Methods and computer readable media for determining a macro-context based on a micro-context of a user search

• US 7,881,981 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2007
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yoogli Incorporated
• Inventors: Hall, Jr., Ronald L., Taylor, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): ALLEN, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US11/745,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20070255735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 705 26- 27, 707600-607
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3344 using natural language analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0613 Third-party assisted
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A data extraction tool is provided for cataloging information in an information source for searching by a user. The tool mines information from the information source and organizes the information, or the locations of that information, within a database. A user may then query the tool for a desired type of information. The tool filters the database to provide a set of pinpoint site locations with information of the type requested in the query. These pinpoint site locations are presented to a user and indexed for future reference. The index of site locations may be updated automatically by the tool. A context system is provided for manually or automatically determining the proper context for a user'"'"'s query. Thus, the data extraction tool provides information with a high probability of relevance to the user. The user obtains the information without expending much effort to refine the search.

Claims

1. A method for extracting information accessible from at least one hosting computer over the Internet, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a computer system executing a plurality of modules, each module of the plurality of modules being executable to instruct the computer system to complete a function corresponding thereto;

mining, by a mining module, information from the Internet to form a database having a hierarchical schema;

receiving, by an input module, text from a user as the exclusive form of user input, wherein the text is descriptive of the information sought;

identifying, by a context selector module, a micro-context comprising a plurality of words corresponding to the information sought by the user, the plurality of words assigned a relative weighting based on information accessed by the user;

acquiring, by the context selector module, a macro-context corresponding to the micro-context;

locating, by a searching module, the information that matches the macro-context in a database; and

presenting, by a presentation module, the information to a user.

2. A method for extracting information accessible from at least one hosting computer over the Internet, the method comprising:

providing a computer system executing a plurality of modules, each module of the plurality of modules being executable to instruct the computer system to complete a function corresponding thereto;

indexing, by an indexing module, information from the Internet to form a database indexed by macro-context, the macro-context characterizing the subject matter of corresponding information;

receiving, by an input module, text from a user, the text being descriptive of information sought by the user;

identifying, by a context selector module, a micro-context comprising a plurality of words corresponding to the information sought by the user, the plurality of words assigned a relative weighting based on information accessed by the user;

acquiring, by the context selector module, a macro-context corresponding to the micro-context;

locating, by a searching module, a subset of information in the database having a macro-context within a specified proximity to the macro-context of corresponding to the text; and

presenting, by a presentation module, the subset of information to the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the acquiring further comprises deriving from the plurality of words the macro-context characterizing the subject matter of the text.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising tracking, by a tracking module, the user'"'"'s navigation through the Internet.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising identifying, by the context selector module, at least one macro-context characterizing content viewed by the user during the navigation.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer executable code configured to perform a method, the method comprising:

mining information from the Internet;

organizing the information;

forming a database having a hierarchical schema corresponding to the organizing;

populating the database with the information;

receiving text from a user, the text corresponding to information sought by the user;

determining a micro-context comprising a plurality of words corresponding to the text received from the user, the plurality of words assigned a relative weighting based on information accessed by the user;

determining a macro-context corresponding to the micro-context;

locating, within the database, a subset of the information corresponding to the macro-context; and

presenting the subset to the user.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising combining relevant words in the text to form the micro-context.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the locating further comprises searching through indices in the database indexed by macro-context.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the macro-context corresponding to the micro-context characterizes the subject matter of the relevant words.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the locating further comprises identifying a least one record within the database having a macro-context within a selected proximity to the macro-context corresponding to the micro-context.