System and method for query refinement to enable improved searching based on identifying and utilizing popular concepts related to users' queries

• US 20030014403A1
• Filed: 07/12/2001
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Watson, Eric B., Chandrasekar, Raman, Finger, James C. II
• Granted Patent: US 7,136,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3338 Query expansion
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Refining a user query is disclosed. In one method, a query is received from a user, and then mapped to one or more search concepts. A list of search concepts associated with the query is then displayed. Alternatively or additionally, the search concepts associated with the query are used to provide a set of improved search results. In another method, a number of queries from a number of users are analyzed to identify two or more search concepts, and a popularity value is assigned to them based on the queries. Thus, the relative popularity of the respective search concepts can be determined. Alternatively or additionally, a preferred search query for the search concepts can be determined. The popularity and preferred queries can be used to allow automatic or user-initiated refinement.

Claims

1. A method for refining a user query, the method comprising:

receiving a query from a user;

mapping the user query to one or more search concepts; and

,

displaying a list of the search concepts associated with the query.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating, upon the user'"'"'s request, a preferred query associated with at least one of the one or more search concepts to provide improved search results.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more search concepts are popular search concepts and wherein their relative popularity can be used to order the displayed list.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, for the one or more search concepts, adding a number of popularity points to the concept for each of a plurality of different query phrases that matches one of a plurality of key phrases associated with the concept and that is unique to the concept, wherein the number of popularity points is proportional to a number of times the query phrase appears in a query log.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein initiating the preferred search query comprises selecting a key phrase uniquely associated with the concept and having a greatest popularity for the concept within the query log as indicated by popularity points added to the matching concept as a result of the key phrase matching a query phrase within the query log.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising apportioning a number of popularity points among two or more of the search concepts when a plurality of different query phrases match one of a plurality of key phrases associated with the two or more search concepts, wherein the number of popularity points is proportional to the number of times the query phrase appears in the query log.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining a popularity measure of the search concept as a function of the popularity points of the search concept and the popularity points of a most popular one of the one or more search concepts.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by execution of instructions stored on a computer-readable medium.

9. A method for refining a user query, the method comprising:

receiving a query from a user;

mapping the user query to one or more search concepts; and

,

using the search concepts associated with the query to provide a set of improved search results.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising automatically initiating a preferred query associated with at least one of the one or more search concepts to provide the set of improved search results.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of improved search results comprises one or more sub-sets of the set of improved search results, each sub-set associated with one of the search concepts and having a number of search results proportional to a relative popularity of the one or more concepts.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more search concepts are popular search concepts and wherein their relative popularity can be used to display a list of the search concepts in order of popularity.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising, for the one or more search concepts, adding a number of popularity points to the concept for each of a plurality of different query phrases that matches one of a plurality of key phrases associated with the concept and that is unique to the concept, wherein the number of popularity points is proportional to a number of times the query phrase appears in a query log.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein automatically initiating the preferred search query comprises selecting a key phrase uniquely associated with the concept and having a greatest popularity for the concept within the query log as indicated by popularity points added to the matching concept as a result of the key phrase matching a query phrase within the query log.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising apportioning a number of popularity points among two or more of the search concepts when a plurality of different query phrases match one of a plurality of key phrases associated with the two or more search concepts, wherein the number of popularity points is proportional to the number of times the query phrase appears in the query log.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining a popularity measure of the search concept as a function of the popularity points of the search concept and the popularity points of a most popular one of the one or more search concepts.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the method is performed by execution of instructions stored on a computer-readable medium.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein assigning the popularity value comprises adding a number of popularity points to the concept for each of a plurality of different query phrases that matches one of a plurality of key phrases associated with the concept and that is unique to the concept, the number of popularity points being proportional to a number of times the query phrase appears in a query log.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein assigning the popularity value comprises apportioning a number of popularity points among two or more of the search concepts when a plurality of different query phrases match one of a plurality of key phrases associated with the two or more search concepts, wherein the number of popularity points is proportional to the number of times the query phrase appears in the query log.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the popularity value for a search concept is a function of the popularity points of that search concept and the popularity points of a most popular one of the search concepts.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the popularity value is based at least in part on past queries received from users.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the popularity value is based at least in part on a prediction of future queries that will be received from users.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the method is performed by execution of instructions stored on a computer-readable medium.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein determining the preferred search queries comprises, for each of the at least one search concepts, selecting a key phrase uniquely associated with the concept and having a greatest popularity for the concept within the plurality of queries.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the method is performed by execution of instructions stored on a computer-readable medium.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the server is a search engine and the client is a web browser.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the server and the client are applications.

18. A method comprising:

analyzing a plurality of queries from a plurality of users to identify two or more search concepts; and

,

assigning a popularity value to the two or more search concepts based on the plurality of queries such that the relative popularity of the respective search concepts can be determined.

25. A method comprising:

analyzing a plurality of queries from a plurality of users to identify at least one search concept; and

,

determining a preferred search query for the at least one search concept,

wherein the preferred search query is associated with a selected set of search results for the at least one search concept.

28. A system comprising:

a server communicatively coupled with a client at which a user generates a query, wherein the server maps the user query to one or more search concepts and returns to the client for display to the user a list of the search concepts associated with the query.

31. A system comprising:

a database storing a plurality of queries from a plurality of users; and

,

a server to analyze the plurality of queries to identify two or more search concepts, and assign a popularity value to the two or more search concepts based on the plurality of queries such that the relative popularity of the respective search concepts can be determined.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the server is a search engine.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the server is an application.