Abstract: A method whereby internet search keyword(s) can be associated with a purchase at an offline merchant. The process empowers the merchant to optimize bids to invest more money in keyword(s) with a stronger return on investment and less money in keyword(s) with a lower return on investment.

Abstract: When an input acknowledging unit acknowledges the input of pre-conversion data from the user via the user interface, an ordinary conversion processing unit that uses a dictionary database displays a candidate of converted data. When the input of search data is acknowledged from the user via the user interface, a search conversion processing unit that uses a search service etc. displays search result data or the candidate of converted data.

Abstract: System and method for analysis of an opinion expressed in documents on a particular topic computes opinion strength on a continuous numeric scale, or qualitatively. A variety of opinion scoring techniques are plugged in to score opinion expressing words and sentences in documents. These scores are aggregated to measure the opinion intensity of documents. Multilingual opinion analysis is supported by capability to concurrently identify and visualize the opinion intensity expressed in documents in multiple languages. A multi-dimensional representation of the measured opinion intensity is generated which is agreeable with multi-lingual domain.

Abstract: An application for a method of presenting items of a catalog in various geographic regions includes providing a catalog of items, each item having associated therewith at least one geographic code. A search term and a geographic location are provided. The catalog is searched for matching items that are related to the search term and in which the geographic code indicates the item is suitable for the geographic location.

Abstract: A search system using images is provided in which when a user does not know a relevant URL or search keyword correctly while surfing the Internet, he or she can search a desired website using only an image. The search system using images according to the present invention comprises an image search server and a user terminal. The image search system comprises: an image conversion section for converting the image included in the website information and the to-be-searched image uploaded by the user into search format images; an image search section for comparing eigen values of both the to-be-searched image uploaded by the user and the search image included in the website information and detecting the website information having a matching eigen value; and a storage section for storing the detected website information, the image included in the website information, and information regarding eigen values.

Abstract: A system and method for a content fingerprint filter. Various embodiments include receiving content and a preference from a user. The content is encoded without any available identifying information. A technical analysis of the encoded content is performed for one or more technical attributes. The available identifying information is paired with the one or more technical attributes to form a content fingerprint, where the content fingerprint identifies the content. The content fingerprint is combined with the preference to create a content fingerprint filter. The content fingerprint filter is used to filter pieces of available content, where each piece of available content has an associated content fingerprint. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: A content based image retrieval system that extracts images from a database of images by constructing a query set of features and displaying images that have a minimum dissimilarity metric from images in the database. The dissimilarity metric is a weighted summation of distances between features in the query set and features of the images in the database. The method is useful for image searching such as web-based image retrieval and facial recognition.

Abstract: A system analyzing apparatus obtains a message group including a message ID, a protocol, a type, and a transmission time of messages transmitted/received in a system where a hierarchical structure of protocols is defined. The apparatus detects pairs of a request message and a response message of the same message ID from the obtained message group. The apparatus identifies a request time and a response time of each of the detected pairs. The apparatus searches for a child-layer pair that has a request time and a response time between the request time and the response time of a parent-layer pair arbitrarily selected from among the pairs and that has a protocol in a layer lower than the protocol of the parent-layer pair on the basis of the identified result. The apparatus outputs the found child-layer pair as a candidate pair having a call relationship with the parent-layer pair.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for, and method of, recycling field value weights as computed for database linking purposes. Such field value weights may be used for a search operation. In some embodiments, such weights may be used for a search operation prior to their values stabilizing during an iterative linking operation.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for a query based search engine that searches a database of linked documents. In some embodiments, the method and apparatus computes reliability degrees of the documents, abstracts each document to generate its abstracts, provides a search query interface so that a user can use to enter a search query, processes the search query to generate an intent match criterion, identifies matched documents according to the generated intent match criterion, computes relevance degrees of the matched documents, sets order of the matched documents, and presents the matched documents to the user according to the set order by displaying the following items for each matched document: a link to the matched document, an abstract of the matched document if there are abstracts of the matched document, and a match in the matched document if there are matches in the matched document.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for identifying candidate synonyms of transliterated terms for query expansion. In one aspect, a method includes identifying multiple transliterated terms in a target language. For each transliterated term of the multiple transliterated terms in the target language, the transliterated term is mapped to one or more terms in a source language. For a first transliterated term of the multiple transliterated terms in the target language, one or more second transliterated terms of the multiple transliterated terms in the target language are identified as candidate synonyms of the first transliterated term, where each of the one or more second transliterated terms is mapped to at least one term in the source language that is also mapped from the first transliterated term.

Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for generating a product value. In some embodiments, a method for generating a product value includes the steps of receiving a product value request from a user, providing a product value information portal, accumulating product value information, and generating a product value. In some embodiments, a system for generating a product value includes a user interface adapted and configured to receive a product value request from a user for a specified product, a portal adapted and configured to receive value information from a plurality of users for the specified product, and a processor adapted and configured to accumulate product value information and generate a product value.

Abstract: Techniques may be used to match records of a batch file to an entity representation in a universal database. Inputs may include, but are not limited to, a batch file and a universal (or other) database. The technique may compare the records of the batch file to the records of the universal database, and may attempt to create matches between the records in the batch file and the entity representations or records in the universal database. One possible output may include one or more tables that include foreign record IDs of the batch file records, each in association with an entity representation of the universal database. The techniques may include a batch style processing of records.

Abstract: A data handling device has access to a store of existing metadata pertaining to existing documents having associated metadata terms. It analyses the metadata to generate statistical data as to the co-occurrence of pairs of terms in the metadata of one and the same document. When a fresh document is received, it is analysed to assign to it a set of terms and determine for each a measure of their strength of association with the document. Then, for each term of the set, a score is generated that is a monotonically increasing function of (a) the strength of association with the document and of (b) the relative frequency of co-occurrence of that term and another term that occurs in the set; metadata for the fresh document are then selected as the subset of the terms in the set having the highest scores.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for increasing protein food safety are provided. According to one embodiment, a method in a computer system for increasing protein food safety includes steps: (a) receiving contamination level data; (b) accessing from a database stored data comprising prior contamination level data, prior interventions associated with the prior contamination level data, and prior actual results associated with the prior contamination level data; (c) selecting a subset of the prior contamination level data, the prior interventions, and the prior actual results, where the prior contamination level data is similar to the contamination level data; (d) determining if an effective intervention is set forth in the subset based at least partially on the prior actual results in the subset; and (e) if an effective intervention is not set forth in the subset, causing an intervention to be output that is increased relative to the intervention in the subset.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automated analysis and targeting of digital media based upon spoken topic or criterion recognition of the digital media are provided. Pre-specified criteria are used as the starting point for a top-down topic or criterion recognition approach. Individual words used in the audio track of the digital media are recognized only in context of each candidate topic or criterion hypothesis, thus yielding greater accuracy than two-step approaches that first transcribe speech and then recognize topic based upon the transcription.

Abstract: Embodiments of user profile tagging process for an online credit application system are described. The process stores keywords represented as tags relating to various characteristics of the user. These characteristics can include objective information regarding the user, and subjective information, such as user preferences, background, affiliations, behavior patterns, and so on. A query function allows a querying user to input query tags to determine an aggregate or mean credit score for users who have certain characteristics. In response to a user query, the system identifies all other users that match the query tags entered by the querying user. The system calculates the aggregate credit score for these other users and displays this aggregate score relative to the credit score of the querying user.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and device for finding documents, such as Web pages, for presentation to a user, automatically or in response to a user expression of interest, which documents are part of a Web site being accessed by the user, and which documents relate to a document, such as a Web page, being accessed in the Web site. The method takes advantage of information retrieval techniques. The method generates the search query to use to find documents by reference to the text of the document in the Web site being accessed by the user. The method further uses a weighting function to weigh the terms used in the search query.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for performing a trusted search is described. A credibility score is assigned to a Web site based on whether the Web site meets at least a portion of trust criteria. The Web site is stored in an index of trusted Web sites if the credibility score assigned to the Web site is within a predefined range of credibility scores. The Web site is displayed on a machine if the Web site is determined to contain information that is relevant to a search query.

Abstract: A method of identifying thematic groups of nodes by analysis of a corpus of documents. The method uses a distance metric based on connectedness of nodes, which is derived from a co-occurrence measure. The invention is also embodied as a computer-implemented visualization tool that generates a display of nodes and thematic groupings. The invention is useful for ‘data mining’ a large corpus of documents, particularly textual documents, to extract relevant information.

Abstract: Search and retrieval of information shared between members of a social mobile networks is facilitated. The search returns results in an order that is based on relevance measurements unique to each member. A comprehensive map of the interactions and behaviors that take place between the members of a social mobile network is discovered and maintained. Such maps are used to assign a unique relevance measurement for each member of each social mobile network.

Abstract: There is provided a communication system including a plurality of communication devices including first, second and third communication devices and performable of one-on-one communication with one another. The first communication device includes: a search request reception part receiving a search request for data from the second communication device; a determination part determining whether or not data relevant to the search request is retained; a search request transmission part transmitting, when the relevant data is not retained, the search request to the third communication device; a data reception part receiving the data relevant to the search request from the third communication device; a data transmission part transmitting, to the second communication device that has transmitted the search request, the data received by the data reception part. The first communication device relays the search request and the data from/to the second communication device and the third communication device.

Abstract: A computing device that filters online content to be delivered to an individual includes a processor, and a computer readable storage medium storing instructions. When the instructions are executed, the computing device is caused to: receive content from a plurality of sources, and to index the content; receive input from the individual to indicate a relevance of certain of the content; filter the content based on the input from the individual and identify relevant content for the individual; and deliver the relevant content to the individual.

Abstract: Apparatus, systems and methods for predictive query identification for advertisements are disclosed. Candidate query are identified from queries stored in a query log. Relevancy scores for a plurality of web documents are generated, each relevancy score associated with a corresponding web document and being a measure of the relevance of the candidate query to the web document. A web document having an associated relevancy score that exceeds a relevancy threshold is selected. The selected web document is associated with the candidate query.

Abstract: Systems and methods for ranking pages and/or hosts in a faster and more relevant manner are provided. Systems and methods for ranking pages and/or hosts based on session data and/or traffic data are also provided. According to the invention, session maps can be created using DNS and/or ISP data. Systems and methods for ranking pages and/or hosts for the purpose of doing business are also provided.

Abstract: A terminal is provided with an image obtaining portion that obtains an image including a code representing a location of a web page, a web page obtaining portion that obtains the web page based on the code included in the image, a calculation portion that compares the image except the code with the web page to calculate a degree of relevance between the image except the code and the web page, and a print controller that issues a command to print the image with the code excluded if the degree of relevance is lower than a predetermined threshold, and to print the image without excluding the code if the degree of relevance is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A content searching apparatus facilitating a search of a content which a user desires even where relativity between a content and a keyword change includes: a content table storing unit (108) storing content tables (108a); an input unit (112) obtaining a keyword which has been selected as a selected keyword; a relevant keyword creating unit (109) calculating a relevance degree, for each of keywords, to the selected keyword, based on a target content table (108a), selecting a keyword having a predetermined relevance degree out of each of the keywords, and creating a relevant keyword out of the corresponding keywords; a variance calculating unit (106) calculating a variance value of selected keywords including the keyword when the user is confused; and a content table selecting unit (114) changing the above mentioned target content table (108a) to another content table (108a) in the case where the variance value is larger than a threshold value.

Abstract: Systems and methods for delivering Web content are provided. The systems and methods include a mechanism for providing interest data that may be applied to filter Web content at the provider side. A hierarchical data set of user-identified interests in received from the user's Web client. The hierarchical data set is parsed, and responsive thereto, one or more keyword attribute values are extracted from the hierarchical data set. The extracted keyword values are applied to filter content for delivery to a requesting Web client.

Abstract: Computer-readable media and computerized methods for identifying candidate points on a graphical depiction of relative popularity of an entity (e.g., entertainer, sports team, and the like) are provided. Points on the graphical depiction are ranked based on a number of user-submitted web queries that reference the entity that are received during a particular time frame. Peak points and slope values (i.e., derived from an angle of inclination of inclines on the graphical depiction) may be captured by analyzing movements in the rank of an entity over time. An algorithmic process may then be applied to the peak points and slope values to determine points of interest of the entity's popularity, such as the highest-ranked periods and/or dramatic positive movements in rank of the entity. These points of interest are selected as candidate points and are surfaced as icons on a visual representation of the graphical depiction.

Abstract: Method and system for optimizing search results in a business intelligence system. An member is selected in the business intelligence system having a user space, a content space, a data space, a master-data space and a metadata space. A relationship is determined between the member and a plurality of objects in the user space, the content space, the data space, the master-data space, or the metadata space. A ranking of the member is calculated based on the relationship. A relevance of the member in the business intelligence system is calculated using the ranking, thereby optimizing search results of the business intelligence system using the relevance of the object.

Abstract: Methods and systems disclosed herein relate to keyword discovery tools for populating a private keyword database. Keyword discovery relates to continuously and automatically in incrementing a working keyword data set for new periods of time based on retrieval of at least one of new traffic-generating keywords and new suggested keywords. Related user interfaces, applications, and computer program products are disclosed.

Abstract: The contents retrieval device (100) which can present an appropriate related keyword to a user even when the object user wishes to retrieve dynamically changes includes a contents estimation unit (107) which retrieves the contents according to the search keyword, the document space database (103) where the plurality of document spaces according to the occurrence frequency of the keyword is stored, the document space selection unit (104) which selects the narrowing-down document space and the expansion document space from the document space database (103) according to the search keyword and the occurrence frequency of the document space indicating a degree of relevance with the contents according to the search keyword, the related keyword estimation unit (108) which selects the keywords corresponding to the narrowing-down document space and the expansion document space as the narrowing-down keyword and the expansion keyword respectively, and the output unit which displays the selected narrowing-down keyword an

Abstract: An information processing apparatus for creating a retrieval result displaying a list of retrieval documents is disclosed. Retrieval documents corresponding to a retrieval condition are classified into groups based on scores indicating degrees of relevance to the retrieval condition. A clustering process is conducted with respect to the retrieval documents in a group, for each of groups to which the retrieval documents belong.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention provide that a web application server reads catalog information, and selects grouping data. Then, the web application server sets web-application-server grouping. When an instruction on execution of grouping is issued from a client PC, the web application server registers catalog data items for individual groups. When association data is selected by the client PC, the web application server registers association information to a database.

Abstract: A method of processing data in an information gathering system includes receiving a set of candidate data records and attempting to obtain a set of processing rules associated with the set of candidate data records. If the set of processing rules is successfully obtained, the method includes obtaining a set of quality criteria associated with the obtained set of processing rules, applying the set of processing rules and the set of quality criteria to the set of candidate data records to produce a set of quality indicators, and conditionally applying the set of candidate data records to a database associated with the information gathering system based on the set of quality indicators.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for, and method of, calculating parameters used to determine whether records and entity representations should be linked. The system and method utilize blended field weights to account for certain types of partial matches. The system and method apply iterative techniques such that parameters from each linking iteration are used in the next linking iteration. The system and method need no human interaction in order to calibrate and utilize record matching formulas used for the linking decisions.

Abstract: A recruiting system and method includes an automated candidate opt-in confirmation system for identifying and screening job candidate resumes that permits at least one potential candidate to opt-in to seek a job opportunity. The recruiting system enables a candidate to opt-in using a telephone, the Internet, or through any other suitable mediums or methods. The recruiting system and method provides a highly effective tool for job recruiters to select and identify qualified candidates that want to pursue a specified job opportunity quickly and efficiently.

Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for bidirectional matching. In overview, various embodiments provide software, hardware and methodologies underlying a bidirectional matching approach that implements a multi-level importance weighting procedure. Generally speaking, potential relationships between parties are scored on the basis of criterion matches. In some embodiments, a value is assigned to each criterion match based on a function of predefined factor, which is optionally experientially defined, and a further factor, which is defined based on individual preferences.

Abstract: A method to enable improved analysis and use of sociological data, the method comprising identifying causal relationships between a plurality of documents, identifying a plurality of characteristics of a communication, including a modality used, actors involved, proximate events of relevance, and enabling a user to query based on available characteristics.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for, and method of, calculating parameters used to determine whether records and entity representations should be linked. Such parameters may be set as negative to account for fields that do not match. The system and method apply iterative techniques such that parameters from each linking iteration are used in the next linking iteration. The system and method need no human interaction in order to calibrate and utilize record matching formulas used for the linking decisions.

Abstract: A computer-readable medium including computer-readable information thereon including instructions providing a method for refining a search algorithm is provided, the method comprising displaying a document, displaying at least one metadata about the search result, receiving instructions about a selection of at least one of the metadata; and modifying a search algorithm by including the selected metadata in the search algorithm. The method can be applied to internet pages based on met tags. A method for linking documents to an object is also provided. A system and interface for carrying same is also provided herein.

Abstract: A social based search apparatus, system and method. The apparatus, system and method may include receiving, from a user, at least one search keyword, comparing the search keyword to a plurality of keywords having one or more experts associated therewith, and producing a first search result including at least one expert and information associated with the at least one expert, wherein the at least one expert and the information are at least substantially related to the at least one search keyword. The present invention may additionally include applying at least one filter to the first search result, wherein the at least one filter includes a broadening of the at least one search keyword.

Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention discloses a quality check (QC) method, including: determining a QC object to be checked and its QC content; searching a system where QC data needed for the QC is located, according to the determined QC object and its QC content, and obtaining the corresponding QC data from the system; and computing QC result according to the obtained QC data. With the QC method, it may perform a uniform hierarchical QC on service representatives in different systems and QC results can be stored uniformly in the same database, which facilitates query, statistics and analysis of the QC results. An embodiment of the present invention also discloses a QC system including a database and QC device. The QC device includes a user input unit and a master control unit.

Abstract: A user search request is received and context information for the user is identified. The user search request and the context information are then combined to generate search criteria corresponding to the user search request, providing for information solicitation based on a computer user's context.

Abstract: A client system provides to a server system a fill-the-blank query comprising one or more term segments and one or more missing term identifiers signifying missing information sought by a user. The client system receives from the server system a response to the query, the response including at least one or more potential answers corresponding to the one or more missing term identifiers in the fill-the-blank query, and then displays the response to the query, including displaying the one or more potential answers. Optionally, the client system displays a ranked list of documents containing the one or more potential answers. Optionally, the response to the query further includes snippets of text from one or more documents containing the one or more potential answers. Optionally, the fill-the blank query includes a respective missing term identifier located between two respective term segments.

Abstract: An Internet infrastructure contains a search server that delivers search result pages of web sites to client devices based upon a search string. Maxima categories are provided that sort search results or web pages based upon popularity and/or context similarity. A web browser contained within a client device is coupled to display various search result pages of web sites delivered by the search server. A maxima determination module within the search server responds to the delivery of the initial search string by first categorizing search results applicability to the search string on the basis of maxima or by generating maxima categories with search results contained therein that correlated to the search string. These search results within each applicable maximum are then sorting on the basis of popularity within each of the maxima categories to effectuate popularity ranks for each search result or web page.

Abstract: A user profile and/or the suggestions computed based thereon are obtained taking a special set of user features into account. The user features are defined to represent a typical general behaviour of an individual user in respect to the application where the user profile is used. In other words, for each application where a user profile is used a special set of user features are defined which are able to represent a typical general behaviour of an individual user. Based on these user features the weights in the list of word-weight pairs or weighted keywords which represents the user profile are computed or influenced during the creation of the user profile, and/or a mufti-user profile is split during the creation of an individual user profile from a mufti-user profile, and/or during specification of a suggestion a user history which is used to create the user profile, and/or the user profile, and/or the suggestion results are filtered.

Abstract: Discovering relevant concepts and context for content nodes to determine a user's intent includes identifying one or more concept candidates in a content node based at least in part on one or more statistical measures, and matching concepts in a concept association map against text in the content node. The concept association map represents concepts, concept metadata, and relationships between the concepts. The one or more concept candidates are ranked to create a ranked one or more concept candidates based at least in part on a measure of relevance. The ranked one or more concept candidates is expanded according to one or more cost functions. The expanded set of concepts is stored in association with the content node.

Abstract: An Internet infrastructure contains a search server that delivers search result pages of search results or web sites to client devices based upon a search string. The search results provided to the user take into account prior search terms entered by the user, and may take into account user interaction (or lack thereof) with prior search results as well as additional information other than just the search string and popularity ranking of web pages on the Internet. Specifically, a web browser contained in the client devices displays a first set of search result pages of web sites delivered by the search server in response to a search string. Then, in response to a modified search string and/or monitored and processed user interaction with prior search results, the search server delivers a second set of search result pages, comprising more relevant search information.

Abstract: A search engine (SE) is capable of adapting based on the user's interaction with search results/WebPages. Information, based on user interaction, is subsequently used to modify the priority of search results to create a more relevant search list that provides the user more relevant search information in a shorter period of time. The search engine adaptation takes place by calculating evaluation inputs based on user interaction with search results to compute a metric herein called as the desirability number for one or more search results. The desirability number (DN) is tagged as a search result or page attribute and is stored in the search engine server database in association with each search result or page. Based on the DN and other possible indicators, the resultant search list is modified to better prioritize search results that appear to be more meaningful to the user before continuing to present results to the user.