Query rewriting with entity detection

• US 9,047,339 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Pfleger, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): HASAN, SYED HAROON
• Application Number:
  US13/975,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20130339381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/243 Natural language query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24534 Query rewriting; Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3325 Reformulation based on results of preceding query
• 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 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A system determines whether a received search query includes an entity name, determines whether to rewrite the received search query based on information relating to prior searches involving the entity name, and rewrites the received search query when it is determined that the received search query should be rewritten. The system further determines whether to provide a suggestion of rewriting the received search query, as a rewriting suggestion, based on information relating to prior searches involving the entity name when it is determined that the received search query should not be rewritten. The system also generates the rewriting suggestion when it is determined that the rewriting suggestion should be provided. The system performs a search based on one of the received search query and the rewritten search query to obtain search results, presents the search results, and presents the rewriting suggestion when it is determined that the rewriting suggestion should be provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, using one or more server devices, a search query that includes a plurality of search terms;

determining, using the one or more server devices, that one or more search terms, of the plurality of search terms, are associated with a particular domain name,

the particular domain name including the one or more search terms;

rewriting, using the one or more server devices, the search query to obtain a rewritten search query,

the rewritten search query including information identifying the particular domain name;

causing, using the one or more server devices, a search to be performed using the rewritten search query,

the search being restricted to the particular domain name;

identifying, using the one or more server devices and based on the search, one or more search results,

the one or more search results being associated with the particular domain name; and

providing, using the one or more server devices, the one or more search results.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a link to the search query; and

providing the link to the search query with the one or more search results.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

causing another search to be performed, using the search query, based on selection of the link to the search query; and

identifying at least one search result based on the other search.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

providing the at least one search result.

5. The method of claim 1, where determining that the one or more search terms are associated with the particular domain name includes:

determining that the one or more search terms match information identifying a particularly entity,

the information identifying the particular entity being included in a data structure, and

the data structure including information identifying a plurality of entities.

6. The method of claim 5, where the data structure further includes information identifying a plurality of domain names associated with the plurality of entities,

where the plurality of domain names includes the particular domain name, and

where the particular domain name is associated with the particular entity.

7. The method of claim 5, where the plurality of entities includes a plurality of:

a particular news source,

a particular store,

a particular brand,

a particular manufacturer,

a particular product category,

a particular product model,

a particular location,

a particular individual, or

a particular organization.

8. A system comprising:

one or more server devices to;

receive a search query,

the search query including a plurality of search terms;

determine that one or more search terms, of the plurality of search terms, are associated with a particular domain name,

the particular domain name including the one or more search terms;

cause a search of a plurality of documents associated with the particular domain name to be performed based on determining that the one or more search terms are associated with the particular domain name,

one or more documents, of the plurality of documents, being identified based on the search being performed,

the one or more documents being relevant to one or more other search terms of the plurality of search terms; and

provide, as one or more search results, information identifying the one or more documents.

9. The system of claim 8, where the one or more server devices are further to:

generate a link to the search query; and

provide the link to the search query.

10. The system of claim 9, where, when providing the link, the one or more server devices are to:

provide the link with the one or more search results.

11. The system of claim 9, where the one or more server devices are further to:

cause another search to be performed, using the search query, based on selection of the link to the search query; and

provide at least one search result identified based on the other search.

12. The system of claim 9, where, when determining that the one or more search terms are associated with the particular domain name, the one or more server devices are further to:

determine that the one or more search terms match information identifying a particular entity,

the information identifying the particular entity being included in a data structure, and

the data structure including information identifying a plurality of entities.

13. The system of claim 12, where the data structure further includes information identifying a plurality of domain names associated with the plurality of entities,

where the plurality of domain names includes the particular domain name, and

where, when determining that the one or more search terms are associated with the particular domain name, the one or more server devices are further to:

determine that the particular entity is associated with the particular domain name of the plurality of domain names.

14. The system of claim 12, where the plurality of entities corresponds to at least two of:

a particular news source,

a particular store,

a particular brand,

a particular manufacturer,

a particular product category,

a particular product model,

a particular location,

a particular individual, or

a particular organization.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

a plurality of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a search query,

the search query including a plurality of search terms;

determine that one or more search terms, of the plurality of search terms, are associated with a particular domain name,

the particular domain name including the one or more search terms;

cause a search of a plurality of documents to be performed based on determining that the one or more search terms are associated with the particular domain name,

the plurality of documents being associated with the particular domain name,

one or more documents, of the plurality of documents, being identified based on the search being performed,

the one or more documents being relevant to one or more other search terms of the plurality of search terms; and

provide, as one or more search results, information identifying the one or more documents.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to generate a link to the search query; and

one or more instructions to provide the link, to the search query, with the one or more search results.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to identify at least one search result based on another search performed using the search query,

the other search being performed based on selection of the link to the search query; and

one or more instructions to provide the at least one search result identified based on the other search.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the particular domain name is associated with one of:

a particular news source,

a particular store,

a particular brand,

a particular manufacturer,

a particular product category,

a particular product model,

a particular location,

a particular individual, or

a particular organization.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions, to determine that the one or more search terms are associated with the particular domain name include:

one or more instructions to determine that the one or more search terms match information identifying a particularly entity,

the information identifying the particular entity being included in a data structure, and

the data structure including information identifying a plurality of entities,

the plurality of entities including the particular entity.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, where the data structure further includes information identifying a plurality of domain names associated with the plurality of entities,

where the plurality of domain names includes the particular domain name, and

where one or more instructions, of the plurality of instructions, to determine that the one or more search terms are associated with the particular domain name include:

one or more instructions to determine that the particular entity is associated with the particular domain name of the plurality of domain names.