Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Edward Lloyd Snelson

Michael James Taylor

John Guiver

Nicholas Eric Craswell

Onno R Zoeter

Martin Szummer

Joaquin Quinonero Candela

Olliver Michael Christian Williams

A computationally efficient method of performing probabilistic linear regression is described. In an embodiment, the method involves adding a white noise term to a weighted linear sum of basis functions and then normalizing the combination. This generates a linear model comprising a set of sparse, normalized basis functions and a modulated noise term. When using the linear model to perform linear regression, the modulated noise term increases the variance associated with output values which are distant from any data points.

Computationally efficient probabilistic linear regression

An information retrieval system is described for retrieving a list of documents such as web pages or other items from a document index in response to a user query. In an embodiment a prediction engine is used to predict both explicit relevance information such as judgment labels and implicit relevance information such as click data. In an embodiment the predicted relevance information is applied to a stored utility function that describes user satisfaction with a search session. This produces utility scores for proposed lists of documents. Using the utility scores one of the lists of documents is selected. In this way different sources of relevance information are combined into a single information retrieval system in a principled and effective manner which gives improved performance.

Information retrieval system

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Cambridge, United Kingdom

Edward Lloyd Snelson