RECOMMENDING QUERIES WHEN SEARCHING AGAINST KEYWORDS

• US 20110106831A1
• Filed: 01/05/2011
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Varland, Joel W., Huentelman, Mark D., Zarzar Charur, Daniel G., Ge, Jun, Avital, Noaa
• Granted Patent: US 9,223,851 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence

Abstract

A query including one or more current search terms is received from a user and executed against a target database. When the query yields a number of results less than a defined search threshold (a.k.a. an “unsuccessful” search), the current search terms are compared with an associations database. The associations database includes associations between search terms in previously-executed queries that yielded less than a threshold number of results and replacement search terms that were substituted to generate a successful query yielding at least the threshold number of results. Upon finding a match between one or more of the search terms and the current search terms, the associations between the search terms and the replacement search terms are used to identify suggested replacement search terms and present them to the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a query comprising a current search term to be executed against a target database;

displaying the results when the executing of the query yields a number of results at least reaching a current search threshold; and

presenting a suggested replacement search term that when selected is used to generate a new search;

wherein the suggested replacement search term is generated in response to the comparison of the current search term of the query against an associations database when the executing of the query yields a number of results less than the current search threshold, wherein the associations database includes;

search terms for previously-executed queries, wherein each of the previously-executed queries yielded less than a threshold number of results and the previously-executed query was modified to generate a successful query yielding at least the threshold number of results; and

associations between the search terms in the previously-executed queries and replacement search terms used in modifying the previously-executed queries to generate the successful query;

upon finding a match between the search terms and the current search term, using the associations between the search terms and the replacement search terms to identify the suggested replacement search term for the current search terms.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting an image that is associated with the suggested replacement term.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting an indication that the query did not return results when the when the executing of the query yields the number of results less than the current search threshold upon finding a match between the search terms and the current search term.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting an indication to try another search as the query did not return the result and did not find the match between the search terms and the current search term.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the target database identifies images that are associated with the search term.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the search terms included in the previously-executed queries have been manually associated with one or more of the replacement search terms yielding the successful query.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the search terms manually associated with one or more of the replacement search terms yielding the successful query include search terms included in a series of more than one previously-executed query for which the number of results from the executing of the previously-executed query is equal to a predetermined number.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing previously-executed queries of the target database for which a threshold number of results were not retrieved for search terms included in the previously-executed queries;

identifying replacement search terms for search terms for the search terms in the previously-executed queries that led to a successful query yielding the threshold number of results; and

creating the associations database including associations between the search terms included in the previously-executed queries and the replacement search terms such that, upon a query being executed on the target database that fails to return the threshold number of results, the associations are available to present one or more of the replacement search terms to be used in place of the search terms.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the associations database is edited to delete search terms of an objectionable nature.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a computing system to generate a result, comprising:

receiving a query from a user comprising a current search term to be executed against a target database;

displaying the results when the executing of the query yields a number of results at least reaching a current search threshold; and

presenting a suggested replacement search term that when selected is used to generate a new search;

wherein the suggested replacement search term is generated in response to the comparison of the current search term of the query against an associations database when the executing of the query yields a number of results less than the current search threshold, wherein the associations database includes;

search terms for previously-executed queries, wherein each of the previously-executed queries yielded less than a threshold number of results and the previously-executed query was modified to generate a successful query yielding at least the threshold number of results; and

associations between the search terms in the previously-executed queries and replacement search terms used in modifying the previously-executed queries to generate the successful query;

upon finding a match between the search terms and the current search term, using the associations between the search terms and the replacement search terms to identify the suggested replacement search term for the current search terms.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising presenting an image that is associated with the suggested replacement term.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising presenting an indication that the query did not return results when the when the executing of the query yields the number of results less than the current search threshold upon finding a match between the search terms and the current search term.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising presenting an indication to try another search as the query did not return results and did not find the match between the search terms and the current search term.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the search terms included in the previously-executed queries have been manually associated with one or more of the replacement search terms yielding the successful query.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

storing previously-executed queries of the target database for which a threshold number of results were not retrieved for search terms included in the previously-executed queries;

identifying replacement search terms for search terms for the search terms in the previously-executed queries that led to a successful query yielding the threshold number of results; and

creating the associations database including associations between the search terms included in the previously-executed queries and the replacement search terms such that, upon a query being executed on the target database that fails to return the threshold number of results, the associations are available to present one or more of the replacement search terms to be used in place of the search terms.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the associations database is edited to delete search terms of an objectionable nature.

17. A system, comprising:

a display;

a processor and a computer-readable medium;

the processor configured to perform actions, comprising;

receiving a query comprising a current search term to be executed against a target database;

displaying the results on the display when the executing of the query yields a number of results at least reaching a current search threshold; and

presenting a suggested replacement search term on the display that when selected is used to generate a new search;

wherein the suggested replacement search term is generated in response to the comparison of the current search term of the query against an associations database when the executing of the query yields a number of results less than the current search threshold, wherein the associations database includes;

search terms for previously-executed queries, wherein each of the previously-executed queries yielded less than a threshold number of results and the previously-executed query was modified to generate a successful query yielding at least the threshold number of results; and

associations between the search terms in the previously-executed queries and replacement search terms used in modifying the previously-executed queries to generate the successful query;

upon finding a match between the search terms and the current search term, using the associations between the search terms and the replacement search terms to identify the suggested replacement search term for the current search terms.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising presenting an image that is associated with the suggested replacement term.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising presenting an indication that the query did not return results when the when the executing of the query yields the number of results less than the current search threshold upon finding a match between the search terms and the current search term.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising presenting an indication to try another search as the query did not return results and did not find the match between the search terms and the current search term.