Ensuring that a synonym for a query phrase does not drop information present in the query phrase

• US 8,661,012 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Baker, Steven D., Lamping, John O.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US11/647,888
• Time in Patent Office: 2,615 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 5, 707/7, 707/10, 707/100, 707/102, 707/103.Y, 707/104.1, 707/200, 707705-711, 707722-723, 707727-731, 707748-752, 707/758, 707/767, 707/766, 707/770, 709/203, 709220-225, 715/206, 715/231, 715/234, 715260-262, 715/968, 704/4, 704/6, 704 8- 10, 706 45- 50
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3338 Query expansion

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that identifies a synonym for a query phrase in a manner that ensures that the synonym does not drop information from the query phrase. First, the system identifies a synonym for the query phrase and synonyms for sub-components of the query phrase. If the identified synonym for the query phrase is also a synonym for a subcomponent of the query phrase, the system does not use the identified synonym as a synonym for the query phrase.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining candidate terms that a search engine has identified as being synonymous with a query phrase of an original search query, the query phrase including two or more query terms;

obtaining one or more candidate terms that a search engine has identified as being synonymous with a portion of the query phrase, the portion of the query phrase including fewer than all of the query terms;

comparing the candidate terms that the search engine has identified as being synonymous with the query phrase of the original search query, with the candidate query terms that the search engine has identified as being synonymous with the portion of the query phrase;

determining that a particular candidate term has been identified by the search engine as being synonymous with both the query phrase and with the portion of the query phrase;

automatically selecting by operation of a computer system a subset of the candidate terms that the search engine has identified as being synonymous with the original search query, wherein the subset excludes the particular candidate term that has been identified as being synonymous with both the query phrase and with the portion of the query phrase; and

generating one or more alternative search queries using the original search query and the subset of the candidate terms.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the alternative search queries further comprises:

replacing, in an alternative search query, the query phrase of the original search query with a candidate term of the subset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the query phrase includes all of the query terms of the original search query.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the query phrase includes fewer than all of the query terms of the original search query.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the search engine has dropped one or more of the query terms of the query phrase.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying original search results that are responsive to the original search query;

identifying alternative search results that are responsive to the alternative search query; and

combining the original search results and the alternative search results.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

generating an additional search query using the original search query and the particular candidate term;

identifying additional search results that are responsive to the additional search query; and

combining the original search results, the alternative search results, and the additional search results.

8. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

a computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more computers having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

obtaining candidate terms that a search engine has identified as being synonymous with a query phrase of an original search query, the query phrase including two or more query terms,

obtaining one or more candidate terms that a search engine has identified as being synonymous with a portion of the query phrase, the portion of the query phrase including fewer than all of the query terms,

comparing the candidate terms that the search engine has identified as being synonymous with the query phrase of the original search query, with the candidate query terms that the search engine has identified as being synonymous with the portion of the query phrase,

determining that a particular candidate term has been identified by the search engine as being synonymous with both the query phrase and with the portion of the query phrase,

automatically selecting a subset of the candidate terms that the search engine has identified as being synonymous with the original search query, wherein the subset excludes the particular candidate term that has been identified as being synonymous with both the query phrase and with the portion of the query phrase, and

generating one or more alternative search queries using the original search query and the subset of the candidate terms.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein generating the alternative search queries further comprises:

replacing, in an alternative search query, the query phrase of the original search query with a candidate term of the subset.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the query phrase includes all of the query terms of the original search query.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the query phrase includes fewer than all of the query terms of the original search query.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the search engine has dropped one or more of the query terms of the query phrase.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying original search results that are responsive to the original search query;

identifying alternative search results that are responsive to the alternative search query; and

combining the original search results and the alternative search results.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating an additional search query using the original search query and the particular candidate term;

identifying additional search results that are responsive to the additional search query; and

combining the original search results, the alternative search results, and the additional search results.

15. A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

obtaining candidate terms that a search engine has identified as being synonymous with a query phrase of an original search query, the query phrase including two or more query terms;

obtaining one or more candidate terms that a search engine has identified as being synonymous with a portion of the query phrase, the portion of the query phrase including fewer than all of the query terms;

comparing the candidate terms that the search engine has identified as being synonymous with the query phrase of the original search query, with the candidate query terms that the search engine has identified as being synonymous with the portion of the query phrase;

determining that a particular candidate term has been identified by the search engine as being synonymous with both the query phrase and with the portion of the query phrase;

automatically selecting a subset of the candidate terms that the search engine has identified as being synonymous with the original search query, wherein the subset excludes the particular candidate term that has been identified as being synonymous with both the query phrase and with the portion of the query phrase; and

generating one or more alternative search queries using the original search query and the subset of the candidate terms.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying original search results that are responsive to the original search query;

identifying alternative search results that are responsive to the alternative search query; and

combining the original search results and the alternative search results.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating an additional search query using the original search query and the particular candidate term;

identifying additional search results that are responsive to the additional search query; and

combining the original search results, the alternative search results, and the additional search results.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein determining that the particular candidate term has been identified by the search engine as being synonymous with both the query phrase and with the portion of the query phrase further comprises:

comparing the candidate terms that the search engine has identified as being synonymous with the query phrase of the original search query, with the candidate query terms that the search engine has identified as being synonymous with the portion of the query phrase.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the query phrase includes all of the query terms of the original search query.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein the query phrase includes fewer than all of the query terms of the original search query.