Search query processing to identify search string corrections that reflect past search query submissions of users
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method of processing search query submissions, the method comprising:
- receiving a search query over a computer network, said search query comprising a search string specified by a user; and
in response to the search query, programmatically identifying a corrected version of the search string specified by the user, wherein programmatically identifying the corrected version of the search string comprises taking into consideration past search query submissions of a plurality of users, said corrected version correcting a misspelling in the search string specified by the user;
wherein the method comprises performing a programmatic analysis of said past search query submissions of said plurality of users, generating a table containing data resulting from said programmatic analysis, and using the table to identify the corrected version of the search string.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A search engine process predicts the correct spellings of search terms within multiple-term search queries. In one embodiment, when a user submits a multiple-term search query that includes a non-matching term and at least one matching term, a table is accessed to look up a set of terms that are “related” to the matching term or terms. A spelling comparison function is then used to determine whether any of these related terms is sufficiently similar in spelling to the non-matching term to be deemed a candidate correctly-spelled replacement. A candidate replacement term may automatically be substituted for the non-matching term, or may be suggested to the user as a replacement. The invention also includes a process for identifying terms that are related to each other based on the relatively high frequencies with which they co-occur within search queries of users, database records, and/or specific database fields.
70 Citations
18 Claims
-
1. A computer-implemented method of processing search query submissions, the method comprising:
-
receiving a search query over a computer network, said search query comprising a search string specified by a user; and in response to the search query, programmatically identifying a corrected version of the search string specified by the user, wherein programmatically identifying the corrected version of the search string comprises taking into consideration past search query submissions of a plurality of users, said corrected version correcting a misspelling in the search string specified by the user; wherein the method comprises performing a programmatic analysis of said past search query submissions of said plurality of users, generating a table containing data resulting from said programmatic analysis, and using the table to identify the corrected version of the search string. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A computer program product embodied in computer-readable storage media, the computer program product embodying a method that comprises:
-
receiving a search query over a computer network, said search query comprising a search string specified by a user; and in response to the search query, programmatically identifying a corrected version of the search string specified by the user, wherein programmatically identifying the corrected version of the search string comprises taking into consideration past search query submissions of a plurality of users, said corrected version correcting a misspelling in the search string specified by the user; wherein the method comprises performing a programmatic analysis of said past search query submissions of said plurality of users, generating a table containing data resulting from said programmatic analysis, and using the table to identify the corrected version of the search string.
-
-
11. A system for processing search query submissions, the system comprising:
-
a server system configured to receive a search query over a computer network, said search query comprising a search string specified by a user, said server system comprising a processor and memory; a spelling correction component that runs on the server system, said spelling correction component capable of using a table reflective of past search query submissions of a plurality of users to identify a corrected version of the search string specified by the user, said corrected version correcting a misspelling in the search string specified by the user and being dependent upon the past search query submissions of the plurality of users; and a component that generates said table reflective of past search query submissions, at least in part, by analyzing recorded search query submissions of said plurality of users. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A system for processing search query submissions, the system comprising:
-
a server system configured to receive a search query over a computer network, said search query comprising a search string specified by a user, said server system comprising a processor and memory; a spelling correction component that runs on the server system, said spelling correction component capable of using data reflective of past search query submissions of a plurality of users to identify a corrected version of the search string specified by the user, said corrected version correcting a misspelling in the search string specified by the user and being dependent upon the past search query submissions of the plurality of users; and a table generation process capable of generating a table that is reflective of the past search query submissions of the plurality of users, wherein the spelling correction component is configured to use the table to identify the corrected version of the search string. - View Dependent Claims (18)
-
Specification