Culturally relevant search results

A computer program product for providing search results to a user, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to:

• receive a search query submitted by the user to a search service, the search query being submitted by the user on a particular date;
• form a query feature vector for the search query, the query feature vector being represented as a set of numerical values that include numerical values representing the terms submitted in the search query;
• access news feature vectors associated with documents related to current events, the documents related to current events being documents having a publication date determined to be temporally proximate to the particular date of submission of the search query and each of the news feature vectors being represented as a set of numerical values that includes numerical values representing words included in a document related to a current event;
• compare the query feature vector with the news feature vectors by calculating distances or angles between the query feature vector and the news feature vectors;
• form an augmented query feature vector based on results of the comparison of the query feature vector with the news feature vectors;
• access target feature vectors related to target documents, each target feature vector being represented as a set of numerical values that include numerical values representing words included in a target document;
• compare the augmented query feature vector with the target feature vectors by calculating distances or angles between the augmented query feature vector and the target feature vectors;
• identify search results that include target documents based on results of the comparison of the augmented query feature vector with the target feature vectors;
• and
• enable the user to perceive at least some of the identified search results.

A system for providing search results to a user, the system comprising:

• means for receiving a search query submitted by the user to a search service, the search query being submitted by the user on a particular date;
• means for forming, using at least one computer processor, a query feature vector for the search query, the query feature vector being represented as a set of numerical values that include numerical values representing the terms submitted in the search query;
• means for accessing news feature vectors associated with documents related to current events, the documents related to current events being documents having a publication date determined to be temporally proximate to the particular date of submission of the search query and each of the news feature vectors being represented as a set of numerical values that includes numerical values representing words included in a document related to a current event;
• means for comparing the query feature vector with the news feature vectors by calculating distances or angles between the query feature vector and the news feature vectors;
• means for forming an augmented query feature vector based on results of the comparison of the query feature vector with the news feature vectors;
• means for accessing target feature vectors related to target documents, each target feature vector being represented as a set of numerical values that include numerical values representing words included in a target document;
• means for comparing the augmented query feature vector with the target feature vectors by calculating distances or angles between the augmented query feature vector and the target feature vectors;
• means for identifying search results that include target documents based on results of the comparison of the augmented query feature vector with the target feature vectors;
• and
• means for enabling the user to perceive at least some of the identified search results.