Returning databases as search results

• US 20030033324A1
• Filed: 08/09/2001
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lycos Incorporated (Brightcom Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Golding, Andrew R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,389,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/917 Text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A method including enumerating plausible queries of a target database using query generation rules, and generating associated teasers for each of the enumerated queries using query matching rules.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

enumerating plausible queries of a target database using query generation rules; and

generating associated teasers for each of the enumerated queries using query-matching rules.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the enumerated queries and their associated teasers in a lookup table.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

receiving a user query of the target database;

determining whether the user query matches an enumerated query in the lookup table; and

displaying the teaser associated with the enumerated query in response to determining.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the query generation rules are domain specific.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the query matching rules are domain specific.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein generating further comprises conflict resolution rules.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the target database resides on a server connected to the Internet.

8. A computer program stored on a computer-readable medium, the computer program comprising instructions that cause a computer to:

enumerate plausible queries of a target database using query generation rules; and

generate associated teasers for each of the enumerated queries using query matching rules.

9. A method comprising:

identifying queries that match elements in a target database;

receiving a user query;

determining if the user query matches one of the identified queries; and

if the user query matches one of the identified queries, providing target database information to a user that relates to the user query.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the database resides on a server.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the server resides in a network.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein identifying comprises:

applying query-generation rules to the target database;

applying query-matching rules to each of the queries to generate associated teasers; and

building a mapping from the queries to their associated teasers.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein building the mapping comprises storing the queries and associated teasers in a hash table.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein building the mapping comprises storing the queries and associated teasers in a cache.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein building the mapping comprises storing the queries and associated teasers in a trie data structure.

16. A method comprises:

pre-processing a target database;

building a mapping from selected queries to associated teasers for the target database;

receiving a user query for the target database; and

returning an associated teaser if the user query matches one of the selected queries.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein pre-processing comprises:

identifying selected queries in conjunction with query-generation rules; and

generating an associated teaser for each of the selected queries in conjunction with query-matching rules.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein building a mapping comprises storing each of the selected queries with the associated teaser.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein storing comprises placing each of the selected queries with associated teaser in a trie data structure.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein storing comprises placing each of the selected queries with associated teaser in a hash table.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein storing comprises placing each of the selected queries with associated teaser in a cache.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein storing comprises placing each of the selected queries with associated teaser in a lookup table.

23. The method of claim 16 further comprising displaying the associated teaser.

24. A computer program stored on a computer-readable medium, the computer program comprising instructions that cause a computer to:

identify queries that match elements in a target database;

receive a user query;

determine if the user query matches one of the identified queries; and

provide target database information to a user that relates to the user query if the user query matches one of the identified queries.

25. The computer program of claim 24 wherein the instruction to identify comprises instructions to cause the computer to:

apply query-generation rules;

apply query-matching rules to each of the queries to generate associated teasers; and

build a mapping from the queries to the associated teasers.

26. A computer program stored on a computer-readable medium, the computer program comprising instructions that cause a computer to:

pre-process a target database;

build a mapping from selected queries to associated teasers for the target database;

receive a user query for the target database; and

return an associated teaser if the user query matches one of the selected queries.

27. An apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor that executes the instructions to;

pre-process a target database;

build a mapping from selected queries to associated teasers for the target database;

receive a user query for the target database;

return an associated teaser if the user query matches one of the selected queries; and

display the associated teaser to the user.

28. An apparatus comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor that executes the instructions to;

enumerate plausible queries of a target database using query generation rules; and

generate associated teasers for each of the enumerated queries using query matching rules.