IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,003,672
Granted Patent B2
US 11,003,672 · App. 15/648,364 · Granted May 11, 2021

Re-ranking search results using blended learning models

Inventors: Hon Yuk Chan (Santa Clara, CA); John M. Hörnkvist (Cupertino, CA); Lun Cui (Fremont, CA); Vipul Ved Prakash (San Francisco, CA); Anubhav Malhotra (San Francisco, CA); Stanley N. Hung (Cupertino, CA); Julien Freudiger (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
G06F16/24578G06F16/248G06F16/335G06F16/951G06F16/9535G06N3/0454G06N3/08G06N20/00G06N20/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,003,672
App. No.
15/648,364
Granted
May 11, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method and apparatus of a device that re-rank a plurality of search results is described. In an exemplary embodiment, the device receives a search query from a user and generates the plurality of search results over a plurality of search domains, wherein the plurality of search results is ranked according to a first ranking. The device additionally generates a re-ranking model, where the re-ranking model includes a plurality of intra-domain models that are generated based on at least based on-device interactions of a plurality of users interacting with a plurality of other devices and each of the plurality of search domains corresponds to one of the plurality of intra-domain models. The device further re-ranks the plurality of search results using the re-ranking model and presents the plurality of search results using the second ranking.

Claims (38)

1. A machine-readable medium having executable instructions to cause one or more processing units to perform a method to re-rank a plurality of search results, the method comprising:

receiving, on a client device, a plurality of crowd-source intra-domain ranking models and a crowd-sourced inter-domain ranking model, wherein each of the crowd-sourced ranking models is based on at least on-device interactions of a plurality of users interacting with a plurality of other devices;

generating, on the client device, a re-ranking model that includes a plurality of intra-domain models and an inter-domain model, wherein the plurality of intra-domain models are generated based on at least the plurality of crowd-sourced intra-domain ranking models and on-device sensitive data that remains on the client device and is not sent to a server, the inter-domain model indicates which of a plurality of search domains are to be ranked higher than others in the plurality of search domains and is generated based on at least the on-device sensitive data and the crowd-sourced inter-domain ranking model, and wherein each of the plurality of search domains corresponds to one of the plurality of intra-domain models;

receiving, on the client device, a plurality of search results generated over the plurality of search domains, wherein the plurality of search results is ranked according to a first ranking, and the plurality of search results are generated based on at least a search query;

re-ranking the plurality of search results, by the client device, using the re-ranking model to generate a second ranking of the plurality of search results; and

presenting the plurality of search results using the second ranking.

2. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of search domains includes a plurality of on-device search domains.

3. The machine-readable medium of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of on-device search domains is selected from the group consisting of text messages, emails, contacts, calendar, contacts, music, movies, photos, application states, and installed applications.

4. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the intra-domain model is further generated from private information of device user stored on the client device.

5. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the re-ranking of the plurality of results further comprises:

re-ranking a domain subset of the plurality of results in one of the plurality of search domains using the corresponding intra-domain model.

6. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of search domains includes a plurality of off-device search domains.

7. The machine-readable medium of claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality of off-device search domains is selected from the group consisting of maps search domain, media store search domain, online encyclopedia search domain, and sites search domain.

8. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the re-ranking of the plurality of results further comprises: re-ranking the plurality of search domains using the inter-domain model.

9. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the inter-domain model is further generated from private information of device user stored on the client device.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the re-ranking model further includes a policy model.

11. A method to re-rank a plurality of search results, the method comprising:

receiving, on a client device, a plurality of crowd-source intra-domain ranking models and a crowd-sourced inter-domain ranking model, wherein each of the crowd-sourced ranking models is based on at least on-device interactions of a plurality of users interacting with a plurality of other devices;

generating, on the client device, a re-ranking model that includes a plurality of intra-domain models and an inter-domain model, wherein the plurality of intra-domain models are generated based on at least the plurality of crowd-sourced intra-domain ranking models and on-device sensitive data that remains on the client device and is not sent to a server, the inter-domain model indicates which of a plurality of search domains are to be ranked higher than others in the plurality of search domains and is generated based on at least the on-device sensitive data and the crowd-sourced inter-domain ranking model, and wherein each of the plurality of search domains corresponds to one of the plurality of intra-domain models;

receiving, on the client device, a plurality of search results generated over the plurality of search domains, wherein the plurality of search results is ranked according to a first ranking, and the plurality of search results are generated based on at least a search query;

re-ranking the plurality of search results, by the client device, using the re-ranking model to generate a second ranking of the plurality of search results; and

presenting the plurality of search results using the second ranking.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of search domains includes a plurality of on-device search domains.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of on-device search domains is selected from the group consisting of text messages, emails, contacts, calendar, contacts, music, movies, photos, application states, and installed applications.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the intra-domain model is further generated from private information of device user stored on the client device.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the re-ranking of the plurality of results further comprises:

re-ranking a domain subset of the plurality of results in one of the plurality of search domains using the corresponding intra-domain model.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of search domains includes a plurality of off-device search domains.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein each of the plurality of off-device search domains is selected from the group consisting of maps search domain, media store search domain, online encyclopedia search domain, and sites search domain.

18. A device to re-rank a plurality of search results, the device comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor though a bus; and

a process executed from the memory by the processor causes the processor to

receive a plurality of crowd-source intra-domain ranking models and a crowd-sourced inter-domain ranking model, wherein each of the crowd-sourced ranking models is based on at least on-device interactions of a plurality of users interacting with a plurality of other devices;

generate a re-ranking model that includes a plurality of intra-domain models and an inter-domain model, wherein the plurality of intra-domain models are generated based on at least the plurality of crowd-sourced intra-domain ranking models and on-device sensitive data that remains on the device and is not sent to a server, the inter-domain model indicates which of a plurality of search domains are to be ranked higher than others in the plurality of search domains and is generated based on at least the on-device sensitive data and the crowd-sourced inter-domain ranking model, and wherein each of the plurality of search domains corresponds to one of the plurality of intra-domain models,

receive a plurality of search results generated over the plurality of search domains, wherein the plurality of search results is ranked according to a first ranking, and the plurality of search results are generated based on at least a search query,

re-rank the plurality of search results using the re-ranking model to generate a second ranking of the plurality of search results, and

present the plurality of search results using the second ranking.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 21, 2017
From: CHAN, HON YUK; HÖRNKVIST, JOHN M.; CUI, LUN; PRAKASH, VIPUL VED; MALHOTRA, ANUBHAV; HUNG, STANLEY NGAI NAM; FREUDIGER, JULIEN
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 043070/0399 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62414638 · Oct 28, 2016
Related Publication 20180121435A1 · May 3, 2018
Cited By (1)
US 12,455,887