Free text and attribute searching of electronic program guide (EPG) data

• US 20040194141A1
• Filed: 03/24/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sanders, Scott D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,885,963 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/53
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

Subject matter includes a search engine for electronic program guide (EPG) data and related methods. In an exemplary method, a text search string can be normalized into searchable terms and the terms interpreted as either text search terms or attribute search terms. One or more queries having search conditions of varying degrees of complexity are created according to the interpretation of the terms of the search string. One or more searches in EPG databases and/or web-resources are performed based on interpretation of the text and attribute terms and results are given a relevancy ranking according to the interpretation. The combined search results may be grouped, ranked, and filtered for display to the user. Results may also be displayed progressively as each character of a search string is entered by the user.

Claims

1. A method of searching electronic program guide (EPG) data, comprising:

receiving a text search string;

normalizing the text search string, wherein the normalizing includes removing or converting symbols in the text search string to make searchable terms;

separating the searchable terms into text terms and attribute terms;

performing a search in the EPG data for each text term and each attribute term; and

performing one of combining, ranking, and filtering results from the searches for display of programs conforming to the search string.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the normalizing comprises converting language formalities of the searchable terms to match language formalities of the EPG data.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the separating includes comparing the searchable terms to attributes in a list of attributes to separate the text terms from the attribute terms.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the separating includes comparing searchable terms with results from a text search to separate the text terms from the attribute terms.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the separating further comprises grouping the searchable terms in various combinations to achieve a set of searchable phrases.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the separating further comprises transposing the order of at least two of the searchable terms before the grouping.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising comparing the searchable phrases with attributes in a list of attributes to determine if any of the searchable phrases are attributes.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the list of attributes contains an index relating indexed attributes to destination resources and search values for each indexed attribute.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the list of attributes contains branching logic associated with an attribute in the list of attributes to guide a search using the attribute.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the list of attributes contains metadata about an attribute in the list of attributes to guide a search using the attribute.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the separating search terms comprises forming an interpretation of the user'"'"'s intent in constructing the text search string.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the combining, ranking, and filtering are performed in accordance with the interpretation.

13. A search engine for electronic program guide (EPG) data, comprising:

a string interpreter communicatively coupled with a list of attributes, wherein the string interpreter postulates the meaning of terms in a search string;

a query generator coupled with the string interpreter; and

a results compiler coupled with the query generator for achieving a listing of program results that conform to the search string.

14. The search engine as recited in claim 13, wherein the string interpreter further comprises a string transformer and an attribute identifier.

15. The search engine as recited in claim 14, wherein the attribute identifier separates attribute terms from text terms in the search string using the list of attributes.

16. The search engine as recited in claim 13, wherein the search engine performs searches in EPG databases and web-based EPG resources.

17. The search engine as recited in claim 13, further comprising a results compiler having a search comparator/filter and a results ranker.

18. The search engine as recited in claim 17, wherein the search comparator/filter compares search results with the meaning of terms postulated by the string interpreter.

19. The search engine as recited in claim 17, wherein the results ranker assigns a relevancy ranking to search results based on the meaning of terms postulated by the string interpreter.

20. A system for electronic program guide (EPG) database searching, comprising:

a search string receiver for accepting a text search string having potential text terms and potential attribute terms;

a normalizer coupled with the search string receiver;

a string interpreter coupled with the normalizer, wherein the string interpreter has access to a list of attributes and to a table of search constraints;

a string transformer included in the string interpreter to group the potential text and attribute terms in various combinations and to transpose the order of at least two of the searchable terms;

an attribute identifier included in the string interpreter to separate attribute terms from text terms, wherein the attribute identifier is coupled with a list of attributes and a table of search constraints;

a query generator coupled with the string interpreter to formulate text and attribute queries, wherein the attribute identifier is coupled with EPG databases and web-based EPG resources;

a results compiler coupled with the query generator;

a search comparator/filter included in the results compiler, wherein the search comparator/filter is coupled with the string interpreter;

a results ranker included in the results compiler to assign relevancy to search results;

an inclusion filter included in the results compiler to filter search results according to assigned relevancy; and

a display to list programs conforming to the search results.

21. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the string interpreter uses information in the list of attributes and information in the table of search constraints to assign a tentative meaning to the terms in the search string.

22. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein the query generator creates query conditions and query logic based on the tentative meaning for achieving search results that conform with the tentative meaning.

23. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein the string interpreter changes the tentative meaning based on search results.

24. A format for a list of attributes to assist an electronic program guide (EPG) data search, comprising:

attributes of programs listed in the EPG data;

metadata for at least some of the attributes, wherein the metadata of an attribute relates the attribute to,search resources and to values to use in the search.

25. The format as recited in claim 24, wherein the metadata relates the attribute to a set of logical search conditions in a table of constraints.

26. The format as recited in claim 24, further comprising an index to relate an attribute in the list of attributes to related attributes and values for the search.

27. One or more computer readable media containing instructions that are executable by a computer to perform actions comprising:

receiving a text search string;

formatting the text search string into search terms compatible with electronic program guide (EPG) data to be searched;

deriving text terms and attribute terms from the search terms;

performing searches in the EPG data for each text term and each attribute term; and

assigning a relevancy rank to each search result hit; and

displaying hits filtered by relevancy.

28. The one or more computer readable media containing instructions as recited in claim 27, wherein the formatting comprises one of spell-checking, auto-correcting, term separating, letter case normalizing, punctuation removing, symbol normalizing, article eliminating, and pluralizing the search string.

29. The one or more computer readable media containing instructions as recited in claim 27, further including instructions to perform searches using a word-stemmed version of a search term.

30. The one or more computer readable media containing instructions as recited in claim 27, further including instructions to perform searches using a word-branched version of a search term.

31. The one or more computer readable media containing instructions as recited in claim 27, further including instructions to compare the search terms to attributes in a list of attributes to effect separation of the text terms from the attribute terms.

32. The one or more computer readable media containing instructions as recited in claim 27, further including instructions to group the search terms in various combinations to achieve a set of search phrases.

33. The one or more computer readable media containing instructions as recited in claim 32, further including instructions to transpose the order of at least two of the search terms before performing the instructions to group the search terms.

34. The one or more computer readable media containing instructions as recited in claim 32, further including instructions to compare the search phrases with attributes in a list of attributes to determine if any of the search phrases are attributes.

35. The one or more computer readable media containing instructions as recited in claim 27, wherein the deriving text terms and attribute terms further includes forming an interpretation of the user'"'"'s intent in constructing the text search string.

36. The one or more computer readable media containing instructions as recited in claim 35, further comprising instructions to combine, rank, and filter search results in accordance with the interpretation.

37. A method of searching electronic program guide (EPG) information, comprising:

receiving a text search string one character at a time;

each time a new character is received performing a new set of searches, comprising;

concatenating the new character to the previously received characters of the text search string to make a new text search string;

normalizing the text search string into one or more searchable terms;

separating the searchable terms into text terms and attribute terms;

performing a search in the EPG information for each text term and each attribute term; and

performing one of combining, ranking, and filtering results from the searches for display, wherein the results from the searches are represented by programs conforming to the new search string.

38. The method as recited in claim 37, further comprising displaying the results before the next character of the text search string is received.