System and method for generating refinement categories for a set of search results

• US 20040220902A1
• Filed: 04/29/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Holt, Alexander W., Moran, Michael E., Gates, Stephen C., Velderman, Pat
• Granted Patent: US 7,523,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A system and method for providing a set of refinement categories for a set of search results generated in response to a search query. The system comprises: a category identifier system that analyzes each search result and identifies at least one category from a hierarchy of categories for each search result, thereby providing a list of identified categories; a ranking system that ranks each category in the list of identified categories; and a selection system that selects a predetermined number of the highest ranking categories from the list of identified categories to generate the set of refinement categories, wherein the selection system eliminates categories from the set of refinement categories if the category has a parent in the set of refinement categories.

Claims

1. A method for generating a set of categories in response to a search query, comprising:

generating a set of search results in response to a query;

identifying at least one category from a hierarchy of categories for each search result;

rank-ordering each identified category based on a number of times the category was identified for the set of search results;

selecting an initial set of refinement categories based on the rank-ordering of the identified categories;

eliminating all categories from the initial set of refinement categories that meet an elimination criterion; and

displaying a resulting set of refinement categories.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step includes the step of examining metadata in each search result.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial set of refinement categories is less than the total number of categories identified in the identifying step.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial set of refinement categories comprises a predetermined number of the most frequently identified categories.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the eliminating step further includes eliminating all categories from the initial set of refinement categories that have a hierarchical ancestor in the initial set of refinement categories.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, after the eliminating step, for each category eliminated during the eliminating step, a new category that was not in the initial set of refinement categories is added to the resulting set of refinement categories.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the new category is a next highest-ranking category.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the resulting set of refinement categories includes a supplementary category that provides access to identified categories not in the resulting set of refinement categories.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of providing an interface to allow an end user to select a category from the resulting set of refinement categories to narrow the search query.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the elimination criterion eliminates categories that have a hierarchical parent in the set of refinement categories.

11. The method of claim 1, where the elimination criterion is based on hierarchical relationship between nodes of a taxonomy in the initial set of refinement categories.

12. The method of claim 1, where the elimination criterion is based on a user profile of interests.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying steps includes the step of using an automated categorization system to determine the category to which the document belongs.

14. A system for providing a set of refinement categories for a set of search results generated in response to a search query, comprising:

a category identifier system that analyzes each search result and identifies at least one category from a hierarchy of categories for each search result, thereby providing a list of identified categories;

a ranking system that ranks each category in the list of identified categories; and

a selection system that selects a predetermined number of the highest ranking categories from the list of identified categories to generate the set of refinement categories, wherein the selection system eliminates categories from the set of refinement categories if the category has a parent in the set of refinement categories.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the category identifier system analyzes metadata from each search result to identify the at least one category for the search result.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the predetermined number of the highest ranking categories used by the selection system is less than a total number of identified categories.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the selection system adds a next highest ranking category to the set of refinement categories for each category eliminated by the selection system.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the set of refinement categories further includes a supplementary category that provides access to identified categories not included in the set of refinement categories.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the selection system eliminates categories from the set of refinement categories if the category has an ancestor in the set of refinement categories.

20. The system of claim 14, further comprising an interface to allow an end user to choose a category from the set of refinement categories to further refine the search query.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the ranking system ranks each category based on the number of times the category was identified by the category identifier system for all of the search results.

22. A program product stored on a recordable medium for providing a set of refinement categories for a set of search results generated in response to a search query, comprising:

means for identifying at least one category from a hierarchy of categories for each search result, thereby providing a list of identified categories;

means for ranking each category in the list of identified categories;

means for selecting the set of refinement categories from the list of identified categories by using a predetermined number of the highest ranking categories as determined by the ranking means; and

means for eliminating categories from the set of refinement categories if the category has a hierarchical ancestor in the set of refinement categories.

23. The program product of claim 22, wherein the identifying means analyzes metadata contained in each search result to identify the at least one category for the search result.

24. The program product of claim 22, wherein the predetermined number of the highest ranking categories used by the means for selecting is less than a total number of identified categories.

25. The program product of claim 22, further comprising means for adding a next highest ranking category to the set of refinement categories for each eliminated category.

26. The program product of claim 22, wherein the set of refinement categories further includes a supplementary category that provides access to identified categories not included in the set of refinement categories.

27. The program product of claim 22, further comprising an interface means to allow an end user to choose a category from the set of refinement categories to further refine the search query.

28. The program product of claim 22, wherein the means for ranking ranks each category based on the number of times the category was identified by the category identifier system for all of the search results.