Browser context based search disambiguation using existing category taxonomy

• US 8,214,360 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Arellanes, Paul Thomas, Jania, Frank Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Shmatov, Alexey
• Application Number:
  US11/399,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20070239734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,280 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 707/3, 707/999.003, 707/731, 707/732, 707/751
• US Class Current: 707/731
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/353 into predefined classes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for context based search disambiguation using existing category taxonomy. A client provides additional cues for search term disambiguation through the context of the specific user'"'"'s browser. A bookmark or favorites data structure is sent along with the search term(s) to be disambiguated. The bookmark data structure acts as pre-existing category taxonomy for a clustering search engine to classify the results of the search. A viewed content history may also be sent along with the search terms to be disambiguated. The viewed content history acts as a cue to a clustering search engine to display as more relevant the results that are classified in the same category as the pages sent along with the search terms.

Claims

1. A method, in a clustering search engine data processing system, for search disambiguation, the method comprising:

receiving, from a requesting client of a requesting user, a search query, a bookmark data structure, and a viewed content history of the requesting user, wherein the viewed content history comprises at least a portion of a browser history maintained by the Web browser at the requesting client;

performing a search to obtain a search result set comprising a plurality of data elements that satisfy the search query;

classifying the search result set using the bookmark data structure to generate a clustered result set, wherein the clustered result set comprises the plurality of data elements clustered into a base taxonomy of categories and wherein the base taxonomy of categories is defined by the bookmark data structure;

classifying, at the clustering search engine, the viewed content history of the requesting user into the base taxonomy of categories, wherein the base taxonomy of categories comprises a plurality of categories; and

ranking, at the clustering search engine, the categories of the clustered result set according to the classification of the viewed content history to form a ranked cluster result set; and

returning the raked clustered result set to the requesting client,

wherein the bookmark data structure is maintained by a Web browser at the requesting client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bookmark data structure comprises a hierarchy of folders and wherein at least one folder in the hierarchy of folders has at least one bookmark stored therein.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one folder in the hierarchy of folders has at least one subfolder.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the base taxonomy of categories comprises a category for each folder within the hierarchy of folders and a subcategory for each of the at least one subfolder.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

presenting the clustered result set to the requesting user according to the hierarchy of folders.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a selectable control in association with a given data element in the clustered result set,

such that responsive to the requesting user selecting the selectable control, the requesting client stores a bookmark for the given data element within a corresponding folder or subfolder in the bookmark data structure.

7. A computer program product comprising a computer recordable storage medium having a computer readable program recorded thereon, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a clustering search engine, causes the clustering search engine to:

receive, from a requesting client of a requesting user, a search query, a bookmark data structure, and a viewed content history of the requesting user, wherein the viewed content history comprises at least a portion of a browser history maintained by the Web browser at the requesting client;

perform a search to obtain a search result set comprising a plurality of data elements that satisfy the search query;

classify the search result set using the bookmark data structure to generate a clustered result set, wherein the clustered result set comprises the plurality of data elements clustered into a base taxonomy of categories and wherein the base taxonomy of categories is defined by the bookmark data structure;

classify the viewed content history of the requesting user into the base taxonomy of categories, wherein the base taxonomy of categories comprises a plurality of categories; and

rank the categories of the clustered result set according to the classification of the viewed content history to form a ranked cluster result set; and

return the ranked clustered result set to the requesting client,

wherein the bookmark data structure is maintained by a Web browser at the requesting client.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the bookmark data structure comprises a hierarchy of folders and wherein at least one folder in the hierarchy of folders has at least one bookmark stored therein.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the base taxonomy of categories comprises a category for each folder within the hierarchy of folders.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein at least one folder in the hierarchy of folders has at least one subfolder.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the base taxonomy of categories comprises a category for each folder within the hierarchy of folders and a subcategory for each of the at least one subfolder.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program further causes the clustering search engine to:

present the clustered result set to the requesting user according to the hierarchy of folders.

13. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer readable program further causes the clustering search engine to:

present a selectable control in association with a given data element in the clustered result set, such that responsive to the requesting user selecting the selectable control, the requesting client stores a bookmark for the given data element within a corresponding folder or subfolder in the bookmark data structure.

14. An apparatus in a clustering search engine, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive, from a requesting client of a requesting user, a search query, a bookmark data structure, and a viewed content history of the requesting user, wherein the viewed content history comprises at least a portion of a browser history maintained by the Web browser at the requesting client;

perform a search to obtain a search result set comprising a plurality of data elements that satisfy the search query;

classify the search result set using the bookmark data structure to generate a clustered result set, wherein the clustered result set comprises the plurality of data elements clustered into a base taxonomy of categories and wherein the base taxonomy of categories is defined by the bookmark data structure;

classify the viewed content history of the requesting user into the base taxonomy of categories, wherein the base taxonomy of categories comprises a plurality of categories;

rank the categories of the clustered result set according to the classification of the viewed content history to form a ranked cluster result set; and

return the clustered result set to the requesting client,

wherein the bookmark data structure is maintained by a Web browser at the requesting client.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the bookmark data structure comprises a hierarchy of folders, wherein at least one folder in the hierarchy of folders has at least one bookmark stored therein, and wherein the base taxonomy of categories comprises a category for each folder within the hierarchy of folders.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least one folder in the hierarchy of folders has at least one subfolder and wherein the base taxonomy of categories comprises a category for each folder within the hierarchy of folders and a subcategory for each of the at least one subfolder.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

present a selectable control in association with a given data element in the clustered result set, such that responsive to the requesting user selecting the selectable control, the requesting client stores a bookmark for the given data element within a corresponding folder or subfolder in the bookmark data structure.