Repetitive fusion search method for search system

• US 8,972,370 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Denki University
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Denki University
• Inventors: Tsuruta, Setsuo, Sakurai, Yoshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US12/196,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20100036802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,385 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706, 707/758, 707/768, 707/784, 707/723, 707732-734, 707/751
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

Provided in the present invention is a repetitive fusion search method for a search system, in which: a search interface 20 displays parameter numerical value setting fields 25 for setting a numerical value for each of multiple instinct based feature parameters in order to input instinct based rating information, and a text input field 24 and a keyword selection field 26 for inputting keywords; and a search engine 13 searches, in response to search inputs input by a searcher using the search interface, a search target database 11 based on the keywords and extracts relevant targets, determines priority for the relevant targets based on the instinct based rating information, and transmits the relevant targets to the search interface 20.

Claims

1. A repetitive fusion search system comprising:

a search target database that is configured to store information about targets to be searched for;

a searcher information database that is configured to store information about a searcher;

a search interface of a computing system that is configured to display a parameter numerical value setting field configured to receive one or more numerical values for one or more instinct based search parameters and a keyword input field configured to receive one or more keywords, wherein the search interface is also configured to receive, from the searcher, input information that includes at least a keyword and a numerical value corresponding to at least one instinct based search parameter to be used for a search, and wherein the search interface is further configured to display the input information and a search result;

a search engine that is configured to search the search target database and the searcher information database based on the input information, wherein the search engine is also configured to extract one or more relevant targets, determine a priority of the one or more relevant targets based at least on the numerical value corresponding to the at least one instinct based search parameter, and transmit the one or more relevant targets as the search result to the search interface, and wherein, in response to a selection of a search target by the searcher, the search engine is further configured to estimate, based on a deviation of a search parameter set for the selected search target from the numerical value in the input information, an instinct based search parameter setting criterion deviation for the at least one instinct based search parameter associated with the selected search target; and

a database management unit that is configured to manage entering and updating of data in the search target database and the searcher information database.

2. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 1, wherein the search engine is further configured to:

perform a first search based on a first instinct based search parameter with a highest search parameter significance level for which a numerical value is not entered by the searcher in the search interface, to extract a first relevant target as a result of the first search, and to provide the first relevant target as a first alternative for the search result to the search interface; and

perform a second search based on a second instinct based search parameter with a second highest search parameter significance level for which a numerical value is not entered by the searcher in the search interface, to extract a second relevant target as a result of the second search, and to provide the second relevant target as a second alternative for the search result.

3. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 1, wherein:

the searcher information database is configured to store a history of input information and target selections received from the searcher; and

the search engine is configured to estimate, with respect to the input information input by the searcher, search tendency information for the at least one instinct based search parameter and a search parameter significance level based on the history of input information, wherein the search engine is also configured to search the search target database by adjusting the input information using the estimation result or by adjusting a matching degree calculation between the input information and the one or more relevant targets.

4. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 3, wherein, in response to a selection of a search target by the searcher, the search engine is configured to determine a match rate between a search parameter associated with the selected search target and the at least one instinct based search parameter for which the numerical value was included in the input information, and wherein the search engine is configured to estimate a search parameter significance level for the search parameter based on the match rate.

5. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 3, wherein the search engine is configured to obtain a search input distribution for the searcher based on the history of input information for the searcher and to set a significance level for the at least one instinct based search parameter based on a size of the search input distribution.

6. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 3, wherein the search engine is configured to obtain an input percentage for each search input for the searcher based on the history of input information for the searcher and to identify a preferred search input for the searcher based on the input percentage.

7. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 3, wherein the search engine is configured to identify search parameters set for search targets selected in the past based on the history of input information for the searcher and to identify a search input as a preference search input based on the identified search parameters.

8. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 3, wherein the search engine is configured to store information regarding a search session in a short-term memory until the search session ends, and wherein the search engine is configured to store the information for the search session in a long-term memory when the search session ends.

9. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 8, wherein the search engine is configured to estimate searcher tendency information based on the information for the search session stored in the long-term memory.

10. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 3, wherein:

the search engine is configured to obtain, in response to a selection of a search target in the search interface, a setting criterion deviation of the numerical value received for the at least one instinct based search parameter for the search target from a set value for the at least one instinct based search parameter, and to store the setting criterion deviation for the at least one instinct based search parameter in the searcher information database; and

the search engine is configured to correct a newly-input numerical value setting for the at least one instinct based search parameter based on the setting criterion deviation, and to search the search target database with the corrected numerical value setting for the at least one instinct based search parameter as a search condition.

11. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 3, wherein:

the search engine is configured to calculate a matching degree for each of the one or more relevant targets by weighting, by the search parameter significance level, deviation of the input information from instinct based search parameters set for the one or more relevant targets, wherein the search engine is also configured to sum weighted deviations and display in the search interface the one or more relevant targets in descending order of the matching degree.

12. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 3, wherein, if no search target matches the input information, the search engine is configured to repeat searches by relaxing search conditions, starting from an instinct based search parameter with a lowest search parameter significance level.

13. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 3, wherein the search engine is configured to obtain a past search tendency for the searcher based on the history of input information for the searcher, to receive a response from the searcher regarding the search result, and to update the past search tendency of the searcher based on the response.

14. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 3, wherein the search engine is configured to obtain an input percentage for each search input based on the history of input information for the searcher, to identify a search input with a highest input percentage as a preferred search input for the searcher, and to search the search target database using the preferred search input.

15. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 3, wherein the search engine is configured to learn how the searcher configures search settings during one or more search sessions and to identify a search condition setting with a highest usage frequency, and wherein the search engine is configured to search the search target database based on the search condition setting with the highest usage frequency.

16. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 3, wherein the search engine is configured to receive a preference set by the searcher with reference to a search situation, and to search the search target database based on the preference.

17. The repetitive fusion search system according to claim 3, wherein:

the search engine is configured to divide features of a search target into multiple instinct based search parameters, and to display in the search interface a parameter numerical value setting field for each of the multiple instinct based search parameters, wherein the search engine is configured to receive, for each of the multiple instinct based search parameters, a value set in the parameter numerical value setting field in the search interface by the searcher;

the search engine is configured to determine a deviation of the value for each instinct based search parameter set by the searcher from a setting criterion value for each instinct based search parameter in the system based on the history of input information from the searcher;

the search engine is configured to obtain a corrected numerical value for each instinct based search parameter by correcting the deviation of the value for each instinct based search parameter set by the searcher from the setting criterion value for each instinct based search parameter in the system; and

the search engine is configured to search the search target database using the corrected search numerical value for each instinct based search parameter.