Patent Document ID: 7809714
Application ID: 11951404

Base Claim:
1. A method for enhancing information search queries for information retrieval by computer, comprising the steps of: establishing a plurality of term usage subject areas (TUSAs) wherein each TUSA comprises a predetermined subject area; identifying a corpus of documents, messages, expositions, or communications exemplifying patterns of term usage specific to each TUSA wherein the corpus for each TUSA includes documents, messages, expositions, or communications disparate from information search queries; analyzing documents, messages, expositions, or communications within each corpus of each TUSA to extract term co-occurrence and usage patterns; receiving an information search query wherein the information search query includes one or more search terms; identifying and assigning a primary TUSA corresponding to the information search query; locating alternative or additional query terms or query phrases within the primary TUSA based on the term co-occurrence and usage patterns extracted through the analysis of the documents, messages, expositions, or communications within the corpus of the primary TUSA; presenting the located alternative or additional query terms or phrases within the primary TUSA for use in refining the information search query; permitting the selection and de-selection of alternative or additional query terms or phrases from among the located alternative or additional query terms or phrases presented by an executive action that does not necessarily require typing individual characters; providing a mechanism to combine alternative or additional query terms or phrases selected from among the located alternative or additional query terms or phrases presented with the information search query received to create a new, enhanced information search query; providing a mechanism to submit the new, enhanced information search query to a search engine to generate information search query results.

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Claim 6:
6. A method for enhancing information search queries for information retrieval by computer in claim 1 , further comprising the step of: enabling access to more focused and higher quality results with less effort by mandating a selection of a TUSA or alternative or additional query terms or phrases from among the located alternative or additional query terms or phrases presented based on a selected TUSA.