Interactive Query Refinement Patents (Class 707/766)
  • Publication number: 20100169355
    Abstract: Data is combined from multiple independent data stores, and is then queried using a data correlation engine. Contemplated engines preferably keep track of previously run correlations, and then makes those correlations available to clinicians for their own use. For example, a preferred system might provide a listing of correlations run by other clinicians in a particular medical specialty, or a particular community, whether geographic or otherwise. In another example, a preferred system might provide a listing of correlations sorted by popularity, so that the most frequently accessed correlations appear near the top of the list. In any case a clinician could simply view the list, and check off which correlations he/she would like to have run for his/her practice, or practice community.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2007
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Applicant: NextGen Healthcare Information Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Bryan Rosenberger, Timothy Eggena, Robert Nary, Robert Hale, Patrick Cline, Robert Ellis
  • Patent number: 7747640
    Abstract: Methods for updating query results are provided. In one embodiment, a stored query is modified to retrieve a selected subset of rows from stored query results without retrieving a remaining portion of the stored results. The modified query is executed, updated results are obtained from the modified query, and the updated results are displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard D. Dettinger, Janice R. Glowacki
  • Patent number: 7739274
    Abstract: Methods and systems for providing a response to a query. Multiple users' search engine activity in regard to a query is correlated. A response is provided based upon this correlated search engine activity information. For one embodiment of the invention, in the context of search engine result optimization, the user activity and/or user information of multiple users, during a search session, is correlated with queries to effect an evolving association between queries and the organization and presentation of documents. Systems in accordance with such embodiments employ the ability to store users' activity over the entire search session, thus making possible the correlation of a number of different types of user activity and user information. The use of correlated user input allows such systems to provide relevant search results without the limitations imposed by the key-word-based systems of the prior art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: IAC Search & Media, Inc.
    Inventors: Andy Curtis, Alan Levin, Apostolos Gerasoulis
  • Patent number: 7734634
    Abstract: A system, apparatus and method for using, identifying, interacting and managing digital information in a useful and convenient manner. When a digital representation of information is loaded, an index is constructed of unique terms in the information, which index includes the terms, a count of the occurrences of each term in the information and a reference to each location wherein the term occurs in the information. A user can select a term of interest from the index and a context box comprising a user-selected amount of information from before and/or after each occurrence of the selected term is displayed to the user to allow the user to more readily identify portions of the information which are of interest. The user can select one a context box of interest and the display of the information is repositioned to the location in the information which corresponds to the select box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Inventor: Dirk Rodenburg
  • Patent number: 7725485
    Abstract: A search engine receives a query from an end-user. The search engine executes the query on a content database and identifies a set of matching content. The search engine utilizes the matching content to generate a query vector describing the end-user query. The search engine searches a repository of other vectors, called “centroids,” to produce a ranked set of centroids matching the query vector. These centroids are converted into search queries and form a set of candidate queries. The search engine filters the candidate queries to identify ones that are likely to be meaningful to the end-user. The selected candidate queries are returned to the end-user as query suggestions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Mehran Sahami, Timothy D. Heilman
  • Patent number: 7720857
    Abstract: A visualization graph is provided on a computer by storing data corresponding to a plurality of entities having a particular type, wherein a semantic net includes the entities and wherein the entities are linked to each other by a plurality of relations. The visualization graph is provided in response to a query with respect to an entity selected from the plurality of entities, wherein the visualization graph includes a plurality of sectors representing the results of the query. Entities are allocated to a predetermined sector of the graph depending on their entity type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Joerg Beringer, Michael Hatscher, Horst Werner
  • Patent number: 7716235
    Abstract: The present invention relates to phonetic self-improving search engines. The search engine may include a phonetic database having a plurality of phonetic equivalent formulas stored therein, each of the phonetic equivalent formulas being associated with at least one respective pronounceable unit. After an initial query in a primary database fails to produce a positive result, an error memory database may be queried with a search string to obtain a positive result based on records of previously failed searches which ultimately found a positive result. If no record is found, the search string may be parsed into at least one pronounceable unit. Phonetically equivalent formulas may be applied to the at least one pronounceable unit to create at least one phonetic search string which is re-queried into the error memory database and the primary database. Successful positive results may be stored with the search string in the error memory database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventor: Arash Michael Davallou
  • Patent number: 7716236
    Abstract: A user is made able to configure a search query to be responsive to temporal factors in order to adjust the search query to more accurately reflect the user's true information need. By adjusting the search query in this way, the user is more likely to receive satisfactory search results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: AOL Inc.
    Inventors: Kulraj Sidhu, Abdur R. Chowdhury
  • Publication number: 20100114950
    Abstract: An apparatus for, computer software for, and method of providing personalized search capabilities of internet web pages comprising: providing an index server maintaining a dynamic index to internet web pages and employing a hierarchical plurality of topic categories; permitting a non-administrative end-user to specify any subset of the plurality of topic categories; and adding to an internet web page controlled by the user link information permitting execution of searches of the index server in any category of the subset but only of categories in the subset.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Inventors: Arvind Raichur, Becky D. Raichur
  • Publication number: 20100106717
    Abstract: A system for the support and management of search for documents is presents. The system includes knowledge-database, query interface and communication to a database of documents to be searched. Information generated during a search session is collected by the system and is added to the knowledge-database. The information is ranked automatically according to the usage of that information by the user. During successive search session, or during search made by other users, the system uses the knowledge-database to support the users with keywords, queries and reference to documents.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2009
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Inventor: Haim Zvi Melman
  • Patent number: 7693910
    Abstract: This invention aims to provide an efficient means of performing a document search wherein relevance between plural document databases is examined. A summary making module and a search module are provided to document databases, and these are connected to a network as a server. A client obtains a relevant set of documents in a specified document database via this summary from a set of documents in the specified document database. The summary obtained is sent to another server, and a search is performed according to the summary in a document database in the server to which the summary is transferred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Iwayama, Shingo Nishioka, Yoshiki Niwa, Akihiko Takano
  • Patent number: 7668889
    Abstract: A search query is received from a single input field of a user interface. A keyword search is performed based on the search query to generate keyword search results. A natural language search is performed of a frequently-asked question (FAQ) database based on the search query to generate FAQ search results. The keyword search results and the FAQ search results are combined in a display page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventors: Gregory W. Edwards, Jeffrey Michael Niemeyer, Mary C. Miller, Yongmei Jia