Detecting spam search results for context processed search queries

• US 8,452,746 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2010
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Guha, Ramanathan V.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, SHEREE N
• Application Number:
  US12/771,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search

Abstract

A programmable search engine system is programmable by a variety of different entities, such as client devices and vertical content sites to customize search results for users. Context files store instructions for controlling the operations of the programmable search engine. The context files are processed by various context processors, which use the instructions therein to provide various pre-processing, post-processing, and search engine control operations. Spam related and biased contexts and search results are identified using offline and query time processing stages, and the context files from vertical content providers associated with such spam and biased contexts and results are excluded from processing on direct user queries.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a search query input and identification of a context file from a third-party content provider, wherein the third-party content provider is configured to receive the search query input from a client device and is configured to determine the identification of the context file based on the search query input;

processing the context file to identify one or more commands for processing the search query input and one or more commands for processing search results wherein one or more of the commands for processing the search query input each specifies a respective precondition for evaluation of another of the commands for processing the search query input;

processing the search query input according to the one or more commands for processing the search query input to produce one or more context processed search queries;

obtaining a plurality of search results responsive to the context processed search queries;

processing the search results according to the one or more commands for processing search results to produce a plurality of context processed search results;

analyzing, for each of one or more of the context processed search results of the plurality of context processed search results, whether a corresponding entry in an annotation file refers to spam;

removing from the plurality of context processed search results one or more of the context processed search results that each have a corresponding entry in the annotation file that refers to spam to create a plurality of modified search results; and

providing the modified search results to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the context file refers to one or more related context files, and wherein processing the search query input according to the one or more commands for processing the search query input further comprises:

processing the search query input according to one or more additional commands for processing the search query input in the one or more related context files.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the search query input according to the one or more commands for processing the search query input further comprises:

evaluating a property value of a query with respect to a predefined property;

or

modifying the search query input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the entries in the annotation file comprises a respective link to a respective web page, the method further comprising determining whether the respective web page contains spam.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the annotations comprise labels, the method further comprising:

receiving a selection of one of the labels; and

generating new search results, wherein the new search results are associated with metadata that includes the label.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the search query input according to the one or more commands for processing the search query input further comprises:

selecting a document collection for searching with the search query input;

establishing a parameter of a search engine for processing the search query input;

or

filtering the search results to include only search results of a designated type in the context processing search results.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that one or more of the context processed search results that have corresponding entries in the annotation file refer to spam further comprises:

identifying a related context file containing a plurality of annotations; and

determining which of the annotations refer to spam.

5. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more computers having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving a search query input and identification of a context file from a third-party content provider, wherein the third-party content provider is configured to receive the search query input from a client device and is configured to determine the identification of the context file based on the search query inputs;

processing the context file to identify one or more commands for processing the search query input and one or more commands for processing search results wherein one or more of the commands for processing the search query input each specifies a respective precondition for evaluation of another of the commands for processing the search query input;

processing the search query input according to the one or more commands for processing the search query input to produce one or more context processed search queries;

obtaining a plurality of search results responsive to the context processed search queries;

processing the search results according to the one or more commands for processing search results to produce a plurality of context processed search results;

analyzing, for each of one or more of the context processed search results, whether a corresponding entry in an annotation file refers to spam; and

removing from the plurality of context processed search results one or more of the context processed search results that each have a corresponding entry in the annotation file that refers to spam to create a plurality of modified search results; and

providing the modified search results to the client device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the context file refers to one or more related context files, and wherein processing the search query input according to the one or more commands for processing the search query input further comprises;

processing the search query input according to one or more additional commands for processing the search query input in the one or more related context files.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein processing the search query input according to the one or more commands for processing the search query input further comprises:

evaluating a property value of a query with respect to a predefined property;

or

modifying the search query input.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the entries in the annotation file comprises a respective link to a respective web page, the method further comprising determining whether the respective web page contains spam.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the annotations comprise labels and the operations further comprise:

receiving a selection of one of the labels; and

generating new search results, wherein the new search results are associated with metadata that includes the label.

15. The system of claim 5, wherein processing the search query input according to the one or more commands for processing the search query input further comprises:

selecting a document collection for searching with the search query input;

establishing a parameter of a search engine for processing the search query input;

or

filtering the search results to include only search results of a designated type in the context processing search results.

20. The system of claim 5, wherein determining that one or more of the context processed search results that have corresponding entries in the annotation file refer to spam further comprises:

identifying a related context file containing a plurality of annotations; and

determining which of the annotations refer to spam.

9. A 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 a search query input and identification of a context file from a third-party content provider, wherein the third-party content provider is configured to receive the search query input from a client device and is configured to determine the identification of the context file based on the search query input;

processing the context file to identify one or more commands for processing the search query input and one or more commands for processing search results wherein one or more of the commands for processing the search query input each specifies a respective precondition for evaluation of another of the commands for processing the search query input;

processing the search query input according to the one or more commands for processing the search query input to produce one or more context processed search queries;

obtaining a plurality of search results responsive to the context processed search queries;

processing the search results according to the one or more commands for processing search results to produce a plurality of context processed search results;

analyzing, for each of one or more of the context processed search results of the plurality of context processed search results, whether a corresponding entry in an annotation file refers to spam; and

removing from the plurality of context processed search results one or more of the context processed search results that each have a corresponding entry in the annotation file that refers to spam to create a plurality of modified search results; and

providing the modified search results to the client device.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein the context file refers to one or more related context files, and wherein processing the search query input according to the one or more commands for processing the search query input further comprises:

processing the search query input according to one or more additional commands for processing the search query input in the one or more related context files.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein processing the search query input according to the one or more commands for processing the search query input further comprises:

evaluating a property value of a query with respect to a predefined property;

or

modifying the search query input.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein each of the entries in the annotation file comprises a respective link to a respective web page, the method further comprising determining whether the respective web page contains spam.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein the annotations comprise labels and the operations further comprise:

receiving a selection of one of the labels; and

generating new search results, wherein the new search results are associated with metadata that includes the label.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein processing the search query input according to the one or more commands for processing the search query input further comprises:

selecting a document collection for searching with the search query input;

establishing a parameter of a search engine for processing the search query input;

or

filtering the search results to include only search results of a designated type in the context processing search results.

21. The computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein determining that one or more of the context processed search results that have corresponding entries in the annotation file refer to spam further comprises:

identifying a related context file containing a plurality of annotations; and

determining which of the annotations refer to spam.