System and method for performing a search and a browse on a query
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsRaman Chandrasekar, James Charles Finger II, Sally K. Salas, Eric Benjamin Watson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A search and a browse on a single user query is performed. A refined query is selected from the results of the first user query. Thereafter, a list of concepts from a first directory associated with the refined query is obtained. The concepts are defined in a hierarchical relationship with concepts having broader scope being higher in the hierarchy and concepts having a narrower scope being lower in the hierarchy. Additionally, a list of web sites associated with the search concept is obtained from a second directory.
Claims27
A method of locating information sources in a network environment, comprising:
- providing a data structure comprising a plurality of nodes and a plurality of key phrases wherein each node relates to at least one key phrase and wherein each key phrase correspond to at least one web page;
- receiving a query containing at least one search term;
- searching the data structure for key phrases matching the search term;
- providing a link to at least one web page corresponding to the matching key phrases;
- and
- providing a link to at least one node having a relation to at least one key phrase matching the search term whereby a user can browse the link from the node to find web pages related to the node.
A method for locating web sites in a computer network, comprising:
- providing a search term to a search engine;
- receiving a plurality of links to nodes related to the search term wherein each node has a relation to a plurality of web pages;
- receiving a plurality of links to web pages related to the search term;
- whereby a user may select at least one link to a web page to display the related web page and select at least one link to nodes related to the search term to display a plurality of links to web pages related to the nodes.
The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said nodes comprise categories.
A system for locating web sites in a network, comprising:
- A server computer having a directory of nodes wherein at least one node contains a plurality of web sites related to a first concept and a category related to the first concept and wherein the nodes are arranged in a hierarchical order such that a node having a concept narrower than the first concept is lower in the hierarchy and a node having a concept broader than the first concepts is higher in the hierarchy;
- A client computer in communication with the server computer wherein when the client computer communicates a search term related to the at least one node so that the client computer receives the plurality of web pages and the category related to the at least one node.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.