Generating travel queries in response to free text queries
First Claim
1. A system, comprising:
- one or more computing devices and one or more storage devices storing instructions that when executed by the one or more computing devices cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising;
receiving an input of a free text query, wherein the free text query is received as an input into a search interface for a general search engine presented on a client computing device;
using the free text query for the general search engine to derive terms corresponding to particular travel constraints including terms corresponding to an origin location, a destination location, and a departure date, each having a respective probability of being related to a query for travel information;
determining whether a combined probability of the terms being related to a query for travel information exceeds a threshold value;
in response to determining that the combined probability of the terms being related to a query for travel information exceeds the threshold value;
generating a travel query from the terms derived from the free text query, wherein the generated travel query expressly specifies the derived origin location, destination location, and departure date as travel constraints, and wherein each of the origin location, the destination location, and the departure date travel constraints are expressly identified as such in the travel query; and
submitting the travel query to a travel search engine distinct from the general search engine to obtain travel search results based on the travel search query and to present the travel search results based on the travel search query via the client computing device; and
in response to the combined probability of the terms being related to a query for travel information not exceeding the threshold value, generating, by the general search engine, search results that satisfy the free text query input into the general search engine without using the travel search engine and presenting via the client computing device the search results that satisfy the free text query input into the general search engine.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for generating travel queries in response to free text queries. One of the methods includes receiving a free text query; generating a travel query from the free text query, wherein the travel query expressly specifies an origin location, a destination location, and a departure date, wherein each of the origin location, the destination location, and the departure date are expressly identified as such in the travel query; and submitting the travel query to a travel search engine. Optionally the method includes obtaining user information about a user associated with the free text query, obtaining popular travel information, and deriving origin or destination locations, or departure or return dates from the free text query, the user information, and the popular-travel information.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A system, comprising:
one or more computing devices and one or more storage devices storing instructions that when executed by the one or more computing devices cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising; receiving an input of a free text query, wherein the free text query is received as an input into a search interface for a general search engine presented on a client computing device; using the free text query for the general search engine to derive terms corresponding to particular travel constraints including terms corresponding to an origin location, a destination location, and a departure date, each having a respective probability of being related to a query for travel information; determining whether a combined probability of the terms being related to a query for travel information exceeds a threshold value; in response to determining that the combined probability of the terms being related to a query for travel information exceeds the threshold value; generating a travel query from the terms derived from the free text query, wherein the generated travel query expressly specifies the derived origin location, destination location, and departure date as travel constraints, and wherein each of the origin location, the destination location, and the departure date travel constraints are expressly identified as such in the travel query; and submitting the travel query to a travel search engine distinct from the general search engine to obtain travel search results based on the travel search query and to present the travel search results based on the travel search query via the client computing device; and in response to the combined probability of the terms being related to a query for travel information not exceeding the threshold value, generating, by the general search engine, search results that satisfy the free text query input into the general search engine without using the travel search engine and presenting via the client computing device the search results that satisfy the free text query input into the general search engine. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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11. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
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receiving, by one or more computing devices associated with a general search engine, a free text query, wherein the free text query is input by a user into a search interface for the general search engine presented on a client computing device; deriving, by the one or more computing devices and using the free text query, terms corresponding to particular travel constraints including terms corresponding to an origin location, a destination location, and a departure date, each having a respective probability of being related to a query for travel information; determining, by the one or more computing devices, whether a combined probability of the terms being related to a query for travel information exceeds a threshold value; in response to determining that the combined probability exceeds the threshold value; generating, by the one or more computing devices, a travel query from the terms derived from the free text query, wherein the generated travel query expressly specifies the derived origin location, destination location, and departure date as travel constraints, and wherein each of the origin location, the destination location, and the departure date travel constraints are expressly identified as such in the travel query; and submitting, by the one or more computing devices, the travel query to a travel search engine distinct from the general search engine to obtain travel search results based on the travel search query and to present the travel search results based on the travel search query via the client computing device; and in response to the combined probability of the terms being related to the query for travel information not exceeding the threshold value, generating, by the one or more computing devices via the general search engine, search results that satisfy the free text query without using the travel search engine and presenting via the client computing device the search results that satisfy the free text query input into the general search engine. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computing devices cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising:
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receiving a free text query, wherein the free text query is input by a user into a search interface for a general search engine presented on a client computing device; using the free text query to derive terms corresponding to particular travel constraints including terms corresponding to an origin location, a destination location, and a departure date, each having a respective probability of being related to a query for travel information; determining whether a combined probability of the terms being related to a query for travel information exceeds a threshold value; in response to determining that the combined probability exceeds the threshold value; generating a travel query from the terms derived from the free text query, wherein the generated travel query expressly specifies the derived origin location, destination location, and departure date as travel constraints, and wherein each of the origin location, the destination location, and departure date travel constraints are expressly identified as such in the travel query; and submitting the travel query to a travel search engine distinct from the general search engine to obtain travel search results based on the travel search query and to present the travel search results based on the travel search query via the client computing device; and in response to the combined probability of the terms being related to the query for travel information not exceeding the threshold value, generating, by the general search engine, search results that satisfy the free text query without using the travel search engine and presenting via the client computing device the search results that satisfy the free text query input into the general search engine.
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Specification