Media object query submission and response

• US 8,321,406 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Garg, Gaurav, Bapna, Abhishek
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, BINH VAN
• Application Number:
  US12/060,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,702 Days
• Field of Search: 707/717
• US Class Current: 707/717
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/532 Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

Methods and systems for submitting media object queries and receiving suggested answers for the media object queries. In one aspect, a method includes receiving from a first user a first media object and a first query relating to content in the first media object, presenting the first media object and the first query to multiple second users, receiving a suggested answer to the first query from each of two or more second users of the multiple second users, where at least two of the suggested answers are distinct, ranking the suggested answers, and presenting one or more of the ranked suggested answers to the first user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a user device of a first user, a first media object and a first query relating to content in the first media object, wherein the first query requests information identifying content presented in the first media object;

providing for presentation the first media object and the first query to a plurality of second users different from the first user;

receiving a suggested answer to the first query from each of a group of second users of the plurality of second users, where at least two of the suggested answers are distinct, and wherein a suggested answer from a particular second user is either a new suggested answer submitted by the particular second user in response to the first query or a previous suggested answer to the first query selected by the particular second user, the previous suggested answer being a suggested answer previously submitted by a different second user of the plurality of second users in response to the first query;

grouping similar suggested answers based on a semantic similarity measure;

ranking the suggested answers where each group of similar suggested answers is given a combined ranking; and

providing for presentation one or more of the ranked suggested answers to the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, where ranking the suggested answers further comprises:

for each group of similar suggested answers, determining a rank score for the group by counting the instances that a suggested answer in the group was submitted or selected by a second user;

for each distinct suggested answer, determining a rank score for the distinct suggested answer by counting the instances that the distinct suggested answer was submitted or selected by a second user; and

ranking the distinct suggested answers and groups of similar suggested answers based on the determined rank scores.

3. The method of claim 1, where a suggested answer from a particular second user is either a new suggested answer submitted by the particular second user in response to the first query or a suggested answer selected by the particular second user from a plurality of suggested answers derived from previous suggested answers previously submitted by different second users of the plurality of second users in response to the first query.

4. The method of claim 1, where providing the first media object and the first query to the plurality of second users further comprises:

including the first media object and query pair in a list of second media object and query pairs, the first media object and query pair having a position in the list; and

selecting the first media object and query pair from the list for presentation to the plurality of second users, the selection based on the position of the first media object and query pair in the list.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving an indication of interest in the first media object and query pair from each of one or more second users of the plurality of second users.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

modifying the position of the first media object and query pair in the list based on the indications of interest in the first media object and query pair from the one or more second users of the plurality of second users; and

selecting the first media object and query pair from the list for presentation to one or more third users, the selection based on the modified position of the first media object and query pair in the list.

7. The method of claim 6, where modifying the position of the first media object and query pair in the list is also based on the number of suggested answers submitted or selected by second users of the plurality of second users.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing data to the first user for presentation, the data relating to one or more media object and query pairs received from the first user or one or more suggested answers submitted or selected by the first user in response to media object and query pairs received from second users.

9. The method of claim 1, where the suggested answers to the first query are received over a specified time period.

10. The method of claim 1, where the media object is one of an image file, a video file, or an audio file.

24. The method of claim 1, where providing one or more of the ranked suggested answers to the first user includes providing for presentation a suggested answer for a group of similar suggested answers according to the combined ranking.

11. A system comprising:

a user interface device; and

one or more computers operable to interact with the user interface device and to;

receive from a first user of the user interface device a first media object and a first query relating to content in the first media object, wherein the first query requests information identifying content presented in the first media object;

provide for presentation the first media object and the first query to a plurality of second users different from the first user;

receive a suggested answer to the first query from each of a group of second users of the plurality of second users, where at least two of the suggested answers are distinct, and wherein a suggested answer from a particular second user is either a new suggested answer submitted by the particular second user in response to the first query or a previous suggested answer to the first query selected by the particular second user, the previous suggested answer being a suggested answer previously submitted by a different second user of the plurality of second users in response to the first query;

group similar suggested answers based on a semantic similarity measure;

rank the suggested answers where each group of similar suggested answers is given a combined ranking; and

provide for presentation one or more of the ranked suggested answers to the first user on the user interface device.

12. The system of claim 11, where ranking the suggested answers further comprises:

for each group of similar suggested answers, determining a rank score for the group by counting the instances that a suggested answer in the group was submitted or selected by a second user;

for each distinct suggested answer, determining a rank score for the distinct suggested answer by counting the instances that the distinct suggested answer was submitted or selected by a second user; and

ranking the distinct suggested answers and groups of similar suggested answers based on the determined rank scores.

13. The system of claim 11, where a suggested answer from a particular second user is either a new suggested answer submitted by the particular second user in response to the first query or a suggested answer selected by the particular second user from a plurality of suggested answers derived from previous suggested answers previously submitted by different second users of the plurality of second users in response to the first query.

14. The system of claim 11, where providing the first media object and the first query to the plurality of second users further comprises:

including the first media object and query pair in a list of second media object and query pairs, the first media object and query pair having a position in the list; and

selecting the first media object and query pair from the list for presentation to the plurality of second users, the selection based on the position of the first media object and query pair in the list.

15. The system of claim 14, where the one or more computers are further operable to:

receive an indication of interest in the first media object and query pair from each of one or more second users of the plurality of second users.

16. The system of claim 15, where the one or more computers are further operable to:

modify the position of the first media object and query pair in the list based on the indications of interest in the first media object and query pair from the one or more second users of the plurality of second users; and

select the first media object and query pair from the list for presentation to one or more third users, the selection based on the modified position of the first media object and query pair in the list.

17. The system of claim 16, where modifying the position of the first media object and query pair in the list is also based on the number of suggested answers submitted or selected by second users of the plurality of second users.

18. The system of claim 11, where the one or more computers are further operable to:

provide data to the first user on the user interface device for presentation, the data relating to one or more media object and query pairs received from the first user or one or more suggested answers submitted or selected by the first user in response to media object and query pairs received from second users.

19. The system of claim 11, where the suggested answers to the first query are received over a specified time period.

20. The system of claim 11, where the media object is one of an image file, a video file, or an audio file.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more computers comprise a server operable to interact with the user interface device through a data communication network, and the user interface device is operable to interact with the server as a client.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the user interface device includes a networking interface.

23. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more computers comprises one personal computer, and the personal computer comprises the user interface device.

25. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a first user of the user interface device, a first media object and a first query relating to content in the first media object, wherein the first query requests information identifying content presented in the first media object;

providing for presentation the first media object and the first query to a plurality of second users different from the first user;

receiving a suggested answer to the first query from each of a group of second users of the plurality of second users, where at least two of the suggested answers are distinct, and wherein a suggested answer from a particular second user is either a new suggested answer submitted by the particular second user in response to the first query or a previous suggested answer to the first query selected by the particular second user, the previous suggested answer being a suggested answer previously submitted by a different second user of the plurality of second users in response to the first query;

grouping similar suggested answers based on a semantic similarity measure;

ranking the suggested answers where each group of similar suggested answers is given a combined ranking; and

providing for presentation one or more of the ranked suggested answers to the first user.