TERM COMPLETE

• US 20090313573A1
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Paek, Timothy S., Lee, Bongshin, Thiesson, Bo
• Granted Patent: US 9,542,438 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/780
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/243 Natural language query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

Real-time query expansion (RTQE) is a process of supplementing an original query with additional terms or expansion choices that are ranked according to some figure of merit and presented while users are still formulating their queries. As disclosed herein, individual terms may be combined and submitted as a phrase into a query. By building the phase term-by-term, users can compositionally formulate queries while maintaining the same benefits that other RTQE interfaces offer. To promote greater flexibility in its working environment, the number of terms that are presented on a display may be reduced. In place of some terms, placeholders may be used and expanded by the user when necessary. This allows phrases to be readily presented on small displays (e.g., hand-held devices).

Claims

1. A method for assisting a user in generating a phrase, comprising:

presenting a first list of predetermined terms;

presenting a second list of predetermined terms as a function of a term focused on in the first list; and

linking a term selected from the first list and a term selected from the second list.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising storing the first and second list of predetermined search terms on a hand-held device.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising storing a number of terms consistent with a device'"'"'s capacity.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising presenting the first list in a first manner as a function of the figure of merit of terms in the first list.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising presenting the first list in a first manner as a function of user input.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising presenting the second list in a first manner as a function of the figure of merit of terms in the second list and the focused term in the first list.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising presenting the second list in a first manner as a function of user input and the focused term in the first list.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising presenting the focused term in a distinguishing manner relative to other terms in the same list.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising presenting the terms through a fish-eye technique or through comparable focus visualization techniques.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising accepting the linked terms and presenting them in a character entry field.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising collapsing a list when a term in that list is selected.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising uncollapsing a collapsed list when a selected term in that list is unselected.

13. A method of presenting a list of terms, comprising:

obtaining the list of terms;

presenting the list of terms in a first manner as a function of the size of a display upon which the list is presented, where a placeholder is presented for one or more terms in the list that are not displayed; and

presenting the list of terms in a second manner where a placeholder is selected.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising presenting the list of terms in the first manner when a placeholder is unselected.

15. The method of claim 13, presenting the list of terms in the first manner comprising presenting terms according to a figure of merit.

16. The method of claim 13, comprising storing the terms on a hand-held device.

17. A system configured to assist a user in generating a phrase, comprising:

a first term acquisition component configured to obtain a first list;

a first storage component configured to store the first list;

a first term ranking component configured to rank terms in the first list;

a second term acquisition component configured to obtain a second list;

a second storage component configured to store the second list;

a second term ranking component configured to rank terms in the second list as a function of a ranked term in the first list;

a term filter component configure to determine which ranked terms in the first and second lists are to be presented as a function of the size of an associated display; and

a phrase generator component configured to generate a phrase based upon a term selected from the terms presented in the first list and a term selected from the terms presented in the second list.

18. The system of claim 17, terms with prefixes less than some threshold stored in a hash table and terms with prefixes greater than some threshold stored in an index.

19. The system of claim 17, terms ranked as a function of user input.

20. The system of claim 17, terms ranked according to a figure of merit.