Search query processing to identify related search terms and to correct misspellings of search terms
First Claim
1. A method of processing search query submissions, comprising:
- receiving a multi-term search query submitted by a user to search a repository of items, said search query comprising a matching term and a non-matching term; and
programmatically selecting an alternative term to use in place of the non-matching term, taking into consideration a degree to which the non-matching term and the alternative term are similar in spelling, and further taking into consideration at least one of (a) a frequency with which the matching term and the alternative term have occurred in combination within prior search query submissions of users, and (b) a frequency with which the matching term and the alternative term occur in combination within said repository of items.
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Abstract
A search engine process predicts the correct spellings of search terms within multiple-term search queries. In one embodiment, when a user submits a multiple-term search query that includes a non-matching term and at least one matching term, a table is accessed to look up a set of terms that are “related” to the matching term or terms. A spelling comparison function is then used to determine whether any of these related terms is sufficiently similar in spelling to the non-matching term to be deemed a candidate correctly-spelled replacement. A candidate replacement term may automatically be substituted for the non-matching term, or may be suggested to the user as a replacement. The invention also includes a process for identifying terms that are related to each other based on the relatively high frequencies with which they co-occur within search queries of users, database records, and/or specific database fields.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method of processing search query submissions, comprising:
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receiving a multi-term search query submitted by a user to search a repository of items, said search query comprising a matching term and a non-matching term; and
programmatically selecting an alternative term to use in place of the non-matching term, taking into consideration a degree to which the non-matching term and the alternative term are similar in spelling, and further taking into consideration at least one of (a) a frequency with which the matching term and the alternative term have occurred in combination within prior search query submissions of users, and (b) a frequency with which the matching term and the alternative term occur in combination within said repository of items. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of processing search query submissions, the method comprising:
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programmatically analyzing search query submissions of a plurality of search engine users to identify search terms that co-occur within search query submissions relatively frequently; and
generating, within computer storage, a table reflective of a result of the programmatic analysis of search query submissions, said table identifying specific search terms that are related to each other. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for processing search query submissions, the system comprising:
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a data set that maps individual terms to sets of related terms, said data set stored in a computer memory; and
a query processing module that uses the data set to evaluate spellings of search terms within multiple-term search queries. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of predicting correct spellings of potentially-misspelled search terms within multiple-term search queries, the method comprising:
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analyzing textual data stored in a data repository to identify terms that occur in combination relatively frequently;
generating a data set that is reflective of a result of said analysis of the textual data, said data set identifying specific terms that are related to each other; and
using the data set to predict correct spellings of search terms within multiple-term search queries submitted by users. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification