Support for reverse and stemmed hit-highlighting

• US 7,680,778 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Douglas, Jason, Cucerzan, Silviu Petru, Crumb, Janine, Kumar, Girish, Sareen, Gaurav, Middha, Bhuvan
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones; Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Quader; Fazlul
• Application Number:
  US11/625,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20080177717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

Computerized methods and systems for generating a suggested query list with suggested search terms displayed as highlighted text utilizing a user-defined query are provided. Query search terms are received by a user-interface display. Upon inputting query search terms, the user-interface automatically generates a suggested query list. The suggested query list is associated with the query search term and the suggested query list is comprised of at least one suggested search term. A query suggestion architecture determines if the query search term and the suggested search term are a match, and if so, highlights the suggested search term that is not a match. The user interface displays the highlighted terms to assist in refining a search. The present invention further provides a stemming algorithm that extracts the root form of the query search term.

Claims

1. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a processor, perform a method for highlighting at least one suggested search term utilizing at least one query search term, the method comprising:

receiving the at least one query search term;

automatically generating a suggested query list, the suggested query list being associated with the at least one query search term, wherein the suggested query list is comprised of the at least one suggested search term;

stemming the at least one query search term to a root form thereof, wherein the root form is a character-string derived from conceptually related terms;

stemming the at least one suggested search term to a root form thereof,

determining if the root form of at least one query search term and root form of the at least one suggested search term are a match; and

highlighting only the at least one suggested search term that is not a match, wherein highlighting comprises visually distinguishing the at least one unmatched suggested search term from other terms in the suggested query list, and wherein highlighting and bring a user'"'"'s attention to the at least one unmatched suggested search term.

2. The media of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if the root form of the at least one query search term and the at least one suggested search term are a match; and

highlighting the at least one suggested search term that is not a match.

3. The media of claim 1, further comprising:

appending a tag to the at least one suggested search term that is not a match; and

displaying the least one suggested search term with the tag associated therewith as a highlighted text.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein a bold font is imposed on the highlighted text.

5. The media of claim 3, wherein an italicized font is imposed on the highlighted text.

6. The media of claim 1, further comprising:

compiling a data structure comprised of alternate queries from other users, wherein each alternate query is comprised of the at least one suggested search term; and

populating the suggested query list with the alternate queries from the data structure.

7. The media of claim 1, further comprising displaying a search results Web page with the suggested query list.

8. The media of claim 7, wherein the displayed suggested query list includes the highlighted text.

9. The media of claim 7, wherein the search results Web page has a Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) body code, the HTML body code is configured to display the at least one suggested search term with a tag associated therewith as highlighted text.

10. A computer system for generating suggested query list with highlighted text utilizing at least one query search term, the system comprising:

a query receiving module configured to receive the at least one query search term;

a query suggestion list generating module configured to generate the suggested query list, wherein the suggested query list being associated with the at least one query search term, the suggested query list having at least one suggested search term;

a root form extracting module that utilizes a stemming algorithm to perform the following operations;

(a) stemming the at least one query search term to a root form thereof, wherein the root form is a character-string derived from conceptually related terms; and

(b) stemming the at least one suggested search term to a root form thereof a query matching module configured to determine if the root form of the at least one query search term and the root form of the at least one suggested search term are a match; and

a highlighting module configured to highlight in a display the at least one suggested search term that is not a match, wherein highlighting comprises visually distinguishing the at least one unmatched suggested search term to indicate significance of the at least one unmatched suggested search term and to direct a user'"'"'s attention thereto.

11. The computer system of claim 10, further comprising a query search term capturing module configured to separate and normalize the at least one query search term associated with an initial query text as input by a user.

12. The computer system of claim 10, further comprising a query suggestion building module configured to compile a data structure comprised of one or more alternate queries, the alternate queries being input by a previous user.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the query suggestion list generating module is configured to populate the suggested query list with the one or more alternate queries, the one or more alternate queries being located within the data structure.

14. The computer system of claim 10, further comprising a display module configured to display the suggested query list in Web page and the highlighted at least one suggested search term that is not a match within the suggested query list, wherein a layout of the Web page governs how search results, advertisements, a query-receiving area, the suggested query list, and the highlighted at least one suggested search term within the suggested query list are organized.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the suggested query list includes highlighted text that is associated with the at least one suggested search term that is not a match.

16. A computerized method for highlighting at least one suggested search term associated with at least one query search term, the method comprising:

receiving the at least one query search term at a query receiving area;

populating a suggested query list from a data structure with the at least one suggested search term, wherein the at least one suggested search term is relevant to the at least one query search term;

stemming the at least one query search term to a root form thereof, wherein the root form is a character-string derived from conceptually related terms;

stemming the at least one suggested search term to a root form thereof,

determining if the root form of at least one query search term and the root form of at least one suggested search term are a match;

highlighting the at least one suggested search term that is not a match, wherein highlighted the at least one unmatched suggested search term visually distinguishes the at least one unmatched query search term from other terms within the suggested query list and prompts a user to select the highlighted at least one suggested search term; and

upon receiving and indication of a user-selection of the highlighted at least one suggested search term, automatically inputting into the query-receiving area the at least one unmatched suggested search term, wherein a search performed on the at least one query search term, in conjunction with the inputted at least one unmatched suggested search term, further refines the suggested query list.

17. The computerized method of claim 16, wherein highlighting the at least one suggested search term that is not a match comprises:

appending a tag to the at least one suggested search term that is not a match; and

displaying a search results Web page with the at least one suggested search term with a tag associated therewith as highlighted text.

18. The computerized method of claim 17, wherein a font, distinctive from the fonts displayed on the search results Web page, is imposed on the highlighted text.

19. The computerized method of claim 16, further comprising:

assigning a hit count to the at least one suggested search term, wherein the hit count corresponds to a search popularity of queries associated therewith; and

based on the assigned hit count, organizing the at least one suggested search term within the suggested query list.

20. The computerized method of claim 16, further comprising sorting the at least one suggested search term within the suggested query list in accordance with the root form of the at least one suggested search term.