QUERY ROUTING

• US 20080172368A1
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pass, Gregory S., Chowdhury, Abdur R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,135,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A search query is submitted to one or more information sources associated with a category of the query. The category of the query is indicated by a query ontology that relates queries to query categories. The information sources represent information sources from which a high percentage of search results for queries associated with the category are retrieved. For instance, the category of the query is identified by identifying categories corresponding to variations of the query, where each variation represents a combination of the terms within the query, and where the categories of the variations are assumed to be the categories of the query. Information sources associated with the query categories are identified, and the query is submitted to the identified information sources. Submitting the query to the identified information sources may cause search results retrieved for the query to more closely reflect search results desired by a user that specified the query.

Claims

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

receiving a search query including multiple terms;

identifying a combination of terms within the search query, the combination of terms within the search query including at least two terms of the search query;

accessing information related to categories of search queries;

comparing the combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries;

based on comparison results, identifying a subset of the categories as being related to the search query; and

performing a search for the search query based on the identified subset of categories.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

maintaining a query ontology that includes multiple query categories and one or more queries associated with each of the multiple query categories,

wherein;

accessing information related to categories of search queries includes accessing the one or more queries associated with each of the multiple query categories in the query ontology;

comparing the combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries includes comparing the combination of terms with the one or more queries associated with each of the multiple query categories in the query ontology; and

identifying the subset of the categories as being related to the search query includes identifying a subset of the multiple query categories in the query ontology based on comparison results, the subset of the multiple query categories including one or more query categories in the query ontology that are associated with one or more queries that match the combination of terms.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein performing the search for the search query based on the identified subset of categories includes:

identifying an information source corresponding to at least one category included in the identified subset of categories; and

performing a search on the identified information source such that search results from the information source are prioritized over search results from other information sources.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein performing the search on the identified information source such that search results from the information source are prioritized over search results from other information sources includes presenting search results from only the identified information source.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying search results identified by performing the search.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the combination of terms within the search query represent a combination of at least two consecutive terms from within the search query, the at least two consecutive terms being included in the combination of terms in an order in which the at least two consecutive terms are included within the search query.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the combination of terms within the search query includes identifying a combination of terms within the search query that includes two nonconsecutive terms from within the search query.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein identifying a combination of terms within the search query that includes two nonconsecutive terms from within the search query includes identifying a combination of terms within the search query that includes a first term of the search query and a third term of the search query and does not include the second term of the search query.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the combination of terms within the search query includes identifying a combination of terms within the search query that includes two terms from within the search query, the two terms included in the combination of terms being in an order different than an order of the two terms within the received query.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein:

identifying the combination of terms within the search query includes;

identifying a first combination of terms within the search query, the first combination of terms within the search query including at least two terms of the search query; and

identifying a second combination of terms within the search query, the second combination of terms within the search query including at least two terms of the search query and being different than the first combination of terms;

comparing the combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries includes;

comparing the first combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries; and

comparing the second combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries; and

identifying the subset of the categories as being related to the search query includes identifying a subset of the categories as being related to the search query based on the comparison of the first combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries and the comparison of the second combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the second combination of terms within the search query includes the terms included in the first combination of terms in a different order than an order of the terms in the first combination of terms.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the second combination of terms within the search query includes terms that are different than the terms included in the first combination of terms.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform operations comprising:

receiving a search query including multiple terms;

identifying a combination of terms within the search query, the combination of terms within the search query including at least two terms of the search query;

accessing information related to categories of search queries;

comparing the combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries;

based on comparison results, identifying a subset of the categories as being related to the search query; and

performing a search for the search query based on the identified subset of categories.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 further comprising:

maintaining a query ontology that includes multiple query categories and one or more queries associated with each of the multiple query categories,

wherein;

accessing information related to categories of search queries includes accessing the one or more queries associated with each of the multiple query categories in the query ontology;

comparing the combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries includes comparing the combination of terms with the one or more queries associated with each of the multiple query categories in the query ontology; and

identifying the subset of the categories as being related to the search query includes identifying a subset of the multiple query categories in the query ontology based on comparison results, the subset of the multiple query categories including one or more query categories in the query ontology that are associated with one or more queries that match the combination of terms.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein identifying the combination of terms within the search query includes identifying a combination of terms within the search query that includes two nonconsecutive terms from within the search query.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein identifying the combination of terms within the search query includes identifying a combination of terms within the search query that includes two terms from within the search query, the two terms included in the combination of terms being in an order different than an order of the two terms within the received query.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein:

identifying the combination of terms within the search query includes;

identifying a first combination of terms within the search query, the first combination of terms within the search query including at least two terms of the search query; and

identifying a second combination of terms within the search query, the second combination of terms within the search query including at least two terms of the search query and being different than the first combination of terms;

comparing the combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries includes;

comparing the first combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries; and

comparing the second combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries; and

identifying the subset of the categories as being related to the search query includes identifying a subset of the categories as being related to the search query based on the comparison of the first combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries and the comparison of the second combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the second combination of terms within the search query includes the terms included in the first combination of terms in a different order than an order of the terms in the first combination of terms.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the second combination of terms within the search query includes terms that are different than the terms included in the first combination of terms.

20. A system comprising:

means for receiving a search query including multiple terms;

means for identifying a combination of terms within the search query, the combination of terms within the search query including at least two terms of the search query;

means for accessing information related to categories of search queries;

means for comparing the combination of terms within the search query with the accessed information related to categories of search queries;

means for, based on comparison results, identifying a subset of the categories as being related to the search query; and

means for performing a search for the search query based on the identified subset of categories.