Determining query terms of little significance

• US 9,483,530 B1
• Filed: 08/04/2014
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lamping, John, Bisciglia, Christophe
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Hexing
• Application Number:
  US14/450,701
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3334 Selection or weighting of terms from queries, including natural language queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

A system determines whether a term of a search query is a term with little significance based on a context of the search query. The system performs a search based on the search query while considering the term with little significance as optional when the search query includes the term with little significance and presents a list of search results based on the search.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor in a computer system, information indicating that a pair of queries is associated with a threshold quantity of search results that are common between the pair of queries,

a first query, in the pair of queries, including an extra term that is not included in a second query in the pair of queries;

identifying, by a processor in the computer system and based on receiving the information indicating that the pair of queries is associated with the threshold quantity of search results that are common between the pair of queries, the extra term as not significant;

receiving, by a processor in the computer system, information indicating that another pair of queries is not associated with the threshold quantity of search results that are common between the other pair of queries,

a first query, in the other pair of queries, including the extra term and a second query, in the other pair of queries, not including the extra term;

identifying, by a processor in the computer system, a context in which the extra term is significant,

the context in which the extra term is significant being based on the information indicating that the pair of queries is associated with the threshold quantity of search results that are common between the pair of queries; and

storing, by a processor in the computer system, information including the extra term, an indication that the extra term is not significant, and the context in which the extra term is significant.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, based on identifying the context in which the extra term is significant, a plurality of documents based on the first query; and

providing, for presentation, information regarding the plurality of documents.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, based on identifying the extra term as not significant and using the extra term as optional, a plurality of documents based on the first query; and

providing, for presentation, information regarding the plurality of documents.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, based on identifying the extra term as not significant, a plurality of documents based on the first query;

associating a first weight to the extra term;

associating a second weight to one or more other terms in the first query, the second weight being greater than the first weight; and

scoring, based on the associated first weight and the associated second weight, the plurality of documents.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

providing, for presentation, information regarding the plurality of documents in a ranked list,

the ranked list being based on scoring the plurality of documents.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, based on identifying the extra term as not significant, a plurality of documents based on the first query;

associating a first weight to the extra term;

associating a second weight to one or more other terms in the first query; and

scoring, based on the associated first weight and the associated second weight, the plurality of documents.

7. The method of claim 1, where, when identifying the context in which the extra term is significant, the method includes:

receiving information regarding a stored entry that associates the context with the extra term,

the context including one or more terms with which the extra term appears in a query.

8. A device comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor to execute the instructions to;

receive first information indicating that a pair of queries is associated with a threshold quantity of search results that are common between the pair of queries,

a first query, in the pair of queries, including an extra term that is not included in a second query in the pair of queries;

receive, based on receiving the first information indicating that the pair of queries is associated with the threshold quantity of search results that are common between the pair of queries, second information indicating that the extra term is not significant;

receive third information indicating that another pair of queries is not associated with the threshold quantity of search results that are common between the other pair of queries,

a first query, in the other pair of queries, including the extra term and a second query, in the other pair of queries, not including the extra term;

receive, based on receiving the third information indicating that the other pair of queries is not associated with the threshold quantity of search results that are common between the other pair of queries, fourth information indicating a context in which the extra term is significant,

the context in which the extra term is significant being based on the information indicating that the pair of queries is associated with the threshold quantity of search results that are common between the pair of queries; and

store information including the extra term, an indication that the extra term is not significant, and the context in which the extra term is significant.

9. The device of claim 8, where the processor is further to:

determine a first score for a first document of a plurality of documents,

the first document including the extra term;

determine a second score for a second document of the plurality of documents,

the second document not including the extra term, and

the first score being greater than the second score.

10. The device of claim 8, where the processor is further to:

identify, based on the second information, a plurality of documents based on the first query; and

score the plurality of documents,

the plurality of documents being scored based on down-weighting a contribution of the extra term.

11. The device of claim 8, where the processor is further to:

identify, based on the second information and without using the extra term, a plurality of documents based on the first query; and

provide, for presentation, information regarding the plurality of documents.

12. The device of claim 8, where the processor is further to:

identify, based on the fourth information, a plurality of documents based on the first query; and

provide, for presentation, information regarding the plurality of documents.

13. The device of claim 8, where the processor is further to:

identify, based on the second information and using the extra term as optional, a plurality of documents based on the first query; and

provide, for presentation, information regarding the plurality of documents.

14. The device of claim 8, where the processor is further to:

identify, based on the second information, a plurality of documents based on the first query; and

associate a first weight to the extra term;

associate a second weight to one or more other terms in the first query,

the second weight being greater than the first weight; and

score, based on the associated first weight and the associated second weight, the plurality of documents.

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

one or more instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to;

analyze query logs to identify a pair of queries that are the same except that a first query, in the pair of queries, includes an extra term that is not included in a second query in the pair of queries;

identify, based on receiving information indicating that the pair of queries is associated with a threshold quantity of search results that are common between the pair of queries, the extra term as not significant;

receive information indicating that another pair of queries is not associated with the threshold quantity of search results that are common between the other pair of queries,

a first query, in the other pair of queries, including the extra term and a second query, in the other pair of queries, not including the extra term;

identify a context in which the extra term is significant,

the context in which the extra term is significant being based on the information indicating that the pair of queries is associated with the threshold quantity of search results that are common between the pair of queries; and

store information including the extra term, an indication that the extra term is not significant, and the context in which the extra term is significant.

16. The medium of claim 15, where the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to determine that a user provided the first query followed by the second query,

where the one or more instructions to identify the extra term as not significant include;

one or more instructions to identify, based on determining that the user provided the first query followed by the second query, the extra term as not significant.

17. The medium of claim 15, where the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to identify, based on identifying the extra term as not significant, a plurality of documents based on the first query; and

one or more instructions to score the plurality of documents,

the plurality of documents being scored based on down-weighting a contribution of the extra term.

18. The medium of claim 15, where the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to identify, based on identifying the extra term as not significant and without using the extra term, a plurality of documents based on the first query; and

one or more instructions to provide, for presentation, information regarding the plurality of documents.

19. The medium of claim 15, where the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to determine a first score for a first document of a plurality of documents,

the first document including the extra term;

one or more instructions to determine a second score for a second document of the plurality of documents,

the second document not including the extra term, and

the first score being greater than the second score.

20. The medium of claim 15, where the instructions further include:

one or more instructions to identify, based on identifying the extra term as not significant, a plurality of documents based on the first query; and

one or more instructions to associate a first weight to the extra term;

one or more instructions to associate a second weight to one or more other terms in the first query,

the second weight being greater than the first weight;

one or more instructions to score, based on the associated first weight and the associated second weight, the plurality of documents; and

one or more instructions to provide, for presentation, information regarding the plurality of documents in a ranked list,

the ranked list being based on scoring the plurality of documents.