Abstract: A system can monitor data usage, including an amount of searchable data used and/or a rate at which the searchable data is manipulated, on a storage allocation in a networked environment. The storage allocation can have a quantity/number of partitions, including at least one partition, configured to store the searchable data. The system can detect that the data usage is beyond a specified threshold and then based at least in part on factors such as network traffic. CPU usage, and/or data usage, the system can modify the storage allocation to increase or decrease a size of the partition and/or the quantity of partitions. Network traffic for the storage allocation can be directed away from the portion of the storage allocation being modified. When modifying the storage allocation is complete, the network traffic can be directed to the modified portion of the storage allocation.

Abstract: An entity using a computing device can upload searchable data to a network service to be indexed and stored. The data can include a plurality of data fields, each data field having one or more associated values. The network service can analyze the data fields and their respectively associated values to determine data field types for the data fields and search options to be enabled for the data fields. Based at least in part on the data field types and the search options, the network service can generate a search index configuration/schema. Based at least in part on the generated search index configuration/schema, the network service can generate a search index for the data. In some embodiments, the network service can also convert the data into a format compatible with the search index.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for matching images is provided. The images to be matched are represented by feature points and feature vectors and orientations associated with the feature points. First, putative correspondences are determined by using feature vectors. A subset of putative correspondences is selected and the topological equivalence of the subset is determined. The topologically equivalent subset of putative correspondences is used to establish a motion estimation model. An orientation consistency test is performed on the putative correspondences and the corresponding motion estimation transformation that is determined, to avoid an infeasible transformation. A coverage test is performed on the matches that satisfy orientation consistency test. The candidate matches that do not cover a significant portion of one of the images are rejected. The final match images are provided in the order of decreasing matching, in case of multiple images satisfying all the test requirements.

Abstract: The present invention provides a software facility for identifying the items most relevant to a current query based on items selected in connection with similar queries. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the facility receives a query specifying one or more query terms. In response, the facility generates a query result identifying a plurality of items that satisfy the query. The facility then produces a ranking value for at least a portion of the items identified in the query result by combining the relative frequencies with which users selected that item from the query results generated from queries specifying each of the terms specified by the query. The facility identifies as most relevant those items having the highest ranking values.

Abstract: Techniques, including systems and methods for configuring a bookmark are disclosed. A bookmark is configured such that the bookmark has one or more variables and/or one or more commands associated therewith. A value is dynamically substituted for each variable of the bookmark. The value(s) of the bookmark are used in execution of the bookmark.

Abstract: In accordance with a method for simplifying user management of products during online shopping, an informal storage space for a merchant's web site may be displayed when web pages from the merchant's web site are displayed. The informal storage space may be separate from a shopping cart for the merchant's web site. The informal storage space may include visual identifiers for products that are currently added to the informal storage space. Users may be permitted to compare the products that are currently added to the informal storage space. Users may also be permitted to make modifications to the informal storage space. State information for the informal storage space may be updated to reflect the modifications made to the informal storage space.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for encoding an image is provided. The image that needs to be represented is represented in the form of a Gaussian pyramid which is a scale-space representation of the image and includes several pyramid images. The feature points in the pyramid images are identified and a specified number of feature points are selected. The orientations of the selected feature points are obtained by using a set of orientation calculating algorithms. A patch is extracted around the feature point in the pyramid images based on the orientations of the feature point and the sampling factor of the pyramid image. The boundary patches in the pyramid images are extracted by padding the pyramid images with extra pixels. The feature vectors of the extracted patches are defined. These feature vectors are normalized so that the components in the feature vectors are less than a threshold.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for creating contour images that represent the contour of objects reflected in images, calculating contour histogram descriptors of the contour images, and classifying images based in part on the histogram descriptors of the contour images. For example, a contour image of an image is created. A radial-polar grid having a plurality of radial-polar bins is then positioned on the contour image. A contour histogram descriptor is created to include a number of bins that correspond to the radial-polar bins of the radial-polar grid, where the contents of the bins of the contour histogram descriptor represent the number of pixels of the contour image that are located in the corresponding radial-polar bins of the radial-polar grid. Images are classified at least based in part on comparisons between contour histogram descriptors of the images and contour histogram descriptors of training images.

Abstract: A method and system for associating an advertisement with a web page are disclosed. Web pages associated with potential queries may be identified using a search engine. A mapping operation may be performed to obtain a map of the web pages as a function of the potential queries. A reverse mapping operation may be performed to obtain a grouping of potential queries as a function of one of the web pages. An active query may be selected from the grouping of potential queries to provide to an advertising service to associate an advertisement with the web page.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus are provided for determining relevance of documents to queries. An optimized relevance function is configured to determine a relevance value of documents of a first type that are linked to documents of a second type. The relevance function is optimized to satisfy certain criteria. According to one criterion, a relevance value produced by the optimized relevance function, when invoked for documents of the first type, should have a locally maximal degree of fit to the results of the existing relevance function for the sample training documents of the second type. An assessed degree of fit of a document can be increased or decreased to arrive at an optimized relevance function that ranks the documents of the first type in a desired position relative to documents of the second type in search results. The degree of fit can be assessed by a user-provided objective function.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and system for generating an online listing, such as a yellow pages listing, that includes information about an object, such as a business, and also includes at least one image of the structure containing the object. For example, the image may be a digital image of the store front of a business taken at a street view. Additionally, a user may select an image from a plurality of images that the user perceives as being an appropriate representative image for the business. Based on votes received a default representative image may be identified that is provided in response to a request for information about the business.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for matching images is provided. The images to be matched are represented by feature points and feature vectors and orientations associated with the feature points. First, putative correspondences are determined by using feature vectors. A subset of putative correspondences is selected and the topological equivalence of the subset is determined. The topologically equivalent subset of putative correspondences is used to establish a motion estimation model. An orientation consistency test is performed on the putative correspondences and the corresponding motion estimation transformation that is determined, to avoid an infeasible transformation. A coverage test is performed on the matches that satisfy orientation consistency test. The candidate matches that do not cover a significant portion of one of the images are rejected. The final match images are provided in the order of decreasing matching, in case of multiple images satisfying all the test requirements.

Abstract: A first portion of content relating to a first markup document may be displayed to a user of the client system. Information relating to the first portion of content is stored at a server system. An action to display a current version of the first markup document on the client system is received. A current version of content for the first markup document is retrieved from the host server. The stored information relating to the first portion of content may be used to identify a third portion of content associated with the first markup document which has not previously been displayed to the user. The display of markup document content associated with the first markup document may then be modified in a manner which facilitates the user in identifying the third portion of content.

Abstract: Present invention relates to a method and system for automatic searching for information on a network in response to an image query sent by a user. The image query includes an image that is captured by using a mobile communications device with a camera. The image is processed to detect the text present in it. The detected text is then recognized using an OCR. Subsequently, the text is searched for matches in the corresponding domain database, selected from the various domain databases present in the network. Thereafter, selected matches and additional related information is sent to the user.

Abstract: Rich media search suggestions may be provided to search facility users. Rich media search suggestions may occupy various sizes of search suggestion presentation “real estate,” and may change size, for example, in response to user interaction. A search facility may partially or fully delegate responsibility for providing search suggestions to third party search suggestion providers. Available search suggestion places may be auctioned to interested third party search suggestion providers. Third party search suggestion providers may be responsible for providing search suggestion presentation specifications (e.g., specified with hypertext markup language) for the delegated search suggestion places. Such search suggestion presentation specifications may be provided at bid time and/or in real-time in response to search input by users.

Abstract: Techniques for updating content created for a third party user are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method for updating content comprises receiving information for an item associated with a third party user, requesting a search including information for a plurality of items offered for purchase, the search request being based on the received information for the at least one item, and updating content for the third party user with one of the items included in the list of items received in response to the search request. Information for the item associated with the third party user may be received from a list of items associated with the third party user and maintained by the third party user or from a content source associated with an entity other than the third party user.

Abstract: A visual refinement interface enables users to adjust and/or refine search results by selecting results that match a user's interest, and displaying subsequent results that are closer to the selected items. Multiple result sets can be displayed concurrently such that the user can maintain context for the results. Further, the user can quickly go back to modify an earlier selection without having to navigate to a previous page, for example, and a single modification can cause several subsequent result sets to automatically change such that the user can quickly view dozens of new results, for example, simply by selecting at least one different result from a displayed result set. Prior result sets can be modified, such as by reducing the size or adjusting the placement of the sets, such that the user can easily determine the current set and the relatedness to previous results sets.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed that associate search keywords with relevant images from within sources, such as books, magazines, journals, etc., thereby making the images available for search using the associated keyword. Such associations enable a search engine to identify, in response to a search query, a relevant image within the source that would have not been provided otherwise. For example, an image of the Titanic that appears in a historical or cultural book may be associated with the search keyword “ship.” Accordingly, if a user submits the search query “ship and Infamous Ocean Voyages” (i.e., the keyword “ship” and the title of a book), an image of the Titanic from the book entitled “Infamous Ocean Voyages” may be returned among the search results.

Abstract: Embodiments provide systems and methods for generating a street map that includes a position identifier that identifies a location on the street map. The method and system may also generate and display a plurality of images representative of the location of the position identifier. A user may interact with a position identifier or one of several scroll icons to view images of other locations on the street map and/or to obtain driving directions between two locations.

Abstract: Systems and methods track one or more points between images. A point for tracking may be selected, at least in part, on a determination of how discriminable the point is relative to other points in a region containing the point. A point of an image being tracked may be located in another image by matching a patch containing the point with another patch of the other image. A search for a matching patch may be focused in a region that is determined based at least in part on an estimate of movement of the point between images. Points may be tracked across multiple images. If an ability to track one or more points is lost, information about the points being tracked may be used to relocate the points in another image.