Automatically modifying a custom search engine for a web site based on administrator input to search results of a specific search query

• US 9,959,356 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elasticsearch Global B.V. (Elastic N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Swiftype, Inc. (Elastic N.V.)
• Inventors: Riley, Matthew T., Hoxie, Quinlan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reyes, Mariela
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARMON, COURTNEY N
• Application Number:
  US14/849,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20150379148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• 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 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Automatically creating and modifying a search engine for a website. User input may be received specifying an address of a website. A search engine may be automatically created for the website based on the user input. Webpages of the website may specify a plurality of tags specifying custom attributes of the webpages. During creation of the search engine, these custom attributes may be incorporated into the search engine index. Additional user input may be received customizing the search engine for various search engine contexts, e.g., based on the custom attributes of the webpages. Search engine results for the website may be based on various ranking functions, potentially including social impact of webpages of the website.

Claims

1. A method for modifying a search engine, comprising:

a computer server creating a search engine for a website, wherein said creating the search engine comprises creating search information for a plurality of webpages of the web site, wherein the search information specifies a first set of information for each webpage;

the computer server providing a search-customization user interface for modifying a ranking function of the search engine for the website, wherein the search-customization user interface specifies one or more first ranking factors;

after the user inserts one or more first custom tags into source code of at least one webpage of the web site, the computer server updating the search information to include information related to the one or more custom tags, wherein the one or more custom tags are dedicated for customizing the search engine of the website;

the computer server providing the search-customization user interface for modifying the ranking function of the search engine for the website, wherein, in addition to the one or more first ranking factors, the search-customization user interface specifies one or more additional ranking factors corresponding to the one or more first custom tags, wherein each additional ranking factor is added to the search-customization user interface for a respective first custom tag inserted into the source code;

the computer server receiving first user input from the user, wherein the first user input specifies modifying a relative weight of a first additional ranking factor of the one or more additional ranking factors;

the computer server automatically modifying the ranking function of the search engine to use the relative weight of the first additional ranking factor based on the first user input;

after automatically modifying the ranking function of the search engine to use the relative weight of the first additional ranking factor, the computer server receiving a search query for the website; and

the computer server providing a plurality of search results using the ranking function.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search-customization user interface comprises a slider for each ranking factor, wherein the first user input comprises user input to a first slider for the first additional ranking factor.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving further user input from the user for a second ranking function, wherein the ranking functions are usable for a plurality of different search contexts.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the different search contexts comprise an autocomplete search context or a full text search context.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first one or more custom tags comprise a tag associated with social endorsements on one or more social networks.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first one or more custom tags comprise a tag associated with economic attributes of the at least one webpage.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein creating the search information for the plurality of webpages comprises creating a document comprising the search information for each webpage.

8. A non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium storing program instructions for modifying a search engine, wherein the program instructions are executable by one or more processors to:

create a search engine for a website, wherein said creating the search engine comprises creating search information for a plurality of webpages of the website, wherein the search information specifies a first set of information for each webpage;

provide a search-customization user interface for modifying a ranking function of the search engine for the website, wherein the search-customization user interface specifies one or more first ranking factors;

after the user inserts one or more first custom tags into source code of at least one webpage of the website, update the search information to include information related to the one or more custom tags, wherein the one or more custom tags are dedicated for customizing the search engine of the web site;

provide the search-customization user interface for modifying the ranking function of the search engine for the web site, wherein, in addition to the one or more first ranking factors, the search-customization user interface specifies one or more additional ranking factors corresponding to the one or more first custom tags, wherein each additional ranking factor is added to the search-customization user interface for a respective first custom tag inserted into the source code;

receive first user input from the user, wherein the first user input specifies modifying a relative weight of a first additional ranking factor of the one or more additional ranking factors;

automatically modify the ranking function of the search engine to use the relative weight of the first additional ranking factor based on the first user input;

after automatically modifying the ranking function of the search engine to use the relative weight of the first additional ranking factor, receive a search query for the website; and

provide a plurality of search results using the ranking function.

9. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 8, wherein the search-customization user interface comprises a slider for each ranking factor, wherein the first user input comprises user input to a first slider for the first additional ranking factor.

10. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 8, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

receive further user input from the user for a second ranking function, wherein the ranking functions are usable for a plurality of different search contexts.

11. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 10, wherein the different search contexts comprise an autocomplete search context or a full text search context.

12. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 8, wherein the first one or more custom tags comprise a tag associated with social endorsements on one or more social networks.

13. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 8, wherein the first one or more custom tags comprise a tag associated with economic attributes of the at least one webpage.

14. The non-transitory, computer accessible memory medium of claim 8, wherein creating the search information for the plurality of webpages comprises creating a document comprising the search information for each webpage.

15. A search engine system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory mediums couples to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more memory mediums store program instructions for modifying a search engine, wherein the program instructions are executable by the one or more processors to;

create a search engine for a website, wherein said creating the search engine comprises creating search information for a plurality of webpages of the website, wherein the search information specifies a first set of information for each webpage;

provide a search-customization user interface for modifying a ranking function of the search engine for the website, wherein the search-customization user interface specifies one or more first ranking factors;

after the user inserts one or more first custom tags into source code of at least one webpage of the website, update the search information to include information related to the one or more custom tags, wherein the one or more custom tags are dedicated for customizing the search engine of the website;

provide the search-customization user interface for modifying the ranking function of the search engine for the web site, wherein, in addition to the one or more first ranking factors, the search-customization user interface specifies one or more additional ranking factors corresponding to the one or more first custom tags, wherein each additional ranking factor is added to the search-customization user interface for a respective first custom tag inserted into the source code;

receive first user input from the user, wherein the first user input specifies modifying a relative weight of a first additional ranking factor of the one or more additional ranking factors;

automatically modify the ranking function of the search engine to use the relative weight of the first additional ranking factor based on the first user input;

after automatically modifying the ranking function of the search engine to use the relative weight of the first additional ranking factor, receive a search query for the website; and

provide a plurality of search results using the ranking function.

16. The search engine system of claim 15, wherein the search-customization user interface comprises a slider for each ranking factor, wherein the first user input comprises user input to a first slider for the first additional ranking factor.

17. The search engine system of claim 15, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

receive further user input from the user for a second ranking function, wherein the ranking functions are usable for a plurality of different search contexts.

18. The search engine system of claim 17, wherein the different search contexts comprise an autocomplete search context or a full text search context.

19. The search engine system of claim 15, wherein the first one or more custom tags comprise a tag associated with social endorsements on one or more social networks.

20. The search engine system of claim 15, wherein the first one or more custom tags comprise a tag associated with economic attributes of the at least one webpage.