Abstract: Apparatus, systems and methods for contextual query revision are disclosed. A current search query is received during a search session. The current search query includes one or more current search tokens. Potentially inaccurate search tokens are identified from the one or more current search tokens. A possible replacement token is identified based upon the potentially inaccurate search token. A group of related tokens is identified from query logs, and a modified search query is generated if the replacement token is not included in the related tokens.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes a system and method for embedding advertisements associated with names. In some implementations, a method includes receiving a request for an advertisement to embed in a Web page identifying one or more search results. The search results are based, at least in part, on a name of an individual. One or more advertisements associated with the name of the individual are identified.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including systems and computer program products, to provide clustering of users in which users are each represented as a set of elements representing items, e.g., items selected by users using a system. In one aspect, a program operates to obtain a respective interest set for each of multiple users, each interest set representing items in which the respective user expressed interest; for each of the users, to determine k hash values of the respective interest set, wherein the i-th hash value is a minimum value under a corresponding i-th hash function; and to assign each of the multiple users to each of the respective k clusters established for the respective user, the i-th cluster being represented by the i-th hash value. The assignment of each of the users to k clusters is done without regard to the assignment of any of the other users to k clusters.

Abstract: Click logs and query logs are processed to identify statistical search patterns. A search session is compared to the statistical search patterns. Content items responsive to a query of the search session are identified, and a ranking of the content items is adjusted based on the comparison.

Abstract: A system and method for transferring annotations associated with a media file. An annotation associated with a media file is indexed to a first instance of that media file. By comparing features of the two instances, a mapping is created between the first instance of the media file and a second instance of the media file. The annotation can be indexed to the second instance using the mapping between the first and second instances. The annotation can be processed (displayed, stored, or modified) based on the index to the second instance.

Abstract: Among other disclosed subject matter, a computer-implemented method relating to providing content on a page includes receiving information for providing content for an access device in response to a navigation from a first page to a second page. The content is to be included in the second page. The method includes accessing query information stored on the access device, the query information based on a first query that was submitted from the access device to a search provider before navigating to the first page. The method includes providing the content for inclusion in the second page, the content selected using at least the received information and the accessed query information. A computer-implemented method can include recording search query information for a user; retrieving the search query information; and using the search query information to determine content for display to the user.

Abstract: A system and method for transferring annotations associated with a media file. An annotation associated with a media file is indexed to a first instance of that media file. By comparing features of the two instances, a mapping is created between the first instance of the media file and a second instance of the media file. The annotation can be indexed to the second instance using the mapping between the first and second instances. The annotation can be processed (displayed, stored, or modified) based on the index to the second instance.

Abstract: Offer listings can be classified as accessory offers or product offers using a classification operation performed on a corpus of offers. Data from the classification operation can be used to classify received queries as either product or accessory, and to classify results as products or accessories for purposes of presenting a relevant list of results to a user.

Abstract: Two improvements for heaters are disclosed which can be implemented as either apparatus or method. First is a novel flue gas injection system. Second is a novel burner configuration. The improvements can be used alone or together. In the flue gas injection system, flue gas is injected between the burners and the tubes to reduce heat flux on the tubes and shift part of the heat duty from the radiant to the convective section. These approaches work toward increasing the capacity of heaters where we can increase the firing rate in the heater and still keep the tube metal temperature and radiant fluxes within acceptable limits.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for sponsored content targeting. A request for providing sponsored content to be associated with source content provided by a page publisher is received. A source of a referral to the source content is evaluated. Sponsored content is selected based on the evaluation.

Abstract: A system, method and program storage device implementing a method for modeling a data generating process, wherein the modeling comprises observing a data sequence comprising irregularly sampled data, obtaining an observation sequence based on the observed data sequence, assigning a time index sequence to the data sequence, obtaining a hidden state sequence of the data sequence, and decoding the data sequence based on a combination of the time index sequence and the hidden state sequence to model the data sequence. The method further comprises assigning a probability distribution over time stamp values of the observation sequence, wherein the decoding comprises using a Hidden Markov Model. The method further comprises using an expectation maximization methodology to learn the Hidden Markov Model.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and methodology to facilitate machine learning and predictive capabilities in a processing environment. In one aspect of the present invention, a Mutual Information Model is provided to facilitate predictive state determinations in accordance with signal or data analysis, and to mitigate classification error. The model parameters are computed by maximizing a convex combination of the mutual information between hidden states and the observations and the joint likelihood of states and observations in training data. Once the model parameters have been learned, new data can be accurately classified.

Abstract: A system, method and program storage device implementing a method for modeling a data generating process, wherein the modeling comprises observing a data sequence comprising irregularly sampled data, obtaining an observation sequence based on the observed data sequence, assigning a time index sequence to the data sequence, obtaining a hidden state sequence of the data sequence, and decoding the data sequence based on a combination of the time index sequence and the hidden state sequence to model the data sequence. The method further comprises assigning a probability distribution over time stamp values of the observation sequence, wherein the decoding comprises using a Hidden Markov Model. The method further comprises using an expectation maximization methodology to learn the Hidden Markov Model.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes a system and method for tracking responses to advertisements in static images. In some implementations, a method for tracking advertisements includes transmitting a static image for displaying an advertisement in the static Web page in response to at least a request for an advertisement to embed in a static Web page. The advertisement is associated with an advertiser. The actions associated with the embedded ad image are tracked independent of the advertiser.

Abstract: A system generates a text document from a received document image. Metadata elements may be assigned to all or part of the text document by a user or by a template used to generate the text document. The text document and the associated metadata elements may be stored to facilitate subsequent searching and retrieval of the text document or the document image based on contents of the text document and/or its associated metadata elements.

Abstract: A system generates a text document from a received document image. Searchable metadata elements may be assigned to all or part of the text document by a user or by a template used to generate the text document. The text document and the associated metadata elements may be stored to facilitate subsequent searching and retrieval of the text document based on contents of the text document and/or its associated metadata elements.

Abstract: A system and method for transferring annotations associated with a media file. An annotation associated with a media file is indexed to a first instance of that media file. By comparing features of the two instances, a mapping is created between the first instance of the media file and a second instance of the media file. The annotation can be indexed to the second instance using the mapping between the first and second instances. The annotation can be processed (displayed, stored, or modified) based on the index to the second instance.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of managing information is disclosed. The method can include receiving a message from a mobile device configured to connect to a mobile device network (the message including a digital image taken by the mobile device and including information corresponding to words), determining the words from the digital image information using optical character recognition, indexing the digital image based on the words, and storing the digital image for later retrieval of the digital image based on one or more received search terms.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for converting numeric queries into substantially equivalent textual queries are described. In general, the systems and techniques discussed use search query logs to accurately select a most probably mapping for a numeric-to-text conversion. This mapping can occur when a system (e.g., a server-side search system) receives a series of numeric inputs (e.g., from a cell phone keypad) that may correspond to more than one word. For example, a search server may receive input 22737, which corresponds to both the words ACRES and CASES, as part of a query. The server uses current entries in query logs to create mappings for words from the numeric input. If recent queries indicate that the term ACRES is currently more popular than the term CASES, the mapping may match the entry 22737 to the text ACRES.

Abstract: Two improvements for heaters are disclosed which can be implemented as either apparatus or method. First is a novel flue gas injection system. Second is a novel burner configuration. The improvements can be used alone or together. In the flue gas injection system, flue gas is injected between the burners and the tubes to reduce heat flux on the tubes and shift part of the heat duty from the radiant to the convective section. These approaches work toward increasing the capacity of heaters where we can increase the firing rate in the heater and still keep the tube metal temperature and radiant fluxes within acceptable limits.