New Search Patent Applications: August 1, 2006 - Microsoft Answers?
There are a number of new patent applications from Yahoo, including one that utilizes concept networks to understand the intention behind a user’s query; another describing an addition to a user interface that lets a searcher define the context of a search; an API approach to retrieve information from fast changing dynamic sites such as job listing sites, news site personals, or online auction sites; a way to use the contents of a first set of results from the search engine to find relevant pages from a second set of results, including both paid and organic results; a process of dynamically modifying the layout of a page so that the most important content is likely to be seen by a visitor; and a remote filtering system for filtering spam for client-based email programs.
Microsoft unveils a patent application that could be the inspiration for Windows Live QnA, a process for removing unlinked documents from a search engine’s index, an approach for presenting relevant snippets with search results, a means of using cached search results for queries with relevant advertising results, and a query refinement process based upon past user behavior.
IBM provides a linguistic approach to identifying the main body text of a page, and they present that approach as an improvement upon methods such as a VIPS or a Visual Gap Segmentation process.
Yahoo
Systems and methods for managing and using multiple concept networks for assisted search processing
Inventors: Shyam Kapur, Jignashu Parikh, and Deepa Joshi
Assigned to Yahoo
US Patent Application 20060167896
Published July 27, 2006
Filed on December 5, 2005
Abstract
Multiple concept networks are generated from subsets of received queries. These concept networks can be used in various ways to enhance response to subsequent queries. In one embodiment, concept networks can be merged into a larger concept network that can be used to infer a user’s likely intent given a query. In another embodiment, suggestions for related searches obtained using different concept networks can be merged or aggregated. Other users for concept networks in query processing, including assisted search, are also described.
Systems and methods for contextual transaction proposals
Inventors: Reiner Kraft, Andreas Hartmann, Farzin Maghoul
Assigned to Yahoo
US Patent Application 20060167857
Published July 27, 2006
Filed on May 12, 2005
Abstract
Context-specific transaction proposals are automatically generated and presented to a user who expresses interest in a particular topic. A user viewing a World Wide Web page or other content item activates an interface to indicate that he or she is interested in additional information related to the subject of the page. A context vector or other representation of the content of the page being viewed is transmitted to an information server, which identifies possible transactions related to the content and proposes one or more of these transactions to the user. Transaction proposals can be presented together with a contextual search interface that allows the user to submit zero or more search terms together with the context vector as a search query.
System and method for improving online search engine results
Inventors: Daniel Patrick Dissett, Arkady Borkovsky, Charles Converse Carson, JR.
Assigned to Yahoo! Inc.
US Patent Application 20060167852
Published July 27, 2006
Filed on January 28, 2005
See also: 20060167854
Abstract
System and method for improving online search engine results. In one embodiment, a search system queries one or more servers of a destination site to obtain detailed and relevant information. In one embodiment, this query is in the form of an application programming interface call. Based on the content received in response to the aforementioned queries, a plurality of content pages may then be used to build one or more search databases against which user searches may be made during some future time period.
Matching and ranking of sponsored search listings incorporating web search technology and web content
Invented by Charles C. Carson, JR., Devika Chawia, James B. Harvey, Matvey Nemenman, Mohit Sabharwal, and Marco J. Zagha
Assigned to Yahoo! Inc.
US Patent Application 20060161534
Published July 20, 2006
Filed on January 18, 2006
Abstract
A system is disclosed for generating a search result list in response to a search request from a searcher using a computer network. A first database is maintained that includes a first plurality of search listings. A second database is maintained that includes documents having general web content. A search request is received from the searcher. A first set of search listings is identified from the first database having documents generating a match with the search request and a second set of search listings is identified from the second database having documents generating a match with the search request. A confidence score is determined for each listing from the first set of search listings wherein the confidence score is determined in accordance with a relevance of each listing when compared to the listings of the second set of search listings. The identified search listings from the first set of search listing are ordered in accordance, at least in part, with the confidence score for each search listing.
Value system for dynamic composition of pages
Invented by Armin G. Ebrahimi and Daniel L. Rosensweig
Correspondence Name and Address: Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione / Yahoo! Overture
US Patent Application 20060161843
Published July 20, 2006
Filed on January 15, 2004
Abstract
Pages are dynamically composed in order to increase the overall value of the page. In one approach, the overall value of the page is a function of the actual values of the page components that compose the page. These, in turn, are functions of the nominal value of the page components and of an effectiveness of the page components on the page. The actual values of the page components are expressed in a same unit of measure, thus facilitating direct comparison of their relative values.
System and method for providing improved access to SPAM-control feature in mail-enabled application
Inventors: Ashit Gandhi, Edward Seitz, and Eric Paul Burke
Assigned to Yahoo
US Patent Application 20060168056
Published July 27, 2006
Filed: September 12, 2005
Abstract
Disclosed is a system and method for providing users of web-accessible E-mail services with improved access to their E-mail messages and other information. In a first embodiment, a SPAM-control feature of a web-accessible electronic mail service is provided to a user of a mail-enabled application running on the user’s client machine by software which integrates with the mail-enabled application. The software scans E-mail messages for a bulk-indicating indicia inserted by SPAM detection software running on a remote machine, and an E-mail message identified as including such bulk-indicating indicia is routed to a bulk folder
Microsoft
Game-powered search engine
Invented by: Luis A. von Ahn Arellano, Eric D. Brill, John C. Platt, Josh Benaloh
Assigned to Microsoft
US Patent Application 20060167874
Published July 27, 2006
Filed: January 24, 2005
Abstract
The subject invention provides a unique system and method that facilitates an interactive game-powered search engine that serve the purposes of both users who may be looking for information as well as game participants who may desire to earn some reward or level of enjoyment by playing the game. More specifically, the system and method provides feedback to a user based on the user’s input string or a string derived therefrom. The feedback can be a response or answer to the user’s input in the form of text, an image, audio or sound, video, and/or a URL that is provided by one or more game participants when there is some degree of consistency or agreement between the responses or when individual players have demonstrated good reliability in their responses.
System and method for intelligent deletion of crawled documents from an index
Invented by Lin Huang and Dmitriy Meyerzon
Assigned to Microsoft Corporation
US Patent Application 20060161591
Published July 20, 2006
Filed on January 14, 2005
Abstract
Documents are intelligently deleted from an index of crawled documents based on link and parent node information recorded from the crawl. A document visited during a first crawl may not be navigated to during a second crawl because of an error and the present invention verifies whether the document has been deleted. The present invention also prevents the document from being deleted when it is referenced by another document, indicating that the document is still a valid document.
Systems and methods that enable search engines to present relevant snippets
Invented by Silviu-Petru Cucerzan and Matthew R. Richardson
Assigned to Microsoft Corporation
US Patent Application 20060161542
Published on July 20, 2006
Filed on January 18, 2005
Abstract
The subject invention relates to systems and methods that provide search and/or query-relevant information and/or links thereto to a user as and/or with a search and/or query result. This information can be determined form summary information that can be included within a tag, header, body, meta-data, etc. of the data. A user can employ a local and/or web search utility along with a search word, phrase, sentence, etc. to search over a data repository to locate and retrieve data that satisfies the search criteria. The summary information of this data is obtained and matched against the results and/or search criteria to determine whether the data is relevant to the search and/or query. The summary information is utilized to determine a snippet that summarizes the data, based on the search and/or query, search criteria, etc. to provide the user with search and/or query-relevant results and/or one or more links thereto.
System and method for prefetching and caching query results
Invented by Andrew B. Cencini
Assigned to Microsoft Corporation
US Patent Application 20060161541
Published on July 20, 2006
Filed on January 19, 2005
Abstract
A system and method are provided for implementing information from an advertising system within a search system that includes a search system cache. The method may include accessing information contained within an advertising database of the advertising system, and generating search results based on the accessed information. The method may additionally include storing the accessed information and the generated search results based on the accessed information in the search system cache. A system for implementing information from an advertising system within a search system may include an advertising database within the advertising system for storing advertising information. The system may also include a caching system within the search system for extracting the information from the advertising database and storing the extracted information in a cache within the caching system.
System and method for generating alternative search terms
Invented by Brett D. Brewer, Eric B. Watson, Eric D. Brill, James Dai, Oliver Hurst-Hiller, Robert J. Ragno; Robert J., and Silviu-Petru Cucerzan
Assigned to Microsoft Corporation
US Patent Application 20060161520
Published July 20, 2006
Filed on January 14, 2005
Abstract
A system and related techniques accepts user search or query terms over of the Internet or other network or connection. In addition to presenting regularly generated search results, according to embodiments of the invention the search engine and related logic may examine the search string for suggested refinements or improvements to the search terms, to attempt to derive improved results or results closer to the user’s search intent. According to embodiments of the invention in one regard, the alternative search logic may attempt to extract related or more meaningful search terms from sources including past usage patterns by users, and other data. That alternative search logic may thus examine the user’s search terms to determine a substring match to prior searches, for instance stored by the search host for all users. In embodiments, the alternative search logic may likewise present user search extensions or refinement paths selected by prior users running the same search, as an indicator of likely content or source relevance. In further embodiments, the alternative search logic may perform a reverse query lookup to trace queries which resulted in the same Web site or other hit, as the present search and present those other queries as possible alternatives for the user to pursue. These and other search refinements may be performed, taking advantage of usage patterns and other information to improve search quality beyond straightforward spelling-type correction.
IBM
Detecting content-rich text
Invented by Einat Amitay and Nadav Har’el
Assigned to IBM
US Patent Application 20060161537
Published July 20, 2006
Filed on January 19, 2005
Abstract
A method includes finding content-rich text in a document by identifying areas of narrative in the document. An apparatus includes a detector and a content-rich text indicator. The detector detects linguistic parameters which characterize narrative text in an input document and the content-rich text indicator provides the locations of narrative text in the input document.
My usual reminder about patents: Some of the processes and technology described in patents are created in house, and some are developed with the assistance of contractors and partners. A percentage are never developed in a tangible manner, but may serve as a way to attempt to exclude others from using the technology, or even to possibly mislead competitors into exploring an area that they might not have an interest in (sometimes skepticism is good.)
There are times when a Google or Yahoo acquires a company to gain access to the intellectual property of that company, or the intellectual prowess and expertise of that company’s employees. And sometimes patents are just purchased.
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