CN101473297B - Method and system for facilitating display of search results - Google Patents

Abstract

A computer system that facilitates presenting data to a user. The search engine component receives and executes queries on behalf of users. An analysis component receives and analyzes query results, which filters and organizes the results according to the relevance of the data to the user and the associated context of the query. The user interface component presents the data to the respective user in a manner that facilitates easy consumption/processing of the data by the user. The user interface component can dynamically modify display settings based on the content and type of information displayed, user state, user preferences, explicit or implicit learning, user intent, and the like.

Description

Method and system for facilitating display of search results

technical field

The present invention relates to methods and systems that facilitate the display of search results.

Background technique

In the prior art, the search engine only displays search results. A user conducting a search may not be well versed in formulating search terms. For example, if a user is a researcher in the field of breast cancer and wishes to search for research articles on drugs used in breast cancer, but enters only the search term "breast cancer" into the search engine, the returned search results may list breast cancer first cancer review, regardless of the user's identity. If the user is not satisfied with the search results listed first, he/she must scroll down one or more pages to obtain additional, more relevant results, or reformulate new search terms to search again, which This will complicate the user's manipulation of the search engine. Therefore, there is a need for a search system and method that can filter and organize search results based on relevance and context using a unique user interface.

Contents of the invention

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by providing a search system and method capable of facilitating manipulation of a search engine by a user when the user is not good at elaborating search terms.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-implemented system for facilitating the display of search results, comprising: a search engine component that receives and executes a query on behalf of a user; An analysis component to filter and organize results; a user interface component that displays a query window that receives queries, a correlation pane that receives queries, and a channel pane that receives queries in the same page as a web search engine The pane includes one or more categories of information corresponding to a query and corresponding to the selected identification user role tab, the channel pane displays corresponding to the query and corresponding to the selected identification user role a selectable information channel of a tab, wherein a relevance indicator graphically conveys the relevance of each of the one or more information categories according to the relative strength of the relevance indicator; and wherein the user interface The component also displays a menu window in the same page based on user interaction with the relevance indicator in the relevance pane, the menu window providing information about concepts and queries corresponding to the relevance indicator , identifies additional concepts related to the concept and the query, and allows the user to request additional information about the concept and the query.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-implemented method of facilitating the display of search results, comprising: displaying a query window, a relevance pane, and a channel pane in the same page as a web search engine, the query window A query is received, the relevance pane includes one or more categories of information corresponding to a query and corresponding to the selected tab identifying a user role, the channel pane displays information corresponding to the query and selectable information channels corresponding to the selected tab identifying the user role, wherein a relevance indicator graphically conveys the relevance of each of the one or more information categories according to the relative length of the relevance indicator receiving a search query from a user related to medical/health information; receiving a selection of a tab identifying the user's role; executing the search query; analyzing the results of the search query; knowledge load to selectively filter, organize, and present the search query results; and based on user interaction with the relevance indicators in the relevance pane, display a menu window in the same page that provides information about the concept and query corresponding to the relevance indicator, identify additional concepts related to the concept and the query, and allow a user to request additional information about the concept and the query.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-implemented system for facilitating display of search results, comprising: means for receiving a search query related to medical/health information; means for executing said search query; means for analyzing search query results based at least in part on selected identifiers corresponding to predetermined user personas; for selectively filtering, organizing, and presenting said search queries based on relevance to the user and cognitive load on the user means for results; and means for displaying a query window, a relevance pane, and a channel pane in the same page as a web search engine, the query window receiving a query, the relevance pane comprising one or more information category, the category of information corresponding to a query and corresponding to the selected tab identifying the user role, the channel pane displaying selectable information corresponding to the query and corresponding to the selected tab identifying the user role channel, wherein a relevance indicator graphically conveys the relevance of each of the one or more information categories according to the relative length of the relevance indicator; wherein the means for displaying is also based on the user's relationship with the Interaction of a relevance indicator in a relevance pane displays a menu window in the same page, wherein said menu window provides information about concepts and queries corresponding to said relevance indicator, identifying Additional concepts related to the query and allow the user to request additional information about the concept and the query.

Description of drawings

Figure 1a is a block diagram of a computer system that facilitates presenting medically relevant data to a user based on relevance to the user.

Figure 1b is a flowchart of one particular method for implementing an embodiment.

Figure 1c shows a web-based search engine user interface in the form of a web page.

2-16 illustrate various user interfaces according to various embodiments.

17 and 18 illustrate computing environments for implementing various aspects described herein.

Detailed ways

The claimed subject matter is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. It may be evident, however, that claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing the claimed subject matter.

As used in this application, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the word exemplary is intended to present various concepts in a concrete manner.

Furthermore, the term "or" means an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, "X employs A or B" means any natural inclusive permutation. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied in any of the above cases. Additionally, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and in the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one or more" unless specified otherwise or clear from context that singular form.

Furthermore, the terms "component," "system," etc. are generally intended to refer to a computer-related entity, which may be hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. As an illustration, both an application running on a controller and a controller can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process and/or thread of execution, and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers.

Additionally, the term "service" may refer to executing software, such as using a toolbar or web-based email engine; retrieving information (e.g., status of pending patent applications, advisory offers, immigration process, or package delivery); purchasing goods; Make payments (e.g., mortgage, lease, student loan, credit card, car, phone, utilities, late fees); enroll in online schools; make appointments with offline providers (e.g., dentist, MD, lawyer, hairstylist, mechanic) ; or register for an online or offline meeting. It should be understood that this list of services is provided as an illustration.

The term "intelligence" has two meanings: (i) it refers to information characterizing the history or behavior of a person or entity, and the records of that person's or that entity's commercial and non-commercial activities involving a product or service or combination thereof and (ii) it refers to the ability to infer or draw, eg, infer, conclusions about the current or future state of the system or the behavior of users based on existing information about the system or users. Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to identify a specific context or action, or generate a probability distribution for each specific state of a system or user behavior without human intervention. Artificial intelligence relies on applying advanced mathematical algorithms, such as decision trees, neural networks, regression analysis, cluster analysis, genetic algorithms, and reinforcement learning, to a set of data (information) available to a system or user.

As described in more detail below, a unique user interface scheme is described that provides a rich way to view data in a glanceable manner based on relevance.

Figure Ia depicts a computer system 10 that facilitates presenting data to a user. Search engine component 12 receives and executes queries on behalf of users. The query results are received and analyzed by an analysis component 14, which filters and organizes the results according to the relevance of the data to the user and the associated context of the query. It should be appreciated that the analytics component 14 can also help reformulate search queries, or generate supplemental queries based on determined or inferred user intent or the relevance of search results. The user interface component 16 presents data to a respective user in a manner that facilitates the user's easy consumption/processing of the data. User interface component 16 may dynamically modify display settings based on the content and type of information displayed, user status, user preferences, explicit or implicit learning, user intent, and the like.

User intent may be obtained in various ways, such as, for example, an explicit expression of user intent, an implicit expression, a determined or inferred user intent. Furthermore, various means or mechanisms can be employed to obtain user intent (eg, portals, pop-ups, queries, claims, utterances, inferences, extrinsic evidence, historical data, machine learning systems, etc.). Accuracy of user intent and confidence measures associated therewith may also be calculated or decomposed in conjunction with ranking, organization, and presentation of data.

An optional learning and reasoning system, referred to as an artificial intelligence (AI) component 18, may be employed to determine or infer user intent, user state, user context, user goals, and relevance of outcomes. AI component 18 may be used to make decisions or inferences regarding optimization decisions and the like. AI component 18 may, for example, employ probabilistic-based or statistical-based methods for making decisions or inferences. The interfaces may be based in part on explicit training of the classifier prior to use of the system 10 (not shown), or in part on implicit training based at least on previous actions, commands, instructions, etc., of the user or provider during use of the system. . Data or strategies used in optimization may be collected from specific users or service/good providers or from a community of users and providers.

In accordance with implementing various automated aspects described herein, AI component 18 may employ methods for learning from data and subsequently learn from such constructed models (e.g., Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) and related prototype-dependent models, such as, for example, constructed by Structure search uses Bayesian model scores or approximations to create more general probabilistic graphical models such as Bayesian networks, linear classifiers such as support vector machines (SVM), nonlinear classification such as methods known as "neural network" methods One of many ways to draw inferences in a computer, fuzzy logic methods, and other methods of performing data fusion, etc.).

Methods also include methods for capturing logical relationships, such as theorem provers or more heuristic rule-based expert systems, etc. Inferences derived from such learned or manually constructed models can be used in optimization techniques such as linear and nonlinear programming that attempt to maximize some objective function. For example, to maximize the overall efficiency of determining or inferring user intent, identifying prospective and relevant service/good providers, dynamically computing, or conveying data and associated bidirectional filtering to optimize data consumption, resource utilization, and optimize return on investment (ROI) wait.

Optimization strategies can consider considerations regarding, for example, user intent, goals, uncertainty, fragmented behavior, point of sale, inventory, delivery time, quality, ratings, rankings, reputation, authenticity, reliability, and in conjunction with search and commerce transactions Inferences from other factors, etc.

AI component 18 may consider historical data as well as data about the current context (user or provider). Strategies that include consideration of the cost of making an incorrect decision or inference versus the benefits of making a correct decision or inference may be employed. Thus, expected utility based analysis can be used to provide input or prompts to other components or to take automated actions directly. Ranking and confidence measures can be calculated and employed in conjunction with this analysis. For example, the cost of making an incorrect decision about display and the way to display a particular set of data versus the expected benefit/cost to the user can be factored into the decision as part of the optimization process.

Strategies that optimize the display of data by user group can be employed. In view of the examples above, it can be appreciated that optimization is dynamic and that the strategy selected and implemented will be based on a number of parameters (e.g., supply/demand, user status, user goals, user preferences, cost, efficiency, availability, scheduling , Environment, Inventory, Workflow, Advertising, Price Point, Balance Point, Market Saturation, Expected Future Demand, Backlog, Trends, Fashion, Dumping Tactics, Competitor Analysis, User and Provider Tolerance, Risk Analysis. ), and thus the AI component 18 is adaptive.

Data store 20 may store data associated with system 10 (eg, queries, historical information, profiles, preferences, policies, heuristics, software, search results, filters, templates, etc.).

Figure 1b illustrates a method in accordance with the claimed subject matter. Although the method is shown and described as a series of acts for simplicity of explanation, it is to be understood and appreciated that claimed subject matter is not limited by the order of acts, as some acts can be performed in the same order as shown herein. Occurs in a different order than described and/or concurrently with other acts. For example, those skilled in the art will appreciate and appreciate that a methodology could alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states or events, such as in a state diagram. Moreover, not all illustrated acts may be required to implement a methodology in accordance with the claimed subject matter. It should also be understood that the methods disclosed below and throughout this specification can be stored on an article of manufacture to facilitate the transfer and transfer of such methods to a computer.

At 30, a search query related to medical/health information (or similar information) is received. At 32, the query is executed. It will be appreciated that queries may be refined or reformulated (eg, based on determined or inferred user intent or goals) prior to execution. Likewise, multiple queries can be performed based on feedback concerning the relevance of the results and user satisfaction. At 34, search results are received and analyzed. The analysis may include performing a utility analysis regarding user data values, data dependencies, data types, data context, user state, user context, user intent, user goals, user ability to understand data, user's cognitive load, and the like.

As described in more detail below, at 36, based on the analysis, a subset of the data is filtered, organized and presented to the user.

FIG. 1 c shows a web-based search engine user interface 100 in the form of a web page according to an embodiment of the present invention. User interface 100, sometimes referred to as a dashboard or search engine dashboard, includes multiple panes of information that display content-related information. In the illustrated embodiment, the user interface includes a relevance pane 102 , a channel pane 104 and an advertisement pane 106 . User interface 100 generally receives web-based search queries from users and organizes and displays search results and/or search query related information to the users. Search results and query-related information are provided by a search engine, such as horizontal, vertical, or any other type of search engine known to those skilled in the art.

The dependencies pane 102 includes a search window 108 in which a user enters a search query 110 . Information on user interface 100 is organized by window tabs 112 . Each of the window tabs 112 corresponds to a particular user's identity. Window tabs 112 are sometimes referred to as tabs, user tabs, identity tabs, group tabs, role tabs, personal tabs, individual user tabs, community tabs, or any other tab. For example, in an embodiment, a user identity may correspond to a medical patient, researcher, marketer, service provider, doctor, nurse, student, or any other user identity. In the illustrated embodiment, two window tabs 112 are provided: a health tab and a research tab, corresponding to consumer or patient and medical researcher identities, respectively.

The relevance pane 102 also includes one or more categories of information 114 corresponding to the query 110 and user identity (eg, as determined by the selected window tab 112 ). In one embodiment, when the "Health" window tab 112 is selected and the search query 110 is "breast cancer", information categories 114 include Drugs & Substance, Conditions, Procedures (course of treatment), In Clinical Studies (clinical research), Complementary Medicine (complementary medicine), Personal Health (personal health), Nutrition (nutrition) and People (personnel). In another embodiment, when the "Research" window tab 112 is selected and the search query 110 is "breast cancer", information categories 114 include Drugs & Substance, Conditions, In Clinical Studies, Molecular Biology Science), Genes (genes), Research Centers (research centers), Experts (experts) and Anatomy (anatomy). As shown, the displayed information categories 114 may change based on a selected or predetermined user identity and/or profile. In other cases, the category 114 can be determined automatically, such as through learning methods, dynamic learning methods, algorithms, or reasoning methods known to those skilled in the art.

Each category 114 lists one or more concepts 116 related to the search query 110 determined based at least in part on the search query 110 and the window tabs 112 . In an embodiment, concepts 116 are or include keywords, terms, or identifiers of information that the search engine determines are relevant to the provided search query 110 and/or the selected window tab 112 . A concept 116 can be selected to further narrow or focus search results, or it can be selected to initiate a new or additional search or query with the search engine. Additionally, concepts 116 can be selected to automatically generate a summary or explanation related to concepts 116 and search query 110 .

Similarly, a relevance indicator 118, sometimes referred to as a meter or MEDSTORY METER ^™ , corresponding to each of the displayed concepts 116 is provided. In one embodiment, the dependency indicator 118 includes a graphical display, such as a bar graph. Other such relevance indicators 118 may also be provided, such as numerical displays, animations or any other such indicators 118 . In an embodiment, when relevance indicator 118 comprises a bar graph, the length of the bar graph indicates a greater correlation between the concept and the selected window tab 112 and search query 110 . In some embodiments, relevance indicator 118 indicates connectivity between concept 116 and search query 110 .

Dependency pane 102 may include any number of window tabs 112 . For example, dependencies pane 102 may include one, two, three, four, or more than four window tabs 112 . The dependencies pane 102 may also include any number of categories 114 . For example, the dependencies pane 102 may include one, two, three, four, or more than four categories 114 . The dependencies pane 102 may also include any number of concepts 116 related to each category 114 . For example, the dependencies pane 102 may include one, two, three, four, or more than four concepts 116 . Additionally, the dependency pane 102 may also include any number of dependency indicators 116 related to the concept 116 .

Channel pane 104 includes one or more channel selectors 120 to further organize the display of search results and/or search information. Channel selector 120 is sometimes referred to as a pipe, information pipe, or content pipe. Information in the channel pane 104 is organized, grouped, and/or sorted based on the channel 120 selected. Channel selector 120 may be determined by user interface 100 based on search query 110 and/or selected window tab 112 . For example, in one embodiment, when the window tab 112 indicates that the user is a patient or is interested in general health-related information, the user interface 100 includes The Web, News Media, Audio Video Video), Clinical Trials (clinical trials) and Research Articles (research papers) and other channel selectors 120. In another embodiment, when the window tab 112 indicates that the user is a researcher, such as a medical researcher, the user interface 100 includes The Web, News Media, Clinical Trials, Research Articles, and NIH Grants channel selectors 120. Any number of channel selectors 120 may be provided. For example, some embodiments provide two, three, four, five or more than five channel selectors 120 .

In some embodiments, channel selector 120 includes a "top content" channel 120 that displays information, such as search results, for predetermined high-quality or pre-screened levels of content. For example, a primary content channel may provide information from a particular database or information source, such as that published by Reader's Digest, Wall Street Journal, New England Journal of Medicine, or any other such A source maintained or created by a provider of information of a particular interest or topic. Search results 122 are also provided in channel pane 104 . In an embodiment, the search results 122 are based on the search query 110 , the selected window tab 112 and the selected channel selector 120 . For example, the search results 122 may be based on a search query about "breast cancer," where the user is a patient and where the user is interested in search results obtained from or generated by general searches of the Internet or web, as may be provided by a lateral search engine. In other cases, a user may be interested in search results available from a topic-specific search engine, such as a vertical domain search engine, which may be configured to search a predetermined domain of topic-related information. Vertical areas are well known to those skilled in the art and may include information related to any of various topics such as, for example, medicine, health, travel, finance, law, entertainment, biography, politics, economics, or any other topic .

Each of search results 122 generally includes a content element 124, a summary 126, and a location identifier 128, such as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), web or Internet Protocol (IP) address where content element 124 may be found and/or retrieved. Location identifier 128 may reference a location on the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or any other type of information network. Content 124 may include text documents, video clips, audio clips, PODCASTs (podcasts), or any combination of the above, or any other type of information.

In an embodiment, the user interface 100 displays information in the channel pane 104 based not only on the search query 110 but also based on some other parameter or knowledge provided by or known to the search engine of the user interface 100 . For example, search results 122 are displayed, selected, and/or ranked based on system knowledge rather than multiple metrics, or based on system knowledge in combination with multiple metrics. Search results 122 may be based on a combination of search query 110 and search engine knowledge.

Additionally, the user interface 100 has a podcast advertisement pane 106 . Ads pane 106 displays advertisements 130 related to any one or more of search query 110 , selected window tab 112 , and selected channel selector 120 . For example, in one embodiment, user interface 100 displays advertisements 130 related to medical patients, while in other embodiments user interface 100 displays advertisements related to medical researchers, investors, clinicians, or other user role types 130. In some cases, the ads 130 on the ads pane 106 are updated each time a new search is performed or when the original search query 110 changes. In an embodiment, as the user navigates further in the search, the advertisements 130 are reselected from the unfiltered pool of advertisements, and not only from the pool of advertisements determined to be the result of the original search. This type of dynamic advertising update is sometimes referred to as "cascading advertising."

Additional embodiments of similar user interfaces are shown in FIGS. 2-16. 2 shows one embodiment of a user interface where the search query is "breast cancer" and the window tab 112 is "Health," which corresponds to a medical patient or a person interested in general health information. The "The Web" channel selector is selected. The user interface includes a "view more" option that, when selected, causes the user interface to display additional concepts and associated relevance indicators for each category. An example of a user interface in which the "view more" option is selected is shown in FIG. 3 . The user interface allows the user to view specific web pages that include information specific to the search query. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the user interface displays additional categories of information.

Figure 5 shows the user interface with the "Research" viewing tab selected. The user interface can display additional information related to each category, concept and relevance indicator. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when a user moves a cursor over a category or selects the category, the user interface displays additional information about the category. In the example shown in FIG. 6, when the user moves the cursor over the category, a window showing a description of the "Drugs & Substances" category appears. A similar result can occur when the user moves the cursor over or selects a concept. In the example shown in FIG. 7, when the user moves the cursor over the concept or selects the concept, a window showing a description of the category "tamoxifen (tamoxifen)" appears. In another embodiment, when the user selects a concept, a menu of additional search options appears. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the user selects a category, a menu appears. This menu provides the user with the ability to further narrow their search query by adding concepts as additional constraints to the search. The menu also provides the user with the ability to initiate a new search specifically for that concept item, or for a particular predetermined webpage about that concept. Figure 9 shows an embodiment of a user interface in which the search query has been further narrowed by adding concepts as limitations to the search. In the illustrated embodiment, the term "tamoxifen" is added as an additional restriction on the original search "breast cancer". Several concepts can be used to limit search queries, as shown in Figure 10. In the example shown in Figure 10, the terms "tamoxifen" and "anastrozole (anastrozole)" are added as additional constraints on the original search "breast cancer".

Similarly, in another embodiment, when a user moves a cursor over or selects a relevance indicator, additional menus and/or information are provided. For example, the embodiment of FIG. 11 shows a menu that appears when a user moves a cursor over a relevance indicator. If the user selects a relevance indicator, additional menus may be provided. For example, as shown in Figure 12, upon user selection of the relevance indicator corresponding to the "tamoxifen" concept, the user interface provides the menu shown. This menu allows the user to request additional information about the concept and the search query, or just about the concept. Additionally, the menu provides information about the search query and concepts. Additionally, the menus of the user interface identify additional concepts that are related or associated with the concept and the search query.

Although the above discussion of FIGS. 2-12 recalls various concepts of the dependency panes of the illustrated embodiments, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2-12 also include channel and advertisement panes, As described above with reference to FIG. 1 . Figures 13-16 illustrate the channel pane with different channel selectors selected. For example, while Figures 2-12 show the channel pane with "The Web" channel selected, Figures 13-16 show the "News&Media (news and media)", "Clinical Trials", "Research Articles" respectively Channel pane for the NIH Grants channel.

Additionally, referring back to FIGS. 2 and 5, the advertisements provided in the advertisement pane of the illustrated user interface vary as different window tabs are selected. For example, in Figure 2, the user selects the "Health" window tab, indicating that the user is a medical patient or a person interested in general health information. Advertisements in the advertisement pane are selected and displayed based on the selected window tab and search query. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the user selects the "Research" window tab, indicating that the user is a medical researcher, and thus, the user interface displays advertisements in the advertisement pane that may be of interest to medical researchers interested in the subject of the search query . The advertisements in the advertisement pane of FIG. 5 are thus different from those in FIG. 2 . In addition, advertisements may be further limited, filtered, or determined based on any concept selected by the user and/or the history of searches performed by a particular user. A user's search history may be recorded or temporarily saved to help determine search results, concepts and/or advertisements to display that are of interest to or relevant to the user.

A computer system can be used to implement any one or more of the methods or user interfaces described herein. An exemplary computer system includes a processor (eg, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both), a main memory and a static memory in communication with each other via a bus. The computer system may also include a video display unit (eg, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). Computer systems may also include alphanumeric input devices (eg, keyboards), user interface (UI) navigation devices (eg, mice), disk drive units, signal generating devices (eg, speakers), and network interface devices. In another embodiment, the methods or user interfaces described herein are implemented on a handheld or portable computing device, including any device capable of connecting to a wired or wireless computer network. The disk drive unit includes a machine-readable medium having stored thereon one or more sets of instructions (eg, software) embodying any one or more of the methods or functions described herein. During execution by the computer system, the software may also reside completely or at least partially in the main memory and/or in the processor, which also constitute machine-readable media. The software can also be sent and received over a network via a network interface device.

等数字音乐播放器、或本领域技术人员公知的任何其它这种计算设备。Any other computer and/or digital information processing system may also be used to implement any one or more of the methods, systems or devices described herein. For example, in other embodiments, computers include personal digital assistants, wireless or cellular telephones, such as

such as a digital music player, or any other such computing device known to those skilled in the art.

Although the machine-readable medium is shown in exemplary embodiments as a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed databases, and/or associated caches and servers). The term "machine-readable medium" should also be understood to include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructions for execution by a machine and causing the machine to perform any one or more methods of the present invention. Thus, the term "machine-readable medium" should be understood to include, but is not limited to, solid-state memory, optical or magnetic media, and carrier signals.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the context of certain preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or to the invention and its variations. Modifications and use of equivalent protocols. Specifically, although the domain-knowledge-assisted information processing systems and methods herein are described in the context of particularly preferred embodiments, skilled artisans will appreciate that, given the present disclosure, various other applications and software systems to implement certain advantages, features and aspects of the information and communication systems, apparatus and methods. In addition, it is contemplated that the various aspects and features of the invention described can be implemented separately, in combination, or as an alternative to each other, and that various combinations and subcombinations of features and aspects can be made while still falling within the scope of the invention. .

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signals may be represented using a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips referenced throughout the above specification may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof .

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality for each particular application in varying ways, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented using a general purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

Each step of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be directly implemented by hardware, software modules executed by a processor, or a combination of both. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, CD-ROM, or other forms of storage media known in the art. A storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. The processor and storage medium may reside in the user terminal as discrete components. The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is limited only by the appended claims. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the present invention herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular embodiments disclosed above, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the appended claims.

Figure 17 shows a schematic block diagram of a computing environment 1700 in accordance with the present specification. System 1700 includes one or more clients 1702 . Client 1702 can be hardware and/or software (eg, thread, process, computing device). Client 1702 can accommodate cookies and/or associated contextual information, eg, by using the present specification.

System 1700 also includes one or more servers 1704 . Server 1704 can also be hardware and/or software (eg, thread, process, computing device). Server 1704 may host threads to perform transformations, eg, by using this specification. One possible communication between client 1702 and server 1704 can be in the form of data packets suitable for transmission between two or more computer processes. Data packets may include, for example, cookies and/or associated contextual information. System 1700 includes a communication framework 1706 (eg, a global communication network such as the Internet) that can be used to facilitate communication between client(s) 1702 and server(s) 1704 .

Communication can be facilitated via wired (including optical fiber) and/or wireless technologies. Client(s) 1702 are operatively connected to one or more client data stores 1708 that may be used to store information local to client(s) 1702 (eg, cookies and/or associated contextual information). Likewise, server(s) 1704 may be operatively connected to one or more server data stores 1710 that may be used to store information local to server(s) 1704 .

Figure 18 shows a block diagram of a computer that can be used to implement the disclosed architecture. In order to provide additional context to various aspects of this specification, FIG. 18 and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment 1800 in which various aspects of this specification may be implemented. Although the specification has been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions that run on one or more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the specification can also be combined with other program modules and/or as A combination of hardware and software is implemented.

Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods of the present invention may be implemented with other computer system configurations, including single-processor or multi-processor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and personal computers, handheld computing devices, microprocessor-based Processor's or programmable consumer electronics, etc., each operatively coupled to one or more associated devices.

Aspects of the specification illustrated may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Computers typically include various computer-readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by the computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media including, but not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cartridges, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or Any other medium that can be used to store desired information and that can be accessed by a computer.

Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media.

In FIG. 18 , an example environment 1800 for implementing aspects of the present description includes a computer 1802 that includes a processing unit 1804 , a system memory 1806 , and a system bus 1808 . System bus 1808 couples system components including but not limited to system memory 1806 to processing unit 1804 . The processing unit 1804 may be any one of various commercially available processors. Dual microprocessors and other multiprocessor architectures can also be used as processing unit 1804 .

The system bus 1808 can be any of several bus structures that can also interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and using various commercially available bus architectures. A local bus of any kind in the structure. System memory 1806 includes read only memory (ROM) 1810 and random access memory (RAM) 1812 . A Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is stored in non-volatile memory 1810 such as ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc., where the BIOS contains the basic routines that help transfer information between elements within the computer 1802, such as during start-up. RAM 1812 may also include high-speed RAM, such as static RAM, for caching data.

The computer 1802 also includes an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 1814 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), which can also be configured for external use in a suitable enclosure (not shown); a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 1816 (for example, read from or write to removable disk 1818); and optical disk drive 1820 (for example, read from CD-ROM disk 1822, or read from or write to write). Hard disk drive 1814, magnetic disk drive 1816, and optical disk drive 1820 may be connected to system bus 1808 by hard disk drive interface 1824, magnetic disk drive interface 1826, and optical drive interface 1828, respectively. Interface 1824 for external drive implementation includes at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and IEEE 1394 interface technologies. Other external drive connection technologies are within the scope of this specification.

The drives and their associated computer-readable media provide non-volatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and the like. For the computer 1802, the drives and media accommodate the storage of any data in an appropriate digital format. Although the above description of computer-readable media refers to HDDs, removable magnetic disks, and removable optical media such as CDs or DVDs, those skilled in the art will understand that any other type of media that can be read by a computer may also be used in the example operating environment. media, such as zip drives, magnetic tape cartridges, flash memory cards, cassette tapes, etc., and any such media may contain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods of this specification.

A number of program modules can be stored in drives and RAM 1812, including an operating system 1830, one or more application programs 1832, other program modules 1834, and program data 1836. All or portions of the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data may also be cached in RAM 1812. It can be understood that the description can be implemented with various commercially available operating systems or a combination of operating systems.

A user may enter commands and information into computer 1802 through one or more wired/wireless input devices, such as keyboard 1838 and pointing devices such as mouse 1840 . Other input devices (not shown) may include microphones, IR remotes, joysticks, game pads, stylus, touch screens, and the like. These and other input devices are typically connected to processing unit 1804 through input device interface 1842 coupled to system bus 1808, but may also be connected through other interfaces, such as parallel ports, IEEE

1394 serial port, game port, USB port, IR port and more.

A monitor 1844 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 1808 via an interface, such as a video adapter 1846 . In addition to monitor 1844, computers typically include other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers and a printer.

Computer 1802 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or more remote computers, such as remote computer 1848 . Remote computer 1848 may be a workstation, server computer, router, personal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment device, peer-to-peer device, or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above with respect to computer 1802 , although only memory/storage 1850 is shown for simplicity. Logical connections depicted include wired/wireless connections to local area network (LAN) 1852 and/or larger networks such as wide area network (WAN) 1854 . Such LAN and WAN networking environments are commonplace in offices and corporations, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as Intranets, all connectable to a global communications network, such as the Internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1802 is connected to a local area network 1852 through a wired and/or wireless communication network interface or adapter 1856 . Adapter 1856 may facilitate wired or wireless communication to LAN 1852 and may also include a wireless access point disposed thereon for communicating with wireless adapter 1856 .

When used in a WAN network environment, the computer 1802 may include a modem 1858, or be connected to a communication server over the WAN 1854, or have other means for establishing communications over the WAN 454, such as through the Internet. Modem 1858 , either internal or external and wired or wireless device, is connected to system bus 1808 via serial port interface 1842 . In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 1802 , or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory/storage device 1850 . It is to be understood that the network connections shown are examples and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used.

The computer 1802 can be used to communicate with any wireless device or entity operatively placed in wireless communication, such as printers, scanners, desktop and/or portable computers, portable data assistants, communication satellites, and wireless detectable tags Any associated device or location (eg, kiosk, kiosk, break room) and telephone. This includes at least Wi-Fi and Bluetooth ^TM wireless technologies. Thereby, the communication can be a predefined structure as for a conventional network, or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.

Wi-Fi, or Wireless Fidelity, allows connections to the Internet from the couch at home, bed in a hotel room, or conference room at work without cables. Wi-Fi is a wireless technology like that used in cellular phones that enables devices such as computers to send and receive data, indoors and outdoors, anywhere within range of a base station. Wi-Fi networks use radio technologies known as IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, etc.) to provide secure, reliable, and fast wireless connections. Wi-Fi networks can be used to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wired networks (using IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operate in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5GHz radio bands, such as at 11Mbps (802.11a) or 54Mbps (802.11b) data rates, or have products that include both bands (dual-band), so the network can Provides real-world performance similar to basic 10BaseT wired Ethernet used in many offices.

What has been described above includes examples of various aspects of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of delineating the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many other combinations of the claimed subject matter and permutations are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term "comprises" is used in the specification or claims, this term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to how the term "comprises" is interpreted when used as a transition in a claim.

Claims (14)

1. A computer-implemented system for facilitating display of search results, comprising: Search engine components that receive and execute queries on behalf of users; An analytics component that filters and organizes results based on the relevance of the data to the user and the associated context of the query; A user interface component displaying a query window receiving a query, a correlation pane including one or more information categories, and a channel pane in the same page as a web search engine, the information category corresponds to a query and corresponds to the selected tab identifying the user role, the channel pane displays selectable information channels corresponding to the query and corresponding to the selected tab identifying the user role, wherein a relevance indicator graphically conveys the relevance of each of the one or more categories of information in terms of relative strength of the relevance indicator; and Wherein the user interface component also displays a menu window on the same page based on user interaction with the dependency indicator in the dependency pane, the menu window provides information about the Information for concepts and queries, identifying additional concepts related to the concept and the query, and allowing a user to request additional information about the concept and the query. 2. The computer-implemented system for facilitating display of search results as recited in claim 1, wherein said user interface component is capable of Dynamically modify display settings based on model learning or user intent. 3. The computer-implemented system for facilitating display of search results as recited in claim 1, further comprising an artificial intelligence (AI) component 18 that determines or infers user intent, user state, user context, user goals, and relevance of results . 4. The computer-implemented system for facilitating display of search results of claim 3, wherein the AI component employs probabilistic-based or statistical-based analysis to make determinations or inferences. 5. The computer-implemented system that facilitates displaying search results of claim 1, wherein the user interface component further displays an advertisement pane. 6. The computer-implemented system that facilitates displaying search results of claim 1, wherein the category of information is automatically determined by at least one of: a learning method, a dynamic learning method, an algorithm, or an inference method. 7. The computer-implemented system for facilitating display of search results of claim 1, wherein the search engine component employs a topic-specific search engine configured to search a predetermined domain for topic-related information. 8. The computer-implemented system that facilitates displaying search results of claim 5, wherein the advertisement pane displays targeted advertisements based on search results and user profile information. 9. The computer-implemented system that facilitates displaying search results as recited in claim 1 , wherein the user interface component further displays a research tab related to information and tools for performing research on topics related to the search results . 10. The computer-implemented system for facilitating display of search results as recited in claim 9, wherein said user interface component further displays a A menu of search queries or results. 11. A computer-implemented method of facilitating display of search results, comprising: A query window that receives a query, a correlation pane that includes one or more categories of information, and a channel pane are displayed in the same page as a web search engine, the categories of information corresponding to a the query and corresponding to the selected tab identifying the user role, the channel pane displays selectable channels of information corresponding to the query and corresponding to the selected tab identifying the user role, with a relevance indicator according to relative lengths of the relevance indicators to graphically convey the relevance of each of the one or more categories of information; Receive search queries from users relating to medical/health information; Receive a selection of a tab identifying a user role; execute said search query; analyze the results of said search query; and selectively filtering, organizing, and presenting the search query results based on relevance to the user and cognitive load on the user; and based on user interaction with a relevance indicator in said relevance pane, displaying in the same page a menu window providing information about concepts and queries corresponding to said relevance indicator, Additional concepts related to the concept and the query are identified and a user is allowed to request additional information about the concept and the query. 12. The computer-implemented method of facilitating displaying search results as recited in claim 11 , comprising based on previous search results, relevance of the results to the user, determined or inferred intent of the user, determined or The query is reformulated using the inferred goals of the user, and the user state or user context. 13. The computer-implemented method of facilitating displaying search results of claim 11 , further comprising displaying an advertisement based on the query and the selected role identifier in the same page as a web search engine. 14. A computer-implemented system for facilitating display of search results, comprising: means for receiving search queries related to medical/health information; means for performing said search query; means for analyzing search query results based at least in part on a selected identifier corresponding to a predetermined user role; means for selectively filtering, organizing and presenting the search query results according to relevance to the user and cognitive load of the user; and Means for displaying a query window receiving a query, a relevance pane comprising one or more categories of information, a relevance pane and a channel pane in the same page as a web search engine A category corresponds to a query and corresponds to the selected tab identifying the user role, the channel pane displays selectable channels of information corresponding to the query and corresponding to the selected tab identifying the user role, wherein a related a relevance indicator graphically conveys the relevance of each of the one or more categories of information in terms of relative lengths of the relevance indicators; Wherein the means for displaying further displays a menu window on the same page based on user interaction with the dependency indicator in the dependency pane, wherein the menu window provides information about The corresponding concept and query information identifies additional concepts related to the concept and the query and allows a user to request additional information about the concept and the query.

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