Method and system for providing native language query service

• US 7,058,626 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2000
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Li Ping, Pan, Yue, Robertson, Lindon
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Debbie M.
• Application Number:
  US09/627,372
• Time in Patent Office: 2,139 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707/102, 707/202, 707/205, 707/203, 707/536, 707/104.1, 715/501.5, 715/501.1, 715/536, 715/501, 704/4, 704 8- 10, 704/206, 709/203, 709/231
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3337 Translation of the query language, e.g. Chinese to English
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for providing native language query service for Internet users by using a plurality of search engines. The method of the present invention includes the steps of: (a) receiving at a site an original query request from one user; (b) selecting a suitable search engine; (c) translating said query words of native language into query words of dedicated language of said selected search engine; (d) constructing a new query request directing to said search engine; (e) sending said new query request and receiving a returned query result; (f) sending said query result back to said user as a query result in relation to said original query request.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing native language query service for Internet users, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an original query request from an Internet user, said original query request containing query words of native language of said user;

(b) selecting a suitable search engine from a plurality of search engines, each of said search engines having a respective dedicated language and a URL;

(c) on the basis of said URL, retrieving a search engine template matching said URL from a search engine template storage;

translating said query words of native language into said query words of a dedicated language defined in said retrieved search engine template;

searching a dedicated language corresponding to said URL from history records based on said URL in the event no search engine template matching said URL is retrieved from said search engine template storage;

determining positions of said query word parameters by using linguistic characteristics of parameter values; and

translating said query words of native language at said positions into said query words of said dedicated language;

(d) constructing a new query request directed to said selected search engine based on said original query request and said query words of dedicated language;

(e) sending said new query request to said selected search engine and receiving a returned query result;

(f) sending said query result back to said user as a query result in relation to said original query request.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises the step of selecting said search engines from said plurality of designated URLs in said original query request as the selected search engine.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises the step of replacing said query words of native language in said original query request with said query words of said dedicated language so as to form said new query request.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises the step of replacing said query words of native language in said original query request with said query words of said dedicated language so as to form said new query request.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein said search engine template is comprised of:

definitions of the URL for the search program of the search engine;

lists of parameters to be translated in the query command;

specific languages acceptable by the search engine;

rules for combination of query terms; and

dictionary contexts of specific site.

5. A computer implemented method for providing native language query service for Internet users, said method comprising steps of:

(a) receiving at a site an original query request from an Internet user, said original query request containing a URL requested by said Internet user, said URL having a prefix for designating a site;

(b) removing said prefix from said URL;

(c) selecting a suitable search engine from a plurality of search engines, each of said search engines having a respective dedicated language;

(d) performing the following steps in the event said removed prefix is a redirect prefix;

(d1) sending a request containing said URL to said selected search engine and receiving a web page as a response;

(d2) adding a translation prefix before URLs that need said query words and a redirect prefix before other URLs in said web page, so as to form a new web page;

(e) performing the following steps in the event said removed prefix is a translation prefix;

(e1) translating said query words of user'"'"'s native language in parameters of said URL into said query words of a dedicated language of said selected search engine;

(e2) replacing said query words of user'"'"'s native language in parameters of said URL with said query words of said dedicated language;

(e3) adding said redirect prefix before said URL;

(e4) generating a new web page, embedding said URL and a Script program in said web page, said Script program enabling a client which receives said new web page to perform a step of automatically sending another original query request based on said URL embedded in said web page;

(f) sending said new web page back to said user as a query result in relation to said original query request.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein step (c) comprises the step of selecting said search engine designated by said URL as said selected search engine.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein step (e1) comprises the steps of:

on the basis of said URL, retrieving said search engine template and matching said URL from a search engine template storage;

translating said query words from native language into said query words of a dedicated language defined in said retrieved search engine.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said step (e1) further comprises the steps of:

searching a dedicated language corresponding to said URL from history records in said site based on said URL;

in the event none of said search engine templates match said URL as retrieved from said search engine template storage;

determining positions of said query word parameters by using linguistic characteristics of parameter values;

translating said query words of said native language at said positions into said query words of said dedicated language.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein step (e) is

(e) performing following steps in the event said removed prefix is said translation prefix;

(e1) translating said query word of said user'"'"'s native language in parameters of said URL into a plurality of said query words of said dedicated language of said selected search engine;

(e2) replacing said query word of user'"'"'s native language in parameters of said URL with each of said plurality of query words of said dedicated language respectively and forming a plurality of URLs;

(e3) adding a redirect prefix before each of said plurality of URLs;

(e4) setting one of said plurality of URLs as a default URL;

(e5) generating a new web page, embedding said plurality of said URLs and a Script program in said web page, said Script program enabling said client which receives said new web page to perform steps of;

displaying said plurality of query words of said dedicated language in hyper text format, and automatically sending another original query request based on said default URL embedded in said web page.

10. A computer implemented system for providing native language query service for Internet users, said system utilizes a query translation server which comprises:

a client interface, for receiving query requests sent by clients and returning query results to said clients;

a request distribution apparatus, for receiving said query requests from said client interface, removing prefixes from requested URLs, and distributing said query requests to different components;

a web page retrieving apparatus, for receiving said query request whose prefix is a redirect prefix from said request distribution apparatus, sending said query request to a search engine having a dedicated language designated by a URL and obtaining a requested web page;

a web page modification apparatus, for forming a new web page by adding translation prefixes before URLs that need query words and adding redirect prefixes before other URLs in the obtained web page, and sending said new web page to said client interface;

a query translation apparatus, for receiving said query request whose prefix is a translation prefix from said request distribution apparatus, translating query words of user'"'"'s native language in the requested URL into and replacing them with query words of a dedicated language of said search engine, and adding a redirect prefix before said URL;

a web page generation apparatus, for generating a new web page, embedding said URL and a Script program in said web page, and sending said new web page to said client interface, said Script program enabling a client which receives said new web page to perform a step of automatically sending another query request based on said URL embedded in said web page.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said query words of native language are speech query words.

12. A computer implemented system for providing native language query service for database users, said system utilizes a query translation server which comprises:

a client interface, for receiving query requests sent by clients and returning query results to said clients;

a query translation apparatus, for on the basis of a URL, retrieving a search engine template matching said URL from a search engine template storage;

translating said query words of native language into said query words of a dedicated language defined in said retrieved search engine template;

searching a dedicated language corresponding to said URL from history records based on said URL in the event no search engine template matching said URL is retrieved from said search engine template storage;

determining positions of said query word parameters by using linguistic characteristics of parameter values; and

translating said query words of native language at said positions into said query words of said dedicated language;

a query result obtaining apparatus, for sending the translated said query requests to a database having said dedicated language designated by said query requests and obtaining said query results.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said query words of native language are speech query words.

14. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for providing native language query service for Internet users, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an original query request from an Internet user, said original query request containing said query words of native language of said user;

(b) selecting a suitable search engine from a plurality of search engines, each of said search engines having a respective dedicated language;

(c) on the basis of said URL, retrieving a search engine template matching said URL from a search engine template storage;

translating said query words of native language into said query words of a dedicated language defined in said retrieved search engine template;

searching a dedicated language corresponding to said URL from history records based on said URL in the event no search engine template matching said URL is retrieved from said search engine template storage;

determining positions of said query word parameters by using linguistic characteristics of parameter values; and

translating said query words of native language at said positions into said query words of said dedicated language;

(d) constructing a new query request directed to said selected search engine based on said original query request and said query words of dedicated language;

(e) sending said new query request to said selected search engine and receiving a returned query result;

(f) sending said query result back to said user as a query result in relation to said original query request.