Abstract: A method of comparing the semantic similarity of two different text phrases in which the grammatical structure of the two different text phrases is analyzed and a keyword set for each of the different text phrases is derived The semantic similarity of the phrases can be determined in accordance with the grammatical structure of the two different text phrases and the contents of the two keyword sets.

Abstract: An electronic document retrieval system is disclosed. It has particular utility to World-Wide Web searching. The system requires webmasters to put forward categories into which the pages on their web-site might sensibly be divided, and to provide a list of those categories together with a list of popular keywords associated with those categories to a global search engine. The global search engine is then able to augment one or more of its search results with links to category-heading pages which most closely relate to the query provided by the user. In this way, a user is able to find the page most relevant to his query more rapidly than has hitherto been possible.

Abstract: Video material is dividing into temporal segments. Each segment is examined to determine whether the soundtrack of the segment contains speech sufficient for analysis and if so, metadata are generated based on analysis of the speech. If not, the segment is analysed by comparing frames thereof with those of stored segments that already have metadata assigned to them. One then assigns to the segment under consideration stored metadata associated with one or more stored segments that are similar.

Abstract: A method of comparing the semantic similarity of two different text phrases in which the grammatical structure of the two different text phrases is analysed and a keyword set for each of the different text phrases is derived The semantic similarity of the phrases can be determined in accordance with the grammatical structure of the two different text phrases and the contents of the two keyword sets.

Abstract: A method of and system for searching for data, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a query from a user; ii) analysing the content of the user query received in step i); iii) presenting one or more selection options to the user based on the results of the analysis performed in step ii); iv) receiving the one or more selections from the user; v) augmenting the query in accordance with the selections received in step iv); vi) searching a data index for terms that match with the augmented query; and vii) returning to the user one or more search results which match the terms of the augmented query.

Abstract: An electronic document retrieval system is disclosed. It has particular utility to World-Wide Web searching. The system requires webmasters to put forward categories into which the pages on their web-site might sensibly be divided, and to provide a list of those categories together with a list of popular keywords associated with those categories to a global search engine. The global search engine is then able to augment one or more of its search results with links to category-heading pages which most closely relate to the query provided by the user. In this way, a user is able to find the page most relevant to his query more rapidly than has hitherto been possible.

Abstract: Video material is dividing into temporal segments. Each segment is examined to determine whether the soundtrack of the segment contains speech sufficient for analysis and if so, metadata are generated based on analysis of the speech. If not, the segment is analysed by comparing frames thereof with those of stored segments that already have metadata assigned to them. One then assigns to the segment under consideration stored metadata associated with one or more stored segments that are similar.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for accessing a relevant information resource in response to a user query. An ontology is provided, defining relationships between a plurality of predefined concepts, and between each of the predefined concepts and one or more predefined context phrases. On receipt of a user query, portions of the received query are compared with the context phrases to identify one or more matching phrases and hence, from the predefined relationships with concepts in the ontology, one or more relevant concepts. Concepts identified in respect of the received user query are used to identify a relevant action using predefined relationships between concepts in the ontology and predefined actions, wherein an action comprises providing access to an information resource.