Transparent search query processing

• US 7,685,116 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Starkey, Aaron Paul, Tvorun, Evgeny Ivanovich, Pell, Mike, Dawson, David
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DEBBIE M
• Application Number:
  US11/693,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20070174350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 6, 707100-102, 707/104.1, 704/9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/243 Natural language query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A method and system for transparently processing a search query by displaying a search query interpretation or restatement inside a search box. Upon receiving a natural language input from a user, the method converts the natural language input to a search query interpretation of the natural language input. Then, the method displays the search query interpretation to the user inside a search box, executes a search based on the search query interpretation and displays a search result to the user. The system includes a user interface to receive a search query input from a user, a restatement engine to convert the search query input into a search query interpretation, a search box to display the search query interpretation to the user, and an execution engine to execute a search based on the search query interpretation and provide a search result for display to the user.

Claims

1. One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for transparently processing a search query, the method comprising:

upon receiving a natural language text input from a user, converting the natural language text input to a search query interpretation of the natural language text input;

displaying the search query interpretation to the user inside a search box;

executing a search based on the search query interpretation and displaying a search result to the user; and

upon receiving a user input modifying the search query interpretation displayed inside the search box, displaying the modified search query interpretation to the user inside the search box and executing a search based on the modified search query interpretation to provide a search result for display to the user.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the search box is provided by at least one of a search engine, an application program, a web page, a web service and an operating system.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the search query interpretation comprises text and indicia of at least one search query interpretation attribute.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein the search query interpretation attribute comprises one or more of a property, a value, a relationship and a filter.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the user input modifying the search query interpretation comprises text.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the user input modifying the interpretation comprises speech.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the user input modifying the interpretation comprises a menu selection.

8. A method implemented on at least one computer having a processing unit and memory for transparently processing a search query, the method comprising:

upon receiving a search query input from a user, wherein the search query input comprises text, converting the search query input to a search query interpretation of the search query input;

displaying the search query interpretation to the user inside a search box;

executing a search based on the search query interpretation and displaying a search result to the user; and

upon receiving a user input modifying the search query interpretation displayed inside the search box, displaying the modified search query interpretation to the user inside the search box and executing a search based on the modified search query interpretation to provide a search result for display to the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the search query interpretation comprises text and indicia of at least one search query interpretation attribute.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the search query interpretation attribute comprises one or more of a property, a value, a relationship and a filter.

11. A synchronization system including a processor and memory for transparently processing a search query, the synchronization system comprising:

a natural language (NL) input element configured to receive a NL search query input from a user;

a search box configured to display a search query interpretation of the NL search query input to the user inside the search box;

a graphical user interface (GUI) including one or more functional elements configured for user selection;

a synchronization engine communicatively coupled with the NL input element and with the GUI and configured to monitor the NL input element for user inputs, to monitor the GUI for user selections, and to synchronize the NL input element and the GUI in response to user inputs and user selections;

a restatement engine communicatively coupled with the synchronization engine and configured to convert selected functional elements of the GUI to NL text input in the NL input element;

a semantic engine communicatively coupled with the synchronization engine and configured to convert the NL search query input received at the NL input element to functional elements in the GUI; and

an execution engine communicatively coupled with the synchronization engine and configured to execute a search based on the search query interpretation and provide a search result for display to the user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the NL input element is further configured to receive a user input modifying the search query interpretation displayed inside the search box;

wherein the search box is further configured to display the modified search query interpretation to the user inside the search box; and

wherein the execution engine is further configured to execute a search based on the modified search query interpretation and provide a search result for display to the user.