System for improving search area selection

• US 6,513,031 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1998
• Issued: 01/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.), Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fries, Karen E., Richter, Jeffrey, Tippett, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/219,271
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/5, 707/4, 707/200
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• 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 method of aiding a user in searching a computer environment includes retrieving a search query from a user, accessing a user profile and selecting a search area based on the search query and the user profile. In other embodiments of the present invention, a method provides for receiving a search query, categorizing at least one term in the search query based on an indexed list of terms derived from pages on a network, and identifying at least one search area based on the category of a search term.

Claims

1. A method of aiding a user in searching a computer environment comprising:

(a) receiving a search query from a user;

(b) generating a clue stream comprised of features based in part on the search query;

(c) providing the clue stream to a support vector machine trained to identify a search goal from a clue stream; and

(d) identifying a search area within the computer environment based on a search goal produced by the support vector machine in response to the clue stream.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a clue stream comprises generating at least one topic from a natural language parse of the search query.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein generating a clue stream further comprises generating at least one topic by comparing the search query to text found in pages on a network.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein generating a clue stream further comprises generating at least one user profile feature.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein generating a clue stream further comprises generating a scope feature based in part on the search query.