System and method for compiling search results using information regarding length of time users spend interacting with individual search results

• US 9,262,526 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2010
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haystack Ws Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alaska Consumer Oil and Gas, LLC
• Inventors: Muth, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, BAI DUC
• Application Number:
  US12/695,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20110184925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,210 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• 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: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A system and method for producing more relevant search results. When a user selects a search result from a search result listing, the amount of time that the user spends interacting with the item associated with the search result is tracked. Such information regarding interaction time is compiled and is used as a factor in assessing relevance of items in future searches.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of processing search engine search results, comprising:

determining a length of time spent by a user on a web page associated with a search result;

using said length of time to update a temporal coefficient representing a typical length of time users spend on said web page after being directed there in response to a same or similar search; and

calculating a degree of relevance of said web page to a second, separate, search using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a search result ranking for said second, separate, search based at least in part on the calculated degree of relevance.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining and calculating operations are performed by a computing device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining operation comprises measuring a length of time spent by a user on a web page associated with a search result.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining operation comprises receiving information regarding a length of time spent by a user on a web page associated with a search result.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the following operations performed prior to the determining operation:

receiving a search query from a user;

providing a search result listing in response to said query; and

causing a web page to be displayed on a user access device in response to a selection by the user from said search result listing.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said temporal coefficient represents an average length of time users spend on said web page after being directed there in response to a same or similar search.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said temporal coefficient represents an average length of time users spend listening to said audio file after being directed to it in response to a same or similar search.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said temporal coefficient represents an average length of time users spend viewing said database entry after being directed to it in response to a same or similar search.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said calculating a degree of relevance of said web page to a second, separate, search using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient comprises calculating a degree of relevance of said web page to a subsequent search performed by a second user using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said temporal coefficient represents a median length of time users spend on said web page after being directed there in response to a same or similar search.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the determined length of time in memory for future calculations of the temporal coefficient.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining an amount of information on the web page associated with the search result; and

weighing the length of time spent by the user on the web page against the amount of information on the web page; and

wherein the length of time spent by the user on the web page, weighted against the amount of information on the web page, is used to update the temporal coefficient.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

comparing the length of time spent by the user on the web page with a predetermined threshold length of time;

wherein if the length of time spent by the user on the web page is greater than the predetermined threshold length of time, said length of time is not used to update the temporal coefficient.

15. A computer-implemented method of processing a search result generated by an automated search for audio files, comprising:

determining a length of time spent by a user listening to an audio file associated with a search result;

using said length of time to update a temporal coefficient representing a typical length of time users spend listening to said audio file after being directed to it in response to a same or similar search; and

calculating a degree of relevance of said audio file to a second, separate, search using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising determining a search result ranking for said second, separate, search based at least in part on the calculated degree of relevance.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the determining and calculating operations are performed by a computing device.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the determining operation comprises measuring a length of time spent by a user listening to an audio file associated with a search result.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising the following operations performed prior to the determining operation:

receiving a search query from a user;

providing a search result listing in response to said query; and

causing an audio file to be played on a user device in response to a selection by the user from said search result listing.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein said calculating a degree of relevance of said audio file to a second, separate, search using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient comprises calculating a degree of relevance of said audio file to a subsequent search performed by a second user using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein said temporal coefficient represents a median length of time users spend listening to said audio file after being directed to it in response to a same or similar search.

22. The method of claim 15 further comprising storing the determined length of time in memory for future calculations of the temporal coefficient.

23. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

comparing the length of time spent by the user listening to the audio file against a total playing length of the audio file to determine a listening ratio; and

wherein the listening ratio is used to update the temporal coefficient.

24. A computer-implemented method of processing a search result generated by an automated database search, comprising:

determining a length of time spent by a user viewing a database entry associated with a search result;

using said length of time to update a temporal coefficient representing a typical length of time users spend viewing said database entry after being directed to it in response to a same or similar search; and

calculating a degree of relevance of said database entry to a second, separate, search using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising determining a search result ranking for a second, separate, search.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the determining and calculating operations are performed by a computing device.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the determining operation comprises measuring a length of time spent by a user viewing a database entry associated with a search result.

28. The method of claim 24 further comprising the following operations performed prior to the determining operation:

receiving a search query from a user;

providing a search result listing in response to said query; and

causing a database entry to be displayed on a user device in response to a selection by the user from said search result listing.

29. The method of claim 24 wherein said calculating a degree of relevance of said database entry to a second, separate, search using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient comprises calculating a degree of relevance of said database entry to a subsequent search performed by a second user using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein said temporal coefficient represents a median length of time users spend viewing said database entry after being directed to it in response to a same or similar search.

31. The method of claim 24 further comprising storing the determined length of time in memory for future calculations of the temporal coefficient.

32. The method of claim 24 further comprising:

comparing the length of time spent by the user viewing the database entry with a predetermined threshold length of time;

wherein if the length of time spent by the user viewing the database entry is greater than the predetermined threshold length of time, said length of time is not used to update the temporal coefficient.

33. A computer-implemented method of processing a search result generated by an automated search for video files, comprising:

determining a length of time spent by a user viewing a video file associated with a search result;

using said length of time to update a temporal coefficient representing a typical length of time users spend viewing said video file after being directed to it in response to a same or similar search; and

calculating a degree of relevance of said video file to a second, separate, search using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein said calculating a degree of relevance of said video file to a second, separate, search using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient comprises calculating a degree of relevance of said video file to a subsequent search performed by a second user using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient.

35. The method of claim 33 further comprising determining a search result ranking for said second, separate, search based at least in part on the calculated degree of relevance.

36. The method of claim 33 wherein the determining and calculating operations are performed by a computing device.

37. The method of claim 33 wherein the determining operation comprises measuring a length of time spent by a user viewing a video file associated with a search result.

38. The method of claim 33 further comprising the following operations performed prior to the determining operation:

receiving a search query from a user;

providing a search result listing in response to said query; and

causing a video file to be played on a user device in response to a selection by the user from said search result listing.

39. The method of claim 33 wherein said temporal coefficient represents an average length of time users spend viewing said video file after being directed to it in response to a same or similar search.

40. The method of claim 33 wherein said temporal coefficient represents a median length of time users spend viewing said video file after being directed to it in response to a same or similar search.

41. The method of claim 33 further comprising storing the determined length of time in memory for future calculations of the temporal coefficient.

42. The method of claim 33 further comprising:

comparing the length of time spent by the user viewing said video file against a total playing length of the video file to determine a viewing ratio; and

wherein the viewing ratio is used to update the temporal coefficient.

43. A computer-implemented method of processing a search result generated by an automated search for image files, comprising:

determining a length of time spent by a user viewing an image file associated with a search result;

using said length of time to update a temporal coefficient representing a typical length of time users spend viewing said image file after being directed to it in response to a same or similar search; and

calculating a degree of relevance of said image file to a second, separate, search using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein said calculating a degree of relevance of said image file to a second, separate, search using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient comprises calculating a degree of relevance of said image file to a subsequent search performed by a second user using a mathematical expression that includes said temporal coefficient.

45. The method of claim 43 further comprising determining a search result ranking for said second, separate, search based at least in part on the calculated degree of relevance.

46. The method of claim 43 wherein the determining and calculating operations are performed by a computing device.

47. The method of claim 43 wherein the determining operation comprises measuring a length of time spent by a user viewing an image file associated with a search result.

48. The method of claim 43 further comprising the following operations performed prior to the determining operation:

receiving a search query from a user;

providing a search result listing in response to said query; and

causing an image file to be displayed on a user device in response to a selection by the user from said search result listing.

49. The method of claim 43 wherein said temporal coefficient represents an average length of time users spend viewing said image file after being directed to it in response to a same or similar search.

50. The method of claim 43 wherein said temporal coefficient represents a median length of time users spend viewing said image file after being directed to it in response to a same or similar search.

51. The method of claim 43 further comprising storing the determined length of time in memory for future calculations of the temporal coefficient.