Abstract: Techniques are presented for producing demographics, in an automated fashion, from a search result of computer-accessible content. While the demographics can be determined for a research product that has been produced by any technique, they are particularly useful when applied to an automated frame-based search approach. Frame-based search engines are presented for technology profiling, healthcare-related search and brand research. Determination of a demographic proceeds at two levels: member and population. At the member level, a demographic characteristic can be determined applicable with either total or partial certainty. Each value assigned by a demographic, to a population member, has a confidence level associated with it and the assignments can be represented by a Confidence Distribution. Summarization of a demographic, at the population level, depends upon whether the certainty assignments, at the member level, are total or partial. Declarant Demographics are presented.

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.

Abstract: A code evaluation tool greatly reduces time, cost, and other resource expenditures needed to validate that an application implements desired functionality. The tool is a search, navigation and visualization tool that accepts high-level processing concepts as inputs to identify, rank, and return the code of a recommended application. A software developer may use the tool to validate that functional requirements are met by the recommended application. The tool provides an efficient way to improve the evaluation of application logic to validate that the application meets specified functional requirement and implements the desired high-level processing concepts.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for refining search results. In one aspect, a method includes presenting search results that are responsive to a search query on a search engine results page and each search result includes a snippet. The method also include receiving a refinement to the search query through the search engine results page and generating a request to update one or more of the snippets based on the refinement. The method also includes receiving one or more updated snippets in response to the request and updating one or more of the search results presented on the search engine results page using the one or more updated snippets.

Abstract: A search technology generates recommendations with minimal user data and participation, and provides better interpretation of user data, such as popularity, thus obtaining breadth and quality in recommendations. It is sensitive to the semantic content of natural language terms and lets users briefly describe the intended recipient (i.e., interests, eccentricities, previously successful gifts). Based on that input, the recommendation software system and method determines the meaning of the entered terms and creatively discover connections to gift recommendations from the vast array of possibilities. The user may then make a selection from these recommendations. The search/recommendation engine allows the user to find gifts through connections that are not limited to previously available information on the Internet. Thus, interests can be connected to buying behavior by relating terms to respective items.

Abstract: A code search tool greatly reduces time, cost, and other resource expenditures associated with implementing a new application. The tool is a search, navigation and visualization tool that accepts high-level processing concepts as inputs to identify, rank, and return the code of relevant existing applications. A software developer may use the relevant applications to rapidly build prototypes, identify requirements, and develop new applications. The tool provides an efficient way to improve the reuse of application logic to realize the high-level processing concepts, and more efficiently deliver proof of concept.

Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatus, including computer program products, for expanding search queries. One method includes receiving a search query, selecting a synonym of a term in the search query based on a context of occurrence of the term in the received search query, the synonym having been derived from statistical machine translation of the term, and expanding the received search query with the synonym and using the expanded search query to search a collection of documents. Alternatively, another method includes receiving a request to search a corpus of documents, the request specifying a search query, using statistical machine translation to translate the specified search query into an expanded search query, the specified search query and the expanded search query being in the same natural language, and in response to the request, using the expanded search query to search a collection of documents.

Abstract: Various embodiments enable audio data, such as music data, to be captured, by a device, from a background environment and processed to formulate a query that can then be transmitted to a content recognition service. In one or more embodiments, multiple queries are transmitted to the content recognition service. In at least some embodiments, subsequent queries can progressively incorporate previous queries plus additional data that is captured. In one or more embodiments, responsive to receiving the query, the content recognition service can employ a multi-stage matching technique to identify content items responding to the query. This matching technique can be employed as queries are progressively received.

Abstract: A system (200) and method (500) are provided for storing communication session data and geolocation information derived from a wireless mobile communications system (210). A record of data for each communication session taking place in at least one geographical region of the mobile radio communications network (210) is stored (510) in a first storage area (220). Each record of data is accessed (520), and a subset of the data for each communication session is stored (530) in a second storage area (250). Geo-location information is derived (540) for each communication session, and stored in the second storage area (250) The method and system may allow much more rapid access to subsets of data, and if necessary to the original records.

Abstract: Two methods for measuring keyword-document relevance are described. The methods receive a keyword and a document as input and output a probability value for the keyword. The first method is a similarity-based approach which uses techniques for measuring similarity between two short-text segments to measure relevance between the keyword and the document. The second method is a regression-based approach based on an assumption that if an out-of-document phrase (the keyword) is semantically similar to an in-document phrase, then relevance scores of the in and out-of document phrases should be close to each other.

Abstract: In various exemplary embodiments, a system and associated method to predict search results in an electronic environment is disclosed. The system architecture comprises a communications module to receive a query from a remote end-user where the query includes one or more characters contained within a first single communications packet. A query engine is coupled to the communications module. The query engine uses the one or more characters from the query to predictively match keywords contained within a data structure (e.g., a database) and forms a response from the one or more characters. The response is transmitted back to the end-user within a second single TCP communications packet.

Abstract: Effective color-aware search of a collection of content associated with one or more images is enabled. Content and/or its associated images may be automatically associated with representative palette colors in a suite of color palettes. Color palettes may be of a variety of types and have a hierarchical structure in which lower levels enable increasingly subtle distinctions between shades of color. Color palette hierarchies may be effectively presented, and appropriate portions emphasized based on associated search result sets. Search result sets may be refined and/or reordered in accordance with color palette selections and/or representative confidences of color palette selections for items at least referenced therein.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises, by a computer system, receiving a search term, determining a search constraint for a search query, and generating a search query. The search query includes the search term and the search constraint. The search query requires that at least a first number of search results that are returned in response to the search query match both the search term and the search constraint. The search query permits at least a second number of the search results to match only the search term. The computer system provides the search query for a search against a store of data.

Abstract: Embodiments include generating data models that may give semantic meaning for unstructured or structured data that may include data generated and/or received by search engines, including a time series engine. A method includes generating a data model for data stored in a repository. Generating the data model includes generating an initial query string, executing the initial query string on the data, generating an initial result set based on the initial query string being executed on the data, determining one or more candidate fields from one or results of the initial result set, generating a candidate data model based on the one or more candidate fields, iteratively modifying the candidate data model until the candidate data model models the data, and using the candidate data model as the data model.

Abstract: Access to a data element stored within a database object is controlled. A request is received from a user to perform an operation in relation to the database object, the operation including retrieval of information from the data element of the database object. Prior to retrieving information from the data element, a determination is made whether at least a portion of the information from the data element is subject to masking in accordance with an access policy. In response to determining that information from the data element is subject to masking, the request is modified to require that information from the data element be retrieved in a masked condition.

Abstract: A server system receives a visual query and identifies an entity in the visual query. The server system further identifies a client-side action corresponding to the identified entity and creates an actionable search result element configured to launch the client-side action. Examples of actionable search result elements are buttons to initiate a telephone call, to initiate email message, to map an address, to make a restaurant reservation, and to provide an option to purchase a product. The entity identified in the visual query may be indirectly associated with a client-side action whose contact address or appropriate link is found in a search result associated with the identified entity. The client system receives and displays the actionable search result element, and upon a user selection of the actionable search result element, launches the client-side action in an application distinct from the visual query client application.

Abstract: This invention relates to an advertisement machine which provides advertisements to a user searching for desired information within a data network. The machine receives, from a user, a search request including a search argument corresponding to the desired information and searches, based upon the received search argument, a first database having data network related information to generate search results. It also correlates the received search argument to a particular advertisement in a second database having advertisement related information. The search results together with the particular advertisement are provided by the machine to the user.

Abstract: A method that comprises receiving a logical execution plan for a database query corresponding to a plurality of tables of the database, wherein the logical execution plan comprises one or more operators, receiving an operator cost for each of the operators in the logical execution plan, computing a first accumulated processing cost for a first of the tables based on the logical execution plan, operator selectivity, and operator costs corresponding to the first table, computing a second accumulated processing cost for a second of the tables based on the logical execution plan, operator selectivity, and operator costs corresponding to the second table, comparing the first accumulated processing cost and the second accumulated processing cost to determine a table with the highest accumulated processing cost, and responsive to comparing the accumulated processing costs, computing a physical execution plan that requires partitioning the table with the highest accumulated processing cost.

Abstract: The present invention provides a methodology and system for efficiently performing travel reservation queries and presenting significant search results to a user. A travel reservation search engine constructs a first query from one or more constraints. The first query has a threshold probability of returning a first set of search results that will lead to the purchase of a travel reservation. Additionally, if determined necessary by the search engine a second query is constructed from one or more constraints. The second query returns a second set of search results.

Abstract: Query suggestions are generated based on a Breadth-First-Search having a configurable decaying radius. A computer system receives an initial set of semantically similar queries. The computer system expands the set to include related terms. The set of related terms is included in the initial set. The expansion process is repeated for each query or related term in the set. The radius may be reduced for each subsequent related term added to the query. The process may stop when the radius reaches a specified threshold, e.g., a predetermined number of queries or terms for the set is reached. The set includes the related terms and search queries. The set may be used for, among other things, suggesting related terms to a researcher, improving search engine performance, or selecting appropriate advertisements.

Abstract: Systems, methods and computer-storage media are provided for identifying low-match search queries and determining comparable item matches to suggest to the user in response to a low-match query. “Low-match queries” are queries for which an insufficient number of exact item matches are available. In embodiments, exact and/or comparable item matches may be determined via semantic analysis. Also provided are systems, methods and computer-storage media for informing the user, by way of a presented indicator, or the like, that a presented item was selected for presentation based upon a similarity metric rather than being determined an exact match for the input query.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and computer program product for determining entity relationship information for identity records to add to an entity database. For each selected identity record of a plurality of identity records, an individual query on selected attribute values of the selected identity record is applied against at least one set of entity records to determine a candidate list of the entity records in the at least one set determined to be related to the selected identity record based on the selected attribute values of the selected identity record. Entity relationship information on entity records from the candidate list that are determined to be related to the selected identity record are stored in the entity database.

Abstract: A system includes a document corpus containing structured documents, which contain both text and annotations of the text. The system also includes a search engine which is adapted to perform structured searches of the structured documents. As new types of annotations are added to the system, the search engine is updated automatically to become capable of performing structured searches for the new types of annotations. For example, if a new natural language processing (NLP) component, adapted to generate annotations of a new type, is added to the system, then the system automatically updates a query language to include a definition of the new type of annotation. The search engine may then immediately be capable of processing structured queries which refer to the new type of annotation.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for evaluating a query term reordering rule. In one aspect, a method includes accessing query log data that identifies, for an initial search query, two or more query terms that are included in a particular order in the initial search query, search results that were generated using the initial search query, and a particular search result selected by the user. A determination is made, using the query log data, that the particular search result includes the two or more query terms in a different order than the particular order in which the two or more query terms are ordered in the initial search query. In response to this determination, a click count is incremented for a query term reordering rule associated with the two or more query terms.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining query suggestions based upon content items are provided. Content items may include, without limitation, a search query result item, e.g., displayed on a search results web page, an advertisement, and a query-based query suggestion. Once determined content-item-based query suggestions are presented to the user. If desired, such presentation may be dynamically exposed in response to a user action, for instance, in response to a user hovering over a portion of the associated content item for at least a predetermined period of time.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for providing answer box functionality to a third party search engine. In one aspect, a method includes receiving, by a search engine, a search query, generating one or more search results that are responsive to the search query, generating an answer box request based on the search query, transmitting the answer box request to another search engine, receiving, in response to the answer box request, an answer box result from the other search engine, generating a search engine results page that includes one or more of the search results, and that includes an answer box that references information included in the answer box result, and providing the search engine results page.

Abstract: Embodiments include methods, systems and computer program products a for offloading multiple processing operations to an accelerator includes receiving, by a processing device, a database query from an application. The method also includes performing analysis on the database query and selecting an accelerator template from a plurality of accelerator templates based on the analysis of the database query. The method further includes transmitting an indication of the accelerator template to the accelerator and executing at least a portion of the database query on the accelerator.

Abstract: A method and system for improving access to network content are described. Aspects of the disclosure minimize the delay between a navigation event and a network response by prerendering the next navigation event. For example, the method and system may predict a likely next uniform resource locator during web browsing to preemptively request content from the network before the user selects the corresponding link on a web page. The prediction operation may use a current location of a computing device to identify a set of browsing habits associated with that location. The browsing habits may be used to identify a most likely navigation event for prerendering. The methods and systems describe a variety of manners for prerendering content and managing and configuring prerendering operations.

Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to use of path-constrained random walks for query expansion and/or query document matching. Clickthrough data from search logs is represented as a labeled and directed graph. Path-constrained random walks are executed over the graph based upon an input query. The graph includes a first set of nodes that represent queries included in the clickthrough data from search logs, a second set of nodes that represent documents included in the clickthrough data from the search logs, a third set of nodes that represent words from the queries and the documents, and edges between nodes that represent relationships between queries, documents, and words. The path-constrained random walks include traversals over edges of the graph between nodes. Further, a score for a relationship between a target node and a source node representative of the input query is computed based at least in part upon the path-constrained random walks.

Abstract: Query generation for searchable content is provided. In some embodiments, query generation for searchable content includes receiving searchable content (e.g., the searchable content can include a unique identifier for the searchable content, such as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for a web site, and the web site can include one or more web pages); and generating a set of queries, the set of queries including one or more queries (e.g., the set of queries can include ranked queries) that are relevant to the searchable content.

Abstract: System, method, and computer program product to intelligently utilize non-matching weighted objects, by determining that a sort sequence of a query does not match a sort sequence of a shared weight object of a database, modifying the query based on the sort sequence of the query, and executing the modified query to obtain a result set, wherein the result set does not include a set of rows that would have been returned using the shared weight object to process the unmodified query.

Abstract: A method and a system for searching for information using an electronic device, such as a consumer electronic device, that can be connected to a network. Such searching for information involves determining a context for a search for information, forming a search query based on the context of search for information, and performing a contextual search based on the search query. Performing the contextual search further includes performing a query refinement.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving a search query from a user, accessing a user model that is specific to the user and that includes one or more n-grams, one or more terms of the n-grams being associated with one or more annotations, the annotations indicating at least one context in which each of the one or more terms have been used, annotating one or more terms in the search query to provide an annotated search query, annotations being provided from user model, and receiving search results that are responsive to the annotated search query.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating search results including searching by subdomain and providing sponsored results by subdomain is provided. A search system according to embodiments of the present invention analyzes search queries to determine if they are to be routed to subdomains and presents results include sponsored hits sponsored on a subdomain by subdomain basis.

Abstract: A location associated with a user of a computing device and a prefix portion of an input string may be received as one or more successive characters of the input string are provided by the user via the computing device. A list of suggested items may be obtained based on a function of respective recommendation indicators and proximities of the items to the location in response to receiving the prefix portion, and based on partially traversing a character string search structure having a plurality of non-terminal nodes augmented with bound indicators associated with spatial regions. The list of suggested items and descriptive information associated with each suggested item may be returned to the user, in response to receiving the prefix portion, for rendering an image illustrating indicators associated with the list in a manner relative to the location, as the user provides each successive character of the input string.

Abstract: A system and method for method for performing a web search by a search engine for content including: providing a first search results page to a user in response to a search query; providing an interface for submission of an input action representing a search command, wherein the interface is associated with the search results page; receiving the input action; reformulating the search query to incorporate the search command represented by the input action; and providing a second search results page to the user in response to the reformulated search query.

Abstract: Techniques are provided through which query associations are made between initial queries and corresponding query modifications to the initial queries previously made. Each query modification is made with respect to a searchable source. Based on these query associations, modified queries are generated on a per-source basis. Query associations may be stored on a per user or per community basis, where a community can include many users. Frequently used query modifications may be stored as templates.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention enable processing of concept-based query requests submitted to a query service within a healthcare transaction framework. In embodiments, a terminology service within the healthcare transaction framework manages terminology content (concepts represented by a set of terminologies). In embodiments, search criteria from a data access query request are submitted to the terminology service to extract a set of concepts from the terminology content that are associated with the search criteria. In embodiments, equivalence search criteria include a seed concept, and the terminology service returns a set of equivalent concepts comprising the seed concept. In embodiments, classification search criteria include a classification identifier, and the terminology service returns a set of concepts associated with the classification identifier. In embodiments, the query service generates and submits a data access query comprising predicates associated with the returned set of concepts.

Abstract: An approach is provided that search unstructured data sources with a search engine using initial search terms. Search hits received from the search engine are gathered and possible search terms are retrieved from the search hits. Entities are extracted from the search hits where the entities correspond to the extracted terms. The extracted entities and terms that are extracted are used to query structured data sources, such as tables in a relational database. Query results are then received from the queries performed on the structured data sources. These query results are used to further search the unstructured data sources to again receive search hits from which terms and entities are extracted. Search hits and the extracted entities are stored in a results data store for analysis.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for identifying synonyms. One method includes receiving a query containing a first phrase, identifying one or more first synonym phrases that are synonyms for the first phrase, identifying a new synonym phrase that is a synonym for one of the first synonym phrases, determining that the new phrase is a synonym for the first phrase, and augmenting the query with the new phrase. Another method includes receiving a query including a first compound term having a first subterm, identifying a first synonym for a first subterm, generating a second compound term, wherein the second compound term is the first compound term modified by replacing the first subterm with the first synonym, and augmenting the query with the second compound term.

Abstract: Software for initialized explore-exploit creates a plurality of probability distributions. Each of these probability distributions is generated by inputting a quantitative description of one or more features associated with an image into a regression model that outputs a probability distribution for a measure of engagingness for the image. Each of the images is conceptually related to the other images. The software uses the plurality of probability distributions to initialize a multi-armed bandit model that outputs a serving scheme for each of the images. Then the software serves a plurality of the images on a web page displaying search results, based at least in part on the serving scheme.

Abstract: A method and system for central data querying are provided. A user parameter requesting data is retrieved. A device is determined based upon the user parameter. A query is generated based upon the user parameter. The query is executed in the device to extract the data.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for classifying queries. One of the methods includes the actions of obtaining a collection of search queries; for each query in the collection of search queries, determining whether other queries in the collection of search queries are refinements of the query, wherein the refinements of each query include the query terms and one or more additional terms not found in the query; determining a similarity between query pairs from the collection, wherein the similarity between a query pair is determined using the additional query terms from the refinements of the respective search queries of the query pair; obtaining a classified sample group of search queries using a plurality of category labels; and classifying each other search query of the collection of search queries having one or more refinements.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating query refinements from user preference data. A group of query pairs are obtained. Each query pair includes a first query and a second query. A quality score is determined for each query pair from user preference data for documents responsive to both the first and the second query. A diversity score is determined for each query pair having a quality score satisfying a quality threshold, the diversity score determined from user preference data for documents responsive to the second, but not the first, query. For each query pair having a quality score satisfying the quality threshold and a diversity score satisfying a diversity threshold, the second query of the query pair is associated with the first query of the query pair as a candidate refinement for the first query.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method for extracting Human Generated Lists from an electronic database is described. The system searches for objects of the same class within a context window to identify Human Generated Lists and stores them to an archive. The archive may be used to generate a relationship network. The system generates variable length data vectors to represent the relationships between the objects within each Human Generated List. This relationship network can then be queried to discover relationships between the objects in the Human Generated Lists and to provide related objects as recommendations.

Abstract: Systems and methods to display content are described. In some embodiments, program content is received from a content source. A method identifies product-related metadata associated with the program content where the product-related metadata includes at least one item displayed in the program content. The program content is communicated to a display device for presentation to a user in a first portion of the display device. The product-related metadata is communicated to the display device for presentation to the user in a second portion of the display device.

Abstract: Provided are techniques for providing entities. For a keyword, historical data is used to generate a list of entities, wherein a recommendation score is associated with each of the entities. The entities are ranked based on the recommendation score associated with each of the entities. A drop point that is associated with an entity whose recommendation score is low is determined. One or more additional entities are identified for at least one of the entities having a high recommendation score in the list. The one or more additional entities are inserted above the drop point in the list. The list is stored with the keyword.

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: A method, system and computer program for automatically launching a target application based on characteristics of a selected string of characters in a source application includes the steps of receiving a command resulting from a user's action, selecting a string of characters in a source application; identifying among one or a plurality of predefined regular expressions, a regular expression matching the selected string of character; identifying a predefined data type previously associated with the source application and the regular expression matching the selected string of character; identifying a predefined target application previously associated with the identified data type and the source application; and launching the target application.

Abstract: A speech recognition device includes, a speech recognition section that conducts a search, by speech recognition, on audio data stored in a first memory section to extract word-spoken portions where plural words transferred are each spoken and, of the word-spoken portions extracted, rejects the word-spoken portion for the word designated as a rejecting object; an acquisition section that obtains a derived word of a designated search target word, the derived word being generated in accordance with a derived word generation rule stored in a second memory section or read out from the second memory section; a transfer section that transfers the derived word and the search target word to the speech recognition section, the derived word being set to the outputting object or the rejecting object by the acquisition section; and an output section that outputs the word-spoken portion extracted and not rejected in the search.