CN105701677A - Method and device for providing search results and billing method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing search results and a method and apparatus for billing an information provider are provided. The method for providing the search result comprises the following steps: receiving search content from a user device of an information searcher; obtaining keywords of search content; and determining, by the one or more information providers, whether to transmit the information to the user device of the information searcher as a search result based on the keyword of the search content. Therefore, whether to transmit information to the user device of the information searcher is finally determined by the information provider itself based on the keyword of the search content, so that the accuracy of information provision can be improved, and information can be provided to the information searcher more efficiently.

Description

Method and device for providing search results and billing method and device

technical field

The present invention relates to a method and device for providing search results and a method and device for billing an information provider.

Background technique

Information providing services such as online advertising services are generally billed based on each display of the information or the recipient's actions after the display. Two common billing methods are Cost per Impression (CPI) and Cost per Action (CPA). Pay-per-impression is based on the number of times a message appears on the recipient's screen, while pay-per-action is based on the recipient's action after the impression, such as clicking on an ad or purchasing the advertiser's product.

A solution that can improve the effectiveness of information provision is needed.

Contents of the invention

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for providing search results is provided, including: receiving search content from a user device of an information searcher; obtaining keywords of the search content; to determine whether to send the information to the user device of the information searcher as a search result.

In one example, the determination by the information provider whether to send information to the user device of the information searcher as a search result based on the keywords of the search content includes: determining whether the keywords of the search content are related to the information of the information provider; One or more information providers related to the keywords of the search content are candidate information providers, and a search notification is sent to the user device of the candidate information provider, wherein the search notification includes part or all of the search content; and if the candidate information provider If it is determined to send the information, the information of the candidate information provider is sent to the user device of the information searcher.

In one example, determining the candidate information provider further includes: among one or more information providers whose information is related to the keyword of the search content, determining the relationship between the service providing location of the information provider and the user device of the information searcher The nearest Y information providers; sort the Y information providers; sequentially select M of the Y information providers as candidate information providers, where Y and M are natural numbers, and Y>M.

In one example, the Y information providers are sorted based on at least one of: the distance between the information provider's service providing location and the information searcher's user device, the information provider's budget, the information provider's Ratings, names of information providers, and preferences of information seekers.

In one example, if the candidate information provider determines to send the information, sending the information to the user device of the information searcher includes: when the correlation between the information and the keyword of the search content satisfies a predetermined condition, automatically determine to send the information and send the information to The user device of the information searcher transmits the information; and when the correlation between the information and the keyword of the search content does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the candidate information provider manually determines to transmit the information.

In an example, the candidate information provider manually determining to send information includes: the candidate information provider sending a confirmation message; and when receiving the confirmation message, sending the information of the candidate information provider to the user device of the information searcher.

In one example, if no confirmation sending message is received from the candidate information provider within the confirmation time period, the information of the candidate information provider is not sent.

In an example, the method further includes: after sending the information of the candidate information provider to the user device of the information searcher, charging the candidate information provider.

In one example, the method further includes: when the user device of the information searcher to which the information of the candidate information provider has been sent enters within a predetermined range of the service providing location of the candidate information provider and stays there for a chargeable time During the period, the candidate information provider is billed.

In one example, determining whether the keyword of the search content is related to the information of the information provider includes: comparing the matching degree between the keyword of the search content and the keyword of the information; and when the matching degree is greater than or equal to a correlation threshold, The keyword for determining the search content is related to the information of the information provider.

In one example, receiving the search content from the user device of the information searcher further includes: obtaining the location of the user device of the information searcher, and wherein the search content is in at least one form of text, still image, video, voice, code information expressed.

In one example, before receiving the search content from the user device of the information searcher, the method further includes: receiving information from the user device of the information provider and acquiring location information of the information provider; sending the price to the user device of the information provider information and receive payment information therefrom; and storing information and keywords of the information, wherein the location information of the information provider includes at least one of a location of a user device of the information provider and a service providing location of the information provider.

In one example, the information provider is an advertisement provider.

In one example, all stored information for an information provider is disabled when all of the information provider's user devices are disconnected.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided a method for charging an information provider, including: sending information of the information provider to a user device of the information searcher; monitoring the location of the user device of the information searcher; and when When the user device of the information searcher to which the information of the information provider has been sent enters the predetermined range of the service providing location of the information provider and stays there for a chargeable time period, the information provider is charged.

In one example, sending the information of the information provider to the user device of the information searcher includes: receiving search content from the user device of the information searcher; comparing keywords and search content of the information from the user device of the information provider; and The one or more information providers determine whether to transmit the information to the user device of the information searcher as a search result based on the comparison result.

In one example, the determination by the information provider whether to send information to the user device of the information searcher as a search result based on the keywords of the search content includes: determining whether the keywords of the search content are related to the information of the information provider; One or more information providers related to the keywords of the search content are candidate information providers, and a search notification is sent to the user device of the candidate information provider, wherein the search notification includes part or all of the search content; and if the candidate information provider If it is determined to send the information, the information of the candidate information provider is sent to the user device of the information searcher.

In one example, determining the candidate information provider further includes: among one or more information providers whose information is related to the keyword of the search content, determining the relationship between the service providing location of the information provider and the user device of the information searcher The nearest Y information providers; sort the Y information providers; sequentially select M of the Y information providers as candidate information providers, where Y and M are natural numbers, and Y>M.

In one example, the Y information providers are sorted based on at least one of: the distance between the information provider's service providing location and the information searcher's user device, the information provider's budget, the information provider's Ratings, names of information providers, and preferences of information seekers.

In one example, if the candidate information provider determines to send the information, sending the information to the user device of the information searcher includes: when the correlation between the information and the keyword of the search content satisfies a predetermined condition, automatically determine to send the information and send the information to The user device of the information searcher transmits the information; and when the correlation between the information and the keyword of the search content does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the candidate information provider manually determines to transmit the information.

In an example, the candidate information provider manually determining to send information includes: the candidate information provider sending a confirmation message; and when receiving the confirmation message, sending the information of the candidate information provider to the user device of the information searcher.

In one example, if no confirmation sending message is received from the candidate information provider within the confirmation time period, the information of the candidate information provider is not sent.

In an example, the method further includes: after sending the information of the candidate information provider to the user device of the information searcher, charging the candidate information provider.

In one example, determining whether the keyword of the search content is related to the information of the information provider includes: comparing the matching degree between the keyword of the search content and the keyword of the information; and when the matching degree is greater than or equal to a correlation threshold, The keyword for determining the search content is related to the information of the information provider.

In one example, receiving the search content from the user device of the information searcher further includes: obtaining the location of the user device of the information searcher, and wherein the search content is in at least one form of text, still image, video, voice, code information expressed.

In one example, before receiving the search content from the user device of the information searcher, the method further includes: receiving information from the user device of the information provider and acquiring location information of the information provider; sending the price to the user device of the information provider information and receive payment information therefrom; and storing information and keywords of the information, wherein the location information of the information provider includes at least one of a location of a user device of the information provider and a service providing location of the information provider.

In one example, the information provider is an advertisement provider.

In one example, all stored information for an information provider is disabled when all of the information provider's user devices are disconnected.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided a device for providing search results, including: a receiving unit configured to receive search content from a user device of an information searcher; an extraction unit configured to obtain a key of the search content and a sending unit configured to send information to the user device of the information searcher as a search result when one or more information providers determine to send information to the user device of the information searcher based on the keyword of the search content.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided a device for billing an information provider, including: a sending unit configured to send information of the information provider to a user device of an information searcher; a monitoring unit configured to monitoring the position of the user device of the information searcher; and a billing unit configured to, when the user device of the information searcher to which the information of the information provider has been transmitted, enters within a predetermined range of the service providing location of the information provider and resides The information provider is billed when the stay reaches the billable time period.

Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the information provider itself—rather than a third party (such as a server)—determines whether to send information to the user device of the information searcher based on the keyword of the search content, thereby improving information quality. Provide accuracy, and then more effectively provide information to information searchers.

Description of drawings

The invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method for providing search results according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary signal flow diagram illustrating a specific implementation manner for providing search results to an information search party according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method for billing an information provider according to another embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an apparatus for providing search results according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing a device for billing an information provider according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some of the embodiments of the present invention, but not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The technical scheme of the present invention can be applied to various communication systems, such as various wired or wireless, remote or near-field communication systems, for example: communication systems connected to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN, Public Switched Telephone Network), GSM communication systems, code Division Multiple Access (CDMA, CodeDivisionMultipleAccess) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA, WidebandCodeDivisionMultipleAccessWireless), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS, General PacketRadioService), Long Term Evolution (LTE, LongTermEvolution), Bluetooth communication system, infrared communication system, radio frequency (RF ) communication system, ZigBee communication system and so on. However, it should be understood that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

A user equipment (UE, UserEquipment) may be a mobile terminal (MobileTerminal), also referred to as a mobile user, mobile user equipment, etc., and may communicate with one or more core networks via a radio access network (eg, RAN, RadioAccessNetwork) , the mobile terminal may be a mobile device such as a mobile telephone (or "cellular" telephone) and a computer having a mobile terminal, such as a portable, pocket-sized, hand-held, built-in computer or vehicle-mounted mobile device, which communicate with The wired/wireless access network exchanges language and/or data. The user device may also be a stationary terminal, such as a desktop computer, a conventional telephone connected to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), or the like.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method 100 for providing search results according to an embodiment of the present invention. This method can be executed on the server.

At 101 of the method 100, search content is received from a user device of an information searcher. At 102, keywords of searched content are obtained. At 103, one or more information providers determine whether to send information to the user device of the information searcher as a search result based on keywords of the search content.

Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the information provider itself—rather than a third party (such as a server)—determines whether to send information to the user device of the information searcher based on the keyword of the search content, thereby improving information quality. Provide accuracy, and then more effectively provide information to information searchers.

In the following, the process during 103 of the method 100 will be described in detail.

First, in step 103, it may be determined whether the keyword of the search content is related to the information of the information provider.

Here, it can be judged whether the two are related by comparing the matching degree between the keyword of the search content and the keyword of the information, and when the matching degree is greater than or equal to a relevance threshold (for example, 60%), it can be determined that the keyword of the search content The keywords are related to the information of the information provider.

The correlation threshold can be manually set by the information provider, that is, for different information providers, each information provider can have its own correlation threshold, and the correlation thresholds of each information provider can be the same or different. Alternatively, for all information providers, a third-party device (such as a server) may provide a unified correlation threshold as an initial default value, and the default value may be modified by corresponding information providers thereafter.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the search content may be information expressed in at least one form of text, static image, video, voice, and code. Specifically, an information search party, such as an individual, can input the content to be searched in the form of text, still image, video or voice through the user device. In the case of intelligent control, the information searcher can even enter the fault information fed back from another device as the content to be searched, even though the fault information at this time may be just a piece of code that humans cannot parse. In the case that the user device is a conventional telephone, the search content may be voice. In addition, the search content can also be a barcode on a commodity, an excerpt of a CD song, and the like.

Correspondingly, the input search content can be processed by text recognition (such as optical character recognition (OCR)), image extraction, face recognition, speech recognition, color recognition and other technologies, and then the keywords of the search content can be extracted. Of course, keywords may also be specified by the information searcher through his user device.

Here, the term "keyword" includes, but is not limited to, single words, numbers, letters, character strings, phrases and/or combinations thereof in any language, and may also include pictures and the like.

The keywords of the information can be specified by the information provider or extracted by the server.

In the case where both the keyword of the search content and the keyword of the information are obtained in text form, when calculating the matching degree between the keyword of the search content and the keyword of the information, the matching degree can be obtained, for example, by a matching degree algorithm, For example, the number of equivalent words of two groups of keywords divided by the number of information keywords, the distance between two groups of keywords in the data tree, and so on. However, as understood by those skilled in the art, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any other existing or future developed suitable algorithm may also be used to calculate the matching degree. The method of extracting keywords is well known to those skilled in the art, so in order to avoid obscuring the subject of the present invention, no detailed description is given here.

After determining whether the keyword of the search content is related to the information of the information provider, in 103, one or more information providers whose information is related to the keyword of the search content may be determined as candidate information providers.

Thereafter, a search notification may be sent to the user device of the candidate information provider, wherein the search notification includes part or all of the search content, and if the candidate information provider determines to send the information, the candidate information provider is sent to the user device of the information searcher. Information.

It should be understood that part or all of the search content included in the search notification may or may not be part or all of the original search content, and may include part or part of text, pictures, voice, etc. extracted from the original search content All, as long as the information provider can understand the search intention of the information searcher. In addition, based on the principle of making it easy for the information provider to understand the search intent (improving readability), it is also possible to modify the search content. For example, when the content is a fault code, the code can be converted into a part name and number.

In some cases, when the candidate information providers are determined based only on the correlation between the information and the keywords of the search content, the number of the determined candidate information providers may be large, but it is obviously impossible to send such information to the information searchers. The information of numerous information providers, therefore, can be further screened on the determined information providers.

In one example, the previously determined one or more information providers may be further screened based on the distance between the service providing location of the information provider and the user device of the information searcher.

Here, the service providing location of the information provider may be fixed or mobile, and the location of the user device of the information searching side may also be fixed or mobile. Therefore, the user device of the information provider and the user device of the information searcher can periodically report their locations to the server, or the server can locate the user device through various positioning techniques (such as RFPM (Radio Frequency Pattern Matching, RFPM) positioning method). In addition, the service providing location of the information provider and the location of the user device may be the same or different.

In addition, when the user device cannot directly communicate with the server, an indirect positioning method can also be used to obtain its location data. For example, if within short-range broadcast range of another user device whose location is known, the association is based on receipt of device identification data for the other user device. For example, bluetooth technology can be used to install a device at the location where the service is provided to transmit information including device identification data within a specified range (0-50 meters), so that the location can be determined through the received strength (RSSI) returned by the user device.

For the user device of the information searcher, the location of the user device can be obtained while receiving the search content from it, for example, the location can be received from the user device of the information searcher in the form of text or voice, or can be used such as The method of GPS positioning technology to obtain its location data by the server. In the case where the user device on the information search side is a mobile device, its location data may be regularly updated.

For the information provider, its location information may include at least one of the location of the user device of the information provider and the service provision location of the information provider. The location of the user device of the information provider may be the same as or different from the location of the service provider. As an example where the location of the information provider's user device is the same as its service-providing location, the service-providing location may be a mobile van in which the information provider is located, or the information provider may be a substitute driver. As an example where the location of the user device of the information provider is different from its service providing location, the service providing location may be a fixed store, and the user device may be a mobile device not within the store.

Specifically, among one or more information providers whose information is related to the keyword of the search content, Y pieces of information with the shortest distance between the service providing location of the information provider and the user device of the information searcher can be determined first Provider, Y is a natural number. First of all, selecting Y information providers based on the distance between the service provider location of the information provider and the user device of the information searcher is to consider the convenience of the information searcher, because generally speaking, the information searcher searches for the required information , most likely going to the location where the service provided that information. Of course, those skilled in the art can understand that Y information providers can also be selected based on other criteria, such as the size of the area where the service is provided, the reputation of the information provider, and so on.

Here, if the same information provider has multiple service-providing locations at this time, only one service-providing location is selected, that is, for each search content, only one service-providing location can be selected for the same information provider.

Then, sort the Y information providers. The Y information providers may be ranked based on at least one of the following factors: the distance between the service providing location of the information provider and the user device of the information searcher, the budget of the information provider, the score of the information provider, the information Provider's name and information searcher's preferences, etc. The budget of the information provider may refer to the maximum amount that the information provider can pay for a third party to provide its information to the information searcher. The score of the information provider may be a comprehensive evaluation of the services provided by the information provider. The name of the information provider can be the Chinese name of the information provider, the Chinese pinyin of the Chinese name and its English name, and correspondingly, when sorting based on the name of the information provider, it can be based on the stroke order of the Chinese name or the order of the Chinese name. Chinese pinyin or alphabetical order of its English name. The preference of the information searcher can be specified by the information searcher while inputting search content.

However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can also sort the Y information providers according to other factors. For example, if the search content of the information searcher is a restaurant, it can also be based on the price of the restaurant, The Y restaurants are sorted by waiting time, restaurant area, etc.

Next, M of the Y information providers are sequentially selected as candidate information providers. Usually, M candidate information providers are selected in descending order. M is a natural number, and usually Y>M. The value of M may be determined according to the maximum number of information that can be displayed at one time on the user device on the information search side. For example, M may be equal to 5 if the user device of the information searcher displays at most 5 pieces of information at a time (per page).

In a specific embodiment, in order to sort Y information providers, the ranking coefficient Si of each of the Y information providers can be calculated based on the weighted values of multiple factors:

Si=Di×Pd+Bi×Pb+Ri×Pr, i=1,2,...,Y,

Among them, Di represents the distance between the service provider location of the i-th information provider and the user device of the information searcher, Pd represents the distance weight, Bi represents the maximum budget of the i-th information provider, Pb represents the budget weight, and Ri represents the i-th information provider’s maximum budget. i is the rating of the information provider, and Pr represents the rating weight. Pd+Pb+Pr=1, and the values of Pd, Pb and Pr can be flexibly set depending on actual application and design requirements.

Of course, the method for calculating Si described here is just an example, and those skilled in the art can use other algorithms to calculate Si based on less or more factors.

Thereafter, among the Y information providers, M information providers with the highest Si are selected as candidate information providers.

As mentioned above, after the candidate information provider is determined, a search notification is sent to the user device of the candidate information provider, so that the candidate information provider decides whether to provide information to the user device of the information searcher. Whether to provide the information to the user device of the information searcher can be decided in an automatic manner or a manual manner.

In one example, when the correlation between the information and the keyword of the search content satisfies a predetermined condition, it is automatically determined to send the information and the information is sent to the user device of the information searcher. Furthermore, when the correlation between the information and the keyword of the search content does not satisfy a predetermined condition, the candidate information provider manually determines to send the information.

Here, the predetermined condition may be set in advance by the information searcher. Booking conditions include but are not limited to:

The above matching degree is greater than or equal to the automatic sending threshold (for example, 90%), the automatic sending threshold can be a default value and can be modified, and the automatic sending threshold>relevance threshold;

●The keywords in the search notice include specific words/words, for example, the specific words/words may be the name of the information provider, the name of the service provided by the information provider, etc.;

●The information provider has provided information to the information searcher;

●Other conditions that the information provider deems appropriate.

When any one of the predetermined conditions is satisfied, information can be automatically transmitted to the user device of the information searcher without waiting for confirmation from the information provider.

The predetermined condition can be specific to each information provider, that is, each information provider can set its own predetermined condition respectively. The predetermined conditions listed above are only exemplary, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

On the other hand, when any one of the predetermined conditions is not satisfied, it is manually determined by the candidate information provider whether to transmit information to the user device of the information searcher. If the candidate information provider decides to send the information, it may send a confirmation sending message to the server, and then, when the server receives the sending confirmation message, send the information of the candidate information provider to the user device of the information searcher.

According to the situation of the user device of the information searcher, the transmitted information may be in the form of text, picture, voice and so on.

If the candidate information provider determines not to send information to the user device of the information searcher, it may send a deny sending message to the server, or may not take any action.

Here, a confirmation time period may be defined, and if the server does not receive a confirmation sending message from the candidate information provider within the confirmation time period, the information of the candidate information provider will not be sent.

Therefore, in some cases, although the M candidate information providers with the highest ranking coefficient S among the Y information providers are determined (also referred to as the first M candidate information providers), some of the candidate information providers may be The provider decides not to send information to the user device of the information searcher, so that the number N of information providers who actually send information to the user device of the information searcher is less than M, or the target number T of information that the information searcher wishes to obtain is greater than M , N and T are natural numbers, then M information providers with the second highest ranking coefficient S can be selected from the Y information providers as candidate information providers, and a search notification is sent to the second M candidate information providers . And so on, until the target number T is met or the information searcher terminates the search.

In the case where it is necessary to determine the second M candidate information providers (and a plurality of M candidate information providers), if there is a candidate information provider that is determined to send its information to the user device of the information searcher, it may be determined according to their The information of the candidate information provider is sent to the user device of the information searcher in the descending order of the ranking coefficient. That is to say, there is a case where, among the M candidate information providers in the group other than the first M candidate information providers, although the candidate information provider determines to transmit the Its own information, but because its ranking coefficient S is relatively low, its information is not sent to the user device of the information searcher in the end.

After sending the information of the candidate information provider to the user device of the information searcher, the candidate information provider is charged. Charging may be performed by a server or other devices.

Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the information provider itself—rather than a third party (such as a server)—can finally determine whether to send information to the user device of the information searcher based on the keywords of the search content, thereby improving The accuracy of information provided, and then provide information to information searchers more effectively. In addition, because the information provider who publishes the information is charged after the information is sent to the user device of the information searcher, the information provider can decide whether to send information according to its own situation, which can save the cost of the information provider, making The delivery of information is more targeted. Furthermore, effective and accurate information transmission can also save the use of transmission resources, thereby avoiding wasting time and resources.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, it may be necessary to know the location information of the information provider. Therefore, before 101 of the method 100 shown in FIG. 1 , that is, before receiving the search content from the user device of the information searcher, the method 100 further includes: receiving information from a user device of the information provider and acquiring location information of the information provider; transmitting price information to and receiving payment information from the user device of the information provider; and storing the information and keywords of the information. The price information may be the fees required to store the information of the information provider on the server and/or the fees required to send its information to the information searcher and the actions of the information searcher who received the information from the information provider , and prices may vary depending on the type of information. The payment information may be a confirmation of the aforementioned price information and a confirmation of the payment method.

In one example, the location information of the information provider includes at least one of a location of a user device of the information provider and a service providing location of the information provider.

In one example, the information provider is an advertisement provider.

When all user devices of an information provider are disconnected, all stored information of that information provider is disabled. That is to say, the information of the information provider will not be searched at this time, but when a user device of the information provider is connected to the server again, its information will be activated for searching again.

Of course, in order to save storage space, when all user devices of the information provider are disconnected, the server can also delete all data of the information provider from its database, including the information that can be provided, the keywords of the information, and the location information.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary signal flow diagram 200 illustrating a specific implementation for providing search results to an information searcher according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In S1 , the information provider 210 sends a login request to the server 220 . At this time, if the information provider 210 is a registered user, the server 220 recognizes an identifier (ID) of the information provider 210 . In addition, the server 220 can also obtain the location information of the information provider 210 when it logs in. One information provider 210 can have only one ID, and all user devices belonging to the same information provider 210 can be associated together. If the information provider 210 is an unregistered user, the server 220 generates an ID for the information provider 210 .

At S2, the server 220 sends a login confirmation to the information provider 210. When the information provider 210 is registering for the first time, the generated ID may also be sent to the information provider 210 at the same time.

The server 220 provides services of storing information and keywords and sending information to information searchers only for logged-in information providers 210 (that is, registered information providers 210).

Any technique known to those skilled in the art can be used to complete the registration and login process. In order to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

Thereafter, at S3 , the information provider 210 submits information to the server 220 . The information provider 210 may submit the keywords of the information at the same time, or the server 220 may obtain the keywords from the information by itself.

At S4, the server 220 sends price information to the information provider 210, and at S5, the information provider 210 returns payment information to the server 220 for confirmation.

At S6, the server 220 stores the information of the information provider 210 and its keywords.

After that, at S7, the information searcher 230 sends a search request to the server 220 at a certain moment. As mentioned above, the search request may include the search content, the keyword of the search content, the current location of the user device of the information searcher 230, etc., and the search content may be in at least one of text, still image, video, voice, code, etc. Information expressed in a form.

In case the search request does not include the keyword of the search content, at S8, the server 220 extracts the keyword of the search content.

Next, at S9, the server 220 judges the correlation between the keyword of the search content and the keyword of the information of the information provider 210, for example, based on the position at S10. Identify candidate information providers. For example, the candidate information provider may be determined based on the aforementioned ranking coefficient S, which will not be repeated here.

In S11, the server 220 sends a search notification to the information provider 210 as a candidate information provider, and the search notification may include part or all of the search content.

If the information provider 210 decides to send information (automatically or manually) in S12, then at S13, the server 220 sends the information of the information provider 210 to the information searcher 230, and then sends a fee to the information provider 210 at S14 .

Thereafter, at S15, the server 220 also sends a status report to the information provider 210. In addition to the above-mentioned search notification, the status report may also include other information such as usage statistics and balance status of the information of the information provider 210 . The server 220 may periodically send status reports to the information provider 210 .

The signal flow diagram in FIG. 2 is only exemplary, and those skilled in the art can properly delete, modify or add as required.

In addition, in addition to charging the candidate information provider after sending information to the user device of the information searcher, according to another embodiment of the present invention, when the user device of the information searcher that has sent information to the candidate information provider enters the candidate When the information provider's service provider stays within the predetermined range of the service provider location and stays for a chargeable time period, the candidate information provider is charged. This will be described later with reference to FIG. 3 .

Fig. 3 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a method 300 for billing an information provider according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3 , at 301 of the method 300 , information of an information provider is sent to a user device of an information searcher. At 302, a location of a user device of an information seeker is monitored. At 303, when the user device of the information searcher to which the information of the information provider has been sent enters the predetermined range of the service provider location of the information provider and stays there for a chargeable period of time, the information provider is counted fee.

Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, only when the information searcher who has received the information enters the predetermined range of the information provider’s service provider location and stays for a period of time, the information provider will be charged, thereby avoiding the The fact that the information provider is charged just by passing through the service provider location of the information provider makes the charging standard more scientific and reduces the cost of the information provider.

In addition to using the existing method to send information to the user device of the information searcher, in 301, sending the information of the information provider to the user device of the information searcher can also use the method 100 described above with reference to FIG. 1, including: from the information search The user device of the party receives the search content; compares the keyword and search content of the information from the user device of the information provider; and determines whether to send information to the user device of the information searcher as search results.

Of course, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any other suitable method may also be used to send information to the user device that is the information searcher.

Specifically, the determination by the information provider whether to send information to the user device of the information searcher as a search result based on the keywords of the search content includes: determining whether the keywords of the search content are related to the information of the information provider; One or more information providers related to the keywords of the search content are candidate information providers, and send a search notification to the user device of the candidate information provider, wherein the search notification includes part or all of the search content; and if the candidate information provider determines Send the information, then send the information of the candidate information provider to the user device of the information searcher.

In one example, among one or more information providers whose information is related to the keyword of the searched content, Y information providers with the shortest distance between the service providing location of the information provider and the user device of the information searcher are determined. Sort the Y information providers; sequentially select M of the Y information providers as candidate information providers, where Y and M are natural numbers, and Y>M.

The Y information providers may be sorted based on at least one of the following: the distance between the information provider's service offering location and the information searcher's user device, the information provider's budget, the information provider's rating, the information providing The name of the party and the preferences of the party seeking information.

If the candidate information provider determines to send the information, then: when the correlation between the information and the keyword of the search content satisfies a predetermined condition, automatically determine to send the information and send the information to the user device of the information searcher; and when the information is related to the search content When the correlation between keywords does not meet the predetermined condition, the candidate information provider manually determines to send the information. The predetermined conditions may be as listed above.

The manual determination of sending information by the candidate information provider includes: the candidate information provider sends a confirmation message; and when receiving the confirmation message, sends the information of the candidate information provider to the user device of the information searcher.

If no confirmation sending message is received from the information provider within the confirmation time period, the information of the candidate information provider is not sent.

After sending the information of the candidate information provider to the user device of the information searcher, the candidate information provider is charged.

Here, the search content may be information expressed in at least one form of text, static image, video, voice, and code.

Furthermore, when all user devices of an information provider are disconnected, all stored information of the information provider is disabled.

In the method 300, in order to monitor the location of the user device of the information searcher, it may be necessary to accurately locate the user device within a certain location or geographical range. This definition of location and geographic extent may be data in the form of latitude, longitude and altitude obtained through built-in location services (such as GPS), or indirect contact with other nearby devices, that is, the location associated with other user devices whose location is known .

The case of indirect contact is, for example, if the user device to be located is within short-range communication range with another user device whose location is known, then the contact is based on the receipt of device identification data of this other user device. For example, Bluetooth technology can be used to install a device for transmitting information including device identification data within a specified range (0-50 meters) at the location where the service is provided, so that the received strength (RSSI) returned by the user device of the information searcher can be determine its location. During implementation, as long as the user equipment receives the signal, it may be considered as entering the predetermined range. For another example, a user device associated with a known location can be used to manually authenticate nearby positioning contacts, that is, the user device with a known location can authenticate the user device to be located and report the user to be located The location data of the device. This indirect approach is especially aimed at user devices that do not have access to the Internet, cannot update data stored on the server, and/or do not have built-in location services. This situation can mean that the merchant or user authenticates that the two parties are at the same location by scanning a code or making a phone call (because when the two parties meet, the user must be within the predetermined range of the location where the service is provided). At the same time, since it takes a long time (about one minute) to execute this manual authentication method, a single execution of authentication is regarded as "staying for a billable time period".

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an apparatus 400 for providing search results according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the device 400 includes a receiving unit 410 , an extracting unit 420 and a sending unit 430 .

The receiving unit 410 is configured to receive search content from a user device of an information searcher. The extracting unit 420 is configured to obtain keywords of searched content. The sending unit 430 is configured to send information to the user device of the information searcher as a search result when one or more information providers determine to send information to the user device of the information searcher based on the keyword of the search content.

Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the information provider itself—rather than a third party (such as the device 400)—finally determines whether to send information to the user device of the information searcher based on the keyword of the search content, thereby improving The accuracy of information provided, and then provide information to information searchers more effectively.

Fig. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing a device 500 for billing an information provider according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the device 500 includes a sending unit 510 , a monitoring unit 520 and a charging unit 530 .

The sending unit 510 is configured to send the information of the information provider to the user device of the information searcher. The monitoring unit 520 is configured to monitor the location of the user device of the information searcher. The billing unit 530 is configured to: when the user device of the information searcher that has sent the information of the information provider enters within a predetermined range of the service provision location of the information provider and stays there for a chargeable period of time, Billing by information provider.

Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, only when the information searcher who has received the information enters the predetermined range of the information provider’s service provider location and stays for a period of time, the information provider will be charged, thereby avoiding the The fact that the information provider is charged just by passing through the service provider location of the information provider makes the charging standard more scientific and reduces the cost of the information provider.

It should be noted that, for the sake of clarity and conciseness, only parts related to the embodiment of the present invention are shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , but those skilled in the art should understand that the devices or A device may include other necessary elements.

Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate the relationship between hardware and software Interchangeability. In the above description, the composition and steps of each example have been generally described according to their functions. Whether these functions are executed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be regarded as exceeding the scope of the present invention.

Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working process of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

If the integrated unit is realized in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the essence of the technical solution of the present invention or the part that contributes to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium , including several instructions to make a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM, Read-OnlyMemory), random access memory (RAM, RandomAccessMemory), magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

It should also be pointed out that in the device and method of the present invention, obviously, each component or each step can be decomposed and/or reassembled. These decompositions and/or recombinations should be considered equivalents of the present invention. Also, the steps for performing the above series of processes may naturally be performed in chronological order in the order described, but need not necessarily be performed in chronological order. Certain steps may be performed in parallel or independently of each other.

The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Anyone skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention. Should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (30)

1. the method that Search Results is provided, including:

Search content is received from the user's set of information search side；

Obtain the keyword of search content；And

Determined whether that the user's set of information search side sends information as Search Results by one or more information providing based on the keyword searching for content。

2. based on the keyword searching for content, method according to claim 1, wherein, is determined whether that the user's set of information search side sends information and includes as Search Results by information providing:

Judge that whether the keyword of search content is relevant to the information of information providing；

Determine that one or more information providing that its information is relevant to the keyword of search content are candidate information provider,

Sending search notice to the user's set of candidate information provider, wherein search notice includes part or all of search content；And

If candidate information provider determines transmission information, then send the information of this candidate information provider to the user's set of information search side。

3. method according to claim 2, wherein it is determined that candidate information provider also includes:

In one or more information providing that its information is relevant to the keyword of search content, it is determined that Y the closest information providing between service providing location and the user's set of information search side of information providing；

Y information providing is ranked up；

Sequentially select M in Y information providing as candidate information provider,

Wherein, Y and M is natural number, and Y > M。

4. method according to claim 3, wherein, is ranked up Y information providing based at least one of the following:

The preference of distance between service providing location and the user's set of information search side of information providing, the budget of information providing, the scoring of information providing, the title of information providing and information search side。

5. according to the method that any one in claim 2-4 is described, wherein, if candidate information provider determines transmission information, then send information to the user's set of information search side and include:

When dependency between the keyword of information and search content meets predetermined condition, automatically determine transmission information and send information to the user's set of information search side；And

When dependency between the keyword of information and search content is unsatisfactory for predetermined condition, candidate information provider manually determines transmission information。

6. method according to claim 5, wherein, candidate information provider manually determines that transmission information includes:

Candidate information provider sends confirmation and sends message；And

When receiving confirmation and sending message, send the information of this candidate information provider to the user's set of information search side。

7. method according to claim 6, wherein, if not receiving confirmation from candidate information provider in acknowledging time section to send message, does not then send the information of this candidate information provider。

8., according to the method that any one in claim 2-7 is described, also include:

After send the information of this candidate information provider to the user's set of information search side, to the provider's charging of this candidate information。

9., according to the method that any one in claim 2-8 is described, also include:

When the user's set that it is transmitted across the information search side of information of candidate information provider enter in the preset range of the service providing location of this candidate information provider and resident reach can chargeable time section time, to the provider's charging of this candidate information。

10. according to the method described in any one in claim 2-9, wherein, it is judged that whether the keyword of search content is relevant to the information of information providing includes:

Matching degree between keyword and the keyword of information of comparison search content；And

When matching degree is more than or equal to relevance threshold, it is determined that the keyword of search content is relevant to the information of information providing。

11. according to the method that any one in claim 1-10 is described, wherein, receive search content from the user's set of information search side and also include: obtain the position of the user's set of information search side, and

Wherein, search content is the information expressed with at least one form in text, still image, video, voice, code。

12. method according to claim 11, before receive search content from the user's set of information search side, also include:

Receive information from the user's set of information providing and obtain the positional information of information providing；

The user's set of the side of providing information to sends pricing information and receives from it payment information；And

The keyword of storage information and information,

Wherein, the positional information of information providing includes at least one in the position of the user's set of information providing and the service providing location of information providing。

13. according to the method that any one in claim 1-12 is described, wherein, information providing is advertising provider。

14. according to the method that any one in claim 1-13 is described, wherein, when all user's sets of information providing disconnect, disable all information of this information providing stored。

15. the method that information providing is carried out charging, including:

The information of information providing is sent to the user's set of information search side；

Monitor the position of the user's set of information search side；And

When the user's set that it is transmitted across the information search side of information of information providing enter in the preset range of the service providing location of this information providing and resident reach can chargeable time section time, to this information providing charging。

16. method according to claim 15, wherein, the information sending information providing to the user's set of information search side includes:

Search content is received from the user's set of information search side；

Relatively from the keyword of the information of the user's set of information providing and search content；And

Determined whether that the user's set of information search side sends information as Search Results by one or more information providing result based on the comparison。

17. method according to claim 16, wherein, information providing determine whether that the user's set of information search side sends information and includes as Search Results based on the keyword searching for content:

Judge that whether the keyword of search content is relevant to the information of information providing；

Determine that one or more information providing that its information is relevant to the keyword of search content are candidate information provider,

Sending search notice to the user's set of candidate information provider, wherein search notice includes part or all of search content；And

If candidate information provider determines transmission information, then send the information of this candidate information provider to the user's set of information search side。

18. method according to claim 17, wherein it is determined that candidate information provider also includes:

In one or more information providing that its information is relevant to the keyword of search content, it is determined that Y the closest information providing between service providing location and the user's set of information search side of information providing；

Y information providing is ranked up；

Sequentially select M in Y information providing as candidate information provider,

Wherein, Y and M is natural number, and Y > M。

19. method according to claim 18, wherein, based at least one of the following, Y information providing is ranked up:

The preference of distance between service providing location and the user's set of information search side of information providing, the budget of information providing, the scoring of information providing, the title of information providing and information search side。

20. according to the method that any one in claim 17-19 is described, wherein, if candidate information provider determines transmission information, then send information to the user's set of information search side and include:

When dependency between the keyword of information and search content meets predetermined condition, automatically determine transmission information and send information to the user's set of information search side；And

When dependency between the keyword of information and search content is unsatisfactory for predetermined condition, candidate information provider manually determines transmission information。

21. method according to claim 20, wherein, candidate information provider manually determines that transmission information includes:

Candidate information provider sends confirmation and sends message；And

When receiving confirmation and sending message, send the information of this candidate information provider to the user's set of information search side。

22. method according to claim 21, wherein, if not receiving confirmation from candidate information provider in acknowledging time section to send message, then do not send the information of this candidate information provider。

23. according to the method that any one in claim 17-22 is described, also include:

After send the information of this candidate information provider to the user's set of information search side, to the provider's charging of this candidate information。

24. according to the method described in any one in claim 17-23, wherein, it is judged that whether the keyword of search content is relevant to the information of information providing includes:

Matching degree between keyword and the keyword of information of comparison search content；And

When matching degree is more than or equal to relevance threshold, it is determined that the keyword of search content is relevant to the information of information providing。

25. according to the method that any one in claim 16-24 is described, wherein, receive search content from the user's set of information search side and also include: obtain the position of the user's set of information search side, and

Wherein, search content is the information expressed with at least one form in text, still image, video, voice, code。

26. method according to claim 25, before receive search content from the user's set of information search side, also include:

Receive information from the user's set of information providing and obtain the positional information of information providing；

The user's set of the side of providing information to sends pricing information and receives from it payment information；And

The keyword of storage information and information,

Wherein, the positional information of information providing includes at least one in the position of the user's set of information providing and the service providing location of information providing。

27. according to the method that any one in claim 16-26 is described, wherein, information providing is advertising provider。

28. according to the method that any one in claim 16-27 is described, wherein, when all user's sets of information providing disconnect, disable all information of this information providing stored。

29. for the equipment providing Search Results, including:

Receive unit, be configured to receive search content from the user's set of information search side；

Extraction unit, is configured to obtain the keyword of search content；And

Transmitting element, is configured to, when based on the keyword searching for content, one or more information providing determine that the user's set to information search side sends information, transmit information to as Search Results to the user's set of information search side。

30. information providing to be carried out an equipment for charging, including:

Transmitting element, is configured to send the information of information providing to the user's set of information search side；

Monitor unit, is configured to monitor the position of the user's set of information search side；And

Charging Detail Record unit, be configured as its user's set of information search side of information being transmitted across information providing is entered in the preset range of the service providing location of this information providing and resident reach can chargeable time section time, to this information providing charging。