Variable personalization of search results in a search engine

• US 8,180,776 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2010
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Haveliwala, Taher H., Jeh, Glen M., Kamvar, Sepandar D.
• Primary Examiner(s): FILIPCZYK, MARCIN R
• Application Number:
  US12/720,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 707/708, 707/710, 707/733, 707/738, 707/749, 707/999.003, 707/999.006
• US Class Current: 707/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A search engine provides personalized rankings of search results. A user interest profile identifies topics of interest to a user. Each topic is associated with one or more sites, and a boost value, which can be used to augment an information retrieval score of any document from the site. Search results from any search are provided to the user, with a variable control of the ranking of the results. The results can be ranked by their unboosted information retrieval score, thus reflecting no personalization, or by their fully or partially boosted information retrieval scores. This allows the user to selectively control how their interests affect the ranking of the documents.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

providing, from a web browser, a search query to a server;

receiving, at the web browser;

a mapping between an indicia of each of first documents responsive to the search query and an identification identifying each of the first documents, and

a representation for each of two or more rankings of the first documents, wherein for each representation;

a respective ranking for the representation is based on one of two or more distinct degrees of influence of an interest profile that is different from the distinct degrees of influence that other representations are based on, wherein each distinct degree of influence corresponds to a unique value; and

the representation includes the identifications associated with the first documents included in the respective ranking;

wherein the interest profile comprises data representing a plurality of topics of interest to a user;

receiving a selection from the user of one of the distinct degrees of influence of the interest profile; and

displaying the representation of the ranking associated with the selected one of the distinct degrees of influence of the interest profile using the mapping and the representation of the ranking associated with the selected one of the distinct degrees of influence, wherein each of the first documents is associated with a respective information retrieval score and a respective boost value, and wherein the web browser selectively displays each ranking without sending a request to the server for a new ranking.

2. The method of claim 1, where each boost value represents a degree of relevance of the document to a distinct topic in the plurality of topics.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the first documents is associated with a score based on the information retrieval score for the respective first document, the respective boost value for the respective first document, and a distinct degree of influence of the interest profile.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first documents are ranked based on the score of each of the first documents.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the degree of influence corresponds to a personalization input mapped to a manipulation of a control.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control is one of a slider, dial, or two or more radio buttons each corresponding to a respective distinct degrees of influence.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each ranking of the first documents includes a personalization icon next to each first document, wherein the personalization icon is associated with an interest that is included in the interest profile of the user and is displayed by the web browser.

8. A computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions that, when executed, operate to cause a computer to perform operations comprising:

providing, from a web browser, a search query to a server;

receiving, at the web browser;

a mapping between an indicia of each of first documents responsive to the search query and an identification identifying each of the first documents, and

a representation for each of two or more rankings of the first documents, wherein for each representation;

a respective ranking for the representation is based on one of two or more distinct degrees of influence of an interest profile that is different from the distinct degrees of influence that other representations are based on, wherein each distinct degree of influence corresponds to a unique value; and

the representation includes the identifications associated with the first documents included in the respective ranking;

wherein the interest profile comprises data representing a plurality of topics of interest to a user;

receiving a selection from the user of one of the distinct degrees of influence of the interest profile; and

displaying the representation of the ranking associated with the selected one of the distinct degrees of influence of the interest profile using the mapping and the representation of the ranking associated with the selected one of the distinct degrees of influence, wherein each of the first documents is associated with a respective information retrieval score and a respective boost value, and wherein the web browser selectively displays each ranking without sending a request to the server for a new ranking.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, where each boost value represents a degree of relevance of the document to a distinct topic in the plurality of topics.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein each of the first documents is associated with a score based on the information retrieval score for the respective first document, the respective boost value for the respective first document, and a distinct degree of influence of the interest profile.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first documents are ranked based on the score of each of the first documents.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the degree of influence corresponds to a personalization input mapped to a manipulation of a control.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the control is one of a slider, dial, or two or more radio buttons each corresponding to a respective distinct degrees of influence.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein each ranking of the first documents includes a personalization icon next to each first document, wherein the personalization icon is associated with an interest that is included in the interest profile of the user and is displayed by the web browser.

15. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

a web browser configured to;

provide, from the web browser, a search query to a server;

receive, at the web browser;

a mapping between an indicia of each of first documents responsive to the search query and an identification identifying each of the first documents, and

a representation for each of two or more rankings of the first documents, wherein for each representation;

a respective ranking for the representation is based on one of two or more distinct degrees of influence of an interest profile that is different from the distinct degrees of influence that other representations are based on, wherein each distinct degree of influence corresponds to a unique value; and

the representation includes the identifications associated with the first documents included in the respective ranking;

wherein the interest profile comprises data representing a plurality of topics of interest to a user;

receive a selection from the user of one of the distinct degrees of influence of the interest profile; and

display the representation of the ranking associated with the selected one of the distinct degrees of influence of the interest profile using the mapping and the representation of the ranking associated with the selected one of the distinct degrees of influence, wherein each of the first documents is associated with a respective information retrieval score and a respective boost value, and wherein the web browser selectively displays each ranking without sending a request to the server for a new ranking.

16. The system of claim 15, where each boost value represents a degree of relevance of the document to a distinct topic in the plurality of topics.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each of the first documents is associated with a score based on the information retrieval score for the respective first document, the respective boost value for the respective first document, and a distinct degree of influence of the interest profile.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first documents are ranked based on the score of each of the first documents.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the degree of influence corresponds to a personalization input mapped to a manipulation of a control.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the control is one of a slider, dial, or two or more radio buttons each corresponding to a respective distinct degrees of influence.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein each ranking of the first documents includes a personalization icon next to each first document, wherein the personalization icon is associated with an interest that is included in the interest profile of the user and is displayed by the web browser.