SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASSISTING SEARCH REQUESTS WITH VERTICAL SUGGESTIONS

• US 20100057698A1
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Prasad Kantamneni, Raj Gopal, Hall, Ashley, Chi, Tom
• Granted Patent: US 8,010,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards systems, methods and computer program products for assisting search request by presenting suggestion of one or more vertical segments to produce a more focused result. A vertical segment may be selected by the user, the selected vertical segment being associated with one or more query terms and a search is performed on an index associated with the vertical segment. A search engine generates a search result and returns a list of search result pages for presentation to a user.

Claims

1. A method for assisting a user in formulating a search request through a presentation of one or more suggested search vertical segments, the method comprising:

retrieving one or more terms or phrases comprising a query;

analyzing the one or more terms or phrases to generate one or more suggested search vertical segments;

selecting a given suggested search vertical segment from the one or more suggested search vertical segments; and

displaying a search result to the user on the basis of the query and the given suggested search vertical segment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein analyzing comprises utilizing a query category module to determine one or more categories for the one or more terms or phrases.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising dynamically presenting the one or more suggested search vertical segments within a search interface in response to receipt of input from the user.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the given suggested search vertical segment comprises associating the given suggested search vertical segment with the one or more terms or phrases.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein retrieving the one or more terms or phrases comprising the query further comprises:

receiving additional input from the user as the user types;

analyzing the input to generate one or more additional suggested search vertical segments.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying a search result to the user comprises returning one or more hyperlinks displayed as part of a search result on a client display, the one or more hyperlinks associated with the given suggested search vertical segment.

7. Computer readable media comprising program code for execution by a programmable processor to perform a method for assisting a user in formulating a search request through presenting one or more suggested search vertical segments, the computer readable media comprising:

program code for retrieving one or more terms or phrases comprising a query;

program code for analyzing the one or more terms or phrases comprising the query to generate one or more suggested search vertical segments with the query;

program code for selecting a given suggested search vertical segment from the one or more suggested search vertical segments; and

program code for displaying a search result to the user on the basis of the query and the given suggested search vertical segment.

8. The computer readable media of claim 7 wherein the program code for analyzing comprises program code for utilizing a query category module to determine one or more categories for the one or more terms or phrases.

9. The computer readable media of claim 7 further comprising:

program code for dynamically presenting the one or more suggested search vertical segments within a search interface in response to a receipt of input from the user.

10. The computer readable media of claim 7 wherein the program code for selecting the given suggested search vertical segment comprises program code for associating the given suggested search vertical segment with the one or more terms or phrases.

11. The computer readable media of claim 7 wherein the program code for retrieving the one or more terms or phrases comprising the query further comprises:

program code for receiving additional input as the user types; and

program code for analyzing the input to generate one or more additional suggested search vertical segments.

12. The computer readable media of claim 7 wherein the program code for displaying a search result to the user comprises program code for returning one or more hyperlinks displayed as part of a search result on a client display, the one or more hyperlinks associated with the given suggested search vertical segment.

13. A system for assisting a user in formulating a search request through presenting one or more suggested search vertical segments, the system comprising:

a search engine operative to retrieve one or more terms or phrases comprising a query;

a category module operative to analyze the one or more terms or phrases;

a vertical suggestion generator operative to generate one or more suggested search vertical segments on the basis of an analysis performed on the one or more terms or phrases;

a search interface operative to allow the user to select a given suggested search vertical segment from the one or more suggested search vertical segments and display a result to the user on the basis of the query and the given suggested search vertical segment.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the category module determines one or more categories on the basis of the one or more terms or phrases.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the search interface is operative to dynamically present the one or more suggested search vertical segments in response to receipt of input from the user.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the search engine is operative to associate the given suggested search vertical segment with the one or more terms or phrases.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the search engine is operative to receive additional input as the user types and the vertical suggestion generator is operative to generate one ore more additional suggested search vertical segments.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the client device is operative to return one ore more hyperlinks displayed as part of the search result on a client display, the one or more hyperlinks associated with the given suggested search vertical segment.