Identifying navigational resources for informational queries

• US 9,390,183 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2015
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chakrapani, Lakshmi N., Lehman, April R., Fernandes, Neil C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liao, Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/630,721
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• 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 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for creating a mapping between topics and navigational resources are disclosed. The mapping is created based on hybrid queries having both characteristics of informational queries and navigational queries. The mapping between topics and resources can be used in scoring search results for ranking, for example. Other mappings created based on other types of hybrid queries and their applications are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying queries that each include (i) one or more first terms that are associated with a particular topic and (ii) one or more second terms, different than the one or more first terms, that are associated with a particular author;

identifying web resources for which the particular author has been identified as an author;

determining a quantity of selections of search results that (i) are generated in response to one or more of the queries and (ii) reference one or more of the web resources for which the particular author has been identified as an author;

associating the particular author with the particular topic, as a topic-to-author association, when the quantity of selections satisfies a threshold that is associated with more than one selection; and

using the topic-to-author association in ranking a search result, which references one or more of the web resources, that is generated in response to one or more subsequently received queries that includes one or more of the first terms that are associated with the particular topic.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating a topic-to-author mapping by repeating the steps of claim 1 for at least one additional topic and at least one additional author, where the topic-to-author mapping includes the topic-to-author association of the particular author with the particular topic and an additional topic-to-author association from the at least one additional topic to the at least one additional author; and

using the topic-to-author mapping in scoring candidate search results for queries.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the web resources are websites or webpages having respective associated web addresses.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a user interface element on a search result webpage for each of the one or more subsequently received queries, the user interface element configured to identify the search result, which references one or more of the web resources, that is generated in response to the one or more subsequently received queries that includes one or more of the first terms that are associated with the particular topic associated with the particular topic.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the web resources for which the particular author has been identified as an author are identified based on an index storing respective web resources to which various authors have claimed authorship.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold comprises a threshold proportion of the quantity of selections to all selections of search results generated in response to one or more of the queries.

8. The medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

creating a topic-to-author mapping by repeating the steps of claim 3 for at least one additional topic and at least one additional author, where the topic-to-author mapping includes the topic-to-author association of the particular author with the particular topic and an additional topic-to-author association from the at least one additional topic to the at least one additional author; and

using the topic-to-author mapping in scoring candidate search results for queries.

7. A non-transitory medium storing instructions that, when performed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

identifying queries that each include (i) one or more first terms that are associated with a particular topic and (ii) one or more second terms, different than the one or more first terms, that are associated with a particular author;

identifying web resources for which the particular author has been identified as an author;

determining a quantity of selections of search results that (i) are generated in response to one or more of the queries and (ii) reference one or more of the web resources for which the particular author has been identified as an author;

associating the particular author with the particular topic, as a topic-to-author association, when the quantity of selections satisfies a threshold that is associated with more than one selection; and

using the topic-to-author association in ranking a search result, which references one or more of the web resources, that is generated in response to one or more subsequently received queries that includes one or more of the first terms that are associated with the particular topic.

9. The medium of claim 7, wherein the web resources are websites or webpages having respective associated web addresses.

10. The medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a user interface element on a search result webpage for each of the one or more subsequently received queries, the user interface element configured to identify the search result, which references one or more of the web resources, that is generated in response to the one or more subsequently received queries that includes one or more of the first terms that are associated with the particular topic associated with the particular topic.

11. The medium of claim 7, wherein the web resources for which the particular author has been identified as an author are identified based on an index storing respective web resources to which various authors have claimed authorship.

12. The medium of claim 7, wherein the threshold comprises a threshold proportion of the quantity of selections to all selections of search results generated in response to one or more of the queries.

13. A system, comprising:

one or more computers; and

memory having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when performed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

identifying queries that each include (i) one or more first terms that are associated with a particular topic and (ii) one or more second terms, different than the one or more first terms, that are associated with a particular author;

identifying web resources for which the particular author has been identified as an author;

determining a quantity of selections of search results that (i) are generated in response to one or more of the queries and (ii) reference one or more of the web resources for which the particular author has been identified as an author;

associating the particular author with the particular topic, as a topic-to-author association, when the quantity of selections satisfies a threshold that is associated with more than one selection; and

using the topic-to-author association in ranking a search result, which references one or more of the web resources, that is generated in response to one or more subsequently received queries that includes one or more of the first terms that are associated with the particular topic.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

creating a topic-to-author mapping by repeating the steps of claim 5 for at least one additional topic and at least one additional author, where the topic-to-author mapping includes the topic-to-author association of the particular author with the particular topic and an additional topic-to-author association from the at least one additional topic to the at least one additional author; and

using the topic-to-author mapping in scoring candidate search results for queries.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the web resources are websites or webpages having respective associated web addresses.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a user interface element on a search result webpage for each of the one or more subsequently received queries, the user interface element configured to identify the search result, which references one or more of the web resources, that is generated in response to the one or more subsequently received queries that includes one or more of the first terms that are associated with the particular topic associated with the particular topic.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the web resources for which the particular author has been identified as an author are identified based on an index storing respective web resources to which various authors have claimed authorship.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the threshold comprises a threshold proportion of the quantity of selections to all selections of search results generated in response to one or more of the queries.