News Aggregator and Search Engine Using Temporal Decoding

• US 20090055359A1
• Filed: 08/14/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Nicholas and Kristin Gross Trust U/A/D April 13 2010
• Original Assignee: John Nicholas and Kristin Gross Trust U/A/D April 13 2010
• Inventors: Gross, John Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 9,405,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• 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 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0243 Comparative campaigns
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements

Abstract

Electronic documents are classified and compared according to their temporal qualities. The content of a document relating to an event is analyzed to identify temporal components. These components can be compared with corresponding counterparts in other documents to identify a relative temporal order. The invention can be used in environments such as automated news aggregators, search engines, and other electronic systems which compile information having temporal qualities.

Claims

1. A method of automatically sorting electronic documents by their temporal characteristics with a computing system comprising:

a. providing a set of temporal ordered electronic documents related to an event;

b. wherein each of said set of temporal ordered electronic documents is associated with a temporal value;

c. comparing a separate first electronic document with the computing system to one or more electronic documents in said set of temporal ordered electronic documents to determine a closest content match;

d. comparing said first electronic document to said closest content match to identify temporal differences with the computing system;

e. generating a temporal related value for said first electronic document based on step (c) with the computing system;

f. adjusting said set of temporal ordered documents as needed with the computing system based on said temporal value determined for said separate first electronic document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said closest content match is a subset or superset of content found in said first electronic document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said temporal components include content other than but not excluding a time of creation or publication of the story.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein during step (c) the computing system searches for and identifies counterparts of temporal components of said first electronic document located in said closest content match.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said counterparts include semantic variants.

6. The method of claim 1 further including a step:

generating an ongoing master set of temporal components, which master set contains all temporal related content snippets from said set of ordered electronic documents.

7. The method of claim 1 further including a step:

adjusting an order of said set of temporal ordered documents based on said temporal value.

8. The method of claim 1 further including steps:

f) moving said separate first electronic document into a position held by said closest content match within said order of said set of temporal ordered documents; and

g) repeating steps (c) through (e) using one or more next highest ranked temporal documents until said separate first electronic document fails to achieve a temporal value greater than a next highest ranked temporal document.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein source data for said separate electronic document is also determined.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said temporal value is adjusted based on said source data.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said temporal value is adjusted based on a timeliness factor associated with said source.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said temporal value is adjusted based on an accuracy factor associated with said source.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein site data relating to a location of said event is also determined.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said site data is used to determine one or more sources of content for said event.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said site data is used to filter data from sources reporting on said event.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein said site data is used to weight data from sources reporting on said event.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein said site data is used to identify sources suitable for verifying a temporal value of said separate first electronic document.

18. The method of claim 17 further including a step:

soliciting input on content for said event from persons located near said event as determined by said site data.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said temporal value is adjusted based on contributions computed from said persons located near said event.

20. The method of claim 1, further including a step:

verifying a temporal value of said separate first electronic document from one or more verification sources separate from a source of said separate first electronic document.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said verification sources include one of a search engine, a news source, an RSS feed, a web log, a social networking site, and/or an electronic message board.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein said steps are implemented as one or more computer software routines embodied in a tangible media and adapted to cause one or more computing systems to perform the operations recited therein.

33. The method of claim 22 wherein advertising is presented to a user presenting said search query based on a temporal sequence identified for an electronic document reviewed by said user.

23. A method of causing a computing system to automatically present electronic documents in accordance with their temporal characteristics comprising:

a. automatically retrieving a set of one or more documents pertaining to a first event with the computing system;

b. identifying first content embodied in a first document which characterizes a state of such event using the computing system;

c. presenting said first electronic document within a presentation portion of a web page in human perceptible form using the computing system;

d. analyzing a second electronic document with second content characterizing said state of said first event using the computing system;

e. determining any differences between said first document and said second document with respect to said first content and said second content using the computing system;

f. wherein after determining any differences said computing system;

i. sorts said first electronic document and said second electronic document in a temporal order with respect to their content describing first event;

ii. determines how such first electronic document and said second electronic document should be arranged to denote a temporal order within said presentation portion of said web page;

and further wherein duplicate versions of electronic documents describing a state of said first event can be selectively omitted from said presentation portion of a web page.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said duplicate versions can be presented or omitted based on user selectable options presented within said web page.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein said steps are implemented as one or more computer software routines embodied in a tangible media and adapted to cause one or more computing systems to perform the operations recited therein.

26. A method of processing a search query with an online computing system comprising:

a) receiving a search query;

b) generating an initial set of search results, including an initial set of electronic documents, which are responsive to the search query with the online computing system;

c) processing said initial set of electronic documents to determine temporal characteristics of such documents with respect to one or more events and/or topics;

d) altering a composition and/or ordering of said initial set of search results and returning such as a final set of search results responsive to said search query.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said temporal characteristics of said electronic documents are computed prior to said query and stored in an electronic file index associated with said electronic documents.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein said temporal characteristics of said electronic documents are computed dynamically during said query.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein said temporal characteristics are calculated only for a top N set of search results.

30. The method of claim 28 further including a step:

generating one or more content based electronic ads relating to temporal aspects of such electronic documents.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein said final set of search results are presented within at least one of a search engine, a web portal, a web page, a web log, and/or a television related interface.

32. The method of claim 26 wherein advertising is presented to a user presenting said search query based on a state identified for said first event or topic.

34. The method of claim 26 wherein said steps are implemented as one or more computer software routines embodied in a tangible media and adapted to cause one or more computing systems to perform the operations recited therein.

35. A method of processing a search query with an online computing system comprising:

a) receiving a search query from a user;

b) generating an initial set of search results, including an initial set of electronic documents, which are responsive to the search query with the online computing system;

c) processing said initial set of electronic documents to determine temporal characteristics of such documents with respect to one or more events and/or topics;

d) generating a search result for said search query based on said temporal characteristics;

e) presenting said search result to said user responsive to said search query.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said search result represents documents containing more current information for said search query compared to other information in other documents in said initial set of search results.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein said search result represents documents from a search index, web logs and news sources.

38. The method of claim 35, further including a step:

repeating steps (b) through (e) to compile a chronological report on an event or topic, said chronological report being broken down into discrete temporal categories.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein said search result is presented in a ranked list within a web page presented to said user, said ranked list being based on a timeliness factor associated with each entry on said list.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein said temporal characteristics are determined in part based on search behavior observed for other users.