection of articles responsive to the third search query.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein the degree of the association in the member network between the first member and the third member indicates a number of intermediate relationships that separate the first member and the third member.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 17, wherein the plurality of different types of associations between the members in the member network include at least one of friendship associations, business associations, family associations, community associations, and school associations.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising determining a level of the particular type of association in the member network between the third member and the first member, the level indicating a relative strength of the particular type of association between the third member and the first member;

and

wherein ranking the collection of articles responsive to the third search query is further based on the level of the particular type of association in the member network between the third member and the first member.

21. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving machine-readable member profile information characterizing a first member and a second member in a member network;

receiving a first search query submitted by the first member and a second search query submitted by the second member;

responding to each of the first search query and the second search query with a) links to a collection of articles and b) one or more links for receiving input characterizing respectively ratings of the first member and ratings of the second member of articles in the collection;

receiving a selection by the first member of a link for receiving input characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating of a first of the articles in the collection;

receiving a selection by the second member of a second link for receiving input characterizing the second member'"'"'s rating of the first of the articles;

storing machine-readable information characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating and machine-readable information characterizing the second member'"'"'s rating;

receiving a third search query submitted by a third member, wherein the third search query is identical or relevant to the first search query and the second search query and the third member is not explicitly associated with the first member in the member network;

determining a collection of articles that are responsive to the third search query, wherein the collection includes the first of the articles;

identifying that the member profile information of the first member in the member network is associated with the third search query by virtue of the member profile information describing that the first member has expertise in a field associated with the third search query; and

providing the third member with information describing the collection of articles responsive to the third search query and information describing an availability of the information characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating of the first of the articles, wherein the information provided to the third member excludes any indication that information characterizing the second member'"'"'s rating of the first of the articles has been received.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the ratings of the first of the articles comprise one or more of:

a binary positive or negative rating,

a scaled grade, and

a comment characterizing a member'"'"'s rating of an article.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein receiving the selection by the first member of the link for receiving input characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating of the first of the articles in the collection comprises receiving the selection by the first member who is provided with a financial incentive to rate the first of the articles.

24. The system of claim 21, the operations further receiving a rating of the first of the articles independent of any search query.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the machine-readable information characterizing the ratings of the first of the articles includes information that characterizes the members'"'"' ratings of the various articles based on a scaled grade.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the first member'"'"'s input characterizing the first of the articles comprises a comment characterizing the first member'"'"'s rating of the first article.