SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING IMPROVED SEARCH FUNCTIONALITY ON A CLIENT DEVICE

• US 20160357853A1
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Moore, Jennifer, Homkvist, John M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,769,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/243 Natural language query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24522 Translation of natural language queries to structured queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3331 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3344 using natural language analysis

Abstract

A system, method, and machine readable medium are described for providing improved search functionality on a client device.

Claims

1. A machine implemented method for providing a search functionality on a computer, the method comprising:

receiving an unstructured query to be used to perform one or more searches;

determining one or more structured queries from the unstructured query based on a grammatical interpretation of the unstructured query and available contextual information;

executing a search using the one or more structured queries and the unstructured query; and

presenting the results of the search using the one or more structured queries and the unstructured query.

2. The machine implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more structured queries based on a grammatical interpretation of the unstructured query includes using a query grammar to parse the unstructured query without requiring user input to parse the unstructured query.

3. The machine implemented method of claim 2, wherein the available contextual information modifies the rules of the query grammar to parse the unstructured query.

4. The machine implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more structured queries based on a grammatical interpretation of the unstructured query further includes identifying keywords associated with particular types of computer files.

5. The machine implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a best grammatical interpretation of the unstructured query based on partial execution of the one or more structured queries.

6. The machine implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the received unstructured query has met a predetermined threshold of ambiguity; and

presenting a second unstructured query as a suggestion for an improved search query.

7. The machine implemented method of claim 6, wherein the second unstructured query is based on variations to the unstructured query that produce improved search results compared to the received unstructured query.

8. The method of claim 1 where the available contextual information includes one or more of:

(a) one or more previous selections of one or more query results by a user of the computer;

(b) frequency with which a user of the computer uses an application on the computer;

(c) a representation of the amount of time which a user of the computer has actively used an application on the computer;

(d) a set of one or more times which a user of the system has historically used an application on the computer;

(e) whether the computer is connected to one or more previously used wireless networks;

or (f) one or more previous selections of one or more query results by other users of the search functionality.

9. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing executable program instructions which when executed by a data processing system method for providing a search functionality, the method comprising:

receiving an unstructured query to be used to perform one or more searches;

determining one or more structured queries from the unstructured query based on a grammatical interpretation of the unstructured query and available contextual information;

executing a search using the one or more structured queries and the unstructured query; and

presenting the results of the search using the one or more structured queries and the unstructured query.

10. The medium of claim 9, wherein determining the one or more structured queries based on a grammatical interpretation of the unstructured query includes using a query grammar to parse the unstructured query without requiring user input to parse the unstructured query.

11. The medium of claim 10, wherein the available contextual information modifies the rules of the query grammar to parse the unstructured query.

12. The medium of claim 9, wherein determining the one or more structured queries based on a grammatical interpretation of the unstructured query further includes identifying keywords associated with particular types of computer files.

13. The medium of claim 9, the method further comprising:

determining a best grammatical interpretation of the unstructured query based on partial execution of the one or more structured queries.

14. The medium of claim 9, the method further comprising:

determining that the received unstructured query has met a predetermined threshold of ambiguity; and

presenting a second unstructured query as a suggestion for an improved search query.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the second unstructured query is based on variations to the unstructured query that produce improved search results compared to the received unstructured query.

16. The medium of claim 9 wherein the available contextual information includes one or more of:

(a) one or more previous selections of one or more query results by a user of the system;

(b) frequency with which a user of the system uses an application on the system;

(c) a representation of the amount of time which a user of the system has actively used an application on the system;

(d) a set of one or more times which a user of the system has historically used an application on the system;

(e) whether the system is connected to one or more previously used wireless networks;

or (f) one or more previous selections of one or more query results by other users of the search functionality.

17. A data processing system comprising:

means for receiving an unstructured query to be used to perform one or more searches;

means for determining one or more structured queries from the unstructured query based on a grammatical interpretation of the unstructured query and available contextual information;

means for executing a search using the one or more structured queries and the unstructured query; and

means for presenting the results of the search using the one or more structured queries and the unstructured query.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein determining the one or more structured queries based on a grammatical interpretation of the unstructured query includes using a query grammar to parse the unstructured query without requiring user input to parse the unstructured query.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the available contextual information modifies the rules of the query grammar to parse the unstructured query.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein determining the one or more structured queries based on a grammatical interpretation of the unstructured query further includes identifying keywords associated with particular types of computer files.

21. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

means for determining a best grammatical interpretation of the unstructured query based on partial execution of the one or more structured queries.

22. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

means for determining that the received unstructured query has met a predetermined threshold of ambiguity; and

means for presenting a second unstructured query as a suggestion for an improved search query.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the second unstructured query is based on variations to the unstructured query that produce improved search results compared to the received unstructured query.

24. The system of claim 17 wherein the available contextual information includes one or more of:

(a) one or more previous selections of one or more query results by a user of the system;

(b) frequency with which a user of the system uses an application on the system;

(c) a representation of the amount of time which a user of the system has actively used an application on the system;

(d) a set of one or more times which a user of the system has historically used an application on the system;

(e) whether the system is connected to one or more previously used wireless networks;

or (f) one or more previous selections of one or more query results by other users of the search functionality.