Systems and methods for analyzing failed and successful search queries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9740767-B2
Application number	US-201313841764-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

Computerized systems and methods are provided for analyzing failed and successful search queries. In accordance with some embodiments, search records with character strings that are refinements of character strings of other search records are deemed related as belonging to a same user search. Minimum changed sections between character strings in related search records are determined. Correction pairs are created including the character sequences from the portions of the character strings containing the minimum changed sections. Frequencies of correction pairs in a pool of correction pairs are calculated, and the correction pairs appearing in the pool most frequently are stored in a correction log.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for identifying failed and successful search queries, comprising:
retrieving, from a storage device, a first record including a first character string;
retrieving a second record including a second character string;
determining, by at least one processor, that the second character string is a refinement attempted by a user of the first character string;
identifying at least a first sequence of characters of the first character string that differs from at least a second sequence of characters of the second character string;
storing the first sequence of characters and the second sequence of characters as a pair in a database of stored pairs;
calculating a frequency with which the pair containing the first sequence of characters and the second sequence of characters appears within the database of stored pairs;
determining that the frequency exceeds a predetermined frequency threshold; and
storing the pair in a correction log.

2. The method of claim 1 , the first record further including a first identifier and the second record further including a second identifier, wherein determining that the second character string is a refinement of the first character string further comprises determining that the first identifier matches the second identifier.

3. The method of claim 1 , the first record further including an indication of a first time and the second record further including an indication of a second time, wherein determining that the second character string is a refinement of the first character string further comprises determining that a difference between the indication of the second time and the indication of the first time is within a predetermined time duration.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a difference between the second sequence of characters and the first sequence of characters comprises at least one of the following edits:
an inserted character;
a deleted character;
a substituted character;
an inserted word;
a deleted word; or
a substituted word.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein determining whether the second character string is a refinement of the first character string further comprises determining a minimum number of the edits required to transform the first character string into the second character string.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
retrieving a third record including a third character string and a third indication of time; and
determining that the second character string was a successful search string based on at least one of:
a determination that a difference between the third indication of time and the indication of second time exceeds the predetermined time duration;
a determination that a minimum number of edits required to transform the second character string into the third character string exceeds a predetermined number of edits; and
a number of search results indicated in the second record.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising normalizing the first character string and the second character string, the normalizing including at least one of:
capitalizing a first character of each word in at least one of the first character string and the second character string;
removing punctuation from at least one of the first character string and the second character string;
removing a space between words in at least one of the first character string and the second character string; and
removing an accent from a character in at least one of the first character string and the second character string.

8. A computer system for identifying failed and successful search queries, comprising:
a memory device that stores a set of instructions; and
at least one processor that executes the set of instructions and is configured to:
retrieve a first record including a first character string;
retrieve a second record including a second character string;
determine that the second character string is a refinement attempted by a user of the first character string;
identify at least a first sequence of characters of the first character string that differs from at least a second sequence of characters of the second character string;
store the first sequence of characters and the second sequence of characters as a pair in a database of stored pairs;
calculate a frequency with which the pair containing the first sequence of characters and the second sequence of characters appears within the database of stored pairs;
determine that the frequency exceeds a predetermined frequency threshold; and
store the pair in a correction log.

9. The computer system of claim 8 , the first record further including a first identifier and the second record further including a second identifier, wherein determining that the second character string is a refinement of the first character string further comprises determining that the first identifier matches the second identifier.

10. The computer system of claim 8 , the first record further including an indication of a first time and the second record further including an indication of a second time, wherein determining that the second character string is a refinement of the first character string further comprises determining that a difference between the indication of the second time and the indication of the first time is within a predetermined time duration.

11. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein a difference between the second sequence of characters and the first sequence of characters comprises at least one of the following edits:
an inserted character;
a deleted character;
a substituted character;
an inserted word;
a deleted word; or
a substituted word.

12. The computer system of claim 11 , wherein determining whether the second character string is a refinement of the first character string further comprises determining a minimum number of the edits required to transform the first character string into the second character string.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, configures the at least one processor to carry out a method, the method comprising:
retrieving a first record including a first character string;
retrieving a second record including a second character string;
determining that the second character string is a refinement attempted by a user of the first character string;
identifying at least a first sequence of characters of the first character string that differs from at least a second sequence of characters of the second character string;
storing the first sequence of characters and the second sequence of characters as a pair in a database of stored pairs;
calculating a frequency with which the pair containing the first sequence of characters and the second sequence of characters appears within the database of stored pairs;
determining that the frequency exceeds a predetermined frequency threshold; and
storing the pair in a correction log.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , the first record further including a first identifier and the second record further including a second identifier, wherein determining that the second character string is a refinement of the first character string further comprises determining that the first identifier matches the second identifier.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , the first record further including an indication of a first time and the second record further including an indication of a second time, wherein determining that the second character string is a refinemen

Assignees

• Mapquest Inc

Inventors

• Quinion Brian
• Hess Stephen
• Pegg Antony

Classifications

• G06F16/3325 Primary

  Reformulation based on results of preceding query · CPC title

• G06F16/951

  Indexing; Web crawling techniques · CPC title

• G06F17/30864

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30646 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic