Clustered search processing
First Claim
1. A method for searching data using a network device in communication with a client device, comprising:
- receiving, from the client device, one or more search terms;
determining at least one concept based on an analysis of the one or more search terms;
identifying one or more concept-specific data sources over which to perform searches based on the at least one concept;
performing a search over each of the one or more concept-specific data sources based at least on the search term to generate a plurality of clusters, search results from each concept-specific data source comprising a different cluster in the plurality of clusters;
determining a relevance score for each result within each cluster based on user specific contextual data for a user of the client device;
for each cluster in the plurality of clusters, employing at least the relevance scores of each result within the respective cluster to determine a respective cluster score;
generating an ordered listing of each of the plurality of clusters based on the respective cluster scores; and
displaying at the client device at least a portion of the ordered plurality of clusters.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for searching data and grouping search results into clusters that are ordered according to search relevance. Each cluster includes one or more data type, such as images, web pages, local information, news, advertisements, and the like. In one embodiment, a search term is evaluated for related concepts indicating categories of data sources to search. Data sources may also be identified by context information such as a location of a client device, a currently running application, and the like. Search results in each cluster are ordered by relevance and each cluster is given a score based on an aggregate of the relevance within the cluster. Each cluster score may be modified based on one or more corresponding concepts and/or context information. The clusters are ordered based on the modified scores. Content, including advertisements, may also be added to the ordered list to appear as another cluster.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method for searching data using a network device in communication with a client device, comprising:
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receiving, from the client device, one or more search terms; determining at least one concept based on an analysis of the one or more search terms; identifying one or more concept-specific data sources over which to perform searches based on the at least one concept; performing a search over each of the one or more concept-specific data sources based at least on the search term to generate a plurality of clusters, search results from each concept-specific data source comprising a different cluster in the plurality of clusters; determining a relevance score for each result within each cluster based on user specific contextual data for a user of the client device; for each cluster in the plurality of clusters, employing at least the relevance scores of each result within the respective cluster to determine a respective cluster score; generating an ordered listing of each of the plurality of clusters based on the respective cluster scores; and displaying at the client device at least a portion of the ordered plurality of clusters. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A network device for searching data, comprising:
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memory having data and instructions; and a processor to execute the data and instructions to perform actions, including; receiving, from a client device, one or more search terms; determining at least one concept based on an analysis of the one or more search terms; identifying one or more concept-specific data sources over which to perform searches based on the at least one concept; performing a search over each of the one or more concept-specific data sources based at least on the search term to generate a plurality of clusters, search results from each concept-specific data source comprising a different cluster in the plurality of clusters; determining a relevance score for each result within each cluster based on user specific contextual data for a user of the client device; for each cluster in the plurality of clusters, employing at least the relevance scores of each result within the respective cluster to determine a respective cluster score; generating an ordered listing of each of the plurality of clusters based on the respective cluster scores; and displaying at the client device at least a portion of the ordered plurality of clusters. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A computer-readable storage medium that includes data and instructions, wherein the execution of the instructions on a computing device by enabling actions, comprising:
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receiving, from a client device, one or more search terms; determining at least one concept based on an analysis of the one or more search terms; identifying one or more concept-specific data sources over which to perform searches based on the at least one concept; performing a search over each of the one or more concept-specific data sources based at least on the search term to generate a plurality of clusters, search results from each concept-specific data source comprising a different cluster in the plurality of clusters; determining a relevance score for each result within each cluster based on user specific contextual data for a user of the client device; for each cluster in the plurality of clusters, employing at least the relevance scores of each result within the respective cluster to determine a respective cluster score; generating an ordered listing of each of the plurality of clusters based on the respective cluster scores; and displaying at the client device at least a portion of the ordered plurality of clusters. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification