Fuzzy keyword searching

• US 8,375,053 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2011
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Concert Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Abo Enterprises, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Curtis, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Anh
• Application Number:
  US13/096,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706, 707/709, 707/765, 707/780, 707/E17.014, 707/E17.047, 707/E17.069, 707/791, 707/999.005, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 715/205, 715/234, 715/700, 715/857, 715/858, 706/1, 706/8, 706/52
• US Class Current: 707/780
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A fuzzy, or ambiguous, keyword searching process and systems for implementing the fuzzy keyword searching process are provided. In general, one or more keyword search terms are first identified for a search. Next, a user is enabled to adjust a logical fuzziness, or logical ambiguity, for each of the one or more keyword search terms. As used herein, logical fuzziness of a keyword search term refers to the extent to which associated keywords are considered for the search. In one embodiment, the user may also be enabled to view and adjust keyword associations for each of the keyword search terms. A search is then performed based on the one or more keyword search terms and the logical fuzziness of the one or more keyword search terms, and results of the search are presented to the user.

Claims

1. A method of operation of a computing device comprising:

presenting a keyword search term for a search of content to a user via a display associated with the computing device;

adjusting a logical fuzziness of the keyword search term based on input by the user, the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term corresponding to an extent to which a plurality of associated keywords for the keyword search term are utilized for the search of the content; and

providing visual feedback to the user via the display regarding the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term by controlling a visual fuzziness of the keyword search term presented to the user via the display such that the visual fuzziness of the keyword search term corresponds to the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

performing the search of the content based on the keyword search term and the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term; and

presenting results of the search to the user via the display.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein performing the search of the content comprises performing the search of the content based on the keyword search term and a number of keywords selected from the plurality of associated keywords based on the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the number of keywords selected from the plurality of associated keywords corresponds to the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the number of keywords selected from the plurality of associated keywords increases if the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term is increased by the user and decreases if the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term is decreased by the user.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein:

adjusting the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term comprises setting the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term to one of a plurality of logical fuzziness settings based on input by the user; and

performing the search of the content comprises;

selecting one or more keywords from the plurality of associated keywords that have a degree of association with the keyword search term that is greater than a threshold corresponding to the one of the plurality of logical fuzziness settings assigned to the keyword search term; and

performing the search of the content based on the keyword search term and the one or more keywords selected from the plurality of associated keywords for the keyword search term.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the user to view at least a portion of the plurality of associated keywords for the keyword search term.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein enabling the user to view the at least a portion of the plurality of associated keywords for the keyword search term comprises presenting, to the user, one or more keywords from the plurality of associated keywords that are to be used for the search based on a current setting of the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein enabling the user to view the at least a portion of the plurality of associated keywords for the keyword search term comprises presenting, to the user, all of the plurality of associated keywords.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising adjusting the plurality of associated keywords for the keyword search term based on input from the user.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the keyword search term and the plurality of associated keywords is a media tag and the content searched comprises media content.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the keyword search term and the plurality of associated keywords is one of a group consisting of:

a predefined keyword and a user-defined keyword.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the content is at least one of a group consisting of local content and remote content.

14. A user device comprising:

a) a user interface for receiving input from a user and displaying information to the user; and

b) a control system, associated with the user interface, adapted to;

i) display a keyword search term for a search of content to the user;

ii) adjust a logical fuzziness of the keyword search term based on input by the user, the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term corresponding to an extent to which a plurality of associated keywords for the keyword search term are utilized for the search of the content, wherein the control system is further adapted to;

increase the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term based on the input from the user; and

decrease the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term based on the input from the user; and

iii) control a visual fuzziness of the keyword search term presented to the user via the display such that the visual fuzziness of the keyword search term corresponds to the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term in order to provide visual feedback to the user regarding the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term, wherein the control system is further adapted to;

increase the visual fuzziness of the keyword search term in response to increasing the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term; and

decrease the visual fuzziness of the keyword search term in response to decreasing the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term.

15. A central server system comprising:

a) a communication interface communicatively coupling the central server system to a user device via a network, the user device associated with a user; and

b) a control system, associated with the communication interface, adapted to;

i) effect presentation of a keyword search term for a search of content to the user at the user device;

ii) receive input from the user, via the user device and the communication interface, corresponding to the keyword search term;

iii) adjust a logical fuzziness of the keyword search term based on the input from the user, the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term corresponding to an extent to which a plurality of associated keywords for the keyword search term are utilized for the search of the content, wherein the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term is increased and decreased based on the input of the user; and

iv) provide visual feedback to the user regarding the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term, the visual feedback including a visual fuzziness of the keyword search term, wherein the visual fuzziness is controlled to correspond to the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term, wherein the visual fuzziness of the keyword search term is increased in response to increasing the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term and the visual fuzziness of the keyword search term is decreased in response to decreasing the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software for instructing a controller of a computing device to:

present a keyword search term for a search of content to a user via a display associated with the computing device;

adjust a logical fuzziness of the keyword search term based on input by the user, the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term corresponding to an extent to which a plurality of associated keywords for the keyword search term are utilized for the search of the content; and

provide visual feedback to the user via the display regarding the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term where the visual feedback includes a visual fuzziness of the keyword search term presented to the user via the display and the visual fuzziness is controlled such that the visual fuzziness of the keyword search term corresponds to the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term, wherein adjusting the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term and controlling the visual fuzziness of the keyword search term comprise;

increasing the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term based on the input from the user and increasing the visual fuzziness of the keyword search term in response to increasing the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term; and

decreasing the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term based on the input from the user and decreasing the visual fuzziness of the keyword search term in response to decreasing the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software for instructing a controller of a computing device to:

identify a keyword search term for a search of content;

adjust a logical fuzziness of the keyword search term based on input by a user, the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term corresponding to an extent to which a plurality of associated keywords for the keyword search term are utilized for the search of the content, wherein the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term is increased and decreased based on the input of the user;

allow control of a visual fuzziness of the keyword search term presented to the user via the display such that the visual fuzziness of the keyword search term corresponds to the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term, wherein the visual fuzziness of the keyword search term is increased in response to increasing the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term and the visual fuzziness of the keyword search term is decreased in response to decreasing the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term;

perform the search of the content based on the keyword search term and the logical fuzziness of the keyword search term; and

present results of the search to the user.