Method for generating and prioritizing multiple search results

• US 7,685,120 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2007
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Andreev, Dmitry, Breslau, Franklin Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Black; Linh
• Application Number:
  US11/776,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20090019363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/5, 707/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3326 using relevance feedback from the user, e.g. relevance feedback on documents, documents sets, document terms or passages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A method for generating and prioritizing multiple search results is disclosed. A database stores search results in an information storage and retrieval system. A search program executes on a computer system coupled to the database. The search program receives a search request from a user input. The search program parses the search request into at least one search term. The search program performs a loop comprising steps associating a priority adjustment value with each search term, generating a search result, calculating a priority adjustment sum of the generated search result, inserting the at least one search term, the generated search result, and the calculated priority adjustment sum in the search result list, and modifying the at least one search term and the priority adjustment value associated with each search term to perform a next iteration of the loop.

Claims

1. A method for generating and prioritizing search results in an information storage and retrieval system comprising a search program and a database, the search program being executed on a computer system, the database being coupled to the computer system, the method comprising:

receiving a search request from an input by a user;

parsing the search request into at least one search term;

iterating a loop for MAX iterations, wherein MAX is an integer of at least two, wherein MAX represents a maximum number of searches to be performed upon the search request such that the search request generates a search result that comprises a respective set of search terms and a respective set of search results associated with the respective set of search terms from each iteration of said MAX iterations, and wherein said search terms in the respective set of search terms in said each iteration are modified to render the search result more comprehensive in said each iteration; and

displaying a search result list to the user, the search result list being stored in a memory device coupled to the computer system,

wherein each iteration of said iterating comprises;

associating a respective priority adjustment value with each search term of said at least one search term for a current iteration, said each search term and its associated respective priority adjustment value being stored within a data structure, wherein said respective priority adjustment value quantifies a respective level of modification between said each search term in the search request and said each term in the current iteration, and wherein said respective priority adjustment value associated with said each term increases according to a number of iterations performed;

generating a search result of the current iteration for the received search request by performing a search using the at least one search term for the current iteration;

calculating a priority adjustment sum of the generated search result for the current iteration by summing the respective priority adjustment value associated with said each search term;

inserting the at least one search term for the current iteration, the generated search result for the current iteration, and the calculated priority adjustment sum for the current iteration in the search result list; and

modifying the at least one search term for the current iteration into another set of at least one search term for a next iteration of the loop, wherein said modifying utilizes a predefined rules for modification respective to a type of said each search term, wherein the type is selected from the group consisting of plain text, number, special type, and alpha-numeric word.

2. The method of claim 1, said modifying comprising:

determining that a first search term of the at least one search term comprises a typographical error; and

replacing the first search term with a replacement term of the first search term,

wherein a typographical errors dictionary comprises the first search term, the replacement term, and an association between the first search term and the replacement term, and wherein the typographical errors dictionary is stored in the memory device.

3. The method of claim 1, said modifying comprising:

determining a data type of a search term of the at least one search term as plain text; and

replacing a pronunciation unit comprising at least one letter in the search term with a phonetic equivalent of the pronunciation unit,

wherein a phonetic equivalents dictionary comprises the pronunciation unit, the phonetic equivalent, and an association between the pronunciation unit and the phonetic equivalent, and wherein the phonetic equivalents dictionary is stored in the memory device.

4. The method of claim 1, said modifying comprising:

determining a data type of a search term of the at least one search term as a real number; and

replacing the search term with a replacement number,

wherein a digit sequence of the replacement number is identical to a digit sequence of the search term, and wherein a decimal point position of the replacement number is different from a decimal point position of the search term.

5. The method of claim 1, said modifying comprising:

determining a data type of a search term of said at least one search term as a special data; and

replacing the search term with an interchangeable special data term,

wherein a special data dictionary comprises the search term, the interchangeable special data term, and an association between the search term and the interchangeable special data term, and wherein the special data dictionary is stored in the memory device.

6. A computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code containing instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer system implement a method for generating and prioritizing search results in an information storage and retrieval system comprising a search program and a database, the search program being executed on a computer system, the database being coupled to the computer system, the method comprising:

receiving a search request from an input by a user;

parsing the search request into at least one search term;

iterating a loop for MAX iterations, wherein MAX is an integer of at least two, wherein MAX represents a maximum number of searches to be performed upon the search request such that the search request generates a search result that comprises a respective set of search terms and a respective set of search results associated with the respective set of search terms from each iteration of said MAX iterations, and wherein said search terms in the respective set of search terms in said each iteration are modified to render the search result more comprehensive in said each iteration; and

displaying a search result list to the user, the search result list being stored in a memory device coupled to the computer system,

wherein each iteration of said iterating comprises;

associating a respective priority adjustment value with each search term of said at least one search term for a current iteration, said each search term and its associated respective priority adjustment value being stored within a data structure, wherein said respective priority adjustment value quantifies a respective level of modification between said each search term in the search request and said each term in the current iteration, and wherein said respective priority adjustment value associated with said each term increases according to a number of iterations performed;

generating a search result of the current iteration for the received search request by performing a search using the at least one search term for the current iteration;

calculating a priority adjustment sum of the generated search result for the current iteration by summing the respective priority adjustment value associated with said each search term;

inserting the at least one search term for the current iteration, the generated search result for the current iteration, and the calculated priority adjustment sum for the current iteration in the search result list; and

modifying the at least one search term for the current iteration into another set of at least one search term for a next iteration of the loop, wherein said modifying utilizes a predefined rules for modification respective to a type of said each search term, wherein the type is selected from the group consisting of plain text, number, special type, and alpha-numeric word.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, said modifying comprising:

determining that a first search term of the at least one search term comprises a typographical error; and

replacing the first search term with a replacement term of the first search term,

wherein a typographical errors dictionary comprises the first search term, the replacement term, and an association between the first search term and the replacement term, and wherein the typographical errors dictionary is stored in the memory device.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, said modifying comprising:

determining a data type of a search term of the at least one search term as plain text; and

replacing a pronunciation unit comprising at least one letter in the search term with a phonetic equivalent of the pronunciation unit,

wherein a phonetic equivalents dictionary comprises the pronunciation unit, the phonetic equivalent, and an association between the pronunciation unit and the phonetic equivalent, and wherein the phonetic equivalents dictionary is stored in the memory device.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, said modifying comprising:

determining a data type of a search term of the at least one search term as a real number; and

replacing the search term with a replacement number,

wherein a digit sequence of the replacement number is identical to a digit sequence of the search term, and wherein a decimal point position of the replacement number is different from a decimal point position of the search term.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, said modifying comprising:

determining a data type of a search term of said at least one search term as a special data; and

replacing the search term with an interchangeable special data term,

wherein a special data dictionary comprises the search term, the interchangeable special data term, and an association between the search term and the interchangeable special data term, and wherein the special data dictionary is stored in the memory device.

11. A computer system comprising a processor and a computer readable memory unit coupled to the processor, said memory unit containing instructions that when executed by the processor implement a method for generating and prioritizing search results in an information storage and retrieval system comprising a search program and a database, the search program being executed on a computer system, the database being coupled to the computer system, the method comprising:

receiving a search request from an input by a user;

parsing the search request into at least one search term;

iterating a loop for MAX iterations, wherein MAX is an integer of at least two, wherein MAX represents a maximum number of searches to be performed upon the search request such that the search request generates a search result that comprises a respective set of search terms and a respective set of search results associated with the respective set of search terms from each iteration of said MAX iterations, and wherein said search terms in the respective set of search terms in said each iteration are modified to render the search result more comprehensive in said each iteration; and

displaying a search result list to the user, the search result list being stored in a memory device coupled to the computer system,

wherein each iteration of said iterating comprises;

associating a respective priority adjustment value with each search term of said at least one search term for a current iteration, said each search term and its associated respective priority adjustment value being stored within a data structure, wherein said respective priority adjustment value quantifies a respective level of modification between said each search term in the search request and said each term in the current iteration, and wherein said respective priority adjustment value associated with said each term increases according to a number of iterations performed;

generating a search result of the current iteration for the received search request by performing a search using the at least one search term for the current iteration;

calculating a priority adjustment sum of the generated search result for the current iteration by summing the respective priority adjustment value associated with said each search term;

inserting the at least one search term for the current iteration, the generated search result for the current iteration, and the calculated priority adjustment sum for the current iteration in the search result list; and

modifying the at least one search term for the current iteration into another set of at least one search term for a next iteration of the loop, wherein said modifying utilizes a predefined rules for modification respective to a type of said each search term, wherein the type is selected from the group consisting of plain text, number, special type, and alpha-numeric word.

12. The computer system of claim 11, said modifying comprising:

determining that a first search term of the at least one search term comprises a typographical error; and

replacing the first search term with a replacement term of the first search term,

wherein a typographical errors dictionary comprises the first search term, the replacement term, and an association between the first search term and the replacement term, and wherein the typographical errors dictionary is stored in the memory device.

13. The computer system of claim 11, said modifying comprising:

determining a data type of a search term of the at least one search term as plain text; and

replacing a pronunciation unit comprising at least one letter in the search term with a phonetic equivalent of the pronunciation unit,

wherein a phonetic equivalents dictionary comprises the pronunciation unit, the phonetic equivalent, and an association between the pronunciation unit and the phonetic equivalent, and wherein the phonetic equivalents dictionary is stored in the memory device.

14. The computer system of claim 11, said modifying comprising:

determining a data type of a search term of the at least one search term as a real number; and

replacing the search term with a replacement number,

wherein a digit sequence of the replacement number is identical to a digit sequence of the search term, and wherein a decimal point position of the replacement number is different from a decimal point position of the search term.

15. The computer system of claim 11, said modifying comprising:

determining a data type of a search term of said at least one search term as a special data; and

replacing the search term with an interchangeable special data term,

wherein a special data dictionary comprises the search term, the interchangeable special data term, and an association between the search term and the interchangeable special data term, and wherein the special data dictionary is stored in the memory device.

16. A process for supporting computer infrastructure, said process comprising providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable code in a computing system, wherein the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing a method for generating and prioritizing search results in an information storage and retrieval system comprising a search program and a database, the search program being executed on a computer system, the database being coupled to the computer system, the method comprising:

receiving a search request from an input by a user;

parsing the search request into at least one search term;

iterating a loop for MAX iterations, wherein MAX is an integer of at least two, wherein MAX represents a maximum number of searches to be performed upon the search request such that the search request generates a search result that comprises a respective set of search terms and a respective set of search results associated with the respective set of search terms from each iteration of said MAX iterations, and wherein said search terms in the respective set of search terms in said each iteration are modified to render the search result more comprehensive in said each iteration; and

displaying a search result list to the user, the search result list being stored in a memory device coupled to the computer system,

wherein each iteration of said iterating comprises;

associating a respective priority adjustment value with each search term of said at least one search term for a current iteration, said each search term and its associated respective priority adjustment value being stored within a data structure, wherein said respective priority adjustment value quantifies a respective level of modification between said each search term in the search request and said each term in the current iteration, and wherein said respective priority adjustment value associated with said each term increases according to a number of iterations performed;

generating a search result of the current iteration for the received search request by performing a search using the at least one search term for the current iteration;

calculating a priority adjustment sum of the generated search result for the current iteration by summing the respective priority adjustment value associated with said each search term;

inserting the at least one search term for the current iteration, the generated search result for the current iteration, and the calculated priority adjustment sum for the current iteration in the search result list; and

modifying the at least one search term for the current iteration into another set of at least one search term for a next iteration of the loop, wherein said modifying utilizes a predefined rules for modification respective to a type of said each search term, wherein the type is selected from the group consisting of plain text, number, special type, and alpha-numeric word.

17. The process of claim 16, said modifying comprising:

determining that a first search term of the at least one search term comprises a typographical error; and

replacing the first search term with a replacement term of the first search term,

wherein a typographical errors dictionary comprises the first search term, the replacement term, and an association between the first search term and the replacement term, and wherein the typographical errors dictionary is stored in the memory device.

18. The process of claim 16, said modifying comprising:

determining a data type of a search term of the at least one search term as plain text; and

replacing a pronunciation unit comprising at least one letter in the search term with a phonetic equivalent of the pronunciation unit,

wherein a phonetic equivalents dictionary comprises the pronunciation unit, the phonetic equivalent, and an association between the pronunciation unit and the phonetic equivalent, and wherein the phonetic equivalents dictionary is stored in the memory device.

19. The process of claim 16, said modifying comprising:

determining a data type of a search term of the at least one search term as a real number; and

replacing the search term with a replacement number,

wherein a digit sequence of the replacement number is identical to a digit sequence of the search term, and wherein a decimal point position of the replacement number is different from a decimal point position of the search term.

20. The process of claim 16, said modifying comprising:

determining a data type of a search term of said at least one search term as a special data; and

replacing the search term with an interchangeable special data term,

wherein a special data dictionary comprises the search term, the interchangeable special data term, and an association between the search term and the interchangeable special data term, and wherein the special data dictionary is stored in the memory device.