System to generate related search queries

• US 9,183,309 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gupta, Raghav
• Primary Examiner(s): Rostami, Mohammad S
• Application Number:
  US13/485,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20120239679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Systems and methods described herein may operate to receive, at a search service, a first query from a user device corresponding to a current user of the search service, analyze existing search queries performed by users of the search service, and selectively provide, to the user device, a second query of the existing search queries as at least one of: a refinement of the first query based on determining that the second query includes all keywords in the first query, or an alternative to the first query based on determining that the second query lacks at least one keyword in the first query.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a search service, a first query from a user device corresponding to a current user of the search service;

analyzing, using one or more processors, existing search queries performed by users of the search service prior to the receiving of the first query, the analyzing the existing search queries including calculating a first count of a number of users who performed a matching query to the first query, performed a second query subsequent to the matching query, and performed at least one post search activity on one or more search results presented in response to the second query;

determining that the first count of the number of users exceeds a threshold; and

based on the determining that the first count of the number of users exceeds the threshold, automatically providing, to the user device, the second query of the existing search queries as at least one of;

a refinement of the first query based on determining that the second query includes all keywords in the first query, or an alternative to the first query based on determining that at least one keyword present in the received first query is missing from the second query of the existing search queries performed prior to the received first query by the users of the search service.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively providing comprises:

providing the refinement of the first query in a first position of a page, and the alternative to the first query in a second position of the page distinctive from the first position.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second query comprises a plurality of queries, wherein the selectively providing comprises:

concurrently providing a first group of the plurality of queries as the refinement of the first query, and a second group of the plurality of queries as the alternative to the first query.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the concurrently providing comprises:

signaling the user device to display the refinement and the alternative as distinctive from each other.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating comprises:

refraining from increasing the first count based on determining that a third query was performed subsequent to the same query being performed and prior to the second query being performed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second query comprises a plurality of queries, and wherein the automatically designating comprises:

determining a rank of at least one of the plurality of queries based on the first count of a corresponding one of the plurality of queries.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises:

calculating a second count of a number of keywords in the second query; and

refraining from designating the second query as a recommended query based on determining that the second count exceeds a second threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises:

checking whether the second query includes a search operator; and

refraining from designating the second query as a recommended query based on determining that the second query includes the search operator.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises:

checking whether a category constraint is the same for both the first query and the second query; and

refraining from designating the second query as a recommended query based on determining that the category constrain is not the same for both the first query and the second query.

10. A system comprising:

memory to store search history information; and

one or more processors to execute a query recommendation engine, the query recommendation engine configured to;

receive a first query from a user device corresponding to a current user of a search service;

analyze existing search queries performed by users of the search service prior to the receiving of the first query and to calculate a first count of a number of users who performed a matching query to the first query, performed a second query subsequent to the matching query, and performed at least one post search activity on one or more search results presented in response to the second query;

determine that the first count of the number of users exceeds a threshold; and

based on the determining that the first count of the number of users exceeds the threshold, automatically provide, to the user device, the second query of the existing search queries as at least one of;

a refinement of the first query based on determining that the second query includes all keywords in the first query, or an alternative to the first query based on determining that at least one keyword present in the received first query is missing from the second query of the existing search queries performed prior to the received first query by the users of the search service.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the query recommendation engine is configured to:

provide the refinement of the first query in a first position of a page, and the alternative to the first query in a second position of the page distinctive from the first position.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the second query comprises a plurality of queries, wherein the query recommendation engine is configured to:

concurrently provide a first group of the plurality of queries as the refinement of the first query, and a second group of the plurality of queries as the alternative to the first query.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the query recommendation engine is configured to:

signal the user device to display the refinement and the alternative as distinctive from each other.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one post-search activity comprises at least one of purchasing one or more products or services identified by the one or more search results, placing a bid in an auction for the one or more products or services, or sending an inquiry for information for the one or more products or services.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the query recommendation engine is configured to:

signal the user device to display the second query as previously submitted from corresponding one or more of the users.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the query recommendation engine is configured to:

check whether the second query includes a grammatical error; and

refrain from designating the second query as a recommended query based on determining that the second query includes the grammatical error.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the first query includes a product title, and wherein the query recommendation engine is configured to:

check whether one or more keywords of the second query overlap with the product title; and

refrain from designating the second query as a recommendation query based on determining that the one or more keywords overlap with the product title.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a search service, a first query from a user device corresponding to a current user of the search service;

analyzing existing search queries performed by users of the search service prior to the receiving of the first query, the analyzing the existing search queries including calculating a first count of a number of users who performed a matching query to the first query, performed a second query subsequent to the matching query, and performed at least one post search activity on one or more search results presented in response to the second query;

determining that the first count of the number of users exceeds a threshold; and

based on the determining that the first count of the number of users exceeds the threshold, automatically providing, to the user device, the second query of the existing search queries as at least one of;

a refinement of the first query based on determining that the second query includes all keywords in the first query, or an alternative to the first query based on determining that at least one keyword present in the received first query is missing from the second query of the existing search queries performed prior to the received first query by the users of the search service.