US 9,542,476 B1 · Refining search queries

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for refining search queries. In one implementation, a method includes obtaining a submitted search query, and in response to obtaining the search query: obtaining search results responsive to the search query; selecting a document from a group of documents identified by the search results; generating from a subset of one or more entities associated with the document one or more candidates for refined search queries, including: identifying one or more terms in the search query, where the one or more terms occur in the search query in a particular order relative to each other, and combining the one or more terms with the entity to generate a candidate, where the one or more terms occur in the particular order relative to each other; and identifying one or more of the candidates as being refined search queries for providing with the search results.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a first search query;
obtaining search results referencing a plurality of documents that a search engine has identified as being responsive to the first search query;
computing a respective count of occurrences of each of a plurality of search queries for which a first document, of the plurality of documents, was identified as being responsive;
designating, as entity text strings for the first document, one or more search queries having a respective count that satisfies a threshold;
generating a refined search query having one or more terms from the one or more entity text strings for the first document, including combining (i) one or more terms of the one or more entity text strings for the first document with (ii) one or more terms of the first search query;
and
providing the refined search query having the one or more terms from the one or more entity text strings for the first document in response to receiving the first search query.

4 more elements

A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more non-transitory computer storage media storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
receiving a first search query;
obtaining search results referencing a plurality of documents that a search engine has identified as being responsive to the first search query;
computing a respective count of occurrences of each of a plurality of search queries for which a first document, of the plurality of documents, was identified as being responsive;
designating, as entity text strings for the first document, one or more search queries having a count that satisfies a threshold;
generating a refined search query having one or more terms from the one or more entity text strings for the first document, including combining (i) one or more terms of the one or more entity text strings for the first document with (ii) one or more terms of the first search query;
and
providing the refined search query having the one or more terms from the one or more entity text strings for the first document in response to receiving the first search query.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Refining search queries

Life of this patent

Refining search queries

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21