Method and system for updating a search engine database based on popularity of links

• US 7,627,568 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2004
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Round Rock Research LLC
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: McKeeth, Jim
• Primary Examiner(s): Jalil; Neveen Abel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hicks; Michael J
• Application Number:
  US10/882,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20050015394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,981 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• 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 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method and a system for maintaining the freshness of a search engine server'"'"'s database. A popularity parameter is defined, and a popularity value is assigned to each link in the search engine'"'"'s database. The most popular links are selected for updating the contents stored, or associated with, the site to which the links refer. In one embodiment, popularity is based at least in part on the search results generated by the search engine in response to user queries.

Claims

1. A method of updating with a search engine robot contents of a search engine database comprising a plurality of links, the method comprising:

selecting a link from a link database;

receiving a first search query from a user and displaying first search results of one or more links in response to a fist search query;

determining with one or more computer processors, a popularity score for one or more of the links displayed in the first search results in response to the first search query wherein determining the popularity score of the link comprises;

tracking when a user selects the link from the first search results;

tracking when a user returns to the first search results and selects a different link;

tracking the last link selected by the user from the first search results;

tracking when the user revises the first search query to perform a revised search query for new links, wherein the revised search query indicates that the links in the first search results did not retrieve data the user is searching for; and

wherein the one or more computer processors increases the popularity score of the last link selected by the user from the first search results when the user does not perform a revised search query;

determining with one or more computer processors an age of the link;

generating an update rank for the link based at least in part on the popularity score of the link and the age of the link;

adding the link to a link queue based at least in part on the update rank of the link;

accessing, in a content server with a first search engine robot, information associated with the link in the link queue; and

updating, in the search engine database, the information obtained by the first search engine robot that is associated with the link in the link queue;

accessing, in a content server with a second search engine robot, information associated with a link in the search engine database, wherein the link is selected based on the age of the link; and

updating, in the search engine database, the information obtained by the second search engine robot that is associated with the link selected based on the age of the link.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a number of times, during a period of time that one of the links is actually accessed.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the popularity score of the link exceeds a threshold and wherein the update rank is produced as a function of whether or not the popularity score exceeds the threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein updating information comprises accessing at least a web page file associated with the link.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the content server is configured to provide a web site associated with at least one link.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising communicating with the content server accessed via a computer network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the computer network comprises the Internet.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the information associated with the link has changed and wherein the search engine database is updated when the information associated with the link has changed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the age of the link comprises determining a time difference between a time the link was last updated and a time at which the link is being considered for updating.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining whether the age of the link exceeds an age threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein updating information is performed by the second search engine robot provided that the age of the link exceeds the age threshold.

12. A computer system for updating a search engine database comprising a plurality of links, the computer system comprising at least one processor and memory in communication with the at least one processor figured to provide:

a first module executing in one or more computer processors that is configured to select a link from a link database and configured to determine an update rank of the link, wherein the update rank of the link is based at least in part on a popularity score associated with the link and based at least in part on an age of the link;

wherein determining the popularity of the link comprises one or more computer processors configured to track when a user selects the link from first search results retrieved by the search engine as a result of the user performing a first search query, wherein determining the popularity of the link further comprises;

tracking when a user selects the link from the first search results;

tracking when a user returns to the first search results and selects a different link;

tracking when the link is the last link selected by the user from the first search results;

tracking when the user revises the first search query to perform a revised search for new links, wherein the revised search indicates that the links associated with the first search results did not retrieve data the user is searching for; and

wherein the one or more computer processors increases the popularity score of the last link selected by the user from the first search results when the user does not perform a revised search;

a second module executing in one or more computer processors, the second module configured to select a link based at least in part on the update rank of the link, wherein the second module is further configured to access, in a content server, content server information associated with the selected link, and further configured to update search engine information associated with the selected link in the search engine database with the content server information.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the second module is configured to determine whether the update rank exceeds a threshold and further configured to update information subsequent to the update rank exceeding the threshold.

14. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the first module comprises computer instructions executing on the at least one or more computer processors.

15. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the first module is further configured to determine a number of times, during a period of time, that the content server is actually accessed by a user after the search engine has retrieved the link as a first search result in response to the first search request.

16. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the second module is configured to update the link provided that the update rank of the link exceeds a threshold.

17. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the second module comprises robot and indexer software.

18. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the content provider is configured to provide a web site associated with at least one of the plurality of links.

19. A method of updating contents of a search engine database comprising a plurality of links, the method comprising:

determining an update rank of each of the plurality of links wherein the update rank of said each of the plurality of links is based at least in part on a popularity score of each of the plurality of links and wherein the update rank is further based at least in part on an age for said each of the plurality links, and wherein determining the popularity score comprises;

generating first search results in response to a first search query from a user;

tracking when the user selects a link from the first search results;

tracking when a user returns to the first search results and selects a different link;

tracking when the link is the last link selected by the user from the first search results;

tracking when the user revises the first search query to perform a revised search for new links, wherein the revised search indicates that the links associated with the first search results did not retrieve data the user is searching for; and

wherein the one or more computer processors increases the popularity score of the last link selected by the user from the first search results when the user does not perform a revised search;

updating information that is stored in the search engine database associated with at least one of the plurality of links, wherein the at least one of the plurality of links is selected first to be updated based at least partly on the update rank of the at least one of the plurality of links;

wherein updating of the information comprises accessing, in a content server, content server information associated with the at least one of the plurality of links, and updating in the search engine database information associated with the at least one of the plurality of links.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining a number of times, during a period of time that at least one of the links is actually accessed.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein updating information comprises accessing at least a web page file associated with the link.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the content server is configured to provide a web site associated with at least one of the plurality of links.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising communicating with the content server accessed via a computer network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the computer network comprises the Internet.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising determining whether the information associated with said one of the plurality of links has changed and wherein the search engine database is updated when the information associated with the said one of the plurality of links has changed.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein determining the age of said each of the plurality of links comprises determining the time difference between a time said each of the plurality of links was last updated and a current time.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising determining whether the age of said each of the plurality of links exceeds a threshold.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein updating information is performed provided that the age of said one of the plurality of links exceeds the threshold.