CONTEXT-BASED SEARCH, RETRIEVAL, AND AWARENESS

• US 20080005067A1
• Filed: 06/28/2006
• Published: 01/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Dumais, Susan T., Naam, Ramez, Flake, Gary W., Platt, John C., Gupta, Anoop, Huang, Xuedong D., Goodman, Joshua T., Hurst-Hiller, Oliver, Griffin, Trenholme J., Horvitz, Eric J., Brunell, Bradly A., Peltonen, Kyle G., Gates, William H.
• Application Number:
  US11/426,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20080005067A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context

Abstract

A system that incorporates a user context into a computer-based search is provided. To establish the context, the innovation can identify information about a user state or context via a variety of sources and sensors. The state/context information can be used to filter, arrange and/or rank search results so as to facilitate converging on meaningful searches and results. Machine learning systems (implicitly and/or explicitly trained) can be employed to infer a current and/or future context related to user. An identified or inferred user context can be employed to modify an automated or user-defined search input/query. Contextual cues can be considered directly in the construction and use of context of context-sensitive retrieval algorithms that are optimized for identifying and/or ranking of informational items of potential interest or value in different contexts. As well, the context can be employed to intelligently render results of a query (e.g., user/application defined, context-modified query).

Claims

1. A system that facilitates computer-based search, comprising:

a context analyzer that determines user context from context-related information;

the user context includes at least one of a physical context, an application context, an implicit or explicit user model, and/or a temporal context; and

a search component that generates a search query or analyzes search results based at least in part upon the user context, wherein the search component obtains a plurality of search results based at least in part upon the search query.

2. The system of claim 1, the search component combines a user input with the user context to generate the search query.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a context determination component that establishes the context-related information.

4. The system of claim 3, the context determination component employs a plurality of sensors that generate at least a portion of the context-related information.

5. The system of claim 4, the plurality of sensors includes environmental and physiological sensors.

6. The system of claim 4, the plurality of sensors includes at least one of a location detector, a velocity detector, an application context detector, an acceleration detector, a temporal detector, a calendar monitor, a user data and/or interaction component, a camera, and/or a microphone.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a results configuration component that manages the plurality of search results based at least in part upon the user context.

8. The system of claim 7, the results configuration component includes a matching component that arranges at least a subset of the plurality of search results based at least in part upon the user context.

9. The system of claim 7, the results configuration component includes a filtering component that selects a subset of the plurality of search results based at least in part upon the user context.

10. The system of claim 7, the results configuration component includes a ranking component that orders a subset of the plurality of search results based at least in part upon a rank;

the rank is based upon the user context.

11. The system of claim 1, the context-related information is at least one of a user location, a time of day, a date, an application state and a user state.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a result configuration component that arranges a subset of the plurality of search results based at least in part upon the user context.

13. The system of claim 1, the context analyzer employs user-specific information to determine the context.

14. The system of claim 13, the user-specific information is personal information manager (PIM) data.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a learning component that learns a context-specific ranking algorithm and renders a subset of the search results as a function of the context-specific ranking algorithm.

16. A computer-implemented method of computer-based searching, comprising:

determining a user context;

modifying a user input query based upon the user context;

executing a search based upon the modified user input query;

obtaining a plurality of search results; and

rendering a subset of the plurality of search results based upon the user context.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising arranging the subset of the plurality of search results based at least in part upon the user context.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting the subset of the plurality of search results based at least in part upon the user context.

19. A computer-executable system that facilitates context-based searching, comprising:

computer-implemented means for determining a user context;

computer-implemented means for obtaining a plurality of search results based upon a user input query; and

computer-implemented means for rendering a subset of the plurality of search results based upon the user context.

20. The computer-executable system of claim 19, further comprising computer-implemented means for employing the user context to define the user input query.