Patents Assigned to Yahoo ! Inc.
  • Publication number: 20100263825
    Abstract: Apparatuses, methods, and systems directed to efficient cooling of data centers. Some embodiments of the invention allow encapsulation of cold rows through an enclosure and allow one or more fans to draw cold air from the cold row encapsulation structure to cool servers installed on the server racks. In other particular embodiments, the systems disclosed can be used to mix outside cool air into the cold row encapsulation structure to cool the servers. In some embodiments, the present invention involves fanless servers installed on the server racks and introduces fan units to draw cooling air from the cold row encapsulation structure through the fanless servers on the racks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Noteboom, Albert Dell Robison
  • Publication number: 20100269165
    Abstract: A system and method which may allow users to interact with Internet servers with graphical mouse movements. The invention is especially useful to enhance online transaction security. A user may use a mouse to draw a pattern and store the pattern as his password to an online account, and draw the pattern with a mouse to log in the online account. The password may include a drawing, one or more letters, one or more numbers, or one or more characters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Yong-Chang Chen, Howard (Ping-Chia) Su, Jyun-Jie (James) Yan
  • Publication number: 20100268710
    Abstract: A system and method for personalized search ranking may use a user's feedback to immediately reorder search results for this particular user so as to improve click-through rate. Upon receiving a query including one or more words, a search engine may identify a list of search results and display the search results on a search result page. A machine-learning module may collect information about a user's browsing activities on the result page, update estimates of relevance of the search results, and reorder the search result list to personalize it for the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander L. Strehl, Sharad Goel, John Langford, Sham Kakade
  • Publication number: 20100268712
    Abstract: A system and method for automatically grouping keywords into a plurality of ad groups. The method includes receiving a list of keywords and calculating a frequency of occurrence associated with each keyword in the list of keywords. The keywords in the list of keywords are automatically grouped into a plurality of ad groups based on at least the frequency of occurrence or a predetermined ad grouping list. The plurality of ad groups are subsequently saved in an uploadable format and exported to an external application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2009
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventor: Americ Banyiyezako Ngwije
  • Publication number: 20100268709
    Abstract: Embodiments of methods, apparatuses, devices and systems associated with calibrating one or more relevance scores are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc., a Delaware corporation
    Inventor: Alex Cozzi
  • Patent number: 7818397
    Abstract: The invention enables one or more agents to gather information from at least one server on a network and automatically provide this information to an inbox on a server and then providing it to an inbox on a mobile device if a wireless connection to the mobile device is available. A server agent facility provides for preprocessing requests for information from the mobile device, including, collecting the information out of band, filtering the collected information, and packaging the information for delivery in a format suitable for the mobile device. A server agent within the server agent facility may actively collect the information based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, time, event(s), user profile, mobile device profile, request(s), alert(s), and historical behavior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Zhaowei Charlie Jiang, Yingqing Lawrence Cui, Min Zhou
  • Patent number: 7818534
    Abstract: A portion of data records of a full input data set are imported into memory of a computer system for processing by an executing application. The full input data set includes data records of a dimensionally-modeled fact collection. An amount of the data of the full input set to import is determined based on an amount of available memory of the computer system. The sampling characteristics for sampling the full input data set are determined based on the amount of the data that can be imported and on characteristics of the full input data set and application involved. The full input data set is then sampled and a portion of the records are imported into the memory of the computer system for processing. The sampling characteristics are determined such that analysis as a result of processing by the executing application of the sampled portion of the records imported is representative of the analysis that could otherwise be carried out on the full input data set, with a calculable statistical relevance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: David A. Burgess, Amit Umesh Shanbhag, Brian T. Selle, Glen Anthony Ames, Sundara Raman Rajagopalan
  • Patent number: 7818350
    Abstract: A method, server, and user interface associated with creating a collaborative playlist between one or more users based on user interaction with a media program. In one embodiment, the media program is an instant messaging application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew David New, Daniel Davidson Baird
  • Patent number: 7818320
    Abstract: The present invention provides for enhanced search results in response to a search request based on a search term. The enhanced search results generate a search results page including a plurality of document identifiers including a hyperlink and an abstract, each abstract including a plurality of abstract terms. The method and apparatus, upon receipt of the search request, accesses a relevancy factor database that includes relevancy factors. The relevancy factors are determined by accessing feedback logs for search results based on the same search term, calculating a popularity factor for each of the plurality of phrases in the abstracts and user selection activity and relevancy factors are based on the popularity factors. Thereby, the method and apparatus generates the search results page with the sequence of the document identifiers based on the relevancy factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventor: Evgeniy Makeev
  • Publication number: 20100262662
    Abstract: A usage control mechanism is disclosed for use in deterring automated “bot” access. When implemented within an email or messaging system, the mechanism and system prevents generation of spam by the bots, while also minimizing collateral deterrence of desirable human usage. In a disclosed embodiment, a reference image is part of a message composition screen, and a message may be composed but not sent unless a user selects, from a plurality of screening images, an image containing an alphanumeric string or other object that matches that of the reference image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2009
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventor: Tak Yin Wang
  • Publication number: 20100262510
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses and systems directed to online auctions for keywords used in queries processed by online search engines. Particular implementations of the invention are directed to correlating a distribution of values to a distribution of bids and an optimal minimum reserve price based on historical bid data accumulated as part of producing search results.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2009
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Schwarz, Marcin Mejran, Prabhakar Krishnamurthy
  • Publication number: 20100262458
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses and systems directed to online auctions for keywords used in queries processed by online search engines. Particular implementations of the invention are directed to correlating a distribution of values to a distribution of bids and an optimal minimum reserve price based on historical bid data accumulated as part of producing search results.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2009
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Schwarz, Marcin Mejran, Prabhakar Krishnamurthy
  • Patent number: 7814513
    Abstract: The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for generating one or more channels for the organization of content items. A method according to one embodiment comprises selecting a content item and one or more items of metadata for the selected content item. A determination is made to determine if the selected content item should be associated with a given channel on the basis of the metadata. A channel is generated on the basis of the determination, with the selected content item organized in association with the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Ramesh R. Sarukkai, John Thrall, Ruofei Zhang, Sai Surya Kiran Evani
  • Patent number: 7814096
    Abstract: Providing a search result in some embodiments comprises receiving a user query, determining whether an equivalent query of the user query is included in a pre-existing query set wherein the pre-existing query set is associated with an answer, and providing the answer. Providing a search result in some embodiments comprises receiving a user query, determining that an equivalent query of the user query is not included in any of a plurality of existing query sets, and adding the user query to one of the plurality of pre-existing query sets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventor: H. Scott Roy
  • Patent number: 7814097
    Abstract: A search query that includes a first spelling of a term is received. A second spelling of the term is generated. A first set of items that are associated with the first spelling of the term is accessed, and a second set of items that are associated with the second spelling of the term is accessed. A comparison is performed between the first set to the second set. A determination is made as to how to respond to the search query based, at least in part, on the comparison. The response may include a suggested search query that includes the second spelling of the term. The second spelling may be a suggested spelling correction or an alternative spelling. The response may include search results that are relevant to a search query that includes the first spelling of the term, the second spelling, or both the first and second spelling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Smith, Michael J. Wilkens, Deepa Joshi, Kalpana Ravinarayanan, Michael Mathieson
  • Patent number: 7814086
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for determining semantically related terms based on sequences of search queries. Generally, a semantically related term tool examines search logs to associate search queries with a user submitting the search query. The semantically related term tool establishes a plurality of sequences of search queries, each sequence of search queries comprising one or more search queries associated with a common user and relating to a common concept. The semantically related term tool receives one or more seed terms and determines one or more terms related to the received seed terms based on the established plurality of sequences of search queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Bartz, Vijay Murthi, Benjamin Rey, Shaji Sebastian
  • Patent number: 7814109
    Abstract: A system and method to facilitate automatic categorization of events in a network, wherein one or more keywords are retrieved from a keyword database, each retrieved keyword matching a corresponding event unit of an event input by a user over a network. A dominant keyword corresponding to a highest parameter value calculated for each retrieved keyword is then selected. Finally, the event is categorized based on one or more categories associated with the dominant keyword. The dominant keyword may be selected based on one or more keyword categories associated with each retrieved keyword and an ambiguity parameter value calculated for each keyword. Alternatively, the dominant keyword may be selected based on a highest-ranked output value calculated for each retrieved keyword. One or more categories associated with the dominant keyword are subsequently retrieved from the keyword database and the event is categorized based on the category associated with the dominant keyword.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Chad Brower, Shyam Kapur, Brian Coppola, Joshua M. Koran, Jignashu Parikh
  • Publication number: 20100257466
    Abstract: The automatic generation of a mini-application corresponding to a web site is disclosed. A web site is identified via a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The web site is analyzed via a computing device to determine its functionality, where the functionality includes features and functions of the web site. The computing device extracts a subset of the web site functionality based on characteristics of the web site. A mini-application corresponding to the web site is then automatically generated by computer code executing on the computing device. The mini-application includes the extracted subset of the web site functionality so that the subset of the web site functionality is accessible when the mini-application executes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2009
    Publication date: October 7, 2010
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Luke Wroblewski, Aramys Miranda, John Greene
  • Publication number: 20100257175
    Abstract: Embodiments of methods, apparatuses, devices and systems associated with events and joining events are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2009
    Publication date: October 7, 2010
    Applicant: Yahoo!, Inc., a Delaware Corporation
    Inventors: Santhosh Srinivasan, Partha Saha, Swaroop Jagadish, Kurt Peterson
  • Publication number: 20100257150
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for processing user entered query data to improve results of a search of pages using a local search database, when searching the internet, is disclosed. The method includes receiving the user entered query data and parsing each word of the query data and segmenting words using a probabilistic dictionary to determine a likelihood that the word is for a particular name. And, associating the particular names with a name tag to create one or more tagged name terms. Then, normalizing each of the tagged name terms and the normalizing including boosting information if found in the local search database and determining proximity between selected ones of the tagged name terms. The method then generates an optimized search query that incorporates normalized terms and operators. The optimized search query being applied to the internet to enable search results to be produced and displayed to the user in response to the entered query data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Publication date: October 7, 2010
    Applicant: Yahoo!, Inc.
    Inventors: Yumao Lu, Nawaaz Ahmed, Fuchun Peng, Marco Zagha