Weighted term ranking for on-line query tool

A computer program product for ranking super-categories used in performing a data query comprising:

• means for establishing a super-category term list for each term appearing, in, one of a super-category and a category of a document to be searched, each element of said super-category term list including terms in the super-category and terms in categories associated with that super-category;
• means for obtaining terms in a data query;
• means for obtaining terms in categories retrieved in response to the data query;
• means for forming a modified query consisting of said terms in the data query and said terms in the categories;
• means for weighting terms of the modified query;
• and
• means for ranking the super-category term lists by applying the modified query to the super-category term lists to determine the most relevant super-category to the data query.

A computer program product for ranking super-categories used in performing a data query comprising:

• machine executable code for establishing a super-category term list for each term appearing in one of a super-category and a category of a document to be searched, each element of said super-category term list including terms in the super-category and terms in categories associated with that super-category;
• machine executable code for obtaining terms in a data query;
• machine executable code for obtaining terms in categories retrieved in response to the data query;
• machine executable code for forming a modified query consisting of said terms in the data query and said terms in the categories;
• machine executable code for weighting terms of the modified query;
• and
• machine executable code for ranking the super-category term lists by applying the modified query to the super-category term lists to determine the most relevant super-category to the data query.