Bill Slawski recently drew attention to a patent describing a method for applying a generic rating to content as part of a process for modifying search results. The patent applies to search results, media content, books, websites and games, and describes a method of displaying modified search results, some of which are blocked from being displayed.
The patent mentions the phrase “search results” 95 times and the phrase “search results” 40 times.
So if you’re interested in search, the patent could be interesting, especially if your search practice includes text, video, audio, and other forms of media.
Warning about Google patents
Google has applied for many patents, but has rarely confirmed whether the algorithms described in the patents are used in search results.
At this point, no one knows whether the algorithm described in this patent is currently or will be used.
How to understand this patent
To understand any patent (or research paper), it’s always a good idea to read from the beginning of the document. The beginning of the document is that it tells you what the patent is about.
People flipping through patents looking for “interesting parts” tend to misunderstand what the patent is about because they don’t know the context of those “interesting parts.”
So if we start at the beginning of the document, the patent abstract tells us what the patent does and how it does it.
Problems solved by patents
The patent section titled Background tells us the problem that the patent addresses.
It states that users are interested in accessing content from around the world. But the problem with getting that content is that each country applies a different rating system.
Here’s what the patent says it solves:
“Users are interested in accessing content (eg, TV shows, movies, books, videos, music, news articles, websites, etc.) from many different countries, regions, or other groups.
Each country, region or group may use a different rating system to indicate the inclusion of material (e.g. violence, pornography, etc.) or content that may not be appropriate for a particular age.
However, it can be difficult to understand the rating systems of different countries to filter content.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide new methods, systems and media for presenting content based on generic content ratings. “
The role of patents
The abstract at the beginning of the patent lists several things that the invention described by the patent does.
It starts by stating that this is a way of presenting content based on a generic rating.
“Provides methods, systems and media for presenting content based on a common rating.”
Universal Rating
One of the standout features of the patent is how it takes localized ratings, ratings from different countries, and then converts them into what Google calls “universal ratings.”
Universal Ratings is a standardized rating system that algorithms can use to rank and display content that users want.
In this way, the algorithm can apply the rating criteria no matter what country the user is in.
In the following description, the patent uses the name “Process 700” to denote an algorithm.
The patent states:
“Process 700 can convert the content ratings associated with the received search results to generic content ratings . . .
As a specific example, where the country-specific content rating is a US content rating of “TV-G,” process 700 may determine a generic content rating of “All Ages.”
Process 700 may use any suitable information and/or techniques to convert country-specific content ratings to generic content ratings. “
how the process works
Next, it goes on to list the different things the present invention does.
This part is interesting because it provides background information to help understand what it does and how it does it.
I have reformatted the description to make it easier to understand.
Here’s how it explains what patents do:
“In some embodiments, the method includes:
- receive search results;
- Determine country-specific content ratings in relation to search results;
- Convert country-specific content ratings to generic content ratings relevant to search results;
- determine to block at least one search result based on the universal content rating and the user-selected universal content rating limit;
- In response to determining that the search results are to be blocked, remove the search results from the search results to create the modified search results;
- cause the modified search results to be displayed;
- receive selected content from presented search results;
- Determine country-specific content ratings in relation to selected content;
- Convert country-specific content ratings to universal content ratings;
- Determines that the selected content is not blocked based on the universal content rating and the user-selected universal content rating restrictions; and causes the selected content to be rendered. “
Twenty-one things that the present invention does are listed.
This is a restated (and reformatted) version of the above description, available in the patent titled claim.
Of the 21 claims filed for the patent, this is the first claim:
“A method for presenting content based on generic content ratings, the method comprising:
- receive one or more search results corresponding to a search query;
- determine location-specific content ratings associated with one or more received search results;
- Using a hardware processor, convert the location-specific content rating into a generic content rating associated with one or more search results by transmitting an indicator of the location-specific content rating to the server and receiving the generic content rating from the server;
- determining that at least one search result is to be blocked based on a generic content rating associated with the one or more search results and a user-selected generic content rating limit;
- In response to determining that the at least one search result is to be blocked, removing the at least one search result from the one or more search results to create a modified search result; and causing the modified search result to be displayed. “
The other 20 claims detail how the first claim was accomplished, such as claim 8:
“A system for presenting content based on a universal content rating…”
where the process takes place
The patent describes a device that users will use when retrieving content ranked by ratings.
This is important because it tells us what the context of ratings and rankings is.
The context is accessing content through devices such as mobile, desktop, and TV.
This is what the patent says is an example of a user device that will display what the rating ranks are:
“User equipment…may include any one or more user equipment suitable for receiving and/or presenting content.
For example, in some embodiments, user equipment…may include mobile devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, vehicle (eg, car, boat, airplane, or any other suitable vehicle) entertainment systems, Portable media player or any other suitable mobile device.
As another example, in some embodiments, user equipment . . . may include non-mobile devices such as desktop computers, set-top boxes, televisions, streaming media players, game consoles, or any other suitable non-mobile devices. “
Types of content rated and ranked
The patent describes the types of content being rated, and it appears to cover almost every type of content out there.
The patent describes a process for receiving content and then rating that content. Content received and rated can be search results, websites, movies or even books.
Here’s what it says:
“In some implementations, the mechanisms described herein can receive content (eg, search results, media content, books, websites, and/or any other suitable content) from different countries, locations, and/or groups, and can convert specific Content-related content ratings are generic content ratings.”
Next, it describes the use of user-selected content ratings to rank content. For example, if someone is on the phone, they want something that is child-safe.
The patent describes the process:
“In some implementations, the mechanisms may determine a user-selected generic content rating limit, and may determine whether to block the received content based on the user-selected generic content rating limit and the generic content rating corresponding to the received content.
In some implementations, these mechanisms allow the content to be rendered on the user device in response to determining that the content will not be blocked. “
Important Points About Modified Search Results
What is not widely understood is that there are many ways to rank search results, and these ranking functions don’t always happen in ranking engines, whereas traditional ranking factors (like links, etc.) do.
In this case, a user makes a query, Google ranks the results, and the algorithm modifies the search results and displays the modified search results.
phrase”Modified search results‘ is repeated twenty times in the patent.
“…remove at least one search result from one or more search results to create a modified search result; and cause the modified search result to be displayed.”
Keep this in mind when analyzing search results and trying to understand why a certain ranking is made. It’s not always because of the “ranking factor” as there are many other ranking-related processes going on.
Citation
Read Bill Slawski’s article:
Location-Based Universal Content Rating
Read Search Modifications Based on Generic Rating Patents
Methods, systems and media for presenting content based on generic ratings
