Ranking custom search results

• US 8,849,817 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Mysen, Clarence Christopher, Verma, Naval, Chen, Johnny
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatia, Ajay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mueller, Kurt
• Application Number:
  US13/174,442
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 707/732
• US Class Current: 707/732
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• 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

A system searches a first search index based on a search query to obtain first search results and searches a second search index based on the search query to obtain second search results. The system further ranks the first search results using a first ranking algorithm and one or more first ranking parameters to produce ranked first search results, and ranks the second search results using a second ranking algorithm and one or more second ranking parameters to produce second search results, where the one or more first ranking parameters are different than the one or more second ranking parameters and where the one or more second ranking parameters include at least one of previous user feedback associated with custom content that corresponds to the second search index, annotations of the custom content provided by a user, or usage patterns associated with users previously accessing and searching the custom content. The system also provides the ranked first and second search results to a user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a search query requesting a search of custom content resources, wherein a custom content resource is a resource in a collection of resources exposed to a search engine by a user;

obtaining a custom content search result that a search engine has identified in response to the search query using a custom search index generated from the collection of custom content resources exposed to the search engine by the user, the custom content search result identifying a custom content resource in the collection of resources exposed to the search engine by the user;

obtaining an indication of relative importance for the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result, the indication of relative importance being a measure of importance of the custom content resource assigned by the user that exposed the collection of resources, including the custom content resource, to the search engine, the indication of relative importance indicating a measure of importance of the custom content resource relative to other resources in the collection of resources exposed to the search engine by the user;

determining a score for the custom content search result based on one or more user-specified ranking parameters, the one or more user-specified ranking parameters including the indication of relative importance assigned by the user that exposed the collection of resources, including the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result, to the search engine; and

ranking the custom content search result with one or more other search results using the determined score.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein ranking the custom content search result with one or more other search results using the determined score comprises ranking the custom content search result relative to a web search result, the web search result identifying a web resource that was not exposed to the search engine by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein access to the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result is based on user authentication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more user-specified ranking parameters include an indication of relative value of the custom content resource.

26. The method of claim 2, wherein the web search result has an associated second score, the second score being based on one or more other ranking parameters other than the one or more user-specified ranking parameters.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining an indication of relative importance for the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result comprises:

identifying an annotation associated with a portion of the custom content resources that includes multiple custom content resources including the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result, wherein the annotation indicates an importance of each of the multiple custom content resources in the portion of the custom content resources relative to other custom content resources in one or more other portions of the custom content resources.

5. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a search query requesting a search of custom content resources, wherein a custom content resource is a resource in a collection of resources exposed to a search engine by a user;

obtaining a custom content search result that a search engine has identified in response to the search query using a custom search index generated from the collection of custom content resources exposed to the search engine by the user, the custom content search result identifying a custom content resource in the collection of resources exposed to the search engine by the user;

obtaining an indication of relative quality for the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result, the indication of relative quality being a measure of quality of the custom content resource assigned by the user that exposed the collection of resources, including the custom content resource, to the search engine, the indication of relative quality indicating a measure of quality of the custom content resource relative to other resources in the collection of resources exposed to the search engine by the user;

determining a score for the custom content search result based on one or more user-specified ranking parameters, the one or more user-specified ranking parameters including the indication of relative quality assigned by the user that exposed the collection of resources, including the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result, to the search engine; and

ranking the custom content search result with one or more other search results using the determined score.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more user-specified ranking parameters include an indication of relative value of the custom content resource.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein ranking the custom content search result with one or more other search results using the determined score comprises ranking the custom content search result relative to a web search result, the web search result identifying a web resource that was not exposed to the search engine by the user.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein access to the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result is based on user authentication.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the user-specified indication of relative quality for the custom content resource was received after one or more users were presented with a custom content search result provided in response to a query.

10. The method of claim 5, comprising:

providing the custom content search result and the one or more other search results in a search results page that includes a content rating window that permits a second user to provide an indication of relative quality for the custom content resource; and

receiving, from the second user, a second user-specified indication of relative quality for the custom content resource.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein determining a score for the custom content search result based on the one or more user-specified ranking parameters including the user-specified indication of relative quality includes determining the score based on a user feedback weight that is particular to a user that provided the user-specified indication of relative quality for the custom content resource.

28. The method of claim 7, wherein the web search result has an associated second score, the second score being based on one or more other ranking parameters other than the one or more user-specified ranking parameters.

12. 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 a search query requesting a search of custom content resources, wherein a custom content resource is a resource in a collection of resources exposed to a search engine by a user;

obtaining a custom content search result that a search engine has identified in response to the search query using a custom search index generated from the collection of custom content resources exposed to the search engine by the user, the custom content search result identifying a custom content resource in the collection of resources exposed to the search engine by the user;

obtaining an indication of relative quality for the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result, the indication of relative quality being a measure of quality of the custom content resource assigned by the user that exposed the collection of resources, including the custom content resource, to the search engine, the indication of relative quality indicating a measure of quality of the custom content resource relative to other resources in the collection of resources exposed to the search engine by the user;

determining a score for the custom content search result based on one or more user-specified ranking parameters, the one or more user-specified ranking parameter including the indication of relative quality assigned by the user that exposed the collection of resources, including the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result, to the search engine; and

ranking the custom content search result with one or more other search results using the determined score.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more user-specified ranking parameters include an indication of relative value of the custom content resource.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein ranking the custom content search result with one or more other search results using the determined score comprises ranking the custom content search result relative to a web search result, the web search result identifying a web resource that was not exposed to the search engine by the user.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein access to the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result is based on user authentication.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the user-specified indication of relative quality for the custom content resource was received after one or more users were presented with a custom content search result provided in response to a query.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations comprise:

providing the custom content search result and the one or more other search results in a search results page that includes a content rating window that permits a second user to provide an indication of relative quality for the custom content resource; and

receiving, from the second user, a second user-specified indication of relative quality for the custom content resource.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein determining a score for the custom content search result based on the one or more user-specified ranking parameters including the user-specified indication of relative quality includes determining the score based on a user feedback weight that is particular to a user that provided the user-specified indication of relative quality for the custom content resource.

29. The system of claim 14, wherein the web search result has an associated second score, the second score being based on one or more other ranking parameters other than the one or more user-specified ranking parameters.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving a search query requesting a search of custom content resources, wherein a custom content resource is a resource in a collection of resources exposed to a search engine by a user;

obtaining a custom content search result that a search engine has identified in response to the search query using a custom search index generated from the collection of custom content resources exposed to the search engine by the user, the custom content search result identifying a custom content resource in the collection of resources exposed to the search engine by the user;

obtaining an indication of relative quality for the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result, the indication of relative quality being a measure of quality of the custom content resource assigned by the user that exposed the collection of resources, including the custom content resource, to the search engine, the indication of relative quality indicating a measure of quality of the custom content resource relative to other resources in the collection of resources exposed to the search engine by the user;

determining a score for the custom content search result based on one or more user-specified ranking parameters, the one or more user-specified ranking parameters including the indication of relative quality assigned by the user that exposed the collection of resources, including the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result, to the search engine; and

ranking the custom content search result with one or more other search results using the determined score.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the one or more user-specified ranking parameters include an indication of relative value of the custom content resource.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein ranking the custom content search result with one or more other search results using the determined score comprises ranking the custom content search result relative to a web search result, the web search result identifying a web resource that was not exposed to the search engine by the user.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein access to the custom content resource identified by the custom content search result is based on user authentication.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the user-specified indication of relative quality for the custom content resource was received after one or more users were presented with a custom content search result provided in response to a query.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the operations comprise:

providing the custom content search result and the one or more other search results in a search results page that includes a content rating window that permits a second user to provide an indication of relative quality for the custom content resource; and

receiving, from the second user, a second user-specified indication of relative quality for the custom content resource.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein determining a score for the custom content search result based on the one or more user-specified ranking parameters including the user-specified indication of relative quality includes determining the score based on a user feedback weight that is particular to a user that provided the user-specified indication of relative quality for the custom content resource.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the web search result has an associated second score, the second score being based on one or more other ranking parameters other than the one or more user-specified ranking parameters.