Augmenting URL queries

• US 7,899,805 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stewart, Ryan, Kumar, Girish
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Debbie
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOO, GARY J
• Application Number:
  US11/848,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/708, 707/999.003
• US Class Current: 707/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links

Abstract

Computer-readable media, systems, and methods for augmenting URL queries are described. In embodiments, a URL query is received from a user and it is determined whether the URL query is a simple URL query. Further, if the URL query is a simple URL query, an augmented query is created by word-breaking at least a portion of the URL query and the augmented query is associated with one or more ranking preferences. In various other embodiments, a URL query is received from a user and it is determined whether the URL query is a complex URL query. Further, if the URL query is a complex URL query, an augmented query is created that is identical to the URL query and the augmented query is associated with one or more ranking preferences.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-usable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of augmenting uniform resource locator (URL) queries in a search engine, the method comprising:

receiving a URL query from a user;

determining whether the URL query is a simple URL query or a complex URL query by;

(1) parsing the URL query to extract a key query portion, and

(2) determining whether the key query portion indicates a simple URL query or a complex URL query based on number of layers of path depth or path depth indicators associated with the URL query, wherein no path depth indicators indicates a simple URL query and the existence of the one or more path depth indicators indicates a complex URL query;

responsive to determining that the URL query is a simple URL query, creating an augmented query by word-breaking at least a portion of the URL query and associating the augmented query with one or more simple URL ranking preferences; and

responsive to determining that the URL query is a complex URL query, creating an augmented query identical to the URL query and associating the augmented query with one or more complex URL ranking preferences.

2. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

issuing a query utilizing the augmented query to obtain one or more results;

ranking the one or more results in accordance with the one or more ranking preferences; and

presenting the ranked results to the user.

3. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein parsing the URL query to extract the key query portion comprises stripping generic URL information from the URL query.

4. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the portion of the simple URL query that is word-broken is the domain name portion of the URL query.

5. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the one or more simple URL ranking preferences indicate a primary preference for a document having a URL that matches the URL query.

6. The computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the one or more simple URL ranking preferences further indicate a secondary preference for one or more documents having at least a portion of the augmented query in the domain name.

7. The computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the one or more complex URL ranking preferences indicate a preference for a document having a URL that matches the URL query.

8. A method of augmenting uniform resource locator (URL) queries in a search engine, the method comprising:

receiving a URL query from a user;

determining whether the URL query is a simple URL query or a complex URL query by;

(1) parsing the URL query to extract a key query portion; and

(2) determining whether the key query portion indicates a simple URL query or a complex URL query based on number of layers of path depth or path depth indicators associated with the URL query, wherein no path depth indicators indicates a simple URL query and the existence of the one or more path depth indicators indicates a complex URL;

responsive to determining that the URL query is a simple URL query, creating an augmented query by word-breaking at least a portion of the simple URL query and associating the augmented query with one or more simple URL ranking preferences; and

responsive to determining that the URL query is a complex URL query, creating an augmented query identical to the URL query and associating the augmented query with one or more complex URL ranking preferences.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

issuing a query utilizing the augmented query to obtain one or more results;

ranking the one or more results in accordance with the one or more ranking preferences; and

presenting the ranked results to the user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein parsing the URL query to extract the key query portion comprises stripping generic URL information from the URL query.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more complex URL ranking preferences indicate a preference for a document having a URL that matches the URL query.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the portion of the simple URL query that is word-broken is the domain name portion of the URL query.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more simple URL ranking preferences indicate a primary preference for a document having a URL that matches the URL query.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more simple URL ranking preferences further indicate a secondary preference for one or more documents having at least a portion of the augmented query in the domain name.

15. A computerized system for augmenting uniform resource locator (URL) queries in a search engine, the system comprising:

a receiving component configured to receive a URL query from a user;

a determining component configured to determine whether the URL query is a simple URL query or a complex URL query by;

(1) parsing the URL query to extract a key query portion; and

(2) determining whether the key query portion indicates a simple URL query or a complex URL query based on number of layers of path depth or path depth indicators associated with the URL query, wherein no path depth indicators indicates a simple URL query and the existence of the one or more path depth indicators indicates a complex URL query;

a simple URL augmenting component configured to create an augmented query from a simple URL query by word-breaking at least a portion of the URL query, and further configured to associate the augmented query with one or more simple URL ranking preferences, wherein the one or more simple URL ranking preferences indicate at least one of a primary preference for a document having a URL that matches the URL query and a secondary preference for one or more documents having at least a portion of the augmented query in the domain name of the one or more documents;

a complex URL augmenting component configured to create an augmented query from a complex URL query, the augmented query being identical to the URL query, and further configured to associate the augmented query with one or more complex URL ranking preferences, wherein the one or more complex URL ranking preferences indicate a preference for a document having a URL that matches the URL query; and

a database for storing information associated with processing the URL query.

16. The computerized system of claim 15, further comprising:

an issuing component configured to issue a query utilizing the augmented query to obtain one or more results;

a ranking component configured to rank the one or more results in accordance with one or more simple URL ranking preferences or one or more complex URL ranking preferences; and

a presenting component configured to present the ranked results to the user.