Wireless information retrieval

• US 7,136,846 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2001
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: 2005 Keel Company, Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, Jane Wen, Lau, Raymond, Schweikert, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid
• Assistant Examiner(s): EHICHIOYA, FRED I
• Application Number:
  US09/827,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20030037043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,048 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/10, 707/100, 707/102, 707/104, 707/9, 707/1, 707/2, 707/104.1, 707/6, 709/200, 709/203, 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 709/231, 709/246, 709/228, 704/235, 704/260, 704/1, 704/4, 704/7, 704/8, 704/9, 704/10, 704/249, 704/254, 704/257, 704/275, 704/277
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method of accessing information from a wireless device including processing a query and a wireless identifier received from the wireless device, searching a collection of data for a set of results matching the query, selectively reducing the set of results to generate a subset of results and outputting the subset of results on the wireless device according to a style sheet.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of accessing information comprising:

processing query text and a wireless identifier received from a wireless device, the processing comprising;

parsing the query text to generate a search fragment;

substituting long form words for abbreviations contained in the search fragment in conjunction with an abbreviations dictionary; and

adding context to the search fragment;

searching a collection of data for a set of results matching the query text;

selectively reducing, in conjunction with viewing space on the wireless device, the set of results to generate a subset of results;

outputting a prose rendition of the query text; and

outputting the subset of results on the wireless device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein adding context comprises extracting data from a web page from which the query text was received.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein adding context comprises extracting data from a previously presented results page from which the query text was received.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein selectively reducing comprises:

placing the set of results in a hierarchical data structure organized by taxonomy; and

discarding results positioned at a lowest level of the hierarchical data structure.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein outputting the prose rendition comprises:

processing the query text in conjunction with rules of grammar; and

processing the query text in conjunction with a prose configuration file.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein outputting of the subset comprises placing the subset in a table.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 further comprising customizing the table to the wireless device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein customizing the table to the wireless device comprises:

loading a wireless style sheet database;

locating a style sheet that matches the wireless identifier in the style sheet database; and

reducing the length and width of the table in accordance with the style sheet.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 wherein reducing further comprises subdividing the table into a plurality of smaller tables.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein customizing the table comprises:

loading an abbreviations dictionary; and

replacing long form words in the table with corresponding abbreviations in the abbreviations database.

11. A computer-implemented method of accessing information from a wireless device comprising:

processing query text and a wireless identifier received from the wireless device, the processing comprising;

parsing the query text to generate a search fragment;

substituting long form words for abbreviations contained in the search fragment in conjunction with an abbreviations dictionary; and

adding context to the search fragment;

searching a collection of data for a set of results matching the query text;

selectively reducing, in conjunction with viewing space on the wireless device, the set of results to generate a subset of results;

outputting a prose rendition of the query text; and

outputting the subset of results on the wireless device according to a style sheet.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein the query text is a combination of text, sentence fragments and abbreviated words.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein the query text is sentence fragments.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein the query text is abbreviated words.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein the query text is speech.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein adding context comprises extracting data from a web page from which the query text was received.

17. The computer-implement method of claim 11 wherein adding context comprises extracting data from a previously presented results page from which the query text was received.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein selectively reducing comprises:

placing the set of results in a hierarchical data structure organized by taxonomy; and

discarding results positioned at a lowest level of the hierarchical data structure.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein outputting the subset comprises:

placing the subset in a table; and

reducing the length and width of the table in accordance with a style sheet.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19 wherein reducing further comprises dividing the table into a plurality of smaller tables.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 wherein outputting the subset comprises replacing long form words in the table with corresponding abbreviations in an abbreviations database.

22. A computer program, residing on a computer-readable medium, including instructions for causing a computer to:

process query text and a wireless identifier received from a wireless device, the processing comprising;

parsing the query text to generate a search fragment;

substituting long form words for abbreviations contained in the search fragment in conjunction with an abbreviations dictionary; and

adding context to the search fragment;

search a collection of data for a set of results matching the query text;

selectively reduce, in conjunction with viewing space on the wireless device, the set of results to generate a subset of results;

output a prose rendition of the query text; and

output the subset of results on the wireless device.

23. A computer program, residing on a computer-readable medium, including instructions for causing a computer to:

process query text and a wireless identifier received from a wireless device, the processing comprising;

parsing the query text to generate a search fragment;

substituting long form words for abbreviations contained in the search fragment in conjunction with an abbreviations dictionary; and

adding context to the search fragment;

search a collection of data for a set of results matching the query text;

selectively reduce, in conjunction with viewing space on the wireless device, the set of results to generate a subset of results;

outputting a prose rendition of the query; and

output the subset of results on the wireless device according to a style sheet.