Search method and apparatus

• US 9,262,513 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2012
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Liu, Jian
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jensen
• Application Number:
  US13/521,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20120330941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• Field of Search: 707/723
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy

Abstract

A computing device may identify multiple search results that have relatively high correlation with the keyword. The device may determine multiple additional search results based on the corresponding relationships among the keyword, the multiple additional search results, and transaction parameters. The device may list the search results related to the degree of transaction success on the top and the search results related to the correlation on the bottom. The transactional parameters may be determined based on a click index and a purchase index that are associated with the keyword and each search result of the multiple additional search results. The click index and the purchase index may be generated in a predetermined time period.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, instruct the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

receiving a query by a server, the query including a keyword;

obtaining multiple search results based at least in part on the keyword, wherein the multiple search results include;

a first set of search results determined based on literal correlations with the keyword; and

a second set of search results including one or more search results that are not in the first set of search results, each individual search result of the second set of search results being determined based at least in part on correlations among the keyword and transactional parameters, each individual transactional parameter of the transactional parameters being determined based on a ratio of a number of users purchasing one or more items associated with an individual search result to a number of users investigating the individual search result; and

assigning the second set of search results a higher priority than the first set of search results.

2. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, further comprising removing, from the first set of search results, a search result that is substantially same as a particular search result of the second set of search results.

3. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the transactional parameters satisfy a predetermined condition.

4. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the individual transactional parameter is determined further based on a number of times that one or more users investigate the individual search result in a predetermined time period.

5. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the individual transactional parameter is determined further based on a number of times that one or more users purchase one or more items associated with the individual search result in a predetermined time period.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein each individual search result of the second set of search results is determined further based at least in part on one or more search results obtained by multiple users that have individually performed a query using the keyword.

6. A method for searching, comprising:

receiving a query including a keyword;

obtaining multiple search results based at least in part on the keyword, wherein the multiple search results include;

a first set of search results determined based on literal correlations with the keyword; and

a second set of search results including one or more search results that are not in the first set of search results, each individual search result of the second set of search results being determined based at least in part on correlations among the keyword and transactional parameters, each individual transactional parameter of the transactional parameters being determined based on a ratio of a number of users purchasing one or more items associated with an individual search result to a number of users investigating the individual search result; and

assigning the second set of search results a higher priority than the first set of search results.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

ranking the first set of search results based on relevancies between the first set of search results and the keyword; and

ranking the second set of search results based on the transactional parameters, wherein a first search result of the second set of search results that corresponds to a first transactional parameter is ranked higher than a second search result of the second set of search results that corresponds to a second transactional parameter, the first transactional parameter being higher than the second transactional parameter.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the individual transactional parameter is determined further based on a number of times that one or more users investigate the individual search result in a predetermined time period.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the individual transactional parameter is determined further based on a number of times that one or more users purchase one or more items associated with the individual search result in a predetermined time period.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the number of users purchasing one or more items associated with the individual search result represents a purchase index;

the number of users investigating the individual search result represents a click index; and

the individual transactional parameter is determined further based on a variance of purchase indexes of the second set of search results or a variance of click indexes of the second set of search results.

10. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory to maintain a plurality of components executable by the one or more processors, the plurality of components comprising;

a first search module configured to;

receive a query including a keyword, and

conduct a search to obtain a first set of search results based on literal correlations with the keyword;

a second search module configured to determine a second set of search results including one or more search results that are not in the first set of search results, each individual search result of the second set of search results being determined based at least in part on correlations among the keyword and transactional parameters that individually satisfy at least one predetermined condition, each individual transactional parameter of the transactional parameters being determined based on a ratio of a number of users purchasing one or more items associated with the individual search result to a number of users investigating the individual search result; and

a sorting search module configured to assign the second set of search results a higher priority than the first set of search results.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the sorting search module is further configured to:

determine a search result of first set of search results or the second set of search results;

assign a weighted value to the search result based on a corresponding transactional parameter; and

rank the search result based on the weighted value and a correlation score that corresponds to a relevancy between the keyword and the search result.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the sorting search module is further configured to remove from the first set of search results a search result that is substantially same as one search result of the second set of search results.

13. The computing device of claim 12, further comprising a result returning module configured to return to a user device the second set of search results and the first set of search results, the second set of search results being listed prior to the first set of search results.

15. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the individual transactional parameter is determined further based on a number of times that one or more users investigate the individual search result in a predetermined time period.

16. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the individual transactional parameter is determined further based on a number of times that one or more users purchase one or more items associated with the individual search result in a predetermined time period.

17. The computing device of claim 10, wherein:

the number of users purchasing one or more items associated with the individual search result represents a purchase index; and

the individual transactional parameter is determined further based on a variance of purchase indexes of the second set of search results.

18. The computing device of claim 10, wherein:

the number of users investigating the individual search result represents a click index; and

the individual transactional parameter is determined further based on a variance of click indexes of the second set of search results.

19. The computing device of claim 10, wherein:

the number of users purchasing one or more items associated with the individual search result represents a purchase index;

the number of users investigating the individual search result represents a click index; and

the individual transactional parameter is determined further based on a variance of purchase indexes of the second set of search results or a variance of click indexes of the second set of search results.