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Methods and apparatus for providing search results in response to an ambiguous search queryRelated Patent Categories: Data Processing: Database And File Management Or Data Structures, Database Or File Accessing, Query Processing (i.e., Searching)Methods and apparatus for providing search results in response to an ambiguous search query description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070022101, Methods and apparatus for providing search results in response to an ambiguous search query. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/748,431 (incorporated herein by reference and referred to as "the '431 application"), filed on Dec. 26, 2000, titled: "METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING SEARCH RESULTS IN RESPONSE TO AN AMBIGUOUS SEARCH QUERY" and listing Benjamin Thomas SMITH Sergey BRIN, Sanjay GHEMAWAT and John A. BAUER as inventors, which application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/216,530 (incorporated herein by reference and referred to as "the '530 application"), titled "DATA ENTRY AND SEARCH FOR HANDHELD DEVICES," filed on Jul. 6, 2000. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] A. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for providing search results in response to an ambiguous search query provided by a user. [0004] B. Description of the Related Art [0005] Most search engines operate under the assumption that the end user is entering search queries using something like a conventional keyboard, where the input of alphanumeric strings is not difficult. As small devices become more common, however, this assumption is not always valid. For example, users may query search engines using a wireless telephone that supports the WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) standard. Devices such as wireless telephones typically have a data input interface wherein a particular action by the user (e.g., pressing a key) may correspond to more than one alphanumeric character. A detailed description of WAP architecture is available at http://www1.wapforum.org/tech/documents/SPEC--WAPArch-19980439.pdf ("WAP 100 Wireless Application Protocol Architecture Specification"). [0006] In the usual case, the WAP user navigates to the search query page, and is presented with a form into which they input their search query. With conventional methods, the user may be required to press multiple keys to select a particular letter. On a standard telephone keypad, for example, the user would select the letter "b" by pressing the "2" key twice, or would select the letter "s" by pressing the "7" key four times. Accordingly, to enter a query for "ben smith", the user would ordinarily need to enter the following string of keypresses: 223366077776444844, which map to letters as follows: [0007] 22->b [0008] 33->e [0009] 66->n [0010] 0->space [0011] 7777->s [0012] 6->m [0013] 444->i [0014] 8->t [0015] 44->h [0016] After the user has entered their search request, the search engine receives the word or words from the user, and proceeds in much the same manner as if it had received the request from a desktop browser wherein the user employed a conventional keyboard. [0017] As can be seen from the foregoing example, this form of data entry is inefficient in that it requires eighteen keystrokes to enter the nine alphanumeric characters (including the space) corresponding to "ben smith". Others have attempted to overcome the limitations imposed by reduced data entry devices, but each of the approaches developed thus far has shortcomings. There remains, therefore, a need for methods and apparatus for providing relevant search results in response to an ambiguous search query. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0018] Methods and apparatus consistent with the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, provide relevant search results in response to an ambiguous search query. Consistent with the invention, such a method includes receiving a sequence of ambiguous information components from a user. The method obtains mapping information that maps the ambiguous information components to less ambiguous information components. This mapping information is used to translate the sequence of ambiguous information components into one or more corresponding sequences of less ambiguous information components. One or more of these sequences of less ambiguous information are provided as an input to a search engine. The search results are obtained from the search engine and are presented to the user. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0019] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in, and constitute a part of, this specification illustrate an embodiment of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings, [0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a system in which methods and apparatus consistent with the present invention map be implemented; Continue reading about Methods and apparatus for providing search results in response to an ambiguous search query... 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