User-Specific Concept Map for Search Keyword Expansion

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Solution Overview

Problem

The exponential increase in information available online results in users facing difficulties in accessing specific product or service information due to the large number of search results generated by simply inputting a search keyword, making it hard to find desired information efficiently.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that utilize a concept map unique to each user, which includes semantic distances between words, to expand search keywords by selecting adjacent words semantically close to the initial keyword, thereby narrowing down search results effectively.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a user simply inputs a search keyword and performs a search, then the search system can process the query quickly, but the number of search results becomes excessively large making it difficult for users to find desired information

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesearch processing speedVSAvoidinformation retrieval effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a concept map as an intermediary structure between the search keyword and search results. The concept map contains multiple words related to the search keyword along with their semantic distances, serving as a mediator to refine the search query before retrieving results, thereby reducing the number of irrelevant results while maintaining processing efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary action by pre-constructing concept maps that include multiple words related to potential search keywords and their semantic relationships. When a user inputs a search keyword, the system has already prepared the conceptual framework needed to expand and refine the query, enabling faster processing without sacrificing result quality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of manufacture

If the system uses a generic dictionary for keyword expansion, then the expansion process is simple and fast, but the results do not reflect individual user preferences and needs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem implementation simplicityVSAvoiduser-specific search accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating personalized concept maps for each user that reflect their individual preferences, search history, and behavioral patterns. Instead of using a uniform expansion approach for all users, the system tailors the concept map content and semantic relationships to each user's specific characteristics, thereby improving search accuracy while maintaining a relatively simple overall system structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS10817551B2Method for expanding word, word expanding apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium

Publication Date: 2020.10.27 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD

AI summary

A method for expanding a word performed by a processor includes (a) obtaining a first word, (b) obtaining, from a memory, a concept map that is unique to a user and that includes a plurality of second words and semantic distances between the plurality of second words, the plurality of second words including words belonging to different categories, (c) determining, if the plurality of second words include a word corresponding to the first word, the word corresponding to the first word as a basic word, (d) selecting, on the basis of the semantic distances to the basic word, at least one of the plurality of second words included in the concept map as an adjacent word, and (e) outputting a result of a search on the basis of the first word and the adjacent word.