Applying screening information to search results

• US 9,330,404 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: He, Mei, Sheng, Yu, Chen, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Btit, Jacob F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Oberly, Van
• Application Number:
  US13/599,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20130060755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 707/754
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Applying screening information to search results is disclosed, including: receiving a search request for products, wherein the search request comprises one or more search conditions and a set of user information; retrieving screening information associated with the set of user information, wherein the screening information indicates one or both of seller information and product information to exclude from search results; determining a plurality of search results based at least in part on the one or more search conditions and determining a search result from the plurality of search results to be excluded based at least in part on the screening information; and returning one or more search results from the plurality of search results other than the search result determined to be excluded.

Claims

1. A system for applying screening information to search results, comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

prior to receipt of a search request associated with a first user;

include in a first webpage presentations of a control and information associated with a product, and exclude in the first webpage a presentation of a search result associated with the search request, wherein the information associated with the product is provided by a second user, wherein the control is operable to indicate exclusion of the product provided by the second user from subsequently presented search results;

receive a user selection of the control, wherein the user selection is associated with a set of user information associated with the first user; and

in response to the user selection associated with the control, prior to storing a new piece of screening information, wherein the new piece of screening information includes information associated with the product provided by the second user, determine whether a set of screening information corresponding to the set of user information associated with the first user exceeds a screening information threshold value, the screening information threshold value corresponding to a total number of pieces of screening information for all product categories that are excluded from the subsequently presented search results, a total number of pieces of screening information for one or more particular product categories that are excluded from the subsequently presented search results, or both;

wherein

in the event that it is determined that the screening information threshold value has been exceeded, present a prompt configured to indicate that the screening information threshold value has been exceeded; and

in the event that it is determined that the screening information threshold value has not been exceeded, store the new piece of screening information in the set of screening information corresponding to the set of user information associated with the first user;

receive the search request associated with the first user, wherein the search request comprises one or more search conditions and the set of user information associated with the first user; and

subsequent to the receipt of the search request associated with the first user;

retrieve from storage the set of screening information corresponding to the set of user information associated with the first user;

determine a plurality of search results based at least in part on the one or more search conditions;

prior to presenting one or more search results to be presented to the first user from the plurality of search results, determine a search result from the plurality of search results to be excluded based at least in part on the set of screening information; and

present the one or more search results from the plurality of search results other than the search result determined to be excluded at a second webpage, wherein the first webpage is different from the second webpage; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and configured to provide the one or more processors with instructions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the search result determined to be excluded is not presented to the first user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more search conditions comprise one or more of the following:

a search keyword, a qualifier, a range, and a selection.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the second user comprises another set of user information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the search request is associated with all product categories and wherein the set of screening information is retrieved from a database configured to store screening information associated with all product categories.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the search request is associated with a first product category and wherein the set of screening information is retrieved from a database configured to store screening information associated with the first product category.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of search results based at least in part on the one or more search conditions comprises comparing the plurality of search results to the set of screening information to determine at least a search result that matches at least a portion of the set of screening information.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine that the product is associated with a first product category, wherein the new piece of screening information corresponding to the set of user information associated with the first user is stored in a database specific to the first product category.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein in the event that it is determined that the screening information threshold value has been exceeded, inform the first user that at least one or more pieces of stored screening information must be deleted before the new piece of screening information can be stored.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the new piece of screening information is stored in either or both a general database associated with all product categories and/or a category specific database associated with the one or more particular product categories based on whether the screening information threshold value has been exceeded.

11. A method for applying screening information to search results, comprising:

prior to receipt of a search request associated with a first user;

including in a first webpage presentations of a control and information associated with a product, and excluding in the first webpage a presentation of a search result associated with the search request, wherein the information associated with the product is provided by a second user, wherein the control is operable to indicate exclusion of the product provided by the second user from subsequently presented search results;

receiving a user selection of the control, wherein the user selection is associated with a set of user information associated with the first user; and

in response to the user selection associated with the control, prior to storing a new piece of screening information, wherein the new piece of screening information includes information associated with the product provided by the second user, determining whether a set of screening information corresponding to the set of user information associated with the first user exceeds a screening information threshold value, the screening information threshold value corresponding to a total number of pieces of screening information for all product categories that are excluded from the subsequently presented search results, a total number of pieces of screening information for one or more particular product categories that are excluded from the subsequently presented search results, or both;

wherein

in the event that it is determined that the screening information threshold value has been exceeded, presenting a prompt configured to indicate that the screening information threshold value has been exceeded; and

in the event that it is determined that the screening information threshold value has not been exceeded, storing the new piece of screening information in the set of screening information corresponding to the set of user information associated with the first user;

receiving the search request associated with the first user, wherein the search request comprises one or more search conditions and the set of user information associated with the first user; and

subsequent to the receipt of the search request associated with the first user;

retrieving from storage the set of screening information corresponding to the set of user information associated with the first user;

determining a plurality of search results based at least in part on the one or more search conditions;

prior to presenting one or more search results to be presented to the first user from the plurality of search results, determining, using one or more processors, a search result from the plurality of search results to be excluded based at least in part on the set of screening information; and

presenting the one or more search results from the plurality of search results other than the search result determined to be excluded at a second webpage, wherein the first webpage is different from the second webpage.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the search result determined to be excluded is not presented to the first user.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more search conditions comprise one or more of the following:

a search keyword, a qualifier, a range, and a selection.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the search request is associated with all product categories and wherein the set of screening information is retrieved from a database configured to store screening information associated with all product categories.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the search request is associated with a first product category and wherein the set of screening information is retrieved from a database configured to store screening information associated with the first product category.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the plurality of search results based at least in part on the one or more search conditions comprises comparing the plurality of search results to the set of screening information to determine at least the search result that matches at least a portion of a set of screening information.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein in the event that it is determined that the screening information threshold value has been exceeded, inform the first user that at least one or more pieces of stored screening information must be deleted before the new piece of screening information can be stored.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the new piece of screening information is stored in either or both a general database associated with all product categories and/or a category specific database associated with the one or more particular product categories based on whether the screening information threshold value has been exceeded.

19. A computer program product for applying screening information to search results, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

prior to receipt of a search request associated with a first user;

including in a first webpage presentations of a control and information associated with a product, and excluding in the first webpage a presentation of a search result associated with the search request, wherein the information associated with the product is provided by a second user, wherein the control is operable to indicate exclusion of the product provided by the second user from subsequently presented search results;

receiving a user selection of the control, wherein the user selection is associated with a set of user information associated with the first user; and

in response to the user selection associated with the control, prior to storing a new piece of screening information, wherein the new piece of screening information includes information associated with the product provided by the second user, determining whether a set of screening information corresponding to the set of user information associated with the first user exceeds a screening information threshold value, the screening information threshold value corresponding to a total number of pieces of screening information for all product categories that are excluded from the subsequently presented search results, a total number of pieces of screening information for one or more particular product categories that are excluded from the subsequently presented search results, or both;

wherein

in the event that it is determined that the screening information threshold value has been exceeded, presenting a prompt configured to indicate that the screening information threshold value has been exceeded; and

in the event that it is determined that the screening information threshold value has not been exceeded, storing the new piece of screening information in the set of screening information corresponding to the set of user information associated with the first user;

receiving the search request associated with the first user, wherein the search request comprises one or more search conditions and the set of user information associated with the first user; and

subsequent to the receipt of the search request associated with the first user;

retrieving from storage the set of screening information corresponding to the set of user information associated with the first user;

determining a plurality of search results based at least in part on the one or more search conditions;

prior to presenting one or more search results to be presented to the first user from the plurality of search results, determining a search result from the plurality of search results to be excluded based at least in part on the set of screening information; and

presenting the one or more search results from the plurality of search results other than the search result determined to be excluded at a second webpage, wherein the first webpage is different from the second webpage.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein in the event that it is determined that the screening information threshold value has been exceeded, inform the first user that at least one or more pieces of stored screening information must be deleted before the new piece of screening information can be stored.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the new piece of screening information is stored in either or both a general database associated with all product categories and/or a category specific database associated with the one or more particular product categories based on whether the screening information threshold value has been exceeded.