Blending mobile search results

• US 8,370,332 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Hu, Ning, Ha, Vida U.
• Primary Examiner(s): LY, CHEYNE D
• Application Number:
  US13/008,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 707/722, 707/726, 707/748
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• 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

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for blending mobile search results. A method includes receiving a search query and multiple search results. The search results each satisfy the search query and have a respective search result quality score. The search results include generic and mobile search results. The generic and mobile search results each identify a generic and mobile resource, respectively. The search result quality scores include mobile and generic search result quality scores for the mobile and generic search results, respectively. The mobile search result quality scores and the generic search result quality scores were generated according to different scoring formulas. Based on one or more terms in the search query, the search query is classified as a mobile query. As a consequence, one or more search result quality scores are modified to improve the sorting of search results that include both mobile and generic search results.

Claims

1. A method implemented by data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

obtaining search results that each satisfy a search query, the search results including a plurality of generic search results and a plurality of mobile search results, wherein the generic search results each identify a respective generic resource and have a respective search result quality score, and wherein the mobile search results each identify a respective mobile resource; and

have a respective search result quality score;

determining that the mobile search results fall into a plurality of non-overlapping mobile score sub-ranges based on the respective search result quality scores of the mobile search results;

determining a corresponding generic score sub-range for one or more of the mobile score sub-ranges wherein the generic score sub-range is different than the mobile score sub-range;

modifying the respective search result quality scores of one or more mobile search results that fall into a mobile score sub-range of the mobile score sub-ranges so that the modified respective search result quality scores fall within the corresponding generic score sub-range;

ranking the search results based at least partly on the respective search result quality scores and the modified respective search result quality scores;

providing the ranked search results to a client device;

and

wherein obtaining, determining, modifying, ranking, and providing are performed by the data processing apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the corresponding generic score sub-range for a particular mobile score sub-range comprises determining that ratings assigned to a sample plurality of mobile search results having respective search result quality scores that fall into the particular mobile score sub-range are the same as ratings assigned to a sample of generic search results having respective search result quality scores that fall into the generic score sub-range.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the ratings are assigned according to a ratings scale.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising increasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the plurality of mobile search results that links to downloadable content for a mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising increasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the plurality of mobile search results that is in a same language as the search query.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising decreasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the mobile search results that is not in a same language as the search query.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising increasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the mobile search results that refers to a same resource as a generic search result of the generic search results.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising increasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the mobile search results that refers to a resource in a same domain as a resource of a generic search result of the generic search results.

9. A system comprising:

data processing apparatus programed to perform operations comprising;

obtaining search results that each satisfy a search query, the search results including a plurality of generic search results and a plurality of mobile search results, wherein the generic search results each identify a respective generic resource and have a respective search result quality score, and wherein the mobile search results each identify a respective mobile resource and have a respective search result quality score;

determining that the mobile search results fall into a plurality of non-overlapping mobile score sub-ranges based on the respective search result quality scores of the mobile search results;

determining a corresponding generic score sub-range for one or more of the mobile score sub-ranges wherein the generic score sub-range is different than the mobile score sub-range;

modifying the respective search result quality scores of one or more mobile search results that fall into a mobile score sub-range of the mobile score sub-ranges so that the modified respective search result quality scores fall within the corresponding generic score sub-range;

ranking the search results based at least partly on the respective search result quality scores and the modified respective search result quality scores; and

providing the ranked search results to a client device.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein determining the corresponding generic score sub-range for a particular mobile score sub-range comprises determining that ratings assigned to a sample plurality of mobile search results having respective search result quality scores that fall into the particular mobile score sub-range are the same as ratings assigned to a sample of generic search results having respective search result quality scores that fall into the generic score sub-range.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the ratings are assigned according to a ratings scale.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the operations further comprise increasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the plurality of mobile search results that links to downloadable content for a mobile device.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the operations further comprise increasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the plurality of mobile search results that is in a same language as the search query.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the operations further comprise decreasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the mobile search results that is not in a same language as the search query.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the operations further comprise increasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the mobile search results that refers to a same resource as a generic search result of the generic search results.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the operations further comprise increasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the mobile search results that refers to a resource in a same domain as a resource of a generic search result of the generic search results.

17. A storage medium having instruction stored thereon that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

obtaining search results that each satisfy a search query, the search results including a plurality of generic search results and a plurality of mobile search results, wherein the generic search results each identify a respective generic resource and have a respective search result quality score, and wherein the mobile search results each identify a respective mobile resource and have a respective search result quality score;

determining that the mobile search results fall into a plurality of non-overlapping mobile score sub-ranges based on the respective search result quality scores of the mobile search results;

determining a corresponding generic score sub-range for one or more of the mobile score sub-ranges wherein the generic score sub-range is different than the mobile score sub-range;

modifying the respective search result quality scores of one or more mobile search results that fall into a mobile score sub-range of the mobile score sub-ranges so that the modified respective search result quality scores fall within the corresponding generic score sub-range;

ranking the search results based at least partly on the respective search result quality scores and the modified respective search result quality scores; and

providing the ranked search results to a client device.

18. The storage medium of claim 17 wherein determining the corresponding generic score sub-range for a particular mobile score sub-range comprises determining that ratings assigned to a sample plurality of mobile search results having respective search result quality scores that fall into the particular mobile score sub-range are the same as ratings assigned to a sample of generic search results having respective search result quality scores that fall into the generic score sub-range.

19. The storage medium of claim 18 wherein the ratings are assigned according to a ratings scale.

20. The storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise increasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the plurality of mobile search results that links to downloadable content for a mobile device.

21. The storage medium of claim 17 wherein the operations further comprise increasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the plurality of mobile search results that is in a same language as the search query.

22. The storage medium of claim 17 wherein the operations further comprise decreasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the mobile search results that is not in a same language as the search query.

23. The storage medium of claim 17 wherein the operations further comprise increasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the mobile search results that refers to a same resource as a generic search result of the generic search results.

24. The storage medium of claim 17 wherein the operations further comprise increasing the respective search result quality score of a mobile search result of the mobile search results that refers to a resource in a same domain as a resource of a generic search result of the generic search results.