Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Andy Lam

Hugh Evan Williams

Tabreez Govani

Jamie Paul Buckley

Nitin Agrawal

Kenneth Alan Moss

Nicholas Eric Craswell

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for determining the Internet search popularity of an entity are provided. Embodiments of the present invention include receiving a group of Internet search records and assigning a popularity ranking based on the number of times an entity descriptor associated with an entity occurs within the group of Internet search records created over a designated time period. An entity descriptor is one or more terms commonly used to identify an entity. The trend in an entity's popularity rank may also be calculated. An entity's popularity rank and trend in popularity rank may be presented in a graph or in a list.

Determining entity popularity using search queries

Computer-readable media and computerized methods for identifying candidate points on a graphical depiction of relative popularity of an entity (e.g., entertainer, sports team, and the like) are provided. Points on the graphical depiction are ranked based on a number of user-submitted web queries that reference the entity that are received during a particular time frame. Peak points and slope values (i.e., derived from an angle of inclination of inclines on the graphical depiction) may be captured by analyzing movements in the rank of an entity over time. An algorithmic process may then be applied to the peak points and slope values to determine points of interest of the entity's popularity, such as the highest-ranked periods and/or dramatic positive movements in rank of the entity. These points of interest are selected as candidate points and are surfaced as icons on a visual representation of the graphical depiction.

Identifying on a graphical depiction candidate points and top-moving queries

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Andy Lam