Temporal (i.e., Time Based) Patents (Class 707/725)
  • Patent number: 8290921
    Abstract: Techniques for identifying similar queries based on their overall similarity and partial similarity of time series of frequencies of the queries are provided. To identify queries that are similar to a target query, the query analysis system generates, for each query, an overall similarity score for that query and the target query based on the time series of the query and the target query. The query analysis system also generates, for each query, partial similarity scores for the query and the target query based on various time sub-series of the overall time series of the queries. The query analysis system then identifies queries as being similar to the target query based on the overall similarity scores and the partial similarity scores of the queries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Ning Liu, Jun Yan, Benyu Zhang, Zheng Chen, Jian Wang
  • Patent number: 8266142
    Abstract: A method for use in identifying a segment of audio and/or video information comprises obtaining a query fingerprint at each of a plurality of spaced-apart time locations in said segment, searching fingerprints in a database for a potential match for each such query fingerprint, obtaining a confidence level of a potential match to a found fingerprint in the database for each such query fingerprint, and combining the results of searching for potential matches, wherein each potential match result is weighted by respective confidence level. A confidence level may be a function of at least one or both of (1) a measure of difference between a query fingerprint and a found fingerprint and (2) the relative timing relationship between the time location of a query fingerprint and the time location of a found fingerprint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Wenyu Jiang, Claus Bauer
  • Patent number: 8266143
    Abstract: A system may determine an extent to which a document is selected when the document is included in a set of search results, generate a score for the document based, at least in part, on the extent to which the document is selected when the document is included in a set of search results; and rank the document with regard to at least one other document based, at least in part, on the score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Dean, Paul Haahr, Monika Henzinger, Steve Lawrence, Karl Pfleger, Olcan Sercinoglu, Simon Tong
  • Patent number: 8260775
    Abstract: Computer-readable media and a computing device are described for providing geotemporal search and a search interface therefor. A search interface having a location portion and a timeline portion is provided. A geographic area is selected in the location portion by adjusting the visible area of a map. A temporal window is selected in the timeline portion by adjusting sliders along a timeline to a desired start and end time. The start and end times can be in the past, present, or future. A geotemporal search is executed based on the selected geographic area and temporal window to identify search results having associated metadata indicating a relationship to the selected geographic area and temporal window. One or more search terms are optionally provided to further refine the geotemporal search.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David Dongjah Ahn, Michael Paul Bieniosek, Ian Robert Collins, Franco Salvetti, Toby Takeo Sterrett, Giovanni Lorenzo Thione, Grigor Shirakyan, Hamed Esfahani
  • Publication number: 20120221561
    Abstract: A computer system is described comprising one or more servers, one or more user terminals; and a database of computer entries, each computer entry including node data defining a node representative of an entity and link data defining a plurality of links connecting the node to one or more other nodes representative of one or more other entities, each link having associated tag data that describes an attribute of one of the entities associated with the link and a reputational score associated with the attribute. The computer system is able to search the computer entries based on a search request; to rank search results based on reputational scores associated with the search results; and to output one or more ranked search results. The computer system also allows entities to add new links into the database and to add new nodes representing new entities into the database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2011
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: HSBC Bank plc
    Inventors: Scott BROWN, Nick Jewell
  • Patent number: 8255393
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system of building a user reputation database for use in a user location data system. The method and system receive user location information containing personally identifiable data of a user and user position data. The user position data may or may not represent one or more actual geographic positions of the user. The user location information is temporarily stored and analyzed to provide a spam score associated with the user position data indicative of whether the user position data represents the actual geographic positions of the user. Data indicative of the spam score is also provided to user reputation database to store a user reputation score associated with the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Yan Yu, Sam Liang, Michael Chu, Yuhua Luo, Zhengrong Ji
  • Patent number: 8255390
    Abstract: In one embodiment, access one or more query-resource pairs, wherein for each one of the query-resource pairs comprising one of one or more search queries and one of one or more network resources, the one search query is recency-sensitive with respect to a particular time period, and the one network resource is identified for the one search query, and a resource-view count and a resource-click count associated with each one of the query-resource pairs; and construct one or more first click features using the resource-view counts and the resource-click counts associated with the query-resource pairs. To construct one of the first click features in connection with one of the query-resource pairs comprises determine a only-resource-click count associated with the one query-resource pair; and calculate a ratio between the only-resource-click count and the resource-view count associated with the one query-resource pair as the one first click feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Inagaki, Narayanan Sadagopan, Georges-Eric Albert Marie Robert Dupret, Ciya Liao, Anlei Dong, Yi Chang, Zhaohui Zheng
  • Patent number: 8250068
    Abstract: An electronic album editing system for editing an electronic album in consideration of categories into which images are classifies is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Fuji Film Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuo Shiota, Yukita Gotohda, Akira Yoda
  • Publication number: 20120209838
    Abstract: A system may determine an extent to which a document is selected when the document is included in a set of search results, generate a score for the document based, at least in part, on the extent to which the document is selected when the document is included in a set of search results; and rank the document with regard to at least one other document based, at least in part, on the score.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Jeffrey DEAN, Paul HAAHR, Monika HENZINGER, Steve LAWRENCE, Karl PFLEGER, Olcan SERCINOGLU, Simon TONG
  • Publication number: 20120209837
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are: systems capable of searching, receiving and conglomerating the data from real estate databases of varying formats, and translating that received into a common format; execution of pre-defined translation rules referencing data tags used within the system or the originating databases; rules constructed in a simple, hierarchical or a class-based structure whereby one rule depends upon the output of another rule for its input; data sources prioritized or merged where the same property-related information is presented in more than one source; map definitions containing rule sets crafted for a particular use, such as for a particular consumer or user; such systems used in the course of real estate appraisals, in property search reports, extending across databases of differing formats. Detailed information on various example embodiments of the inventions are provided in the Detailed Description below, and the inventions are defined by the appended claims.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2011
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Inventors: Scott Hintze, Gilbert Allan Thomas, Daniel Stamey
  • Patent number: 8239374
    Abstract: An execute request is sent to a search component. The execute request specifies a search query. Subsequently, an execute response is received from the search component. The execute response comprising latency data and one or more properties of query results. The latency data specifies an amount of time consumed by the search component to process the execute request. The query results are content items that satisfy the search query. A record object model latency request is sent to the search component. The record object model latency request specifies search performance information based on the latency data. A record interface latency request is sent to the search component. The record interface latency request specifies interface performance information based on an amount of time consumed by the first component to process the search request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Puneet Narula, Harneet Sidhana, Risham Mankotia
  • Patent number: 8234273
    Abstract: A system may determine a measure of how a content of a document changes over time, generate a score for the document based, at least in part, on the measure of how the content of the document changes over time, and rank the document with regard to at least one other document based, at least in part, on the score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Anurag Acharya, Jeffrey Dean, Paul Haahr, Monika Henzinger, Steve Lawrence, Karl Pfleger, Simon Tong
  • Patent number: 8214348
    Abstract: Systems and methods for finding related terms based on three different sources are disclosed. Generally, a first plurality of distances is determined based on one or more received terms and a first plurality of terms derived from an algorithmic search list. A second plurality of distances is determined based on the one or more received terms and a second plurality of terms derived from a sponsored search list. A third plurality of distances is determined based on the one or more received terms and a third plurality of terms derived from search logs. The first, second, and third pluralities of distances are combined to derive a fourth plurality of distances. Finally, a plurality of related terms related to the one or more received terms is generated based on the fourth plurality of distances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Weiguo Liu, Qiong Zhang
  • Patent number: 8209329
    Abstract: An information processor is disclosed. The processor includes: a keyword extraction portion for extracting keywords from a text created by a user; a keyword information acquisition portion for acquiring given keyword information about the keywords extracted by the keyword extraction portion; an interest degree calculation portion for finding information about degrees of interest indicating user's degrees of interest in the keywords, based on the keyword information; a keyword selection portion for selecting given keywords from the keywords extracted by the keyword extraction portion, based on the information about the degrees of interest; and a content decision portion for determining a content recommended to the user, based on the keywords selected by the keyword selection portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yuki Asai
  • Patent number: 8209326
    Abstract: An information providing device for providing various provide information formed with the predetermined format responding to a transfer request, and the information receiving system comprised of information processing device for receiving the provide information to be transmitted from the information providing device via the predetermined network and conducting information processing; the information providing device forms provide information by describing the comment data with the format readable by the information processing device in the comment area set with the format according to the predetermined program of the provider side, the information processing device receives the provided information to be transmitted via the network, and analyzing this according to the predetermined analyzing program, reads out the comment data of comment area, and delivers the comment data to the predetermined application software and conducts the predetermined information processing according to the application software.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kazushi Yoshida, Hiroto Narioka
  • Publication number: 20120150849
    Abstract: The present invention pertains to a method for selecting a version of a document. The user inputs an identifier of a document at the level of his receiver connected to at least one communication network, and initiates a search request to receive versions of at least one part of this document. The receiver then receives a plurality of versions of the said document. Each version received is analysed by a plurality of evaluation modules so as to calculate an evaluation value for each version received according to a predetermined criterion. The receiver selects for each of the evaluation modules a version of the document having the best evaluation in respect of this criterion, and displays the identifiers of versions having the best evaluations according to each criterion. The user can then easily select the version for reproduction thereof which best meets a criterion. The invention also relates to a receiver implementing the said method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Publication date: June 14, 2012
    Inventors: Fabrice Urban, Olivier Le Meur, Christel Chamaret, Alexandre Ninassi, Jean-Claude Chevet
  • Publication number: 20120143859
    Abstract: A location-related entity ranking technique is described that allows a user see the ranking of location-related entities near a desired location in response to a query. The technique can leverage the searches performed by a community of mobile device users at a given location and at a given time to infer the location-related entities that are popular at this specific location and time window. The technique can also filter out or re-rank these location-related entities based on the personal preferences of the person that submits the query and group preferences of a group to which the user belongs. The personal preferences can also be context specific (i.e. different restaurant preferences for lunch and dinner times).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2010
    Publication date: June 7, 2012
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dimitrios Lymperopoulos, Jie Liu, Melissa Wood Dunn, Ashwini K. Varma, Fang Wang, Jen-Hsien Kenny Chien
  • Patent number: 8185567
    Abstract: The format of the Presence Information Data Format-Location Object (PIDF-LO) as defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is extended or modified to accommodate, within the standard PIDF-LO format, an association of geospacial location to XML content on the Internet. A geospacial location is associated with Extensible Markup Language (XML) content on the Internet. The XML content is identified by a universal resource locator (URL), and associated with geospatial location information (either a specific location, zone, or direction). The URL is inserted into a <presence . . . > section of a Presence Information Data Format-Location Object (PIDF-LO) compliant document as defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). In this way, geospacial location information is associated with Internet based XML content using a standard PIDF-LO format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Don Mitchell
  • Publication number: 20120109947
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to implementing a multi-tenant architecture in an analytics platform. In an embodiment, a computer system receives a user's login credentials at a multi-tenant system. The multi-tenant system includes multiple different tenants, each of which includes various users. The multi-tenant system includes multiple instantiated partition instances configured to store various types of analytics information for each tenant. The computer system determines which partition instance the user belongs to, so that analytics information collected for the user is stored in the determined partition instance. The computer system collects analytics information based on the user's interaction with the multi-tenant system and stores the collected analytics information in the determined partition instance. The multi-tenant system is also extended for implementation in a cloud computing system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2010
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: BRIGHTEDGE TECHNOLOGIES
    Inventors: Sammy Yu, Lemuel S. Park, Rolland Yip, Jim Yu
  • Patent number: 8166026
    Abstract: A system and method that enables the user to search and identify meaningful and relevant information, based upon the weighted, custom parameters provided by the user and parameters or rules defined by the community of users as a group, with the option of utilizing user profile information to tune or detune searching, comparing or contrasting, and predicting. User profile information is collected and organized with data and feedback collected from other users. The results are then tailored to a weighted, cumulative summary result, for display that benefits the contributing user and subsequent future community or user group associations (UGA). The methods provide a summary, or result, that can be tailored specifically to the user based upon weighted rules (algorithms) and parameters defined by the user (or a user group as a whole), and the weighted rules and parameters defined as meaningful by the user (group).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: uAffect.org LLC
    Inventor: Paul J. Sadler
  • Patent number: 8156111
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are described for identifying implicitly temporally qualified queries, i.e., queries for which a time period is implied but not explicitly stated, and for expanding such queries to include one or more temporal references.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Rosie Jones, Donald Metzler, Fuchun Peng
  • Patent number: 8155969
    Abstract: An apparatus for retrieving a character string includes: storage for storing text data obtained by recognizing a voice in a presentation, second text data extracted from document data used in the presentation, and associated information of the first text data and the second text data. The apparatus also includes a retrieval unit for retrieving, by use of the associated information, the character string from text data composed from the first text data and the second text data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kohtaroh Miyamoto, Noriko Nagishi, Kenichi Arakawa
  • Patent number: 8156114
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system, method and computer-readable medium related to searching at least one media presentation. The media presentation may be a video such as a movie or television program, an audio presentation such as a song or music, or a printed media such as a book or publication. The method comprises receiving a query associated with words in a media presentation and in response to the query, searching within a database organized as a plurality of indexed segments associated with at least one media presentation, each indexed segment further comprising text and a still image corresponding to an associated portion of the media presentation. A word-based analysis of the media presentation is also presented such as a verbosity histogram to provide context for the retrieved search text. The matching indexed segments are retrieved as a result of the search and presented to the user in such a way as to enable the user to browse or purchase the media presentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
    Inventor: Simon D. Byers
  • Publication number: 20120084282
    Abstract: Methods and system for providing a list of recommended items in response to a query includes obtaining user navigation information relevant to the query from a plurality of user access logs associated with the plurality of users. The user access logs define the navigation sequence followed by a plurality of users for a plurality of queries. The navigation sequence represents the users browsing behavior and identifies answers to the queries. A set of temporal parameters for analyzing the user navigation information is identified. The temporal parameters define time frame for analyzing the user navigation information. A list of recommended items to navigate is dynamically generated by analyzing user navigation information obtained from user access logs using temporal parameters. The generated list includes items that are most relevant to the query. The generated list of items is returned in response to the query and represents an optimal result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2010
    Publication date: April 5, 2012
    Applicant: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Meng-Fen Chiang, Wen-Chih Peng
  • Patent number: 8140261
    Abstract: A method is provided for estimating distances between sensor nodes. The method includes receiving a temporal sequence of measurements of a selected local environmental condition from each of the sensor nodes. The method includes determining an amount of correlation between the measurements of the selected local environmental condition that were received from two or more of the sensor nodes. The method also includes estimating distances between the two or more of the sensor nodes based on the determined amount of correlation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventor: Yuliy Baryshnikov
  • Patent number: 8131702
    Abstract: A system graphically plots articles. The system executes one or more search queries to search stored articles and receives results of the executed one or more search queries, where the results identify selected articles of the stored articles. The system further designates a graphical marker for each of the selected articles and plots each of the graphical markers on a graphical display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Krishna Bharat, Michael Curtiss, Duane Scott Hess, Kerah Pelczarski, Marissa Mayer
  • Patent number: 8112417
    Abstract: A method and system for determining a feature of a particular pattern are provided. In particular, data records are received, and predetermined patterns that are associated with at least some of the data records are obtained. Using the system and method, particular information is extracted from at least a subset of the received data records, the particular information being indicative of the particular pattern in at least some of the data records. Then, it is determined whether the particular pattern is an unexpected pattern based on the obtained predetermined patterns. In addition, it is possible to classify and reduce data and/or parameters provided in the data records. First, the data records are received. Then, the data records which have at least one particular pattern are classified using a Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines technique. Thereafter, the data and/or parameters of the classified data records are shrunk using a Stein's Estimator Rule technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: New York University
    Inventors: Gideon Berger, Bhubaneswar Mishra
  • Patent number: 8103663
    Abstract: It is also an object of the present invention to provide objective advertisement plan(s). The target specifying information storage part 202 stores information for specifying target attribution including information for specifying information delivery medium of an object to contact with correspondently with searchers' ID. The search term storage part 203 correspondently stores a searcher's ID, the timing of search, and the term used for the search. The extraction part 204 extracts the timing of search for such search term for each searcher's ID, segments the extracted search timing for each searcher's ID into a predetermined number in chronological order and then extracts searcher's ID belonging to each segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Dentsu Inc.
    Inventors: Satoshi Nishida, Shigetaka Yamakawa, Mieko Sugihara, Keita Manabe, Jun Hasegawa, Yutaka Kamoshita, Hideaki Haruta, Yoshifumi Morita
  • Patent number: 8095535
    Abstract: Updating an indexing tables in a database system comprising a database storing item tables of items appended by timestamps. Each of items is further categorized by timestamp into said tables, and said item tables being indexed by indexing data. The database system further comprises an indexing table for said indexing data, listing the earliest timestamp of said item table together with said indexing data and a system manager for searching said item tables using said indexing table and a maintenance module for said indexing table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christine M. Robson, Yuji Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20120005275
    Abstract: A computer implemented method correlates a digital resource with an electronic message. A processor detects a focus on a targeted item that identifies a digital resource. The targeted item is in a user history that presents a history of a user's access to multiple digital resources. The processor then auto-populates a draft of an electronic message with the targeted item that was focused in the user history.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: LI CHEN, JOHN R. HIND, YONGCHENG LI, LUN XIAO
  • Patent number: 8073263
    Abstract: A MMR system that uses multiple classifiers for predicting, monitoring, and adjusting index tables for image recognition comprises a plurality of mobile devices, a pre-processing server or MMR gateway, and an MMR matching unit, and may include an MMR publisher. The MMR matching unit includes a plurality of recognition unit and index table pairs corresponding to classifiers to be applied to received image queries, as well as an image registration unit for storing and monitoring performance data for the classifiers. The MMR matching unit receives the image query and identifies, using a classifier set, a result including a document, the page, and the location on the page corresponding to the image query. The present invention also includes methods for monitoring online performance of a multiple classifier image recognition system, for classifier selection and comparison, and for offline classifier prediction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jonathan J. Hull, Berna Erol, Jorge Moraleda
  • Patent number: 8073821
    Abstract: A data management and archive method and apparatus, such as for implementation in an automated system to monitor and manage status, performance and configuration data for a plurality of networked storage components. Analysis and cross-correlation of data related to the plurality of storage components can be done individually, collectively and/or comparatively. A collection manager component of a workload analyzer is implemented to start and stop data collection in the context of a system comprising at least one storage component (or at least two networked storage components). The collection manager includes a command and control module that coordinates requests of data from at least one collection agent configured on at least one host connected to the storage component(s). The collection manager manages collection of data and effects file transfer of collected data according to a user specified policy, and maintains status of the data collected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: William Zahavi, Lee W. Sapiro, Saymai Thammavong, Ron Arnan
  • Publication number: 20110296463
    Abstract: Methods, systems, computer readable media, and apparatuses for ranking search results are presented. According to one or more aspects, two or more search results may be ranked based on the extent to which each search result matches at least one search criterion and based on the amount of time that content corresponding to each search result will remain available. Content with less availability time remaining may be ranked higher than content with more availability time remaining. The ranking may also be based on a genre of the content being ranked, and availability may be weighted differently in ranking content of different genres.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2011
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Applicant: COMCAST CABLE COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
    Inventor: Sergei Suslov
  • Publication number: 20110295828
    Abstract: A method includes generating search results in response to a user query, where at least one of the search results includes a group of links. The group of links may represent links to web pages within a same web site and may be identified based on at least one factor associated with the links. The method may also include providing the search results to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2011
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Luis CASTRO, Walt Lin, Benedict Gomes
  • Patent number: 8060500
    Abstract: A method and system for selecting a healthcare provider includes a process for selecting a healthcare provider whereby healthcare provider list data is obtained, along with various data regarding the healthcare providers on the healthcare provider list, and the data is stored in a healthcare provider database. When a healthcare consumer initiates a healthcare provider search request, one or more healthcare consumer criteria for acceptable/desired healthcare providers and/or healthcare services needed is obtained and used to search the healthcare provider database to identify one or more healthcare providers most closely meeting the healthcare consumer's criteria. The availability of appointments and/or estimated wait times for the identified one or more healthcare providers are then obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Intuit Inc.
    Inventors: Todd M. Fitch, Thomas Anthony Frasher, Steven Sholtis, Sean P. Lewis
  • Patent number: 8055675
    Abstract: A system and method for context based query augmentation. A question is received over a network from a questioning user comprising an identification of a user and at least one question criteria. A first query is formulated so as to search, via the network, for user profile data, social network data, spatial data, temporal data and topical data so as to identify user context data relevant to question criteria. The question is modified using the user context data to create at least one modified question having at least one additional criteria based on the user context data. A second query is formulated so as to search, via the network, for knowledge data, user profile data, social network data, spatial data, temporal data and topical data so as to identify knowledge data relevant to the identified user and the modified question criteria. The knowledge data is transmitted, over the network, to the questioning user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher William Higgins, Marc Eliot Davis, Christopher T Paretti, Simon P King, Rahul Nair, Carrie Burgener
  • Patent number: 8051086
    Abstract: Some general aspects of the invention relate to systems and methods of processing data, for example, to improve customer interactions. One aspect, in particular, relates to a computer-implemented method that includes accepting user input for analysis of a database having media data and metadata. The media data includes a group of audio recordings and the metadata includes descriptive information of the group of audio recordings. A representation of a set of call series is formed based on user input, and processed to generate an analysis report. A visual representation of the analysis report is formed for presentation to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Nexidia Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher J. Jeffs, Marsal Gavalda, Philip Kyle Pledger, Robert Troy Surdick
  • Patent number: 8051075
    Abstract: A method includes processing a performance query to a dimensional data model by processing dimension coordinates that exist within the dimensional data model, wherein the dimension coordinates have a first particular grain (“finer grain”) that is finer than a second particular grain (“coarser grain”), the method to determine an evaluative score for a particular finer grain value based on performance facts for dimension coordinates associated with the particular finer grain value. Performance parameters are determined relative to a particular coarser grain value, against which to measure the performance facts associated with the finer grain value, including processing the temporal relationships of finer grain values to coarser grain values for the dimension coordinates. The evaluative score is determined for the particular finer grain value based on performance facts of dimension coordinates having the particular finer grain value, in view of the determined performance parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Merced Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Todd O. Dampier
  • Publication number: 20110258185
    Abstract: A system may determine a measure of how a content of a document changes over time, generate a score for the document based, at least in part, on the measure of how the content of the document changes over time, and rank the document with regard to at least one other document based, at least in part, on the score.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Anurag ACHARYA, Jeffrey DEAN, Paul HAAHR, Monika HENZINGER, Steve LAWRENCE, Karl PFLEGER, Simon TONG
  • Publication number: 20110252025
    Abstract: The exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a system, method and computer program products for determining a particular document that initiated a topic of interest in a collection of documents, were each of the documents has contents and a time it was created. The method includes ranking the documents in the collection based on the respective times that the documents were created, ranking the documents based on how similar their respective contents are to the topic of interest and ranking the documents based on originality of their respective contents. The method further includes producing a composite ranking of the documents based on the time, contents, and originality rankings, and then determining the particular document that initiated the topic of interest from the composite ranking.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Publication date: October 13, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Xin JIN, William Scott SPANGLER, Rui MA
  • Publication number: 20110252026
    Abstract: At least certain embodiments of the present disclosure include a method to identify top hits in search result based on learned user preferences. In one embodiment, a user search query for records is received from a user. The user search query may contain an alphanumerical string. Records in a multifunctional device are searched to find those that match the alphanumerical string. Based on records previously selected by the user, records in the search result are ranked to identify one or more top hits for the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Publication date: October 13, 2011
    Inventors: Edward T. Schmidt, Gordon J. Freedman, Benjamin S. Phipps
  • Patent number: 8036859
    Abstract: Each of a plurality of dimension coordinates corresponding to a report query has a finer grain and a coarser grain. A subset of the dimension coordinates are dimension coordinates for which there is ambiguity as to what coarser grain value should be associated with the finer grain value. For every unique finer grain value of the dimension coordinates of the subset, it is determined what coarser grain value to associate with all dimension coordinates of the subset having that finer grain value. The determined coarser grain value is the coarser grain value of one of the dimension coordinates, of the subset, having that finer grain value. For each of the dimension coordinates of the plurality of dimension coordinates not in the subset, the coarser grain value associated with that dimension coordinate is the coarser grain value of that dimension coordinate. A report is generated in view of the plurality of dimension coordinates and their associated coarser grain values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Merced Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Todd O. Dampier
  • Publication number: 20110246457
    Abstract: An information retrieval system is described herein that monitors a microblog data stream that includes microblog posts to discover and index fresh resources for searching by a search engine. The information retrieval system also uses data from the microblog data stream as well as data obtained from a microblog subscription system to compute novel and effective features for ranking fresh resources which would otherwise have impoverished representations. An embodiment of the present invention advantageously enables a search engine to produce a fresher set of resources and to rank such resources for both relevancy and freshness in a more accurate manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2010
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventors: Anlei Dong, Pranam Kolari, Ruiqiang Zhang, Jing Bai, Yi Chang, Zhaohui Zheng
  • Publication number: 20110246456
    Abstract: Concepts and technologies are described herein for dynamically reranking search results based upon source authority. A search query is received and analyzed. One or more topics are identified in the search query. An authority index is searched to identify authoritative sources for content relating to the identified topic(s). Promoted results corresponding to content generated by the authoritative sources relating to the identified topics are obtained. The promoted results can be presented to an entity requesting the search, or injected into search results. Contribution dimensions associated with the promoted results can be determined, and filters based upon the contribution dimensions can be generated and used by an entity to dynamically manipulate the search results.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Stefan David Weitz, Alexander George Gounares, Patrick A. Kinsel
  • Publication number: 20110231390
    Abstract: In one embodiment, access one or more query-resource pairs, wherein for each one of the query-resource pairs comprising one of one or more search queries and one of one or more network resources, the one search query is recency-sensitive with respect to a particular time period, and the one network resource is identified for the one search query, and a resource-view count and a resource-click count associated with each one of the query-resource pairs; and construct one or more first click features using the resource-view counts and the resource-click counts associated with the query-resource pairs. To construct one of the first click features in connection with one of the query-resource pairs comprises determine a only-resource-click count associated with the one query-resource pair; and calculate a ratio between the only-resource-click count and the resource-view count associated with the one query-resource pair as the one first click feature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Publication date: September 22, 2011
    Applicant: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Inagaki, Narayanan Sadagopan, Georges-Eric Albert Marie Robert Dupret, Ciya Liao, Anlei Dong, Yi Chang, Zhaohui Zheng
  • Patent number: 8024330
    Abstract: An incident alert system enables a plurality of users to participate in a collaborative process to report and be alerted of incidents such as emergencies or hazards. A user uses a networked mobile phone with geo-positioning capability to communicate with a server to report incidents and to inquire about potential incidents of interest based on the user's current geographic position. Reports of incidents are transmitted to the server accompanied by the current position of the user/mobile phone. A user's mobile phone is preferably configured to automatically submit periodic inquiries to the server based on the user's location. Upon receipt of an inquiry from a user, the system queries a database to identify reports of potential interest to the inquiring user. The system analyzes the reports to determine whether to alert the inquiring user of a potential incident of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Inventors: Hector Franco, Alexander Franco
  • Patent number: 8019749
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system, method, and user interface for searching and organizing information, particularly large information sets such as those found on the Internet and World Wide Web. Information is organized and searched according to content, and this organization is reflected directly in the user interface provided to users for searching as well as the search results they are shown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Inventor: Roy Leban
  • Patent number: 8010526
    Abstract: In one general aspect, entity instances are monitored during a first interval, each entity instance being one of several types of entity instances. A first ranked list of entity instances is determined from the entity instances monitored during the first interval. The types of entity instances are ranked in the first list according to the number of times each type of entity instance occurred during the first interval and the first ranked list has a first cardinality of types of entity instances. Entity instances are monitored during a second interval. A second ranked list of entity instances is determined. The second ranked list has the first cardinality of types of entity instances. The first ranked list and the second ranked list are merged into a third ranked list of entities instances. The third ranked list has a second cardinality that is less than or equal to the first cardinality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Zscaler, Inc.
    Inventors: Kailash Kailash, Jose Raphel
  • Patent number: 8005811
    Abstract: Systems and media for utilizing electronic document usage information are disclosed. More particularly, hardware and/or software utilizing electronic document usage information to respond to user search requests with search engines are disclosed. Embodiments include receiving a search request from a requesting user and receiving document utilization information associated with one or more electronic documents, where the document utilization information provides an indication of the usage of the electronic documents by one or more users. Further embodiments include generating search results based at least partially on the search request and the document utilization information and transmitting an indication of the search results to the requesting user. Further embodiments include generating statistical information regarding the search results for electronic documents and transmitting the generated statistical information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Viktors Berstis, Randolph Michael Forlenza
  • Patent number: 7996391
    Abstract: A method includes generating search results in response to a user query, where at least one of the search results includes a group of links. The group of links may represent links to web pages within a same web site and may be identified based on at least one factor associated with the links. The method may also include providing the search results to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Luis Castro, Walt Lin, Benedict Gomes