Patent ID: 7428533

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for generating at least one taxonomy automatically from data about queries in a querying system, the method comprising: generating, from query logs representing previous queries, a concept network identifying unit concepts represented in the queries, wherein the concept network reflects tangentially related topics determined by considering frequency of appearance of terms in the query logs and frequency of appearance of terms together in queries; generating a particular taxonomy by organizing the concept network hierarchically with a parent node and two or more immediate child nodes of the parent node; wherein generating the particular taxonomy comprises: (a) attempting to categorize a particular previous query in a first taxonomy, (b) determining that the particular previous query cannot be categorized in the first taxonomy, (c) categorizing the particular previous query in a first category of a second taxonomy that differs from the first taxonomy, (d) determining that a mapping from the first category in the second taxonomy to a second category in the first taxonomy exists, and (e) in response to determining that the mapping exists, categorizing the particular previous query in the second category of the first taxonomy; and providing data that is derived based on the particular taxonomy.