Patent ID: 8204874

Claim:
A method for handling abbreviations in web queries, the method comprising: building a dictionary of a plurality of possible word expansions for a plurality of potential abbreviations related to query terms received and anticipated to be received by a search engine, the search engine coupled with a processor; accepting, by the search engine, a query including an abbreviation from a searching user, where a probability of finding a most probably-correct expansion in the dictionary comprises a first probability, and a probability that the expansion is the abbreviation itself comprises a second probability; determining, by the processor, a ratio between the first and second probabilities; expanding, by the processor, the abbreviation in accordance with the most probably-correct expansion when the ratio is above a first threshold value; and highlighting, by the processor, the abbreviation with a suggested expansion of the most probably-correct expansion to enable the user to accept the suggested expansion by selection thereof when the ratio is between a second, lower threshold value and the first threshold value.