CATEGORIZATION IN A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONDUCTING A SEARCH

• US 20090132504A1
• Filed: 11/16/2007
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IAC Search & Media Incorporated (IAC/InterActiveCorp)
• Original Assignee: IAC Search & Media Incorporated (IAC/InterActiveCorp)
• Inventors: Jouline, Anton V., Vegnaduzzo, Stefano, Kislyuk, Oleg S., Yang, Yue Rona
• Granted Patent: US 8,732,155 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

The invention provides a system to categorize user queries including an identification component that receives an original user query and identifies a what-component and a where-component using the original user query, a first classification component that analyzes and classifies the what-component of the original user query, a second classification component that analyzes and processes the where-component of the original user query, and a transmission component that sends the results of the first and second classification components and a processed user query to a backend search engine.

Claims

1. A system to categorize user queries, comprising:

a receiving component that receives an original user query including a what-component and a where-component using the original user query;

a first classification component that analyzes and classifies the what-component of the original user query;

a second classification component that analyzes and processes the where-component of the original user query; and

a transmission component that sends the results of the first and second classification components and a processed user query to a backend search engine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first classification component classifies the what-component into a classification.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the classification is selected from the group consisting of business names, business chain names, business categories, event names, and event categories.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processed user query is comprised of the original user query sent to a transformation component to transform the original user query into a new query that will provide better search results than the original user query.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processed user query is comprised of the original user query.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second classification component is comprised of an ambiguity resolution component and a selection component.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the ambiguity resolution component determines whether the where-component contains a geographical location.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the selection component receives a where-component containing a geographical location and determines the result location.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a means for changing the result location determined by the selection component is provided to a user to choose a location different than the result location determined by the selection component.

10. A method for categorizing user queries, comprising:

receiving an original user query and identifying a what-component and a where-component using the original user query;

analyzing and classifying the what-component of the original user query;

analyzing and processing the where-component of the original user query; and

sending a classified what-component, a processed where-component, and a processed user query to a backend search engine.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the what-component is classified into a classification.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the classification is selected from the group consisting of business names, business chain names, business categories, event names, and event categories.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the processed user query is comprised of the original user query sent to a transformation component to transform the original user query into a new query that will provide better search results than the original user query.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the processed user query is comprised of the original user query.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the where-component is processed by an ambiguity resolution component and a selection component.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the ambiguity resolution component determines whether the where-component contains a geographical location.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the selection component receives a where-component containing a geographical location and determines the result location.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a means for changing the result location determined by the selection component is provided to a user to choose a location different than the result location determined by the selection component.

19. A computer-readable medium, having stored thereon a set of instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of at least one computer, executes a method for categorizing user queries comprising:

receiving an original user query and identifying a what-component and a where-component using the original user query;

analyzing and classifying the what-component of the original user query;

analyzing and processing the where-component of the original user query; and

sending a classified what-component, a processed where-component, and a processed user query to a backend search engine.