Keyword-based search engine results using enhanced query strategies

Abstract

Enhanced computer- and network-based methods, systems, techniques are provided for retrieving more accurate and responsive search results when searching content for a designated entity using an off-the-shelf keyword-based search engine. For example, the embodiments described herein may be used to improve search results by eliminating off-topic results when presenting queries to an existing keyword-based search engine invoked by means of an API from an intermediating application. Example embodiments provide a Keyword-Based Search Enhancement System (“KBSES”), which enables intermediating applications to obtain information more closely related to user queries by enhancing such queries, on behalf of the user, with disambiguating information when deemed necessary. Based upon a variety of rules and heuristics, which can be modified as well, the KBSES determines whether an entity name in a user's query should be enhanced with additional disambiguating information, and to what extent, to prevent the retrieval of off-topic results.

1 . A method in a computing system for improving the relevance of search results retrieved from a keyword-based search engine, comprising:
 receiving an indication of a designated entity;   determining whether the designated entity should be enhanced with an entity-specific enhancement and/or a facet-specific enhancement;   using one or more query enhancers of the computing system, selected based upon the determination of whether the designated entity is to be enhanced with the entity-specific enhancement and/or the facet-specific enhancement, automatically adding one or more entity-specific queries and/or one or more facet-specific queries to generate an enhanced query strategy, wherein at least one of the enhancements is based upon one or more facets associated with the designated entity; and   forwarding the automatically generated query strategy to the keyword-based search engine to generate on-topic information related to the designated entity.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein each query in the generated query strategy is reformulated by a result retriever to comply with an interface of the keyword-based search engine API. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the one or more entity-specific queries generate an enhanced query as part of the query strategy with a name of the designated entity and a name of a related entity. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the enhanced query is generated when the related entity shares a facet with the designated entity. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the one or more entity-specific queries generate an enhanced query as part of the query strategy with a value of a property that relates to a facet of the designated entity. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the value of the property that relates to the facet of the designated entity is text or a name of an indicated entity. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the one or more facet-specific queries generate an enhanced query as part of the query strategy with a name of the designated entity and a keyword identified as related to a facet of the designated entity. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein the keyword is an entity name used as an approximation of one or more facets. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 using a category enhancer of the computing system to automatically add a category name as a category limit the generated query strategy, the category name associated with a facet of the designated entity; and   wherein the forwarding the automatically generated query strategy to the keyword-based search engine, generates a query using an API specifying the category name as a category limit to retrieved information related to the designated entity.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 using a source selection enhancer of the computing system to automatically add to the generated query strategy a named source of content to be included or excluded; and   wherein the forwarding the automatically generated query strategy to the keyword-based search engine, generates a query using an API specifying to include or exclude a named source of content when retrieving information related to the designated entity.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 using a result retriever to formulate and forward the enhanced queries in the automatically generated query strategy to the keyword-based search engine, wherein the enhanced queries are forwarded successively until sufficient on-topic information related to the designated entity is retrieved.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the automatically generated query strategy is used with a keyword-based search engine API for searching images. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the automatically generated query strategy is used with a keyword-based search engine API for web searching. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the automatically generated query strategy is used with a keyword-based search engine API for searching videos. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the automatically generated query strategy is used with a keyword-based search engine API for searching social network related messages. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the automatically generated query strategy with enhance queries is performed on behalf of a user. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the entity is at least one of a person, organization, location, concept, event, product, condition, organism, or substance. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the one or more facets are associated with an ontology used to classify entity types. 
     
     
         19 . A computing system comprising:
 a memory;   an enhancement level setter module stored in the memory and configured, when executed, to determine an enhancement level for an initial query designated to be run against a keyword-based search engine API;   one or more enhancer modules stored in the memory and configured, when executed, to receive the determined enhancement level and produce a query strategy containing one or more subqueries that enhance the initial query to reduce ambiguity such that more on-topic results will be more likely to be produced; and   a result retriever module stored in the memory and configured, when executed, to:
 received the query strategy and formulate enhanced subqueries in the syntax of the keyword-based search engine API; 
 run the formulated enhanced subqueries using the keyword-based search engine API until sufficient results are obtained; and 
 return the results. 
   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19  wherein the one or more enhancer modules include at least one of an entity-level enhancer, a facet-level enhancer, a category enhancer, an entity database enhancer, a source selection enhancer, and/or a related entity enhancer. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 19  wherein each subquery the query strategy comprises one or more of root terms, enhancing keywords or phrases, content categories, and/or source limitations. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 19  wherein the keyword-based search engine API is an API for searching one or more of text, images, music, sound, video, objects, web pages. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 19  further comprising instructions for execution stored in the memory of the computing system. 
     
     
         24 . A computer-program product configured to contain content to perform a method comprising:
 receiving an indication of a designated entity;   determining whether the designated entity is likely to lead to relevancy errors when used in a keyword-based search;   when it is determined that the designated entity is likely to lead to relevancy errors, determining whether and how the designated entity should be enhanced with an entity-specific enhancement, facet-specific enhancement, category enhancement, and/or source selection enhancement;   using one or more query enhancers of the computing system, selected based upon the determination of how the designated entity is to be enhanced, automatically adding one or more entity-specific queries, one or more facet-specific queries, one or more category restrictions and/or one or more source selections to generate an enhanced query strategy, wherein at least one of the enhancements is based upon one or more facets associated with the designated entity; and   forwarding the automatically generated query strategy to the keyword-based search engine to generate on-topic information related to the designated entity.   
     
     
         25 . A computer-readable storage medium configured to contain content for controlling a computing system to perform a method comprising:
 receiving an indication of a designated entity;   determining whether the designated entity should be enhanced with an entity-specific enhancement and/or a facet-specific enhancement;   using one or more query enhancers of the computing system, selected based upon the determination of whether the designated entity is to be enhanced with the entity-specific enhancement and/or the facet-specific enhancement, automatically adding one or more entity-specific queries and/or one or more facet-specific queries to generate an enhanced query strategy, wherein at least one of the enhancements is based upon one or more facets associated with the designated entity; and   forwarding the automatically generated query strategy to the keyword-based search engine to generate on-topic information related to the designated entity.   
     
     
         26 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 25  wherein the storage medium is a memory of the computing system and the content are instructions that control a computer process to perform the method.