DETERMINING PREFERENCES FROM USER QUERIES

• US 20110145227A1
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Paparizos, Stelios, Tsaparas, Panayiotis, Kenthapadi, Krishnaram N. G., Mukherjee, Indraneel
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A query may be received at a computing device through a network. One or more attribute values that are preferences for a subset of the one or more terms of the query may be identified by the computing device. One or more products or services having associated attributes that have values that match a subset of the identified attribute values may be identified by the computing device, and a subset of the identified products or services may be presented by the computing device through the network. Implementations may also identify latent preferences, that is, preferences that are found for a query even where such a preference is not explicitly part of a term or token of the query.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a query at a computing device through a network, wherein the query comprises one or more terms;

identifying one or more attribute values that are preferences for a subset of the one or more terms by the computing device;

identifying one or more products having associated attribute values that match a subset of the identified one or more attribute values by the computing device; and

presenting a subset of the one or more identified products by the computing device through the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more attribute values that are preferences for a subset of the one or more terms comprises:

determining terms from the subset of terms that match terms of structured data; and

for the terms from the subset of terms that do not match terms of the structured data, identifying one or more attribute values that are preferences for the terms that do not match terms of the structured data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying one or more attribute values that are latent preferences for the query, wherein the preferences are not explicitly part of a term or token of the query; and

identifying one or more products having associated attribute values that match a subset of the terms of the query and the identified one or more attribute values that are latent preferences.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of the one or more identified products is presented in a webpage.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising ranking the identified one or more products, and presenting the subset of the one or more identified products in a ranked order.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the identified one or more products are ranked based on a number of attribute values that match the identified one or more attribute values.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences comprise a plurality of value ranges.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining if a ratio of the posterior probability to the prior probability is above a threshold and if so, determining that the attribute value is a preference for the query.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a mapping of attributes values to queries at a computing device through a network;

receiving a table of attribute values at the computing device through the network;

for a subset of the attributes values in the table, determining a prior probability of each attribute value in the subset by the computing device;

for each query in a subset of queries of the mapping, determining a posterior probability of each attribute value mapped to the query by the computing device; and

for each attribute value mapped to a query, determining if the determined posterior probability of the attribute value is greater than the determined prior probability for the attribute value, and if so, determining that the attribute value is a preference for the query.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the preference comprises a latent preference.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the determined attribute value comprises a range of attribute values.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the table of attribute values comprises structured data.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a query;

identifying one or more attribute values that are a preference for the query; and

presenting a plurality of products or services having at least one attribute value that matches an identified attribute value.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising ranking the plurality of products using the identified attribute values and presenting the plurality of products in a ranked order.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining a confidence value associated with the posterior probability and the prior probability, and only determining that the attribute value is a preference for the query if the confidence value is greater than a threshold.

16. A system comprising:

at least one computing device that;

receives a mapping of attribute values to queries; and

receives a table of attribute values;

a prior probability distribution determiner that, for a subset of the attribute values in the table, determines a prior probability distribution of the attribute values;

a posterior probability distribution determiner that, for each query in a subset of queries of the mapping, determines a posterior probability distribution for attribute values mapped to the query; and

a significance determiner that determines, for an attribute value mapped to a query, if a posterior probability from the posterior probability distribution for the attribute value is greater than a prior probability from the prior probability distribution for the attribute value, and if so, determines that the attribute value is a preference for the query.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein determining that the attribute value is a preference for the query comprises determining that the attribute value is a latent preference for the query.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the table of attribute values comprises attributes values associated with a plurality of products or services.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one computing device further:

receives a query;

identifies an attribute value that is a preference for the query; and

presents a plurality of products or services having attribute values that match the identified attribute value.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one computing device further ranks the plurality of products or services.