Abstract:
A method which generates at a user&#39;s computer system a display which graphically shows the relationships among a core query and one or more suggested related queries in a search conducted through an online search engine. The display preferably is a set of partially overlapping geometric figures such as circles, with the size of each circle indicating the number of resources found by the search queries and the overlap indicating commonality between a core query and a suggested related query.

Description:
PRIOR RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of copending prior application Ser. No. 13/095,987 filed Apr. 28 2011, the priority of which is claimed. 
     
    
     FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to the field of displaying results obtained from search engines which locate documents or web sites in a computer network (e.g., a distributed system of computer systems), and in particular, to a method for speeding up a desired search by anticipating a user&#39;s request. When a computer system user begins typing a core search query into a search box at many search engines, a drop down list appears under the search box which offers selectable suggestions for related query terms even before entry of the core search term or phrase has finished. The suggestions may also provide alternative URLs for web pages if the user is typing the address of a web page into the search box. Heretofore, such a drop down list has been in text alone and lacked any indication of the number of “finds or “hits” for the suggested related query terms or their actual or potential overlap with the core search query. 
         [0003]    Some of the problems with existing displays of suggested related queries include a requirement on the user of selecting only one suggested related query and abandoning the core query in doing so. The user cannot create a customized filter for suggested related queries, such as the Boolean selections of AND, OR, EXCLUDE and so forth. The existing suggestions of related queries give no advance indication of the scope of the results which will be reported should the suggestion be accepted in substitution for the core query. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    What is here taught is a method which generates at a user&#39;s computer system a display which graphically shows the relationships among a core query and one or more suggested related queries. This display preferably is a set of partially overlapping geometric figures such as circles, with the size of each circle indicating the number of resources found by the search query and the overlap indicating commonality between a core query and a suggested related query. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    Some of the purposes of the invention having been stated, others will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of a computer system such as would be used by a person exercising the invention described here; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of the display which results from entry by a user of a core search query and the subsequent suggestion of related queries; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of the display similar to  FIG. 2  which follows when a user causes a cursor on the display to hover over an area of the display; 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is an illustration of the display of  FIG. 2  which follows when a user chooses to highlight a specific area of overlap between the core query and a suggested query, performing an AND function; 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is an illustration of the display of  FIG. 2  which follows when a user chooses to highlight two specific areas of overlap between the core query and two suggested queries, performing an OR function; 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is an illustration of the display of  FIG. 2  which follows when a user chooses to highlight a specific area of overlap between two suggested queries, performing an EXCLUDE function; 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is an illustration of the display which follows when a user chooses to highlight two specific areas of two suggested queries for linking into a social networking system as recommendations; 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  is a flow chart illustrating elements of the process involved in the present invention; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 9  is a representation of a tangible computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
       [0015]    While the present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown, it is to be understood at the outset of the description which follows that persons of skill in the appropriate arts may modify the invention here described while still achieving the favorable results of the invention. Accordingly, the description which follows is to be understood as being a broad, teaching disclosure directed to persons of skill in the appropriate arts, and not as limiting upon the present invention. 
         [0016]    The term “circuit” or “circuitry” may be used in the summary, description, and/or claims. As is well known in the art, the term “circuitry” includes all levels of available integration, e.g., from discrete logic circuits to the highest level of circuit integration such as VLSI, and includes programmable logic components programmed to perform the functions of an embodiment as well as general-purpose or special-purpose processors programmed with instructions to perform those functions. 
         [0017]    While various exemplary circuits or circuitry are discussed,  FIG. 1  depicts a block diagram of an illustrative exemplary computer system  100 . The system  100  may be a desktop computer system or a workstation computer; however, as apparent from the description herein, a client device, a server or other machine may include other features or only some of the features of the system  100 . 
         [0018]    The system  100  of  FIG. 1  includes a so-called chipset  110  (a group of integrated circuits, or chips, that work together, chipsets) with an architecture that may vary depending on manufacturer (e.g., INTEL®, AMD®, etc.). The architecture of the chipset  110  includes a core and memory control group  120  and an I/O controller hub  150  that exchange information (e.g., data, signals, commands, etc.) via a direct management interface (DMI)  142  or a link controller  144 . In  FIG. 1 , the DMI  142  is a chip-to-chip interface (sometimes referred to as being a link between a “northbridge” and a “southbridge”). The core and memory control group  120  include one or more processors  122  (e.g., single or multi-core) and a memory controller hub  126  that exchange information via a front side bus (FSB)  124 ; noting that components of the group  120  may be integrated in a chip that supplants the conventional “northbridge” style architecture. 
         [0019]    In  FIG. 1 , the memory controller hub  126  interfaces with memory  140  (e.g., to provide support for a type of RAM that may be referred to as “system memory”). The memory controller hub  126  further includes a LVDS interface  132  for a display device  192  (e.g., a CRT, a flat panel, a projector, etc.). A block  138  includes some technologies that may be supported via the LVDS interface  132  (e.g., serial digital video, HDMI/DVI, display port). The memory controller hub  126  also includes a PCI-express interface (PCI-E)  134  that may support discrete graphics  136 . In  FIG. 1 , the I/O hub controller  150  includes a SATA interface  151  (e.g., for HDDs, SDDs, etc.), a PCI-E interface  152  (e.g., for wireless connections  182 ), a USB interface  153  (e.g., for input devices  184  such as keyboard, mice, cameras, phones, storage, etc.), a network interface  154  (e.g., LAN), a GPIO interface  155 , a LPC interface  170  (for ASICs  171 , a TPM  172 , a super I/O  173 , a firmware hub  174 , BIOS support  175  as well as various types of memory  176  such as ROM  177 , Flash  178 , and NVRAM  179 ), a power management interface  161 , a clock generator interface  162 , an audio interface  163  (e.g., for speakers  194 ), a TCO interface  164 , a system management bus interface  165 , and SPI Flash  166 , which can include BIOS  168  and boot code  190 . The I/O hub controller  150  may include gigabit Ethernet support. 
         [0020]    The system  100 , upon power on, may be configured to execute boot code  190  for the BIOS  168 , as stored within the SPI Flash  166 , and thereafter processes data under the control of one or more operating systems and application software (e.g., stored in system memory  140 ). An operating system may be stored in any of a variety of locations and accessed, for example, according to instructions of the BIOS  168 . As described herein, a device may include fewer or more features than shown in the system  100  of  FIG. 1 . 
         [0021]    Turning now to  FIGS. 2 through 7 , what is there illustrated is the display created in response to entry of a core query by a computer system user. In accordance with what is here taught, the response to entry of a core search query into a search program by a computer system user is the by display to the user of a plurality of geometric figures including a core figure (the area  200 ) representing results delivered by the search program for the core search query and at least one secondary  FIG. 201 through 208 ) representing results delivered for suggested related queries. The relative sizes of the displayed figures are determined from the number of results delivered by the search program for the core search query and the suggested queries. Should the user point a screen cursor to a displayed  FIG. 200 through 208 ), the response is a display of the results delivered by the search program for the query represented by the figure to which the cursor points. 
         [0022]    For purposes of this discussion, the core query typed into the search panel displayed by the user&#39;s system may be seeking songs by an artist “Kishore kumar and”. As this core query is typed, the accessed search service may make suggestions of related queries. Those may include, for illustration purposes, that the next word or phrase following the “and” may be “madhubala” (area  201 ); “lata mangeshkar” (area  202 ); “asha bhosle” (area  203 ); “rajesh khanna” (area  204 ); “rd burman” (area  205 ); “mohammad rafi” (area  206 ); or “live performance” (area  207 ). 
         [0023]    The displayed geometric areas may be circles, as shown, or may be any other desired plane geometric figure such as a rectangular or polygonal shape. The circle is shown only because it may be more pleasing to a user&#39;s eye than other possible shapes. 
         [0024]    As shown, the displayed figures define areas of overlap within which the results delivered are for the core search query and the suggested query. Further the response to entry of the core search query includes displaying the core query area  200  and a plurality of secondary  FIGS. 201 through 207  representing a plurality of suggested related queries. A plurality of areas of overlap appear (core query area  200  overlaps with all of the suggested query areas  201  through  207  and several of the suggested query areas overlap not only the core query area  200  by an another suggested query area) within each of which the results delivered are for the core search query and one or more suggested queries. 
         [0025]    Should the system user point a cursor (by using a mouse or other input device) to one of the displayed areas and hover the cursor over the area, then a pop up window  300  ( FIG. 3 ) will appear giving at least the most highly ranked (by the search engine) results for the selected query (if a single one of the area  200  through  207  is selected, here area  200 ) or combination of queries (if an overlap area such as the overlap of areas  200  and  201  is selected). Where the area over which the cursor is hovered is an overlap area where several of the displayed figures overlap (as the areas  200 ,  202 ,  207 ), the displayed result will be for an “anding” together of the core and two suggested related queries ( FIG. 4 ). As yet another alternative, a user may hold the selection of one area (such as the overlap of area  200 ,  202 , and  207 , and also select yet another area such as the overlap of areas  200  and  206  ( FIG. 5 ). This operation results in a displayed of the most highly ranked (by the search engine) of an “oring” together of the core query and three suggested related queries. The user may also decide to focus on one of the areas discovered by the suggested related queries ( FIG. 6 ), as by selecting an area (here, the overlap of areas  206  and  203 ) which excludes the core enquiry area  200 . 
         [0026]    Regardless of the area or areas selected, the user may choose to make a recommendation of the search through a social networking program such as facebook, twitter or reddit. Should the user so choose, or should a person linked to the user through social networking have so chosen, then a recommendation icon will be displayed in the relevant areas. In  FIG. 7 , such a recommendation is indicated by a “thumbs up” icon in areas  205  and  206 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 8  illustrates schematically the steps of the process. A user initiates a search by entering characters of what will be the core search request ( 300 ). As the characters are entered, a query suggestion provider will generate suggestions for related queries ( 301 ). The record count (“hits”) and links for those records (typically url addresses) will be determined ( 302 ). The geometric figure display will be generated and displayed for the user ( 303 ). Then, upon the user hovering the cursor or pointer over any area, of the geometric figures, the results for the respective query or boolean combination of queries will be displayed ( 304 ). 
         [0028]    One or more aspects of the present invention can be included in an article of manufacture (e.g., one or more computer program products) having, for instance, tangible computer usable media, indicated at  400  in  FIG. 9 . The media has embodied therein, for instance, computer readable program code for providing and facilitating the capabilities of the present invention. The article of manufacture can be included as a part of a computer system or sold separately. Machine readable storage mediums may include fixed hard drives, optical discs such as the disc  400 , magnetic tapes, semiconductor memories such as read only memories (ROMs), programmable memories (PROMs of various types), flash memory, etc. The article containing this computer readable code is utilized by executing the code directly from the storage device, or by copying the code from one storage device to another storage device, or by transmitting the code on a network for remote execution. 
         [0029]    In the drawings and specifications there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are used, the description thus given uses terminology in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.