Reputation based search

• US 7,406,466 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2005
• Issued: 07/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roy, H. Scott, Kozak, Esteban, Nufire, Timothy M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chace; Christian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hicks; Michael J
• Application Number:
  US11/036,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20060161524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/5
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A method of providing relevant search information comprises receiving a search term. The method also comprises locating a first search result that matches the search term, wherein the first search result is associated with a first measure of reputation, locating a second search result that matches the search term, wherein the second search result is associated with a second measure of reputation, and preferentially presenting the first and the second search results based on the first and the second measures of reputation.

Claims

1. A method of providing relevant search information comprising:

receiving a search term;

locating a first search result that matches the search term, wherein the first search result is associated with a first measure of reputation;

locating a second search result that matches the search term, wherein the second search result is associated with a second measure of reputation;

preferentially presenting the first and the second search results based on the first and the second measures of reputation; and

receiving positive user feedback with respect to the first measure of reputation, wherein the positive user feedback indicates that a user has bookmarked the first search results, and

improving the first measure of reputation through use of an equation that includes a determined number of times that the first search result has been bookmarked.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first measure of reputation depends on past relevancy of the first search result.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the search result includes a reference to a resource.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the association of the first search result with the search term is made by an author.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the first measure of reputation is based at least in part on an author reputation associated with the author.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising receiving user feedback with respect to the first measure of reputation and modifying the author reputation.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and the second search results are associated with the same resource.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first search result and the second search result are associated with the same resource, and the first measure of reputation is different from the second measure of reputation.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein preferentially presenting the first and the second search results include sorting the first and the second search results according to the first and the second measures of reputation.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving user feedback with respect to the first measure of reputation.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving user feedback with respect to the first measure of reputation and modifying the first measure of reputation.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving positive user feedback with respect to the first measure of reputation and improving the first measure of reputation.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving negative user feedback with respect to the first measure of reputation and reducing the first measure of reputation.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the negative user feedback indicates a user has hidden the first search result.

15. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the negative user feedback indicates a user has removed the first search result.

16. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein the negative user feedback indicates a user has marked the first search result as spam.

17. A system configured to provide relevant search information comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a search term;

locate a first search result that matches the search term, wherein the first search result is associated with a first measure of reputation;

locate a second search result that matches the search term, wherein the second search result is associated with a second measure of reputation;

preferentially present the first and the second search results based on the first and the second measures of reputation; and

receive positive user feedback with respect to the first measure of reputation, wherein the positive user feedback indicates that a user has bookmarked the first search results, and

improve the first measure of reputation using an equation that includes a determined number of times that the first search result has been bookmarked; and

a memory coupled to the processor, configured to provide the processor with instructions.

18. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the association of the first search result with the search term, the association being made by an author.

19. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to receive user feedback with respect to the first measure of reputation and to modify the first measure of reputation.

20. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to receive negative user feedback with respect to the first measure of reputation and reduce the first measure of reputation.

21. A computer program product for providing relevant search information, the computer program product being embodied in a computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a search term;

locating a first search result that matches the search term, wherein the first search result is associated with a first measure of reputation;

locating a second search result that matches the search term, wherein the second search result is associated with a second measure of reputation;

preferentially presenting the first and the second search results based on the first and the second measures of reputation; and

receiving positive user feedback with respect to the first measure of reputation, wherein the positive user feedback indicates that a user has bookmarked the first search results, and

improving the first measure of reputation through use of an equation that includes a determined number of times that the first search result has been bookmarked.

22. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, wherein the association of the first search result with the search term is made by an author.

23. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, further comprising receiving user feedback with respect to the first measure of reputation.

24. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, further comprising receiving user feedback with respect to the first measure of reputation and modifying the first measure of reputation.

25. A computer program product as recited in claim 21, further comprising receiving negative user feedback with respect to the first measure of reputation and reducing the first measure of reputation.