Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for improving efficiency and precision in factual question answering in a search environment. In aspects, the methods and systems involve offline identification of answers correlated with one or more factual questions that are generated offline for each document within a document collection. Thereafter, upon receiving a factoid query during runtime, candidate documents that are retrieved in response to the factoid query are scanned for a factual question that matches the factoid query. For each factual question that matches the factoid query, a corresponding candidate answer can be identified. Thereafter, each candidate answer can be assigned a score that is a function of the number of candidate documents in which the candidate answer was identified and the relevancy of those candidate documents to the factoid query. The candidate answer having the highest score can be provided to the user in response to the factoid query.

Abstract: Architecture that enables search engines to meet user expectations for search results (e.g., questions-answers) by improving on result consistency. This is attained by declining to answer queries when it is known by the system that the system is unable to answer more or equivalently prominent queries in the same query class in a vast majority of cases. To achieve consistency, queries are categorized into classes and then the queries of a specific class are segmented into clusters. The answer density in each cluster is then computed to determine the consistency of that class of queries. Clusters with a relatively low answer density are then suppressed to improve consistency for the user.

Abstract: Architecture that enables search engines to meet user expectations for search results (e.g., questions-answers) by improving on result consistency. This is attained by declining to answer queries when it is known by the system that the system is unable to answer more or equivalently prominent queries in the same query class in a vast majority of cases. To achieve consistency, queries are categorized into classes and then the queries of a specific class are segmented into clusters. The answer density in each cluster is then computed to determine the consistency of that class of queries. Clusters with a relatively low answer density are then suppressed to improve consistency for the user.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for improving efficiency and precision in factual question answering in a search environment. In aspects, the methods and systems involve offline identification of answers correlated with one or more factual questions that are generated offline for each document within a document collection. Thereafter, upon receiving a factoid query during runtime, candidate documents that are retrieved in response to the factoid query are scanned for a factual question that matches the factoid query. For each factual question that matches the factoid query, a corresponding candidate answer can be identified. Thereafter, each candidate answer can be assigned a score that is a function of the number of candidate documents in which the candidate answer was identified and the relevancy of those candidate documents to the factoid query. The candidate answer having the highest score can be provided to the user in response to the factoid query.

Abstract: Architecture that enables an optional display of a longer version of each subsnippet in response to user interactions such as clicking, hovering, or other suitable form of interaction. More specifically, options are provided to display additional text from a search result at the point where a subsnippet (a subsegment in a snippet that is delimited by ellipses) ends. Selecting suitable boundaries for both initial subsnippets and expanded subsnippets enables relevant information to be presented and increased readability.

Abstract: Summaries of entities (e.g., people, places, things, concepts, etc.) may provide additional useful information to user. For example, a search engine may provide a summary of an entity within search results. A category (e.g., “writer”, “politician”, etc.) of the entity that is short and concise may be advantageous to provide within a summary of the entity. The category may allow a user to quickly determine whether the information of the entity relates to the intended entity (e.g., search results of an entity as “a writer” vs. search results of an entity as “a politician”). Potential categories and summary text may be extracted from pre-labeled data. The potential categories and summary text may be intersected to determine a set of candidate categories that may be ranked. An entity category having a desired ranked may be determined as the entity category that describes the entity in a desired way.

Abstract: Architecture that addresses at least the problem of ranking the relevant attributes for a given entity within the context of a structured knowledge base (SKB). The architecture utilizes the attribute, entity type statistics, and the taxonomy of the attributes to consistently and efficiently rank attributes for each and every type of entity in the SKB. Using the SKB, intermediate features are computed, including the importance or popularity each entity type for every entity, inverse document frequency (IDF) computation for each attribute on a global basis, IDF computation for entity types, and the popularity of attributes for each entity type. The intermediate features are aggregated to obtain a final feature set, which can be used in combination with human judgments to train a machine learned classifier model to produce and predict a relevance score for a given entity and each of its attributes. The attributes are ranked for each entity using this score.

Abstract: An ecosystem that enables content providers to decorate search results with interactive content. The searching user can then interact with the content and view the content without leaving the search results page. The content provider sends content and metadata to a content enrichment enabler that transforms the content into an enriched content, and receives back from the enrichment enabler a location identifier which includes information that identifies the provider and the location of the enriched content. The content provider then embeds the identifier in each of the content provider webpages for which such content has been produced. The identifier is indexed by a search engine to identify the interactive content and source thereof for surfacing on a search results page. The search result is decorated with an indicator that the user recognizes as the availability of the enriched content, and uses to access the content via the web page.

Abstract: Architecture that uses content from off-page data sources such as feeds (e.g., yellow pages, coupons, social networks, commerce, etc.) to present additional, relevant information in association with search results. The additional and relevant information is directly relevant to the implicit task the user is trying to accomplish. The architecture includes online and offline mechanisms that identify an entity represented on a web page and look-up information related to that entity in disparate data sources. Relevance heuristics are employed to determine which of the available entity data to show in the caption given the user query, the web page, and the underlying user task (other known information about the user such as geographic location).

Abstract: Architecture that enables an optional display of a longer version of each subsnippet in response to user interactions such as clicking, hovering, or other suitable form of interaction. More specifically, options are provided to display additional text from a search result at the point where a subsnippet (a subsegment in a snippet that is delimited by ellipses) ends. Selecting suitable boundaries for both initial subsnippets and expanded subsnippets enables relevant information to be presented and increased readability.

Abstract: Architecture that inserts one or more label items in search result entries. In addition to the typical search result caption (title, snippet, and link), the architecture includes the label component of one or more of the label items in the result entry. The number and type of label annotations are based on the query. When a particular label item is selected (e.g., hover, mouse click), a presentation component (e.g., expansion object, pop-up window) launches proximate to a label item in response to interaction with the label item and presents additional information from the target webpage. The additional information can include an action and data related to the search result entry and the target webpage. The data can be obtained from a data source other than the target webpage.

Abstract: The present technology is related to identifying, from within a corpus of documents, a subject (e.g., person, location, date, etc.) that is relevant to a topic and that is usable to enhance a topic-describing document. Documents within the corpus of documents share a link structure, such that some documents include hyperlinks that enable navigation to the topic-describing document, and the topic-describing document includes hyperlinks that enable navigation to other documents. Text of documents within the corpus is parsed to identify the subject, and a context of the subject suggests a degree of relevance of the subject to the topic. An enhancement type of the subject is determined, and a version of the topic-describing document is enhanced to include a presentation of the subject.

Abstract: Architecture that enables an optional display of a longer version of each subsnippet in response to user interactions such as clicking, hovering, or other suitable form of interaction. More specifically, options are provided to display additional text from a search result at the point where a subsnippet (a subsegment in a snippet that is delimited by ellipses) ends. Selecting suitable boundaries for both initial subsnippets and expanded subsnippets enables relevant information to be presented and increased readability.

Abstract: Architecture that addresses at least the problem of ranking the relevant attributes for a given entity within the context of a structured knowledge base (SKB). The architecture utilizes the attribute, entity type statistics, and the taxonomy of the attributes to consistently and efficiently rank attributes for each and every type of entity in the SKB. Using the SKB, intermediate features are computed, including the importance or popularity each entity type for every entity, inverse document frequency (IDF) computation for each attribute on a global basis, IDF computation for entity types, and the popularity of attributes for each entity type. The intermediate features are aggregated to obtain a final feature set, which can be used in combination with human judgments to train a machine learned classifier model to produce and predict a relevance score for a given entity and each of its attributes. The attributes are ranked for each entity using this score.

Abstract: An ecosystem that enables content providers to decorate search results with interactive content. The searching user can then interact with the content and view the content without leaving the search results page. The content provider sends content and metadata to a content enrichment enabler that transforms the content into an enriched content, and receives back from the enrichment enabler a location identifier which includes information that identifies the provider and the location of the enriched content. The content provider then embeds the identifier in each of the content provider webpages for which such content has been produced. The identifier is indexed by a search engine to identify the interactive content and source thereof for surfacing on a search results page. The search result is decorated with an indicator that the user recognizes as the availability of the enriched content, and uses to access the content via the web page.

Abstract: Architecture that facilitates the mapping of multimedia topic summaries from one data source, to web search results from another data source. An algorithmic technique is provided that discriminates (selects) between topic summaries that are wanted and not wanted for presentation to the search engine user based on a predetermine set of characteristics or features. Topic summaries are each pre-associated with a topic identifier. A page identifier is extracted from or created for the webpage that is used to match the topic identifiers to the correct webpage. The page identifier is aligned with the topic identifier of the topic summaries to find matches between topic summaries and webpages. Once alignment is completed, the correct topic identifier is inserted into the internal extended representation (e.g., associated with the content header) of every webpage, which enables the subsequent fetch of the topic summaries for display to users.

Abstract: Architecture that enables user interaction in a search engine results page (SERP) with externally hosted content. A control hosted by an external data source is seamlessly embedded within the SERP, and then functions transparently as if the control were an internally hosted control. The architecture includes the capability to trigger the addition of the control to the SERP, embed the control within the SERP, and enable the control to interact with the SERP. To seamlessly embed the external control, a key is created that uniquely identifies the external control. The key is encoded and injected into the web document index. At query time, the key is detected and causes a link to be rendered within the SERP. When the querying user selects on the link, other elements in the SERP are moved aside to make room for the external control.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for coreference resolution in an ambiguity-sensitive natural language processing system. Techniques for integrating reference resolution functionality into a natural language processing system can processes documents to be indexed within an information search and retrieval system. Ambiguity awareness features, as well as ambiguity resolution functionality, can operate in coordination with coreference resolution. Annotation of coreference entities, as well as ambiguous interpretations, can be supported by in-line markup within text content or by external entity maps. Information expressed within documents can be formally organized in terms of facts, or relationships between entities in the text. Expansion can support applying multiple aliases, or ambiguities, to an entity being indexed so that all of the possibly references or interpretations for that entity are captured into the index.

Abstract: Consumers receive module-computed composite reviews that are lively, informative, coherent, and representative of a larger underlying collection of reviews. Representative phrases from reviews are extracted and aggregated into coherent sentences to create the composite review. Clear automatable criteria are provided to define coherence and other qualities, such as representativeness, liveliness, and informativity. Sentence coherence criteria involve syntax, shared vocabulary, phrase connectors, and phrase sentiment polarity, for instance. Phrase representativeness criteria involve review ratings and derived phrase ratings, for instance. Phrase liveliness criteria involve sentiment expression frequency, superlatives, comparatives, degree modifiers, affect activation scores, and affect imagery scores, for instance. Phrase informativity criteria involve product-specific words, review length, and recency, for instance. Prohibited language is filtered out. Composite reviews are automatically distributed, e.g.

Abstract: Answers are provided to users in response to queries as a supplement to any responsive documents. Query formats for entity and attribute combinations are identified. The query formats can be substituted with entity and attribute combinations that have a corresponding attribute value to form a list of answered queries. The attribute value corresponding to an answered query can be provided when a query is received that matches an answered query.