Methods of and systems for searching by incorporating user-entered information

• US 9,092,523 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pinterest, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Search Engine Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Tanne, Michael, Lu, Yunshan, Karsh, Bruce D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arjomandi, Noosha
• Application Number:
  US11/364,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,438 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3326 using relevance feedback from the user, e.g. relevance feedback on documents, documents sets, document terms or passages
• 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: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking

Abstract

A system for and a method of using user-entered information to return more meaningful information in response to Internet search queries are disclosed. A method in accordance with the present invention comprises managing a database in response to multiple user inputs and displaying search results from the database in response to a search query. The search results include a results list and supplemental data related to the search query. Managing the database includes, among other things, re-ranking elements in the results list, storing information related to relevancies of elements in the results list, blocking a link in the results list, storing links to documents related to the search query, or any combination of these. The supplemental data include descriptions of or indices to one or more concepts related to the search query.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a) managing a database by an Internet search application in response to user input provided by one or more first users in response to one of visiting a Web site and performing a first search query, wherein the user input comprises relevance feedback;

b) ranking documents for including in a results list in response to a search query, by a search engine, an order in which the documents are ranked being influenced by the user input; and

c) presenting web page search results from the database in response to a second search query initiated by a second user different from the one or more first users, wherein the web page search results includes supplemental information related to the search query and a results list comprising a list of web pages related to the second search query, multiple users are able to modify the same portions of the supplemental information, which pages are presented and the order in which the web pages are presented are influenced by the relevance feedback received prior to the second search query, the relevance feedback is different from selection of a link to a web page in the results list, the supplemental information includes a user-entered description of a first concept related to the search query, and the user-entered description of the first concept contains one of a link to a description of a second concept related to the first concept or links to documents related to the first concept.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the database comprises computing the influence that relevance feedback has on the ranking of elements in the results list prior to initiation of the search query by the second user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the relevance feedback comprises an indication to block one or more entries in the results list by selection of a blocking mechanism.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information includes at least one of a user-entered description of a first concept related to the search query or hyperlinks to documents related to the search query, wherein managing the database comprises any one of adding, editing, and deleting the description of the first concept or the hyperlinks.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information includes a list of different concepts related to the search query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second concept is any one of a sub-category of the first concept, a co-occurrence of the first concept, and a concept whose occurrence is statistically related to occurrences of the first concept.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a relationship between the first concept and the second concept is determined by selecting one of predetermined criteria, user-entered categories, and a statistical relationship.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information comprises a link for automatically executing a second search query related to the first search query.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a term of the second search query is input by a user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein a term of the second search query is determined by a computer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the computer-determined term is derived from any one of its co-occurrence in a document containing a term of the first search query, its location within a document containing a term of the first search query, and a density of its occurrences in a document containing a term of the first search query.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a suspension criterion to suspend an ability of a user to provide relevance feedback.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the database comprises computing the influence that relevance feedback has on the ranking of elements in the results list subsequent to initiation of the search query by the user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the order in which the web pages are to be initially presented in the results list in response to the search query initiated by the user is influenced by relevance feedback received in the context of a previous search query.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the web pages are to be initially presented in the results list, and in which order the web pages are presented, in response to the search query initiated by the user is influenced by relevance feedback received in a context other than a previous search query.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the relevance feedback comprises information related to relevancies of elements in the results list or an indication of the user=s assessment of the quality or interest of the web page corresponding to an entry in the results list.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the indication of the user=s assessment of the quality or interest of the web page comprises either assigning a rating to the web page or indicating that the web page is more relevant or interesting, or less relevant or interesting.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information is presented separately from and independently of the entries in the results list.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information is input by a user.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental information is determined by a computer.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the Internet search application comprises a search engine and a content manager, wherein the content manager stores user input in the database, modifies user input in the database, deletes user input from the database, and any combination thereof.

22. A system comprising:

a) a Web server computer configured to present web page search results related to terms of a search query initiated by a user, wherein the web page search results include a results list comprising a list of web pages related to the terms of the search query, the order in which the web pages are presented in response to the search query being influenced by relevance feedback provided by multiple users prior to the search query, and wherein the relevance feedback is different from selection of a link to a web page in the results list;

b) a search engine for querying a database and providing the web page search results in response to user queries;

c) a content manager for managing the supplemental information in response to user input, wherein the user input comprises the relevance feedback; and

d) a first data store coupled to the content manager for storing supplemental information related to the search query, wherein the web page search results include the supplemental information, and multiple users are able to modify the same portions of the supplemental information, wherein after the second user modifies the supplemental information previously provided by a first user, any user, including the first user, is able to at least one of further modify the supplemental information or revert the modification of the second user.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the supplemental information includes at least one of a user-entered description of a first concept related to the search query or hyperlinks to documents related to the search query, wherein the user-entered description or the hyperlinks are presented separately from and independently of the entries in the results list, and wherein managing the database comprises any one of adding, editing, and deleting the description of the first concept or the hyperlinks.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the supplemental information includes a user-entered description of a first concept related to the search query, wherein the user-entered description of the first concept is presented separately from and independently of the entries in the results list, and wherein the user-entered description of the first concept contains one of a link to a description of a second concept related to the first concept or links to documents related to the first concept.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the supplemental information includes a list of different concepts related to the search query.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the content manager is configured to receive the user input to add, edit, or delete a link to a description of a second concept, and the description of the second concept is part of the supplemental information.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the supplemental information comprises a user-entered description of a first concept and the content manager is configured to receive the user input to add, edit, or delete the description of the first concept.

28. The system of claim 22, further comprising an area that displays links for automatically executing a second search query related to the first search query.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the order in which the web pages are to be initially presented in the results list in response to the search query initiated by the user is influenced by relevance feedback received in the context of a previous search query.

30. The system of claim 22, wherein the order in which the web pages are to be initially presented in the results list in response to the search query initiated by the user is influenced by relevance feedback received in a context other than a previous search query.

31. The system of claim 22, wherein the relevance feedback comprises an indication to block one or more entries in the results list by selection of a blocking mechanism.

32. The system of claim 22, wherein the Web server computer is configured to use a suspension criterion to suspend the ability of a user to provide relevance feedback.

33. The system of claim 22, wherein the supplemental information is displayed separately from and independently of the web pages in the web page results list and includes a user-entered description of a first concept related to the first search query.

34. The system of claim 22, wherein the supplemental information is read from a file.

35. The system of claim 22, wherein the relevance feedback comprises information related to relevancies of elements in the results list or an indication of the user=s assessment of the quality or interest of the web page corresponding to an entry in the results list.

36. A method comprising:

a) managing a database including user input, wherein the database comprises supplemental information, wherein the supplemental information includes at least one of a user-entered description of a first concept related to the search query or hyperlinks to documents related to the search query, and wherein managing the database comprises any one of adding, editing, and deleting the description of the first concept or the hyperlinks; and

b) presenting web page search results from the database in response to a search query initiated by a user, wherein the web page search results includes a results list and the supplemental information related to the search query, wherein the results list comprises a list of web pages related to the search query, and wherein multiple users are able to modify the same portions of the supplemental information regardless of the original source of the supplemental information.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the supplemental information is presented separately from and independently of the entries in the results list.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the supplemental information includes a user-entered description of a first concept related to the search query.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the user-entered description of the first concept contains one of a link to a description of a second concept related to the first concept or links to documents related to the first concept.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein the supplemental information includes a list of different concepts related to the search query.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein the order in which the web pages are initially presented is influenced by relevance feedback.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the order in which the web pages are to be initially presented in the results list in response to the search query initiated by the user is influenced by relevance feedback received in the context of a previous search query.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the order in which the web pages are to be initially presented in the results list in response to the search query initiated by the user is influenced by relevance feedback received in a context other than a previous search query.

44. A system comprising:

a) a Web server computer configured to present web page search results, wherein the web page search results include a results list and supplemental information related to terms of a search query initiated by a user, wherein the results list comprises a list of web pages related to the terms of the search query, and wherein multiple users are able to modify the same portions of the supplemental information regardless of the source of the supplemental information, wherein the supplemental information includes at least one of a user-entered description of a first concept related to the search query or hyperlinks to documents related to the search query, and wherein managing the database comprises any one of adding, editing, and deleting the description of the first concept or the hyperlinks;

b) a search engine for querying a database and providing the web page search results in response to user queries; and

c) a content manager for managing the supplemental information in response to user input.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the supplemental information is presented separately from and independently of the entries in the results list.

46. The system of claim 44, wherein the supplemental information includes a user-entered description of a first concept related to the search query.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the user-entered description of the first concept contains one of a link to a description of a second concept related to the first concept or links to documents related to the first concept.

48. The system of claim 44, wherein the supplemental information includes a list of different concepts related to the search query.

49. The system of claim 44, wherein the order in which the web pages are initially presented is influenced by relevance feedback.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the order in which the web pages are to be initially presented in the results list in response to the search query initiated by the user is influenced by relevance feedback received in the context of a previous search query.

51. The system of claim 49, wherein the order in which the web pages are to be initially presented in the results list in response to the search query initiated by the user is influenced by relevance feedback received in a context other than a previous search query.