Identifying items relevant to a current query based on items accessed in connection with similar queries

• US 7,620,572 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: A9.com Incorporated (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ortega, Ruben E., Spiegel, Joel R., Linden, Greg, Bowman, Dwayne
• Primary Examiner(s): ZURITA, JAMES H
• Application Number:
  US11/118,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20060053065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,663 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/26.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3325 Reformulation based on results of preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3334 Selection or weighting of terms from queries, including natural language queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3349 Reuse of stored results of previous queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0627 using item specifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

The present invention provides a software facility for identifying the items most relevant to a current query based on items selected in connection with similar queries. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the facility receives a query specifying one or more query terms. In response, the facility generates a query result identifying a plurality of items that satisfy the query. The facility then produces a ranking value for at least a portion of the items identified in the query result by combining the relative frequencies with which users selected that item from the query results generated from queries specifying each of the terms specified by the query. The facility identifies as most relevant those items having the highest ranking values.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for ordering auctions in an electronic environment, the method comprising:

storing relevance information for each of a plurality of auctions with respect to a plurality of search terms;

receiving selection information for a selected auction of the plurality of auctions when a first user performs a selection action with respect to the selected auction and at least one first search term;

updating, by one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions, the relevance information for the selected auction based at least in part upon the received selection information;

receiving from a second user a search request including at least one second search term;

identifying, by the one or more computing systems, a set of the plurality of auctions that satisfies the received search request using a mapping of auctions to search terms, the mapping including the relevance information for each of the identified auctions with respect to the at least one search term;

in response to receiving the search request, ranking, by the one or more computing systems, at least a portion of the identified auctions using the relevance information for each second search term in the search request mapped to at least one of the identified auctions; and

providing, by the one or more computing systems, ordered search results corresponding to the ranked auctions for display to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the search request includes a category.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the search request includes a plurality of terms.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the selection action is placing a bid at an auction.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the selection action is selecting to view an auction.

6. A computer-readable medium having embedded therein instructions for ranking auctions, the instructions, when executed by one or more computing systems, causing the one or more computer systems to:

store relevance information for each of a plurality of auctions with respect to a plurality of search terms;

receive selection information for a selected auction of the plurality of auctions when a first user performs a selection action with respect to the selected auction and at least one first search term;

update, by the one or more computing systems, the relevance information for the selected auction based at least in part upon the received selection information;

receive from a second user a search request including at least one search term;

identify, by the one or more computing systems, auctions that satisfy the received search request using the relevance information for each of the identified auctions with respect to the at least one search term;

in response to receiving the first request, generate, by the one or more computing systems, a ranking for at least some of the identified auctions using the relevance information for each second search term in the search request mapped to at least one of the identified auctions; and

provide, by the one or more computing systems, search results corresponding to the ranked auctions for display to the user.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6 wherein the received search request includes at least one search term in common with a previously-submitted search request by said first user.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 6 wherein the selection action is selecting an auction.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6 wherein the selection action is placing a bid at an auction.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 6 wherein the selection action is selecting to view an auction.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 6 wherein the generated ranking is additionally based on time spent by other users viewing information displayed as a result of the selection action.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 6 wherein the auction is for an item and the selection action includes purchasing an item that is of a same item type as the item of the auction.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 6 wherein the auction is for an item and the selection action includes adding to a shopping basket an item that is of a same item type as the item of the auction.

14. A system for ranking auctions, comprising:

at least one processor;

memory storing instructions that, when executed cause the processor to;

store relevance information for each of a plurality of auctions with respect to a plurality of search terms;

receive selection information for a selected auction of the plurality of auctions when a first user performs a selection action with respect to the selected auction and at least one first search term;

update the relevance information for the selected auction based at least in part upon the received selection information;

receive a query from a second user;

identifies auctions that satisfy the received query using a mapping of auctions to query terms, the mapping including the relevance information for each of the identified auctions with respect to the at least one search term;

generate a ranking for at least some of the identified auctions using the relevance information for each second term in the query mapped to at least one of the identified actions; and

provide ordered search results corresponding to the ranked auctions for display to the user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the query includes a category and a term.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the selection action corresponds to a bid placed by another user at an auction that was identified as satisfying a query including at least one common search term.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein at least two of the first, second, and third components are the same component.