Progressive filtering of search results

• US 8,583,673 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2009
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vaddadi, Phani K, Prasad, Rajeev, Vadlamani, Viswanath, Schoonover, Eric, Tarek, Najm
• Primary Examiner(s): MOSER, BRUCE M
• Application Number:
  US12/542,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20110040776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,548 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/5, 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/999.003, 707/999.005, 707/999.102, 707/999.107, 707/603, 707/754, 707/759, 707/766, 707/768, 707/713, 706/45, 706/55, 706/58, 715/202, 715/210
• US Class Current: 707/766
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3326 using relevance feedback from the user, e.g. relevance feedback on documents, documents sets, document terms or passages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/36 Creation of semantic tools, e.g. ontology or thesauri

Abstract

Review and filtering of search results is facilitated by providing additional types of results beyond links to existing documents can be provided in addition to or in place of links to existing documents. These additional results can facilitate modifying a search request to filter out unwanted documents. The additional results, when in the form of content display objects and/or application display objects, can also provide the user with varying levels of information detail. In some preferred embodiments, an ontology based knowledge base can be leveraged in order to facilitate providing and filtering the results.

Claims

1. A method for filtering search results comprising:

displaying a plurality of content items, the content items including one or more content display objects corresponding to a search query, one or more primary content category objects corresponding to the search query, and one or more secondary content category objects;

receiving a selection of a content item;

modifying the search query based on the selected content item; and

displaying a second plurality of content items, including at least one second content display object corresponding to the modified search query that is different from the one or more content display objects, and at least one additional content category object different from the one or more primary content category object and one or more secondary content category objects,

wherein a content display object is associated with a plurality of formats for displaying information, the plurality of formats being associated with the content display object prior to receiving the search query, the plurality of formats associated with a content display object being based on content types of the information provided by the content display object;

wherein the one or more content category objects and the one or more secondary category objects are displayed as nodes in a graph navigation display of content categories.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of content items further comprises one or more application display objects.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected content item is a content category object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the selected content category object is displayed as a primary content category object in the second plurality of content items.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the category display objects and content category objects correspond to ontology-based categories.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the search query comprises adding a term to the search query based on the selected content item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the search query comprises removing one or more terms from the search query.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises preparing the one or more content display objects after receiving the search query, the preparation of the content display objects comprising:

obtaining information to be presented within the content display object;

formatting the obtained information using at least one format or application selected from the plurality of formats or applications associated with the content display object;

displaying the formatted information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein formatting the obtained information comprises incorporating the information into an application for displaying the information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected content item is a content display object, the selection of the content display object and the modification of the search query comprising:

receiving a selection of one of a plurality of content display objects;

displaying a plurality of information levels corresponding to the selected content display object;

receiving a selection of an information level within the selected content display object; and

modifying the search query based on the selected information level.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the selected information level is different than an information level displayed as part of the content display object prior to selection of the content display object.

12. A method for filtering search results, comprising:

displaying a plurality of content items, the content items including one or more content display objects corresponding to a search query, one or more primary content category objects corresponding to the search query, and one or more secondary content category objects;

receiving a selection of a content display object;

modifying the search query based on the selected content display object;

processing the modified search query to extract one or more objects or attributes from the modified search query;

analyzing the objects or attributes from the modified search query utilizing a knowledge base to determine knowledge content relevant to the one or more extracted objects or attributes of the modified search query; and

displaying a second plurality of content items, including at least one second content display object corresponding to the modified search query that is different from the one or more content display objects, and at least one additional content category object different from the one or more primary content category object and one or more secondary content category objects,

wherein a content display object is associated with a plurality of formats for displaying information, the plurality of formats being associated with the content display object prior to receiving the search query, the plurality of formats associated with a content display object being based on content types of the information provided by the content display object;

wherein the one or more content category objects and the one or more secondary category objects are displayed as nodes in a graph navigation display of content categories.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the knowledge base includes a knowledge content database, and wherein the knowledge content database comprises at least a content graph, a social graph, a user activity graph, and temporal data relating to each of the content graph, the social graph and the user activity graph.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein analyzing the objects and/or attributes from the information request utilizing a knowledge base to determine knowledge content relevant to the one or more extracted objects or attributes of the received information request includes applying at least one ontology to the extracted objects and/or attributes.

15. A system for displaying content to a user, comprising:

a processor and associated memory containing computer executable instructions that when executed by the processor provide a system comprising;

a content retrieval manager for retrieving information for display in a content display object and identifying one or more formats associated with the content display object, the one or more formats being identified prior to retrieving the information;

a display object library for storing application display objects and content display objects;

a parser for matching application display objects, content display objects, and content categories to a search query; and

a display manager for presenting at least one of content display objects, application display objects, and content categories, wherein the display manager presents a content display object by formatting information retrieved by the content retrieval manager using at least one format identified as associated with the presented content display object, the at least one format being selected based on a content type of the retrieved information;

wherein the one or more content category objects and the one or more secondary category objects are displayed as nodes in a graph navigation display of content categories.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the display manager presents content categories as nodes in a node network.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the parser comprises an analyzer for extracting one or more objects or attributes from a search query.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the display manager presents a results display including a plurality of content display objects, a plurality of application display objects, at least one content category node network, and a plurality of links to existing documents.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the display manager further displays a plurality of content category node networks, including one content category node network with nodes that modify the search query upon selection of the node.