Wireless information retrieval

• US 20030037043A1
• Filed: 04/06/2001
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lau, Raymond, Chang, Jane Wen, Schweikert, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,136,846 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method of accessing information from a wireless device including processing a query and a wireless identifier received from the wireless device, searching a collection of data for a set of results matching the query, selectively reducing the set of results to generate a subset of results and outputting the subset of results on the wireless device according to a style sheet.

Claims

1. A method of accessing information comprising:

processing a query and a wireless identifier received from a wireless device;

searching a collection of data for a set of results matching the query;

selectively reducing the set of results to generate a subset of results;

outputting a prose rendition of the query; and

outputting the subset of results on the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein processing the query comprises:

parsing the query to generate a search fragment;

substituting long form words for abbreviations contained in the search fragment in conjunction with an abbreviations dictionary; and

adding context to the search fragment.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein adding context comprises extracting data from a web page from which the query was received.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein adding context comprises extracting data from a previously presented results page from which the query was received.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein processing the query comprises:

normalizing text of the query;

parsing the text;

associating long form words for abbreviations in conjunction with an abbreviations dictionary; and

providing meaning to the text.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein processing the query further comprises associating context with the text.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein selectively reducing comprises:

placing the set of results in a hierarchical data structure organized by taxonomy; and

discarding results positioned at a lowest level of the hierarchical data structure.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein outputting the prose rendition comprises:

processing the query in conjunction with rules of grammar; and

processing the query in conjunction with a prose configuration file.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein outputting of the subset comprises placing the subset in a table.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising customizing the table to the wireless device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein customizing the table to the wireless device comprises:

loading a wireless style sheet database;

locating a style sheet that matches the wireless identifier in the style sheet database; and

reducing the length and width of the table in accordance with the style sheet.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein reducing further comprises subdividing the table into a plurality of smaller tables.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein customizing the table comprises:

loading an abbreviations dictionary; and

replacing long form words in the table with corresponding abbreviations in the abbreviations database.

23. The method of claim 12 wherein processing the query comprises:

normalizing text of the query;

parsing the text;

associating long form words for abbreviations in conjunction with an abbreviations dictionary; and

providing meaning to the text.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein Processing the query further comprises associating context with the text.

14. A method of accessing information from a wireless device comprising:

processing a query and a wireless identifier received from the wireless device;

searching a collection of data for a set of results matching the query;

selectively reducing the set of results to generate a subset of results; and

outputting the subset of results on the wireless device according to a style sheet.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the query is a combination of text, sentence fragments and abbreviated words.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the query is text.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the query is sentence fragments.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the query is abbreviated words.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the query is speech.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein processing the query comprises:

parsing the query to generate a search fragment;

substituting long form words for abbreviations contained in the search fragment in conjunction with an abbreviations dictionary; and

adding context to the search fragment.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein adding context comprises extracting data from a web page from which the query was received.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein adding context comprises extracting data from a previously presented results page from which the query was received.

25. The method of claim 14 wherein selectively reducing comprises:

placing the set of results in a hierarchical data structure organized by taxonomy; and

discarding results positioned at a lowest level of the hierarchical data structure.

26. The method of claim 14 wherein outputting the subset comprises:

placing the subset in a table; and

reducing the length and width of the table in accordance with a style sheet.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein reducing further comprises dividing the table into a plurality of smaller tables.

28. The method of claim 14 wherein outputting the subset comprises replacing long form words in the table with corresponding abbreviations in an abbreviations database.

29. A computer program, residing on a computer-readable medium, including instructions for causing a computer to:

process a query and a wireless identifier received from a wireless device;

search a collection of data for a set of results matching the query;

selectively reduce the set of results to generate a subset of results;

output a prose rendition of the query; and

output the subset of results on the wireless device.

30. A computer program, residing on a computer-readable medium, including instructions for causing a computer to:

process a query and a wireless identifier received from a wireless device;

search a collection of data for a set of results matching the query;

selectively reduce the set of results to generate a subset of results; and

output the subset of results on the wireless device according to a style sheet.