Method and system for suggesting search engine keywords

• US 20060129531A1
• Filed: 12/09/2004
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Cary Lee
• Application Number:
  US11/008,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20060129531A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9532 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A search engine receives a search query having one or more keywords. The documents in the result set from that search query are analyzed to identify one or more additional keywords that further segment, or separate, the initial result set. These additional keywords are presented to the user who then selects whether to include or exclude documents matching the additional keywords. In this way, the number of documents in the initial result set is reduced in a relatively quick and effortless manner.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for performing a search, the method comprising the steps of:

in response to a query that includes one or more keywords, generating a result set identifying a plurality of results that match the query;

analyzing the result set to identify at least one additional keyword missing from the query that would narrow the result set; and

narrowing the result set based upon the additional keyword.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

removing from the result set those results matching the additional keyword.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

removing from the result set those results not matching the additional keyword.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional keyword matches a first portion of the results and does not match a second portion of the results.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first portion is approximately 50%.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the second portion is approximately 50%.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

outputting at least a portion of the result set;

outputting the additional keyword; and

receiving input from a user indicating whether to include or exclude some of the results from the result set based on the additional keyword.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

identifying a second additional keyword missing from the query that would narrow the result set; and

narrowing the result set based upon the second additional keyword.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

identifying a first plurality of keywords omitted from the query wherein inclusion of each of the first plurality of keywords in the query would result in narrowing the result set by a respective first percentage.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

ranking the first plurality of keywords based at least in part on the proximity of the respective first percentage to 50%; and

outputting a ranked list of the first plurality of keywords.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the results comprises a web page.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each web page identified by the result set is indexed by a search engine.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving instructions to either include or exclude results matching the additional keyword; and

formulating a new search query based on the received instructions;

wherein narrowing the result set includes executing the new search query to generate a new result set.

14. A computer-implemented method for performing a search, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a search query comprising one or more keywords;

returning search results by executing the search query, the search results identifying a plurality of web pages;

analyzing the search results to identify an additional keyword missing from the one or more keywords; and

narrowing the number of web pages identified by search results based on the additional keyword.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

removing from the search results those web pages matching the additional keyword.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

removing from the search results those web pages not matching the additional keyword.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the additional keyword matches a first portion of the web pages and does not match a remaining portion of the web pages.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of analyzing further includes the step of:

determining if including the additional keyword in the search query would eliminate a first portion of the web pages from the search results.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first portion is substantially between 40% to 60%.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of analyzing further includes the step of:

determining if omitting, from the search results, web pages that match the additional keyword would eliminate a first portion of the web pages from the search results.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first portion is substantially between 40% to 60%.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of analyzing further includes the step of:

determining if the additional keyword has a historical relationship with another keyword in the search query.

23. An apparatus comprising:

at least one microprocessor;

a memory coupled with the at least one microprocessor; and

program code residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the program code configured to;

in response to a query that includes one or more keywords, generate a result set identifying a plurality of results that match the query;

analyze the result set to identify at least one additional keyword missing from the query that would narrow the result set; and

narrow the result set based upon the additional keyword.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program code is further configured to narrow the result set by removing from the result set those results matching the additional keyword.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program code is further configured to narrow the result set by removing from the result set those results not matching the additional keyword.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the additional keyword matches a first portion of the results and does not match a second portion of the results.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program code is further configured to output at least a portion of the result set, output the additional keyword, and receive input from a user indicating whether to include or exclude some of the results from the result set based on the additional keyword.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program code is further configured to identify a first plurality of keywords omitted from the query wherein inclusion of each of the first plurality of keywords in the query would result in narrowing the result set by a respective first percentage.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the program code is further configured to rank the first plurality of keywords based at least in part on the proximity of the respective first percentage to 50%, and to output a ranked list of the first plurality of keywords.

30. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein each of the results comprises a web page.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein each web page identified in the result set is indexed by a search engine.

32. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the program code is further configured to receive instructions to either include or exclude results matching the additional keyword, and to formulate a new search query based on the received instructions, and wherein the program code is configured to narrow the result set by executing the new search query to generate a new result set.

33. A program product, comprising:

program code configured upon execution to;

in response to a query that includes one or more keywords, generate a result set identifying a plurality of results that match the query;

analyze the result set to identify at least one additional keyword missing from the query that would narrow the result set; and

narrow the result set based upon the additional keyword; and

a computer readable signal bearing medium bearing the program code.