CUSTOMIZED SEARCH

• US 20100114925A1
• Filed: 10/17/2008
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Agrawal, Rakesh, Shafer, John C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,262,525 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/759
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed herein for providing a custom search engine. In one aspect, a first search query is received from a requestor. First search results contain search result items that match the first search query are obtained. A least one sub-query is generated from the first search results. The generating is based on rules for a particular custom search engine. Second search results that match the sub-query are then obtained. A search result set is formed from a corpus that includes the first search results and the second search results. The generating of the search result set is based on the rules for the particular custom search engine. The search result set is provided to the requester. In one aspect an interface for designing a custom search engine is provided. The interface allows the designer to specify the layout of a search results page.

Claims

1. A machine implemented method comprising the steps of:

receiving information from a requester;

determining first results based on the information, the first results include a plurality of items;

generating at least one sub-query based on the items, the generating at least one sub-query is based on rules for a particular custom search engine;

obtaining second results that match the at least one sub-query;

generating a search result set from a corpus that includes the first results and the second results, the generating a search result set is based on the rules for the particular custom search engine; and

providing the search result set to the requester.

2. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information includes an initial search query, the determining first results based on the information includes obtaining initial search results that match the initial search query.

3. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 2, further comprising determining content to search using the initial search query, the first results are obtained from searching the corpus, the determining the content is based on the rules.

4. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information pertains to a user, the determining first results based on the information includes results that pertains to the user.

5. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving metadata from the requester that identifies the particular custom search engine.

6. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the rules for the particular custom search engine specify a field in the items of the first results, and the generating at least one sub-query includes generating the at least one sub-query based on the field.

7. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining content to search using the at least one sub-query, the second results are obtained from searching the content, the determining the content is based on the rules.

8. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the generating a search result set from the corpus includes augmenting the items in the first results with the second results, the augmenting is based on the rules.

9. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the generating a search result set from the corpus includes determining which of the items from the first results to include in the search result set based on the second results.

10. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

generating at least one sub-query based on the second results, the generating at least one sub-query based on the second results is based on the rules for the particular custom search engine;

obtaining third results that match the at least one sub-query that is based on the second results; and

wherein the corpus from which the search result set is generated includes the first results, the second results, and the third results.

11. A machine implemented method comprising the steps of:

providing an interface for a designer to design a custom search engine;

receiving the following information in the interface;

a) either first content to be searched or identification of first content to be searched by the custom search engine;

b) information that specifies how to construct a sub-query from first search results that are returned when the first content is searched by the custom search engine;

c) either second content to be searched or identification of second content to be searched using the sub-query, second search results are returned when the second content is searched using the sub-query; and

d) information that specifies how to generate final search results from the first search results and the second search results;

storing the information that is received in the interface; and

associating the stored information with the custom search engine.

12. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, in the interface, information that specifies how the final search results are to be arranged in a search results page.

13. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

generating code for constructing a search box for entering an initial search query in a client that renders the search box, the code causes a framework for a search results page to be automatically loaded in the client; and

providing the code to the designer.

14. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

generating code to forwarding an initial search query to a server that stores the information that is received in the interface and for forwarding metadata that identifies the custom search engine; and

providing the code to the designer.

15. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, from a requestor, an initial search query and metadata identifying the custom search engine;

identifying the stored information based on the metadata; and

returning, to the requestor, final search results for the initial search query.

16. A machine implemented method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, in the interface, an indication of how to modify an initial search query prior to using the initial search query to search the first content.

17. A system comprising a processor and a computer storage medium coupled to the processor, the computer storage medium having stored thereon a set of instructions, which when executed on the processor implement a method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first search query from a requester;

receiving metadata from the requestor that identifies a particular custom search engine;

accessing stored configuration information for the particular custom search engine that is identified by the metadata;

determining a first corpus to search, the determining the first corpus is based on the configuration information;

searching the first corpus using the first search query to obtain first search results that match the first search query, the first search results include a plurality of search result items;

determining a second corpus to search, the determining the second corpus is based on the configuration information;

generating at least one sub-query from the search results items, the generating at least one sub-query is based on the configuration information;

searching the second corpus using the at least one sub-query to obtain second search results that match the at least one sub-query;

generating a search result set from a corpus that includes the first search results and the second search results, the generating a search result set is based on the configuration information; and

providing the search result set to the requester.

18. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein the first corpus is structured content having one or more fields, the first search result items each have data for at least a first field of the fields, the configuration information identifies the first field;

and wherein the generating at least one sub-query from the search results items includes forming a sub-query from data in the first field for a first search result item.

19. A system as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

providing an interface for a designer to design the particular custom search engine;

receiving information in the interface that defines the particular custom search engine;

storing the information received in the interface; and

associating the information received in the interface with the particular custom search engine.

20. A system as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

generating first code for constructing a search box for entering an initial search query in a client that renders the search box, the first code causes a framework for a search results page to be automatically loaded in the client;

generating second code to forwarding the initial search query and metadata that identifies the custom search engine to a search engine that has access to the stored configuration information; and

providing the first code and the second code.