System and method for improving answer relevance in meta-search engines
First Claim
1. A method for improving search results from a meta-search engine that queries information sources containing document collections, comprising:
- receiving an original query with user selected keywords and user selected operators;
the user selected operators defining relationships between the user selected keywords;
identifying a set of information sources to be interrogated using the original query by performing one of;
(a) receiving a set of user selected information sources, (b) automatically identifying a set of information sources, and (c) performing a combination of (a) and (b);
the set of information sources identifying two or more information sources;
translating at least one of the user selected operators of the original query that is not supported by one of the information sources in the set of information sources to an alternate operator that is supported by the one of the information sources in the set of information sources;
submitting a selected one of the translated queries and the original query to each information source in the set of information sources;
receiving answers from each information source for the query submitted thereto;
filtering each set of answers received from each information source that satisfy one of the translated queries by removing the answers that do not satisfy the original query;
for each filtered set of answers, computing a subsumption ratio of the number of filtered answers that satisfy the original query to the number of answers that satisfy the translated query; and
using each computed subsumption ratio to perform one of;
(d) reformulating a translated query;
(e) modifying information sources in the set of information sources automatically identified at (b); and
(f) performing a combination of (d) and (e).
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Abstract
A user of a meta-search engine submits a query formulated with operators defining relationships between keywords. Information sources are selected for interrogation by the user or by the meta-search engine. If necessary, the query is translated for each selected source to adapt the operators of the query to a form accepted by that source. The query is submitted to each selected source and answers are retrieved from each source as a summary of each document found that satisfies the query. The answers are post-filtered from each source to determine if the answers satisfy the originally formulated query. Answers that satisfy the query are displayed as a list of selectable document summaries. The analysis includes computing a subsumption ratio of filtered answers to answers received that satisfy a translated query. The subsumption ratio is used to improve the accuracy of subsequent queries submitted by the user to the meta-search engine.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for improving search results from a meta-search engine that queries information sources containing document collections, comprising:
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receiving an original query with user selected keywords and user selected operators;
the user selected operators defining relationships between the user selected keywords;
identifying a set of information sources to be interrogated using the original query by performing one of;
(a) receiving a set of user selected information sources, (b) automatically identifying a set of information sources, and (c) performing a combination of (a) and (b);
the set of information sources identifying two or more information sources;
translating at least one of the user selected operators of the original query that is not supported by one of the information sources in the set of information sources to an alternate operator that is supported by the one of the information sources in the set of information sources;
submitting a selected one of the translated queries and the original query to each information source in the set of information sources;
receiving answers from each information source for the query submitted thereto;
filtering each set of answers received from each information source that satisfy one of the translated queries by removing the answers that do not satisfy the original query;
for each filtered set of answers, computing a subsumption ratio of the number of filtered answers that satisfy the original query to the number of answers that satisfy the translated query; and
using each computed subsumption ratio to perform one of;
(d) reformulating a translated query;
(e) modifying information sources in the set of information sources automatically identified at (b); and
(f) performing a combination of (d) and (e). - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A meta-search engine, comprising:
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an automatic source selection module for receiving an original query with user selected keywords and user selected operators;
the user selected operators defining relationships between the user selected keywords;
the automatic source selection module identifying a set of information sources to be interrogated using the original query by performing one of;
(a) receiving a set of user selected information sources, (b) automatically identifying a set of information sources, and (c) performing a combination of (a) and (b);
the set of information sources identifying two or more information sources;
a query translation module for translating at least one of the user selected operators of the original query that is not supported by one of the information sources in the set of information sources to an alternate operator that is supported by the one of the information sources in the set of information sources;
the query translation module submitting a selected one of the translated queries and the original query to each information source in the set of information sources,a query filtering module for receiving answers from each information source for the query submitted thereto by the query translation module;
the query filtering module filtering each set of answers received from each information source that satisfy one of the translated queries by removing the answers that do not satisfy the original query;
a silent query analyzer for computing a subsumption ratio for each set of answers filtered by the query filtering module;
the subsumption ratio being a ratio of the number of filtered answers that satisfy the original query to the number of answers that satisfy the translated query; and
a query reformulation module for using each subsumption ratio computed by the silent query analyzer to perform one of;
(d) reformulating a translated query;
(e) modifying information sources in the set of information sources automatically identified by the automatic source selection module; and
(f) performing a combination of (d) and (e). - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An article of manufacture for use in a machine comprising:
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a) a memory;
b) instructions stored in the memory for a method for improving search results from a meta-search engine that queries information sources containing document collections, the instructions being machine readable, the method comprising;
receiving an original query with user selected keywords and user selected operators;
the user selected operators defining relationships between the user selected keywords;
identifying a set of information sources to be interrogated using the original query by performing one of;
(a) receiving a set of user selected information sources, (b) automatically identifying a set of information sources, and (c) performing a combination of (a) and (b);
the set of information sources identifying two or more information sources;
translating at least one of the user selected operators of the original query that is not supported by one of the information sources in the set of information sources to an alternate operator that is supported by the one of the information sources in the set of information sources;
submitting a selected one of the translated queries and the original query to each information source in the set of information sources;
receiving answers from each information source for the query submitted thereto;
filtering each set of answers received from each information source that satisfy one of the translated queries by removing the answers that do not satisfy the original query;
for each filtered set of answers, computing a subsumption ratio of the number of filtered answers that satisfy the original query to the number of answers that satisfy the translated query; and
using each computed subsumption ratio to perform one of;
(d) reformulating a translated query;
(e) modifying information sources in the set of information sources automatically identified at (b); and
(f) performing a combination of (d) and (e).
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Specification