초록 ▼

A search engine is disclosed which suggests related terms to the user to allow the user to refine a search. The related terms are generated using query term correlation data which reflects the frequencies with which specific terms have previously appeared within the same query. The correlation data

A search engine is disclosed which suggests related terms to the user to allow the user to refine a search. The related terms are generated using query term correlation data which reflects the frequencies with which specific terms have previously appeared within the same query. The correlation data is generated and stored in a look-up table using an off-line process which parses a query log file. The table is regenerated periodically from the most recent query submissions (e.g., the last two weeks of query submissions), and thus strongly reflects the current preferences of users. Each related term is presented to the user via a respective hyperlink which can be selected by the user to submit a modified query. In one embodiment, the related terms are added to and selected from the table so as to guarantee that the modified queries will not produce a NULL query result.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] In a computer system that implements a search engine which is accessible to a community of users, a method of assisting users in refining search queries to enhance discovery, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:(a) processing search queries submitted t

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] In a computer system that implements a search engine which is accessible to a community of users, a method of assisting users in refining search queries to enhance discovery, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:(a) processing search queries submitted to the search engine by a plurality of users over a period of time to generate query term correlation data, the query term correlation data reflecting frequencies with which query terms appear together within the same search query;(b) receiving a search query from a user, the search query including at least one query term;(c) using at least the query term correlation data to identify a plurality of additional query terms that are deemed to be related to the at least one query term; and(d) presenting the plurality of additional query terms to the user for selection to allow the user to refine the search query.