Category Suggestions for Search Result Refinement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in finding relevant information in web directories due to the complexity of hierarchical categories and varying naming schemes, making it challenging to locate relevant web documents.
Innovation Solution
A method that determines categories for business listings in search results, assigns scores to these categories, and presents the highest scoring ones as suggestions to refine or replace the search query, utilizing a search engine and category suggestion engine that identifies categories associated with documents, scores them based on relevance, and presents them to the user.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If users traverse hierarchical categories in web directories to find information, then they can locate relevant web documents, but the process becomes complex and time-consuming due to multiple layers and varying naming schemes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the category information from the complex hierarchical directory structure and presents it as simplified suggestions alongside search results. Instead of requiring users to navigate through multiple hierarchical layers, the system extracts relevant category names and displays them as actionable suggestions that directly point to relevant document collections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces category suggestions as an intermediary between the search query and the full hierarchical directory structure. These suggestions act as a mediator that translates the complex category hierarchy into simple, actionable labels that users can click to refine their search without having to traverse the entire hierarchical structure.
2Reliability
If web directories use detailed hierarchical categories to organize documents, then documents can be precisely classified, but users face difficulty selecting between equally appealing categories
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of presenting the complete hierarchical category structure, the patent applies partial action by showing only the most relevant category suggestions based on the search results. This selective presentation avoids overwhelming users with too many category options while still providing sufficient information for accurate classification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of category presentation from a fixed hierarchical structure to a dynamic set of scored suggestions. Categories are ranked based on their relevance to the search results, and this ranking parameter is used to determine which categories are presented to the user, transforming the static hierarchy into an adaptive, context-aware suggestion list.
3Quantity of substance
If search engines return large numbers of results, then more relevant documents may be found, but users have difficulty locating relevant information among the results
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a new dimension to search results by incorporating category information alongside the traditional relevance-ranked document list. This additional dimensional organization allows users to filter and navigate results not just by relevance score but also by topical category, making it easier to locate relevant information within large result sets.
Data Source
AI summary
A system determines categories for business listings identified in a list of search results and assigns scores to the categories. The system presents one or more high scoring ones of the categories as one or more category suggestions relating to the list of search results.