Adaptive user interface for real-time search relevance feedback

• US 8,924,378 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Surf Canyon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Surf Canyon Incorporated
• Inventors: Cramer, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Anh
• Application Number:
  US14/018,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20140032311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 707/723, 707/753, 707/706, 707/703, 707/E17.014, 707/E17.032, 707/E17.108, 707/737, 707/736, 707/708, 707/707, 707/705, 707/730, 707/770, 707/731, 707/722, 707/805, 705/14, 705/26, 705/14.43, 705/14.54, 706/12, 706/14
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/337 Profile generation, learning or modification
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

A method and apparatus for dynamically adjusting the user interface of a search engine in order to effectively communicate the improved relevancy achieved through real-time implicit re-ranking of search results is described. Real-time implicit re-ranking occurs without delay after every user action as the search is being conducted, so finding methods of immediately altering the search page without disrupting the user experience is important. Graphical icons next to search results are employed to enable generating and removing re-ranked results, referred to as “recommended” search results. Clusters based on the real-time user model are also displayed to facilitate query reformulations. Sponsored links are selected using the real-time user model along with a combination of RPC and CTR information and are displayed in a manner similar to the organic results, or used to replace the initial sponsored links altogether.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage media having computer readable code thereon for dynamically modifying search results, comprising code for:

receiving one or more keywords for use as search terms from a user;

providing a first set of search result objects;

monitoring which document said user clicks on in interacting with said first set of search result objects;

compiling information to infer user intent based on said clicked documents;

upon said user clicking to return from said document to said set of search result objects including said document, immediately automatically re-ranking said first set of search result objects based on said inferred user intent, so that a user clicking on a single document from said first set of search result objects results in a re-ranking of said first set of search result objects, so that upon said user returning from said document to said first set of search result objects including said document the re-ranked results will be visible;

doing said re-ranking in a same browser session and on the existing search results page, without the user having to reload said search results page; and

moving forward a number of documents as a function of the quality of the documents being moved forward compared to documents already displayed to said user, wherein the function of quality comprises a determination of which documents are more relevant to said user'"'"'s inferred intent than documents already displayed;

compiling said re-ranked first set of search result objects; and

displaying to said user the re-ranked documents.

2. The computer readable media of claim 1 wherein said subsequent search result objects are a subsequent page of search result objects.

3. The computer readable media of claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring which objects said user skips; and

compiling information to infer user intent based on the content of any documents the user clicks on and said documents said user skips; and

compiling further information to infer user intent based on the content of said document the user clicks on and said documents said user skips.

4. The computer readable media of claim 3 further comprising:

code for using terms from the title and display text corresponding to objects skipped by a user as negative subordinate keywords; and

reducing the ranking of search results objects containing said negative subordinate keywords.

5. The computer readable media of claim 1 further comprising:

code for using terms from the title and display text corresponding to a selected object as subordinate keywords for generating said re-ranking of said set of search result objects.

6. The computer readable media of claim 1 further comprising:

code for cumulatively using analysis of user intent to re-rank said set of search result objects based on subsequent documents said user clicks on and skips.

7. The computer readable media of claim 1 further comprising:

code for re-ranking only search results of said set of search result objects on search result pages the user has not yet navigated to.

8. A system non-transitory computer readable storage media having computer readable code thereon for dynamically modifying search objects comprising code for:

receiving one or more keywords for use as search terms from a user;

providing a first set of search result objects;

monitoring which document said user clicks on in interacting with said first set of search result objects;

compiling information to infer user intent based on said clicked documents;

upon said user clicking to return from said document to said set of search result objects including said document, immediately automatically re-ranking said first set of search result objects based, on said inferred user intent, so that a user clicking on a single document from said first set of search result objects results in a re-ranking of said first set of search result objects, so that upon said user returning from said document to said first set of search result objects including said document the re-ranked results will be visible;

doing said re-ranking in a same browser session and on the existing search results page, without the user having the reload said search results page; and

moving forward a number of documents based on a plurality of possible inferences of user intent;

where said compiling of information determines that there are multiple possible sub-contexts for the user'"'"'s intent, represented as subordinate keywords with significant positive weights, and further comprising

displaying to said user the to re-ranked document from each of said sub-contexts based on different combinations of said subordinate keywords.

9. The computer readable media of claim 8 further comprising code for

providing a first set of advertisement objects related to said first set of search result objects

ranking and displaying said additional objects by replacing or supplementing ads with more targeted ads.

10. The computer readable media of claim 8 further comprising code for:

monitoring which objects said user skips; and

compiling information to infer user intent based on the content of any documents the user clicks on and said documents said user skips.

11. The computer readable media of claim 8 further comprising code for determining subordinate keywords is further configured to use terms from the title and display text corresponding to a selected object as subordinate keywords for generating a ranking of said set of search result objects.

12. The computer readable media of claim 8 further comprising code for using terms from the title and display text corresponding to objects skipped by a user as negative subordinate keywords;

and reduce the ranking of search results objects containing said negative subordinate keywords.

13. The computer readable media of claim 8 further comprising code for cumulatively using analysis of user intent to re-rank said set of search result objects based on subsequent documents said user clicks on and skips.

14. The computer readable media of claim 8 further comprising code for re-ranking only search results of said set of search result objects on search result pages the user has not yet navigated to.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage media having computer readable code thereon for dynamically modifying search results comprising code for:

receiving one or more keywords for use as search terms from a user;

providing a first set of search result objects;

providing a first set of advertisement objects related to said first set of search result objects;

monitoring which of said objects, search results and advertisements, is selected by said user;

compiling information to infer user intent based on said document the user clicks on;

automatically re-ranking said first set of search result objects based on said inferred user intent;

compiling said re-ranked first set of search result objects;

displaying to said user the re-ranked documents;

upon said user clicking to return from said object to said set of search result objects including said object, immediately automatically inserting into said first set of objects advertisement objects based on said inferred user intent, so that a user clicking on a single object from said first set of objects results in new advertisement objects, so that upon said user returning from said document to said first set of search result objects including said object the new advertisement objects will be visible;

doing said insertion based on determining subordinate keywords based on user clicking actions;

weighting said subordinate keywords in accordance with an inferred likelihood of user interest;

displaying ads based on the most highly weighted of said subordinate keywords.

16. The computer readable media of claim 15 further comprising said user providing an indication to display additional search result objects by selecting a next page of search result objects.

17. The computer readable media of claim 15 further comprising code for

monitoring which search result objects said user skips in interacting with said first set of search result objects;

and

providing negative subordinate keywords based on said skipped search result objects.

18. The computer readable media of claim 17 further comprising code for:

using terms from the title and display text corresponding to objects skipped by a user as negative subordinate keywords; and

reducing the ranking of search results objects containing said negative subordinate keywords.

19. The computer readable media of claim 15 further comprising code for:

providing a first set of advertisement objects related to said first set of search result objects;

re-ranking and displaying said search result objects by replacing or supplementing ads with more targeted ads.

20. The computer readable media of claim 15 further comprising code for:

cumulatively using analysis of user intent to re-rank said set of search result objects based on subsequent documents said user clicks on and skips.