Patent ID: 7801889
Filing Date: 2010-09-21
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A search service system comprising: at least one memory having program instructions and databases, the databases comprising: means for receiving a selection of a representative category associated with a predetermined keyword group from a manager wherein the selection is made to reflect current societal interest by the manager; means for associating a representative keyword included in a first keyword group associated with a first representative category, with a second keyword group associated with a second representative category based on the selection of the manager; means for receiving a search request from a user terminal through a communication network, the search request including a search keyword; a first search unit for searching the category classification database for a representative category associated with the first keyword group including the search keyword, the first search unit determining the second keyword group related to the first keyword group by referring to the category classification database, wherein the second keyword group including the first keyword group; a second search unit for searching the keyword database for the second keyword group and data indicative of a number of searches made using one or more representative keywords or other keywords included in the second keyword group; an input order computing unit for computing input order of keywords included in the first keyword group by using the second keyword group to compute a popularity rank of the keywords based on data indicative of a number of searches made using keywords included in the first keyword group and the second keyword group; means for providing the user terminal with information showing popularity of keywords together with keyword search results so that a display of the user terminal displays the information showing popularity together with the keyword search results, the information showing popularity being related to the search request based, at least in part, upon the data indicative of the respective number of searches made using the respective representative keywords or other keywords included in the second keyword group; and means for updating the data indicative of a number of searches made using a representative keyword corresponding to the search keyword or other keywords of the second keyword group in response to the search request from the user terminal, wherein the means for the updating the data adds a number of searches made using keywords represented by a first representative keyword to a number of searches made using the first representative keyword, where the first representative keyword and said keywords convey a same or similar meaning, wherein the first representative keyword is related to the search keyword.