Interactive Query Refinement Patents (Class 707/766)
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Patent number: 8572115Abstract: REVISE this to be consistent with the new claim 1 . . . The present disclosure includes a system and method for identifying negative keywords associated with advertisements. In some implementations, a method for advertising includes identifying one or more keywords associated with an advertisement. The keywords used to embed the advertisement in web pages such as those including search results. By identifying, from the plurality of search criterion, a subset of search criterion as being off-topic to the advertisement item, one or more negative keywords may be derived from the subset of off-topic search criterion in order to limit the embedding of non-relevant advertisements in web page content.Type: GrantFiled: June 11, 2012Date of Patent: October 29, 2013Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Carl F. Hubinette
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Publication number: 20130282748Abstract: Individual datasets are accessed using an application programming interface (API). Multiple APIs may be combined into a composite API that allows a user to access multiple datasets using a single query. The composite API may be designed to provide a simpler way to consume information from multiple datasets in response to a particular scenario or problem. The composite API may comprise multiple levels of intermediate APIs that call on each other to access desired datasets. A user may select the datasets that the composite API accesses and/or the composite API may require certain specific datasets. The composite API may be offered for sale or use by other users via a website, such as a data market.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 23, 2012Publication date: October 24, 2013Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Christian Liensberger, Roger Mall, Piotr Milosz Puszkiewicz
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Publication number: 20130282704Abstract: A search system that automatically generates questions to refine an underspecified query. The system may generate questions even for queries against a database that contains unstructured textual descriptions of items, allowing the system to operate on a database of items that can be constructed inexpensively. The system extracts from the unstructured text combinations of words that may serve as a set of attribute values. The system uses a classifier to filter out attribute values from the set that would generate unanswerable questions. The remaining attribute values are ranked on their ability to narrow the search results and the highest ranking attribute value is used to generate a question to the user who submitted the query. The response to the question narrows the search results, and the process can be repeated iteratively until the search results are sufficiently narrow.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 20, 2012Publication date: October 24, 2013Applicant: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Patrick Pantel, Michael Gamon, Hassan Sajjad
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Patent number: 8555182Abstract: A graphical user interface is disclosed for management and easy reorganization of graphical objects displayed over the graphical user interface. The graphical user interface may relate to prioritizing and organizing the results of a database search. The graphical user interface may alternatively relate to prioritizing and organizing graphic objects such as personalized topics on a homepage and formatting icons in a productivity application program, such as a word processing application program, a spreadsheet application program, a presentation application program and a drawing application program.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2006Date of Patent: October 8, 2013Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Robert S. Dietz, Douglas W. Herman
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Patent number: 8549027Abstract: Computer-implemented systems and methods are provided for reducing a number of options presented to a user where the options have characteristics that are arranged in a multi-dimensional hierarchical space. A system and method can be configured to identify common dimensions using dimension nodes in dimensional points and identify compatible nodes for each dimension in the multi-dimensional hierarchical space by determining whether an association exists. Compatible pairs of surviving points are generated after applying each of the compatible nodes from the common dimensions. Greatest lower bounds (GLBs) are computed for each of the generated compatible points, and a set of options is generated comprising points from the generated compatible points and the computed GLBs.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 2009Date of Patent: October 1, 2013Assignee: SAS Institute Inc.Inventors: Zhiyong Li, Rajesh Hotchandani, Austin Patrick Maher
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Patent number: 8542904Abstract: A method of using a document processing system includes receiving a target serial number via an input device communicatively connected to a document processing system and determining if the target serial number exactly matches one of a plurality of stored serial numbers residing in a memory. Each stored serial number is associated with a record. Each record includes customer account identification information that can be used to identify a customer account previously credited for a deposit of a currency bill having the stored serial number. In response to the target serial number not exactly matching any of the stored serial numbers, the method further includes displaying a wildcard search element on a display of the document processing system.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2013Date of Patent: September 24, 2013Assignee: Cummins-Allison Corp.Inventors: Dale E. Beutel, Frank M. Csulits, Douglas U. Mennie, Matthew L. Anderson, Robert J. Klein, Ralf H. Jaeger, David R. Badalamenti
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Publication number: 20130238612Abstract: An approach is provided for determining refined search results for a query. The approach involves processing one or more interactions of a user with one or more content items to cause, at least in part, an accumulation of the one or more interactions of the user. The approach also involves processing the accumulation of the one or more interactions to determine one or more interaction patterns. The approach additionally involves determining one or more user preferences based, at least in part, on the one or more interaction patterns. The approach further involves causing, at least in part, a scope of one or more search results for a query to be based, at least in part, on the one or more user preferences.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 8, 2012Publication date: September 12, 2013Applicant: XEROX CORPORATIONInventors: Jason C. TSONGAS, Matthew O. SCRAFFORD, Daniel A. COCCIA
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Patent number: 8533215Abstract: Information may be associated with geographic locations, and requests for this information may be used to determine future actions. In one example, a search engine returns results that refer to places having physical geographic locations. If imagery of the geographic locations is available, the imagery may be shown to the person who requests the information. If imagery is not available, this unavailability may be treated as a failure. If a number of failures occurs in a geographic area, then resources (e.g., a car with a camera) may be deployed to collect imagery of that area. In another example, knowledge about a geographic concentration of requests might be used to disambiguate a request relating to a larger area (e.g., requests relating to “Minneapolis” might be focused on the area near the I-35 bridge, if data show that many requests in Minneapolis are for the area around that bridge).Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2011Date of Patent: September 10, 2013Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Jason Leslie Szabo, Charles Frankel
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Patent number: 8527533Abstract: A system and method for enabling information providers using a computer network such as the Internet to influence a position for a search listing within a search result list generated by an Internet search engine. The system and method of the present invention provides a database having accounts for the network information providers. Each account contains at least one search listing having at least three components: a description, a search term comprising one or more keywords, and a bid amount. The network information provider may add, delete, or modify a search listing after logging into his or her account via an authentication process. The network information provider influences the position for a search listing through a continuous online competitive bidding process. The bidding process occurs when the network information provider enters a new bid amount, which is preferably a money amount, for a search listing.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2010Date of Patent: September 3, 2013Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Darren J. Davis, Matthew Derer, Johann Garcia, Larry Greco, Tod E. Kurt, Thomas Kwong, Jonathan C. Lee, Ka Luk Lee, Preston Pfarner, Steve Skovran
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Patent number: 8521763Abstract: According to one example embodiment, a computer-based system is provided for collecting, assimilating, and processing large amounts of data to allow journalists to harness wide networks of public sources. The system includes an interactive communication tool, a data-collection analyzer, a public-source database and processor, and a media publication center. The interactive communication tool includes public-directed queries and an input device to collect data provided from the public in response to the public-directed queries, and the collected data is analyzed by the data-collection analyzer. The public-source database and processor stores and retrieves qualified information in response to the interactive communication tool and the data-collection analyzer. The media publication center includes a publicly-accessible interface to disseminate the journalistic pieces that were developed based on the analyzed data.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2006Date of Patent: August 27, 2013Assignee: Minnesota Public RadioInventors: Andrew Haeg, Rajesh Kapur, Maria Montello, Carolyn Parnell, Michael Skoler
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Patent number: 8515931Abstract: Techniques for optimizing a search are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for optimizing search on a Web site comprises: retrieving first search results corresponding to a first search request from a remote data store, causing the first search results to be stored in a local data store, receiving an indication that a portion of the second search results that are to be returned in response to a second search request overlaps with the first search results, causing an overlapped portion of the second search results to be retrieved from the local data store, and retrieving a remaining portion of the second search results from the remote data store. The local data store comprises a database associated with a browser, a trusted frame associated with the Web site, or a trusted script associated with the site and configured to determine the overlap of the first and second search results.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2010Date of Patent: August 20, 2013Assignee: A9.com, Inc.Inventor: Matthew Amacker
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Patent number: 8515984Abstract: A search term suggestion engine of a computing device receives characters of user data as the characters are input. The user data is at least part of a search term to be provided to one of multiple applications to search for the search term. An indication of multiple suggestion sources is received from the one application, and one or more suggested search terms are obtained, from the multiple suggestion sources, based on the received characters. One or more suggested search terms can also be obtained from the multiple suggestion sources based on one or more linguistic alternatives for the received characters. The one or more suggested search terms are combined into a combined set of suggested search terms, and the combined set of suggested search terms is returned to a search user interface for presentation to the user.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2010Date of Patent: August 20, 2013Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Derek S. Gebhard, Marc Wautier, Manav Mishra, Edward Boyle Averett, Brendan D. Elliott, David J. G. Wood, Philip P. Fortier, Andrei T. Aron, Vivekanandan Elangovan, Kwong K. Leung, Arun Gurunathan, Octavio Alfredo Cruz Sanchez, Priya Vaidyanathan
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Patent number: 8510324Abstract: A method is provided for efficiently transferring records related to places of interest between two communicating vehicles in a V2V system without initially having to transfer full text records. A determination is made as to whether information stored in a memory of the vehicle is redundant with the respect to the other vehicle. A query request is transmitted from a first vehicle to a second vehicle containing specifics as to what records the first vehicle is seeking. Data satisfying the query request represented by global unique index numbers is hashed to determine the similarity between the data of the two communicating vehicles. The similarity is used to determine whether a full filtered set of global unique index numbers should be transferred to the second vehicle for determining which records are not duplicate records. Thereafter, the second vehicle wirelessly transmits to the first vehicle the non-overlapping data that satisfies the query request.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2011Date of Patent: August 13, 2013Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Fan Bai, Bo Yu, Donald K. Grimm
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Publication number: 20130204892Abstract: Redirection (“biasing”) architecture that automates the selection of topical terms in a search query, and provides a user-selectable (e.g., clickable) interface which enables the user to quickly and easily re-formulate and execute a new query using terms that return more focused search results. The redirection of search by biasing the terms (strings) can also be performed by indicating that certain results are not interesting to the user. For example, one way using an existing search engine, is to apply a search operator (e.g., a hyphen) to indicate that certain terms must not occur in the search results (negation). Accordingly, by automatically selecting topical terms to negate, constructing a query, and embedding the negation in a link with each results page result, considerable manual and cognitive effort is saved.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 2, 2012Publication date: August 8, 2013Applicant: Microsoft CorporationInventor: Giridhar Kumaran
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Patent number: 8504561Abstract: Techniques are described herein for using intent to access a domain (i.e., domain intent) to provide more search results that correspond to the domain. For example, a rule may specify a maximum number of search results that are allowed to be provided from a domain (or a host that corresponds to the domain) in response to a search query. Each search query may include any number of ngrams. An ngram is a subsequence of elements in a sequence (e.g., a search query). An intent to access a domain may be determined based on one or more of the ngrams in a search query. A number of search results that correspond to a domain may be increased to be greater than the maximum number based on one or more of the ngrams that are included in the search query being associated with the intent to access the domain.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 2011Date of Patent: August 6, 2013Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Timothy C. Hoad, Deepak Vijaywargi, Yatharth Saraf
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Patent number: 8504592Abstract: The system, method and computer readable medium that facilitates selection of a meeting participant, and the creation of a first data structure based on the selected meeting participant. Data may be collected in response to the selection of the meeting participant. A second data structure may be generated for the collected data, and the data in the second data structure may be linked to the first data structure and the selected meeting participant.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2010Date of Patent: August 6, 2013Assignee: SAP AGInventors: Stefan Ehrler, Wolfgang Kuhn, Sibylle Borhauer, Dagmar Becker
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Patent number: 8473507Abstract: Embodiments of tokenized search suggestions include generating, by at least one suggestion engine executing on a data processing system, first suggestions based on first text input in a text input field. The first suggestions are displayed on a display device and a selection of one of the first suggestions is received. The first text input is replaced with a first token corresponding to the selected one of the first suggestions. The at least one suggestion engine generates second suggestions based on second text input in the text input field and filters the second suggestions using the selected one of the first suggestions. The filtered selections are displayed on a display device.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2011Date of Patent: June 25, 2013Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Wayne R. Loofbourrow, Julien Robert, Alexandre Moha, Olivier Bonnet, Simon I. Bovet, Stephen Frederick Decker, Brendan John Langoulant, Julien Jacques Jalon
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Publication number: 20130151546Abstract: Information may be presented to a user by using a first application to receive a character stream of one or more noncompletion characters. The noncompletion characters indicate that additional characters may be received. The character stream is exchanged with a host that analyzes the character stream to generate results that are responsive to the user's predicted interest. Results are received and displayed so that the user may select one of the results to launch a code segment related to the selected result.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 30, 2013Publication date: June 13, 2013Applicant: Facebook, Inc.Inventor: Facebook, Inc.
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Patent number: 8452792Abstract: Techniques for defocusing queries over big datasets and dynamic datasets are provided to broaden search results and incorporate all potentially relevant data and avoid overly narrowing queries. An analytic component can receive queries directed at one region of a dataset and analyze the queries to generate inferences about the queries. The queries can then be defocused by a defocusing component and incorporate a larger dataset than originally searched to broaden the queries. The larger dataset can incorporate all, or a part of the original dataset and can also be disparate from the original dataset. Clusters of queries can also be merged and unified to deal with ‘local minima’ issues and broaden the understanding of the dataset. In other embodiments, dynamic data can be monitored and changes tracked, to ensure that all portions of the dataset are being searched by the queries.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2011Date of Patent: May 28, 2013Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Roger Barga, Alexander Sasha Stojanovic, Henricus Johannes Maria Meijer, Carl Carter-Schwendler, Michael Isard, Savas Parastatidis
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Patent number: 8447775Abstract: A database query user interface combines the user convenience of simple text searching with the expressive refinements of powerful query language. The database query user interface includes a query text string input from a user including one or more terms of a chunk expression language format. The database query user interface further includes a syntactical prompt for constructing a multi-element chunk expression language database query that is syntactically correct and complete and includes the text string input from the user. For example, the syntactical prompt is selected from the database based upon a weighted analysis of database information relating to database elements included in the text string input from the user. A database query formed according to the present user interface may then be persisted or stored as a database query object.Type: GrantFiled: June 13, 2003Date of Patent: May 21, 2013Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: David P. Vronay, Cezary Marcjan, Andrzej Turski, Ryszard Kott
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Patent number: 8442992Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention allow verification of query language by providing a natural language description for the query language. A natural language description is generated for each query component along with selectable text representing the query component. Upon selection of the selectable text, the query component is rendered for editing.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2012Date of Patent: May 14, 2013Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Richard D. Dettinger, Daniel P. Kolz, Richard J. Stevens
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Publication number: 20130110862Abstract: Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to maintain a buffer state in a database query engine are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein includes identifying two or more input tuples associated with a query, identifying two or more output tuples associated with the query, associating the input tuples with a query engine input buffer, associating the output tuples with a query engine output buffer, and maintaining a state of the query engine input buffer and the query engine output buffer in response to executing the query in the database query engine to process the input tuples and the output tuples.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 27, 2011Publication date: May 2, 2013Inventors: Qiming Chen, Meichun Hsu
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Publication number: 20130103676Abstract: A multi-level business process interface associated with an incomplete Web service can be identified. The interface can be created within a user interface (UI) modeling tooling. The Web service can be associated with a business process. An interface specific metadata associated with the process interface can be determined. Service definitions for one or more existing Web service matching a portion of the interface specific metadata can be searched for semantically based on search depth parameters set by a user. A search result responsive to the searching can be returned. The search result can identify one or more existing Web services from a service registry.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2011Publication date: April 25, 2013Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: HUNGTACK KWAN, SHIJU MATHAI
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Patent number: 8429184Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes receiving from a user a first search query consisting of one or more first query terms, and receiving from the user an indication of a desired level of personalization of refinement options for the first search query. Responsively to the first search query, a set of one or more refinement terms is generated at least in part responsively to the indication, and is presented to the user. Responsively to a selection of at least one of the refinement terms by the user, the selected at least one refinement term is added to the first search query to generate a second search query. Search results are presented to the user responsively to the second search query.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2010Date of Patent: April 23, 2013Assignee: Collarity Inc.Inventor: Emil Ismalon
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Publication number: 20130097197Abstract: An approach is provided for presenting search results in an active user interface element at specific location in a user interface that correspond to the desired information with respect to user interface search element. An element of a user interface receiving a search parameter enables processing of the search parameter to yield location information of the desired information. The location or locations of the desired information are then presented to a user on the user interface.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 14, 2011Publication date: April 18, 2013Applicant: NOKIA CORPORATIONInventors: Aaron RINCOVER, Tomasz DOBROWOLSKI, Andrea GIAMMARCHI
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Patent number: 8423567Abstract: Fields in a query result of a query may be classified as numerical, date, or text according to their field type. Depending on the classification of the fields, different fields or functions applied to the fields may added to first dimension, second dimension, and/or filter menus in an interface. A user may make a selection of fields and/or functions from the menus, and additional query terms may be generated and appended to the query. The appended query may then be executed and the results may be displayed in a first and a second dimension of the interface depending on the selections made by the user.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2012Date of Patent: April 16, 2013Assignee: SAP AGInventors: Paul Finneran, Oliver Weiser
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Patent number: 8417802Abstract: A method and computer program product for obtaining a main configuration file from a client electronic device upon the client electronic device being coupled to at least a portion of a media distribution system. The main configuration file defines one or more enhanced functionalities of the client electronic device. The client electronic device is coupled to the at least a portion of the media distribution system using a binary transfer protocol configured to transfer media data from the at least a portion of a media distribution system to a client electronic device.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2012Date of Patent: April 9, 2013Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Robert J. Williams, Jay Jeffrey McLeman
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Publication number: 20130086076Abstract: Techniques are described for refining the manual classification of assets classified or categorized using the terms of a business glossary. A semantic refinement mechanism is used to refine the manual classification of such assets, as well as subsequently evaluate the refined asset classifications. Further, the refined asset classifications may be used as a training set for a machine learning classifier. That is, should the classification of an asset contributing to a refinement change, the refinement based on that classification may be undone, at least in some cases.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2011Publication date: April 4, 2013Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: SUSHAIN PANDIT, CHARLES K. SHANK, CHARLES D. WOLFSON
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Patent number: 8412699Abstract: Methods, systems, apparatus, including computer program products, for providing fresh related search suggestions in response to a user submitted query are presented. In one implementation, a plurality of prior queries are selected wherein each of the prior queries was submitted as a search query a number of times during a recent time period and satisfies a criterion. For each of the prior queries, the prior is selected as a candidate query based on one or more of: a determination that search results responsive to the prior query include a number of news results that satisfy a second threshold, and relevance data indicative of user behavior relative to the search results responsive to the prior query. In response to receiving a user query, one or more candidate queries are selected that match the user query.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2009Date of Patent: April 2, 2013Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Rajat Mukherjee, Abhinandan S. Das, Adam Westall
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Patent number: 8407240Abstract: A system and method capable of obtaining information dynamically of assets residing on a network. The system and method further capable of comparing a device identifier to the dynamically obtained information of assets and policies at a time of a request to access the network and determining whether the device identifier matches at least one of the dynamically obtained information of assets and policies. The system and method further capable of quarantining the device from the network or a portion thereof based upon the determining.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2006Date of Patent: March 26, 2013Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventor: Guy S. Denton
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Patent number: 8402011Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for managing user web browsing information. A web browser-integrated extension provides one or more controls for selecting how the extension stores web browser information collected during a user's browsing session. On a first selection, the extension automatically transmits user-identifiable web browsing information to a first remote storage. On a second selection, the extension automatically transmits anonymous web browsing information to a second remote storage. On a third selection, a transmissions of web browsing information is stopped.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2011Date of Patent: March 19, 2013Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Albert Scott Bodenhamer
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Patent number: 8402046Abstract: A method for multilingual data querying comprises sending one or more words in an original language to a word ontology. The method further comprises receiving sense descriptions of the one or more words from the word ontology, and selecting one or more sense descriptions of the one or more words and a language for querying. The method further comprises translating the one or more sense descriptions into the language for querying, and also translating the one or more sense descriptions back into the original language for verification. The method further comprises selecting at least one of the one or more sense descriptions to use in a query.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2008Date of Patent: March 19, 2013Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventors: Bruce E. Peoples, Brian J. Simpson, Michael R. Johnson
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Patent number: 8392443Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2010Date of Patent: March 5, 2013Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Ori Allon, Ugo Di Girolamo, Tomer Shmiel, Alexandre Petcherski, Tzvika Hartman
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Publication number: 20130041911Abstract: An approach is provided for search services. User-defined search input is received by at least one processor. At least a portion of the user-defined search input is determined, via the at least one processor, as corresponding to at least one functional keyword associated with a type of object to be searched. Classification information is generated to facilitate identification of the at least one functional keyword among at least one other portion of the user-defined search input. Search information is generated about at least one object relating to at least some of the user-defined search input based on at least some of the classification information.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2012Publication date: February 14, 2013Applicant: NHN CorporationInventor: Dong Wook KIM
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Patent number: 8359326Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, in which a first search query in a session is compared to a second search query within the session to determine whether any terms included in the second search query differ from terms in the first search query. If differing search terms are identified in the second search query, the differing search terms can be excluded from bigram analysis with other search terms included in the second query.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2008Date of Patent: January 22, 2013Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Ashutosh Garg, Kedar Dhamdhere
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Publication number: 20130018862Abstract: It is a search process, which combines human inputted filters, emotional ratings and tags, select criteria and selection, identified and unidentified sources, and negative filters, for a community based Intranet and Internet combined search and discovery engine, and database management system. It works though set user generated communities [families, clubs, organizations etc.] individually, or joining together to identify, rate, and trust their own Intranet information, and then the external Internet content. Through human participation content is catalogued, and prioritized according to group needs. This brings the emphasis on to human judgement for the end search results.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 13, 2011Publication date: January 17, 2013Inventor: Jean Alexandera Munemann
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Patent number: 8356047Abstract: A method, system and computer program product is disclosed for intelligent data mining. The method comprises receiving an event from an application, assigning property weights to properties of the event, and building a query from these properties based on the property weights. The method further comprises assigning search engine weights to a group of search engines, selecting at least some of the search engines based on the search engine weights, and sending the built query to the selected search engines. Results from the selected search engines are stored in a knowledge repository and used to adjust the property weights and the search engine weights. The invention may be used to provide an analysis with information about a problem, and to manage a solutions database which can be used for problem determination. The invention provides a low cost solution for collecting relevant information from online sources.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2009Date of Patent: January 15, 2013Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Hariharan L. Narayanan, Arun Ramakrishnan, Krishna C. Shastry, Rohit Shetty
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Patent number: 8356096Abstract: The APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR A REAL-TIME MULTI-HOP ROUTE REPORTER (“REPORTER”) facilitates generation and provision of relevant and descriptive network performance reports that are efficient, economical and useful to executives, managers and other non-IT professionals and/or personnel. The REPORTER may be implemented as a multi-tiered web application that may collect, analyze and update database records which facilitate generation of the descriptive report. The REPORTER may include facilities for establishing correlations between various devices in the same network in order to evaluate and report the network performance.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 2010Date of Patent: January 15, 2013Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.Inventor: Marc Evens Gracieux
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Publication number: 20130013629Abstract: As a user navigates a web site, a system can formulate or allow the user to formulate a query. The system can automatically expand the query to include additional keywords that were not present in the original query. The system can search a database using the expanded query to identify a set of information objects, each having at least one keyword that is present in the expanded query. The database may include a plurality of database tables, each describing a keyword hierarchy. A hierarchy may correspond to a subject matter category addressed by the information object. Another hierarchy may correspond to a project phase addressed by the information object. Still another hierarchy may correspond to the role or intended audience of the information object. The set of information objects thus identified can be displayed on a client computer where the user can see the results.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 14, 2012Publication date: January 10, 2013Inventors: Jefferson M. Kommers, David Freed, Damien Paul Kennedy
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Patent number: 8346795Abstract: A system and method are provided for refining a user's query. An entity index, generated from a corpus of text documents, is provided. The entity index includes a set of entity structures, each including a plurality of terms. Each of the terms of an entity structure is a feature of the same entity. Entity structures can be retrieved from the entity index which match at least a portion of the user's query. Clusters of the retrieved entity structures are identified which have at least one of their terms in common. A cluster hierarchy is generated from the identified clusters in which nodes of the hierarchy are defined by one or more of the terms of the retrieved entity structures. At least a portion of the cluster hierarchy is presented to the user for facilitating refinement of the user's query through user selection of a node which, when formulated as a search, retrieves one or more responsive documents from the corpus of documents.Type: GrantFiled: March 10, 2010Date of Patent: January 1, 2013Assignee: Xerox CorporationInventors: Frederic Roulland, Stefania Castellani, Antonietta Grasso, Caroline Brun
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Patent number: 8346801Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to a method for video retrieval by providing a first audio video file, determining a first identifier of a first piece of music in the first audio video file, looking up for the first identifier first meta data in a music database, in which said first meta data are associated with said first identifier, providing second meta data of a second piece of music from the music database. The second piece of music is included in a second audio video file. Further the method is conducted by determining a similarity measure by comparing the first and second meta data, and providing the second audio video file or an identifier thereof depending on the similarity measure. Further embodiments relate to a server, a user device and a system and a computer program product for video retrieval.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 2010Date of Patent: January 1, 2013Assignee: Sony CorporationInventors: Wilhelm Hagg, Jana Eggink, Thomas Kemp, Franck Giron, Javier Alonso Garcia
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Patent number: 8341175Abstract: Architecture for enabling a user to automatically recover documents and other information associated with work contexts and recover documents and other information artifacts associated with a specific project. The architecture enables monitoring and recording of activity information related to user interactions with information artifacts pertaining to a particular work context. The user can select a document having a portion of work content (e.g., a term or other type of reference item in a document) related to the work context. A lexical analysis is performed on the activity information and the reference item to identify lexical similarities. A list of candidate items (e.g., related documents) is inferred from the information artifacts based on the lexical similarities. The candidate items related to the work context are presented to the user, who can select specific items to reestablish the work context.Type: GrantFiled: September 16, 2009Date of Patent: December 25, 2012Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: George Perantatos, Kuldeep Kamawat, John S. Wana
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Publication number: 20120323950Abstract: Systems and methods for providing and utilizing a query formulation service are described herein. In accordance with certain embodiments, an application is configured to obtain data from a target data source by interacting with a data service that makes data from a plurality of data sources available, each data source supporting a different method of query formulation. To obtain data from the target data source, the application requests a query formulation user interface (UI) associated with the target data source from a query formulation service and embeds the requested query formulation UI when it is received from the query formulation service. A user of the application then interacts with the embedded query formulation UI to formulate a query that is suitable for obtaining data from the target data source and the application sends the query to the data service for execution against the target data source.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 16, 2011Publication date: December 20, 2012Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: Adam D. Wilson, Christian Liensberger
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Publication number: 20120323948Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods, and computer-storage media for a method of contextually analyzing terms within a search query. In one embodiment, a received search query is classified into a domain category. Additionally, information is assigned to a schema associated with the domain by analyzing the search query. Further, at least one search result that helps a user complete a task within the domain is provided based on the information in the schema.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 16, 2011Publication date: December 20, 2012Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATIONInventors: SHIPENG LI, YE-YI WANG, XIAOCHUAN NI, JIAN-TAO SUN, ZHENG CHEN, ZHIMIN ZHANG, XIAOLONG LI, XUEDONG HUANG, LI JIANG
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Patent number: 8326826Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for identifying navigational resources for queries. In an aspect, a candidate query in a query sequence is selected, and a revised query subsequent to the candidate query in the query sequence is selected. If a quality score for the revised query is greater than a quality score threshold and a navigation score for the revised query is greater than a navigation score threshold, then a navigational resource for the revised query is identified and associated with the candidate query. The association specifies the navigational resource as being relevant to the candidate query in a search operation.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2009Date of Patent: December 4, 2012Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Trystan Upstill, Henele I. Adams, Eric Lehman, Neesha Subramaniam, Wensi Xi, Sundeep Tirumalareddy
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Patent number: 8326858Abstract: A computer-implemented method for coordinating web-based content between networked computing devices is disclosed. The method includes associating an identifier with a first remote device without connecting the identifier to a registered user account, receiving from the first remote device a request to modify a web page, receiving a log-in from a registered user and associating the log-in with the first remote device after receiving the request to modify a first personalized web page, and associating the request to modify a web page with a first personalized home page associated with the registered user, and modifying the first personalized home page.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2007Date of Patent: December 4, 2012Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Scott Jenson, Leland Rechis, Yael Shacham
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Patent number: 8326861Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for personalized term importance evaluation in natural language queries are disclosed. The personalized term importance evaluation utilizes a personalized profile tree constructed using search history associated with a user. The personalized profile tree is a hierarchy of nodes representing categories of information that the user has previously searched or selected from search results. When a search query is received from the user, each term and phrase in the search query is compared against the nodes in the personalized profile tree, and an importance score is given to the search term or phrase based on the depth of a matching node in the tree, and a child count for the matching node. An alternative query can be generated from a subset of the search terms that have respective importance scores exceeding a predetermined threshold.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2010Date of Patent: December 4, 2012Assignee: Google Inc.Inventors: Alex Ainslie, Nan Li
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Publication number: 20120303356Abstract: A method for providing information to a user in response to a received user query. A natural language analysis generates substrings relevant to the user query. An ontology analysis outputs: terms of an ontology matching the relevant generated substrings; and relationships between the terms. A query analysis analyzes the user query regarding the outputted terms and relationships, including ascertaining whether the user query is more suitable for service than for an information search. If it is so ascertained, then service actions for the user to perform are identified to the user. If it is not so ascertained, then: the user query is refined based on the outputted terms and relationships; a search query is generated based on the refined user query, a search is initiated based on the search query, and results of the search are provided to the user.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 30, 2012Publication date: November 29, 2012Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Currie P. Boyle, Homa Javahery, Eniko I. Rozsa, Paul A. Yamamoto
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Publication number: 20120303649Abstract: A system and method functions to automatically invoke a selection guide when the search term(s) provided in a freeform search query are determined to be associated with a category of item for which a selection guide will provide the most efficient means for the user to locate items of interest.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 7, 2012Publication date: November 29, 2012Applicant: W.W. GRAINGER, INC.Inventor: Geoffry A. Westphal
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Patent number: 8321447Abstract: An adaptive query throttling system and method are provided herein.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2010Date of Patent: November 27, 2012Assignee: Winshuttle, LLCInventors: Vikram Chalana, Gurpreet Singh Sidhu, Vishal Chalana