Computer-implemented system and method for analyzing search queries

• US 20060053095A1
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAS Institute Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SAS Institute Incorporated
• Inventors: Pope, David C., Koch, Donald O., Scott, Kevin L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,641 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9532 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Systems and methods for handling input search engine data. A data store is searched based upon one or more data items contained within the input search engine data. The result of searching the data store is used to determine which data items in the input search engine data might be a search term. Search terms are extracted based upon the result of searching the data store.

Claims

1. A method for operation upon a data processing device to handle input search engine data, said method comprising:

receiving input search engine data, wherein the input search engine data is associated with one or more different types of search engines;

searching an indexed data store based upon one or more data items contained within the input search engine data;

wherein the result of searching the indexed data store based upon the one or more data items is used to determine which one or more data items in the input search engine data are search terms;

extracting one or more search terms from the input search engine data based upon the result of searching the indexed data store.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search engine term extraction is search engine independent.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the search engine term extraction performed by searching the indexed data store obviates a need to verify that a referrer provided in the input search engine data is an already known search engine.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein new types of search engines arise over time and the searching of the indexed data store is performed independently of type of search engine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the search engine term extraction is at least substantially independent of different search engines.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracting of one or more search terms from the input search engine data based upon the result of searching the indexed data store allows extraction of search engine search terms directly from a query string associated with a referrer without having to maintain a list of known search engines.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the indexed data store is a hash table containing pre-selected search term parameter names;

wherein the extracting of one or more search terms from the input search engine data is based upon whether a data item from the input search engine data is found within the hash table.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the input search engine data includes query strings having name/value pairs associated with a referrer uniform resource locator or identifier;

wherein the data items used in searching the hash table include data items from name/value pairs;

wherein the query strings are formatted according to a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).

9. The method of claim 8, wherein additional search engine tests are performed upon the data items from the input search engine data;

wherein the additional search engine tests include one or more of the following tests;

a test to determine whether a name data item matches a pattern of known search engines;

a test to determine whether a value data item matches a pattern of known strings that have been identified as not being search terms;

a test to determine whether a value data item satisfies a pre-selected minimum length requirement

a test to determine whether a value data item matches a pattern describing only numbers or non-alphanumeric characters; and

combinations thereof;

wherein the hash table is updated with a data item if the data item is not found within the hash table but one or more of the additional tests were satisfied with respect to the data item.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the input search engine data includes click-stream data generated from one or more users of internet web pages.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the input search engine data includes click-stream referrers.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein extracted search terms as determined by searching the indexed data store are used to generate a report;

wherein the report indicates user searching profiles.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a data mining engine processes and analyzes the extracted search terms in order to determine the user searching profiles contained in the report.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the report is used by e-business web site managers for analyzing website activity.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the input search engine data includes search engine query strings;

wherein the searching of the indexed data store based upon one or more data items contained within the input search engine data includes data items generated by processing name/value pairs of a query string associated with a referrer uniform resource locator or identifier.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the input search engine data includes search engine query strings;

said method further comprising;

determining which name/value pairs from the query string actually contains a search term by comparing the name/value pairs with respect to data stored in the indexed data store in order to determine whether the value should be considered as a valid search term.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the input search engine data includes data from a weblog.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the input search engine data includes a referrer uniform resource locator or identifier, said method further comprising:

parsing the referrer uniform resource locator or identifier in order to separate it into components that identify the referrer and the query string;

parsing the query string up into name/value pairs;

using names or values as the data items by which to search the indexed data store, wherein the search identifies whether the value in the name should be treated as a search term.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein a look-up table containing a list of non-search terms is used to determine whether a data item is a search term.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a look-up table containing a list of possible search terms is used to determine whether a data item is a search term.

21. A data signal that is transmitted using a network, wherein the data signal includes the input search engine data of claim 1;

wherein the data signal comprises packetized data that is transmitted through the network.

22. Computer-readable medium capable of causing a computing device to perform the method of claim 1.

23. A computer-readable memory for storing a look-up data store for use in extracting search terms from input search engine data, said look-up data store comprising search-related data items used by one or more search engines;

wherein the look-up data store is configured to be searched based upon one or more data items contained within input search engine data;

wherein the input search engine data includes query strings that are configured according to a searching format used by one or more web-based search engines;

wherein result of searching the look-up data store based upon the one or more data items is used to determine which one or more data items in the input search engine data are search terms;

wherein one or more search terms from the input search engine data are extracted from the input search engine data based upon the result of searching the look-up data store.

24. A system for operation upon a data processing device to handle input search engine data, said system comprising:

means for receiving input search engine data, wherein the input search engine data is associated with one or more different types of search engines;

means for searching an indexed data store based upon one or more data items contained within the input search engine data;

wherein result of searching the indexed data store based upon the one or more data items is used to determine which one or more data items in the input search engine data are search terms;

means for extracting one or more search terms from the input search engine data based upon the result of searching the indexed data store.