Query augmentation

• US 9,128,945 B1
• Filed: 03/16/2009
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Shukla, Anand, Pearson, Mark, Bharat, Krishna, Buettcher, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shanmugasundaram, Kannan
• Application Number:
  US12/404,424
• Time in Patent Office: 2,367 Days
• Field of Search: 707/713, 707999001-999005
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/144 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/332 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3325 Reformulation based on results of preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3338 Query expansion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating or using augmentation queries. In one aspect, a first query stored in a query log is identified and a quality signal related to the performance of the first query is compared to a performance threshold. The first query is stored in an augmentation query data store if the quality signal indicates that the first query exceeds a performance threshold.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

identifying structured document data in a document, the structured document data including information identifying one or more entities and, for each entity, a resource locator specifying a resource location of a resource for the entity;

determining one or more terms associated with a particular entity of the one or more entities, the determining the one or more terms comprising;

identifying anchor text in the structured document data, the anchor text including the one or more terms;

determining a number of documents in a set of documents that include the identified anchor text; and

determining that the number of documents exceed a threshold number of documents;

generating one or more synthetic queries from the structured document data, the generating comprising generating a synthetic query that includes the anchor text;

storing the synthetic query in an augmentation query data store;

identifying search results that are relevant to the synthetic query;

associating, in the augmentation query data store, the identified search results and the resource for the particular entity with the synthetic query; and

storing at least a portion of the identified search results and a search result for the resource for the particular entity in a cached search results store for use in an augmented search operation,

wherein the stored search results are provided with other search results in response to the augmented search operation, the other search results being responsive to a received query for which the augmented search operation is performed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the structured document data comprises a document title.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information identifying one or more entities of the structured document data comprises entity name listings.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein generating one or more synthetic queries from the structured document data comprises generating a second synthetic query that includes an entity name listing for the particular entity as query terms.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying search results that are relevant to the synthetic query comprises:

providing the synthetic query to a search engine;

receiving search results from the search engine, the received search results being responsive to the synthetic query and ranked according to an order; and

identifying a proper subset of highest ranked received search results as the search results that are relevant to the synthetic query.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

classifying the synthetic query as a synthetic query in the augmentation query data store; and

adjusting a performance ranking of the synthetic query relative to a performance ranking of a non-synthetic query in response to the classification.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein adjusting a performance ranking of the synthetic query comprises reducing the performance ranking of the synthetic query for input queries designated as being directed to general content and increasing the performance ranking of the synthetic query for input queries designated as being directed to specific content specifying a specific entity or a specific location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying search results that are relevant to the synthetic query comprises:

identifying a domain name of a resource location that matches one or more terms in the synthetic query;

identifying the document at the resource location for referencing in a search result for the synthetic query; and

associating the document with the synthetic query so that the document is identified as a search result responsive to a user query that matches the synthetic query.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a home page for the particular entity;

associating, in the augmentation query data store, the identified home page with the synthetic query; and

storing a search result for the identified home page in the cached search results store for use in an augmented search operation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein associating, in the augmentation query data store, the identified search results and the resource for the particular entity with the synthetic query comprises associating the resource for the particular entity with the synthetic query independent of a relevance measure of the resource to the synthetic query.

11. A system, comprising:

an augmentation query data store storing augmentation queries;

a cached search results store storing search results, each stored search result being related to at least one of the stored augmentation queries;

one or more computers; and

software stored in a computer readable medium and comprising instructions executable by the one or more computers to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

identifying structured document data in a document, the structured document data including information identifying one or more entities and, for each entity, a resource locator specifying a resource location of a resource for the entity;

determining one or more terms associated with a particular entity of the one or more entities, the determining the one or more terms comprising;

identifying anchor text in the structured document data, the anchor text including the one or more terms;

determining a number of documents in a set of documents that include the identified anchor text; and

determining that the number of documents exceed a threshold number of documents;

generating one or more synthetic queries from the structured document data, the generating comprising generating a synthetic query that includes the anchor text;

storing the synthetic query in the augmentation query data store;

identifying search results that are relevant to the synthetic query;

associating, in the augmentation query data store, the identified search results and the resource for the particular entity with the synthetic query; and

storing at least a portion of the identified search results and a search result for the resource for the particular entity in the cached search results store for use in an augmented search operation,

wherein the stored portion of the identified search results are provided with other search results in response to the augmented search operation, the other search results being responsive to a received query for which the augmented search operation is performed.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the operation of identifying search results that are relevant to the synthetic query comprises the operations of:

providing the synthetic query to a search engine;

receiving search results from the search engine, the received search results being responsive to the synthetic query and ranked according to an order; and

identifying a proper subset of highest ranked received search results as the search results that are relevant to the synthetic query.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the operation of identifying search results that are relevant to the synthetic query comprises the operations of:

identifying a domain name of a resource location that matches one or more terms in the synthetic query;

identifying the document at the resource location for referencing in a search result for the synthetic query; and

associating the document with the synthetic query so that the document is identified as a search result responsive to a user query that matches the synthetic query.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions executable by the one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform further operations comprising:

identifying a home page for the particular entity;

associating, in the augmentation query data store, the identified home page with the synthetic query; and

storing a search result for the identified home page in the cached search results store for use in an augmented search operation.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions executable by the one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform further operations comprising:

classifying the synthetic query as a synthetic query in the augmentation query data store; and

adjusting a performance ranking of the synthetic query relative to a performance ranking of a non-synthetic query in response to the classification.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein adjusting a performance ranking of the synthetic query comprises reducing the performance ranking of the synthetic query for input queries designated as being directed to general content and increasing the performance ranking of the synthetic query for input queries designated as being directed to specific content specifying a specific entity or a specific location.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein associating, in the augmentation query data store, the identified search results and the resource for the particular entity with the synthetic query comprises associating the resource for the particular entity with the synthetic query independent of a relevance measure of the resource to the synthetic query.

18. A non-transitory 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:

identifying structured document data in a document, the structured document data including information identifying one or more entities and, for each entity, a resource locator specifying a resource location of a resource for the entity;

determining one or more terms associated with a particular entity of the one or more entities, the determining the one or more terms comprising;

identifying anchor text in the structured document data, the anchor text including the one or more terms;

determining a number of documents in a set of documents that include the identified anchor text; and

determining that the number of documents exceed a threshold number of documents;

generating one or more synthetic queries from the structured document data, the generating comprising generating a synthetic query that includes the anchor text;

storing the synthetic query in an augmentation query data store;

identifying search results that are relevant to the synthetic query;

associating, in the augmentation query data store, the identified search results and the resource for the particular entity with the synthetic query; and

storing at least a portion of the identified search results and a search result for the resource for the particular entity in a cached search results store for use in an augmented search operation,

wherein the stored search results are provided with other search results in response to the augmented search operation, the other search results being responsive to a received query for which the augmented search operation is performed.

19. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operation of identifying search results that are relevant to the synthetic query comprises the operations of:

providing the synthetic query to a search engine;

receiving search results from the search engine, the received search results being responsive to the synthetic query and ranked according to an order; and

identifying a proper subset of highest ranked received search results as the search results that are relevant to the synthetic query.

20. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operation of identifying search results that are relevant to the synthetic query comprises the operations of:

identifying a domain name of a resource location that matches one or more terms in the synthetic query;

identifying the document at the resource location for referencing in a search result for the synthetic query; and

associating the document with the synthetic query so that the document is identified as a search result responsive to a user query that matches the synthetic query.

21. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the data processing apparatus to perform further operations comprising:

classifying the synthetic query as a synthetic query in the augmentation query data store; and

adjusting a performance ranking of the synthetic query relative to a performance ranking of a non-synthetic query in response to the classification.

22. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 21, wherein adjusting a performance ranking of the synthetic query comprises reducing the performance ranking of the synthetic query for input queries designated as being directed to general content and increasing the performance ranking of the synthetic query for input queries designated as being directed to specific content specifying a specific entity or a specific location.

23. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the data processing apparatus to perform further operations comprising:

identifying a home page for the particular entity;

associating, in the augmentation query data store, the identified home page with the synthetic query; and

storing a search result for the identified home page in the cached search results store for use in an augmented search operation.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein associating, in the augmentation query data store, the identified search results and the resource for the particular entity with the synthetic query comprises associating the resource for the particular entity with the synthetic query independent of a relevance measure of the resource to the synthetic query.