INTENT-AWARE SEARCH

• US 20090228439A1
• Filed: 03/07/2008
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kern, Laura J., Meijer, Henricus Johannes Maria, Manolescu, Dragos A.
• Application Number:
  US12/044,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20090228439A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A system is provided to improve the relevance of information searches. The system includes a search component to facilitate information retrieval in response to a user'"'"'s query. An inference component refines the user'"'"'s query or filters search results associated with the query in view of a determined intent of the user. This can also include a “sensor component” that collects the information fed to the inference component.

Claims

1. A system to facilitate information searches, comprising:

a search component to facilitate information retrieval in response to a user'"'"'s query; and

an inference component to process the user'"'"'s query or to filter search results associated with the query in view of a determined intent of the user.

2. The system of claim 1, the inference component is applied as a plug-in component to substantially any type of application.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a profile component that includes a user type component, a preferences component, a group preferences component, a media component, a time component, a calendar component, or a general settings component.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a filter component to control data generated by the inference component.

5. The system of claim 1, the inference component analyzes ambient context, social networks, rules or policies to determine in part a user'"'"'s intent.

6. The system of claim 1, the inference component further comprises a word clues component, a word snippets component, a key word component, a learning component, a profile component, an advertising component, or a statistical component.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a front end or back end search component that is modified in view of a user'"'"'s determined intent.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mining component that analyzes groups of user'"'"'s for intent-based queries.

9. The system of claim 8, the intent-augmented queries are applied to a single user or a subset of users.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an intent extraction component to augment a front end search component.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a search engine that searches for information based upon a query processed in part by a user'"'"'s determined intent.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a re-shaper component that employs a user'"'"'s determined intent to modify one or more search results.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a monitoring component to collect data relating to a user'"'"'s intentions over time.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a component to independently extend functionality of at least one of an inference component, a filter component, a front or back-end search component, a mining component, an intent extraction component, a re-shaper component, a monitoring component, or a learning component.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising a learning component to determine the user'"'"'s intentions over time.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a feedback component to enable user'"'"'s to resolve uncertainty regarding inferred intent.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising an auto-complete function that is modified in view of a user'"'"'s determined intent.

18. An automated searching method, comprising:

automatically monitoring user activities over time;

inferring a user'"'"'s likely intentions from the monitored activities; and

automatically modifying a search query in view of the determined intentions.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising modifying one or more search results in view of the determined intentions.

20. A search system, comprising:

means for monitoring user activities over time;

means for inferring a user'"'"'s intentions from the monitored activities; and

means for modifying a search query or search results in view of the determined intentions.