Query disambiguation

• US 8,768,908 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2009
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chowdhury, Abdur R., Pass, Gregory S.
• Primary Examiner(s): FILIPCZYK, MARCIN R
• Application Number:
  US12/425,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20090222444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 707/731, 707/737, 707/754, 707/999.006, 707/708, 707/713, 707/738
• US Class Current: 707/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3325 Reformulation based on results of preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/345 Summarisation for human users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/948 Product or catalog
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A search query is resolved prior to being submitted to one or more search engines. The query is resolved such that the query unambiguously corresponds to a category included in a query ontology that relates search queries to query categories. The query may be resolved by supplementing the query with additional information corresponding to the category. For example, the query may be formatted into a canonical form of the query for the category. Alternatively or additionally, the query may be supplemented with one or more keywords that are associated with the category and that represent words or phrases that appear in a high percentage of search results for queries from the category. Resolving the query yields search results that more closely reflect search results desired by a user submitting the query.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving multiple search terms in a query;

identifying, automatically without user input, a first group of categories applicable to a first search term of the multiple search terms;

identifying, automatically without user input, a second group of categories applicable to a second search term of the multiple search terms, the second search term being different than the first search term, and the second group of categories being different than the first group of categories;

determining, automatically without user input, that a category is included in both the first group of categories and the second group of categories;

supplementing the query with one or more keywords related to the determined category;

performing, using at least one processor, a search using the supplemented query to obtain search results; and

identifying search results responsive to the supplemented query.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

identifying, automatically without user input, the first group of categories comprises identifying a first category applicable to the first term of the multiple search terms and a third term of the multiple search terms; and

identifying, automatically without user input, the second group of categories comprises identifying a second category applicable to the second term of the multiple search terms and the third term of the multiple search terms.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein identifying, automatically without user input, the second group of categories comprises identifying a third category applicable to the second term of the multiple search terms.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

identifying, automatically without user input, the first group of categories comprises identifying a first category applicable to the first term of the multiple search terms and a third term of the multiple search terms; and

identifying, automatically without user input, the second group of categories comprises identifying the first category is applicable to the second term of the multiple search terms.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

identifying, automatically without user input, the first group of categories comprises identifying multiple categories applicable to a first portion of the multiple search terms;

identifying, automatically without user input, the second group of categories comprises identifying multiple categories applicable to a second portion of the multiple search terms, the second portion being different than the first portion; and

performing the search using the supplemented query comprises performing the search automatically.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing, from electronic storage, the one or more keywords related to the determined category.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein performing the search using the supplemented query comprises:

submitting the supplemented query to a search engine; and

receiving, from the search engine, search results corresponding to the supplemented query.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein supplementing the query with one or more keywords related to the determined category comprises adding the one or more keywords related to the determined category to the query, the one or more keywords related to the determined category being one or more keywords associated with the determined category in a query ontology.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein supplementing the query with one or more keywords related to the determined category comprises formatting the query into a canonical form of the query for the determined category.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein:

determining, automatically without user input, that the category is included in both the first group of categories and the second group of categories comprises determining that a single category is the only category in the first group of categories.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining that the single category is in a query ontology.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving multiple search terms in a query;

identifying, automatically without user input, a first group of categories applicable to a first search term of the multiple search terms;

identifying, automatically without user input, a second group of categories applicable to a second search term of the multiple search terms, the second search term being different than the first search term, and the second group of categories being different than the first group of categories;

determining, automatically without user input, that a category is included in both the first group of categories and the second group of categories;

supplementing the query with one or more keywords related to the determined category;

performing a search using the supplemented query to obtain search results; and

identifying search results responsive to the received query.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein:

identifying, automatically without user input, the first group of categories comprises identifying a first category applicable to the first term of the multiple search terms and a third term of the multiple search terms; and

identifying, automatically without user input, the second group of categories comprises identifying a second category applicable to the second term of the multiple search terms and the third term of the multiple search terms.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein identifying, automatically without user input, the second group of categories comprises identifying a third category applicable to the second term of the multiple search terms.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein:

identifying, automatically without user input, the first group of categories comprises identifying a first category applicable to the first term of the multiple search terms and a third term of the multiple search terms; and

identifying, automatically without user input, the second group of categories comprises identifying the first category is applicable to the second term of the multiple search terms.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein:

identifying, automatically without user input, the first group of categories comprises identifying multiple categories applicable to a first portion of the multiple search terms;

identifying, automatically without user input, the second group of categories comprises identifying multiple categories applicable to a second portion of the multiple search terms, the second portion being different than the first portion; and

performing the search using the supplemented query comprises performing the search automatically.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein performing the search comprises:

accessing, from electronic storage, the one or more keywords related to the determined category.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein:

determining, automatically without user input, that the category is included in both the first group of categories and the second group of categories comprises determining that a single category is the only category in the first group of categories.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising determining that the single category is in a query ontology.

20. A computer system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer-readable storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, operate to cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving multiple search terms in a query;

identifying, automatically without user input, a first group of categories applicable to a first search term of the multiple search terms;

identifying, automatically without user input, a second group of categories applicable to a second search term of the multiple search terms, the second search term being different than the first search term, and the second group of categories being different than the first group of categories;

determining, automatically without user input, that a category is included in both the first group of categories and the second group of categories;

supplementing the query with one or more keywords related to the determined category;

performing a search using the supplemented query to obtain search results; and

identifying search results responsive to the received query.