HK1178272B - Providing topic based search guidance - Google Patents

Description

Providing topic-based search guidance

Background

Users can locate relevant websites and other content using search engines. There are different types of searches. Some searches seek a specific answer to a certain question (e.g., "is the largest city in Kansas. It may be difficult for a user to formulate a query that returns helpful search results. Some search engines suggest popular queries (based on previous queries submitted to the search engine) that users may submit rather than compose their own queries. Popular queries often relate to the same topic or subject matter and produce similar results. Popular queries cannot help users formulate queries that return search results related to relatively less popular topics.

Disclosure of Invention

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used alone as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Embodiments of the present invention provide topic search suggestions and/or feedback. Topic search suggestions allow a user to specify topics or subject content to be searched in combination with or in place of a query. The present invention may generate multiple topics based on search input provided by a user. In one embodiment, the search input is a search prefix that includes one or more words entered into a search query box prior to submitting the completed search query to a search engine. The search interface then presents the user with topics derived from the search prefix. The interface may display the various topics in drop-down boxes, allowing the user to select one of the topics instead of completing the query. Embodiments of the invention may also present automatically completed query suggestions and corresponding topics.

In one embodiment, the user specifies a plurality of search inputs. The search input may be text within a web page designed by the user as a search input. The search input may be a plurality of search queries submitted during a search session. The present invention generates search results based on a search input and then presents topics extracted from the search results. In one embodiment, topics are extracted by performing natural language analysis on the search result metadata. The metadata may include a uniform resource locator ("URL") of the search result, a title, and abstract text (i.e., a short snippet shown with the search result).

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing environment suitable for implementing embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a computing system architecture suitable for generating topic query suggestions, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of communications occurring between various components in a computing environment that generates topic query suggestions in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a search interface showing topic query suggestions and autocomplete queries in response to a search prefix, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of generating topic query suggestions in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of generating topic query suggestions from search prefixes in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of generating topic query suggestions in response to a plurality of search inputs in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. The description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or combinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms "step" and/or "block" may be used herein to connote different elements of methods employed, the terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described.

Embodiments of the present invention calculate and present potential topic search suggestions and/or feedback. Topic search suggestions allow a user to specify topics or subject content to be searched in combination with or in place of a query. The present invention may generate multiple topics based on search input provided by a user. In one embodiment, the search input is a search prefix that includes one or more words entered into a search query box prior to submitting the completed search query to a search engine. The search interface then presents the user with topics derived from the search prefix. The interface may display the various topics in drop-down boxes, allowing the user to select one of the topics instead of completing the query. Embodiments of the invention may also present automatically completed query suggestions and corresponding topics.

In one embodiment, the user specifies a plurality of search inputs. The search input may be text within a web page designed by the user as a search input. The search input may be a plurality of search queries submitted during a search session. The present invention generates search results based on a search input and then presents topics extracted from the search results. In one embodiment, topics are extracted by performing natural language analysis on the search result metadata. The metadata may include a uniform resource locator ("URL") of the search result, a title, and abstract text (i.e., a short snippet shown with the search result).

In one aspect, a method of generating topic query suggestions is provided. The method comprises the following steps: a search query is received and a preliminary set of search results corresponding to the search query is generated. The method further comprises the following steps: topics are extracted from the search result set. The method further comprises the following steps: the topics are output for display prior to outputting the preliminary search results for display, and a selection of an individual topic from among the topics is received. The method further comprises the following steps: outputting, for display, a subset of search results associated with the individual topic from among the preliminary set of search results.

In another aspect, a method of generating topic query suggestions from a search prefix is provided. The method comprises the following steps: a search prefix is received. The search prefix is a set of characters entered into the search interface by the user. The search prefix is one or more characters less than a complete search query. The method further comprises the following steps: an autocomplete query is generated based on the search prefix. The method further comprises the following steps: a set of search results corresponding to the autocomplete query is generated. The method further comprises the following steps: topics are extracted from the search result set. The method further comprises the following steps: the topic is output for display and selected by a user.

In another aspect, a method of generating topical query suggestions in response to a plurality of search inputs is provided. The method comprises the following steps: a plurality of search inputs are received from a user, all as part of a search session, and a set of search results is generated for each search input. The method further comprises the following steps: topics are extracted from each set of search results. The method further comprises the following steps: one or more common topics extracted from at least two of the sets of search results are identified. The method further comprises the following steps: outputting the one or more common topics for display. The method further comprises the following steps: a selection of an individual topic from among the one or more common topics is received. The method further comprises the following steps: outputting, for display, a subset of search results associated with the individual topic from among the set of search results. The method further comprises the following steps: receiving a selection of an additional topic among the one or more common topics; and outputting, for display, a new subset of search results associated with the individual topic and the additional topic from among the set of search results.

Having briefly described an overview of embodiments of the present invention, an exemplary operating environment suitable for implementing embodiments of the present invention is described below.

Exemplary operating Environment

Referring to the drawings in general and initially to FIG. 1 in particular, an exemplary operating environment for implementing embodiments of the present invention is shown and designated generally as computing device 100. The computing device 100 is only one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Neither should the computing device 100 be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated.

The invention may be described in the general context of computer code or machine-useable instructions, including computer-executable instructions such as program components, being executed by a computer or other machine, such as a personal digital assistant or other handheld device. Generally, program components (including routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and so forth) refer to code that performs particular tasks or implements particular abstract data types. Embodiments of the invention may be practiced in a variety of system configurations, including hand-held devices, consumer electronics, general-purpose computers, special-purpose computing devices, and the like. Embodiments of the invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the computing device 100 includes a bus 110 that directly or indirectly couples the following devices: memory 112, one or more processors 114, one or more presentation components 116, input/output (I/O) ports 118, I/O components 120, and an illustrative power supply 122. Bus 110 represents what may be one or more busses (such as an address bus, data bus, or combination thereof). Although the various blocks of FIG. 1 are shown with lines for the sake of clarity, in reality, delineating various components is not so clear, and metaphorically, the lines would more accurately be grey and fuzzy. For example, a presentation component such as a display device can be considered an I/O component 120. Further, the processor has a memory. The inventors hereof recognize that such is the nature of the art, and reiterate that the diagram of FIG. 1 is merely illustrative of an exemplary computing device that can be used in connection with one or more embodiments of the present invention. No distinction is made between the categories "workstation," server, "" laptop, "" handheld device, "etc., as all of these categories are contemplated as falling within the scope of fig. 1 and refer to either a" computer "or a" computing device.

Computing device 100 typically includes a variety of computer storage media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer storage media may comprise: random Access Memory (RAM); read Only Memory (ROM); an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM); flash memory or other memory technology; compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), or other optical or holographic media; magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. The computer storage medium may be non-transitory.

The memory 112 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory. The memory 112 may be removable, non-removable, or a combination of both. Exemplary memory includes solid state memory, hard disk drives, optical disk drives, and the like. Computing device 100 includes one or more processors 114 that read data from various entities such as bus 110, memory 112, or I/O components 110. Presentation component(s) 116 present data indications to a user or other device. Exemplary presentation components 116 include a display device, speakers, a printing component, a vibrating component, and the like. I/O ports 118 allow computing device 100 to be logically coupled to other devices, some of which may be built-in, including I/O components 120. Illustrative I/O components 120 include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, printer, wireless device, and the like.

Exemplary System architecture

Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary computing system architecture 200 suitable for generating topic query suggestions is illustrated in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The computing system architecture 200 shown in FIG. 2 is an example of one suitable computing system architecture 200. The computing system architecture 200 includes one or more computing devices, similar to the computing device 100 described with reference to fig. 1. Neither should the computing system architecture 200 be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any single module/component or combination of modules/components illustrated therein. The computing system architecture 200 includes a search front end 210, a search engine 212, a topic extractor 214, a search data store 216, and an autocomplete query component 218.

The search front end 210 generates a search interface through which a user enters search criteria and receives search results. The search interface may be transmitted over a network, such as the internet, and displayed on a browser operating on the client device. In another embodiment, the search interface may interact with a search toolbar. Search front end 210 interacts with search engine 212 to receive search results for output for display to a user. Search front end 210 may transmit a search query to a search engine and receive a set of search results from search engine 212. The search front end 210 may communicate with other components, such as a topic extractor 214.

The topic extractor 214 can transmit a series of topics related to a query to the search front end 210. These topics may be presented within an interface generated by the search front end 210 for selection by the user. Search front end 210 may also communicate with other components not shown within computing system architecture 200. For example, the search front end 210 may communicate with an advertisement engine that provides advertisements for presentation on a search results page. The search front end 210 may transmit the user selected topic to the advertisement engine and receive advertisements related to the user selected topic.

Search engine 212 receives search queries and generates search results for users. The search engine may include a crawler program that explores available content in response to a search query and creates an index that may be used to identify relevant content. The search engine may also rank the search results based on relevance or response to a query. Search query results shown in response to the search query and user interactions with those results may be stored within search data store 216. Search data store 216 may also include the previously mentioned search index and other data sets generated by components shown or not shown in FIG. 2. In addition to search engine 212, other components may also read data from search data storage 216 and write data to search data storage 216.

The topic extractor 214 extracts topics from various contents. For example, the topic extractor 214 can extract topics from a web page. In one embodiment, the search engine 212 sends a search result set comprising web pages to the topic extractor 214. The topic extractor 214 analyzes the web page to extract keywords, entities and determine topics associated with the web page. Topics are subject matter categories associated with web pages. Once the topic extractor 214 determines one or more topics corresponding to the web page, these topics can be transmitted to the search front end 210, and the search front end 210 displays the topics for the user to select.

Topics may be extracted using natural language processing techniques such as TF-IDF (term frequency, inverse document frequency) which may be used to determine a list of keywords or possible topics corresponding to each page. Topics that are most frequently extracted among multiple pages may be presented to the user to assist in the query. The topic extractor 214 may maintain an index that identifies the topics and the web pages from which the topics were extracted. Once a topic is selected by the user, the index may be used to return search results associated with the topic.

In one embodiment, the topic extractor 214 analyzes only the metadata of the web page to determine topics, such as uniform resource locators ("URLs"), summary text (i.e., a snippet of a short segment shown with the search results), and a title. In this embodiment, the remaining content of the web page is not analyzed by the topic extractor to determine the subject matter content or topic of the web page.

The autocomplete component 218 receives the search prefix and attempts to generate a suggested query based on the search prefix. The search prefix includes characters submitted by a user in a search interface prior to selecting or submitting a search. The prefix may be less than a complete word or as few as a single letter. In other embodiments, the prefix may include a plurality of words. In another embodiment, the prefix may include several words and an incomplete word. The autocomplete component 218 generates suggested queries and presents the queries to the user for possible selection. As the user enters additional characters, the prefix may change and the auto-completion component 218 may change the suggested query based on the additional characters received. The autocomplete component 218 may attempt to match search prefixes to queries that were previously frequently submitted by other users. The autocomplete component 218 may transmit one or more autocomplete queries to the search engine 212, which the search engine 212 generates search results that are transmitted to the topic extractor 214. In this way, topics are generated for presentation to the user just prior to completion of the search query.

Referring now to FIG. 3, shown therein are communications that allow topics to be displayed to a user in a search interface in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The computing environment 300 includes a client device 305, a front end 310, a search engine 312, and a topic extractor 314. The client device 305 may be a computing device similar to the computing device 100 described above with reference to fig. 1. Exemplary devices include laptop computers, desktop computers, tablet computers, smart phones, and televisions. Client device 305 may be communicatively coupled to other components over a network, such as the internet.

Search front end 310 may be similar to search front end 210 described above with reference to FIG. 2. The search engine 312 may be similar to the search engine 312 described above with reference to FIG. 2. The topic extractor 314 may be similar to the topic extractor 214 described above with reference to FIG. 2.

First, client device 305 transmits search prefix 320 to search front end 310. Search prefix 320 may be a series of characters that begin to form a search query. Search prefix 320 may include characters that are entered into the search interface prior to submission of a completed search query. Search front end 310 passes search prefix 320 to search engine 312.

The search engine 312 generates 322 a series of search results that are responses to the search prefix. The search engine may first communicate the search prefix 320 to an autocomplete component (not shown) that generates a complete query based on the search prefix. The complete query may match or partially match the search prefix. Where one or more complete queries may be used to generate search results. Search results 324 are then generated using the one or more complete queries. These results 324 are transmitted from the search engine 312 to the topic extractor 314. The topic extractor 314 extracts 330 the topic 332 from the search results 324. As previously described, the topic extractor 314 may extract topics from the results using natural language processing methods.

Topic 332 is transmitted from topic extractor 314 to search front end 310. The search front end 310 then integrates 334 the topic into a query assistant feature that may be similar to that described later in FIG. 4. The help features are then communicated to the client device 305 as autosuggestion 336. A user of the client device 305 may select one or more of the topics.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a search interface 400 illustrating topic suggestions is shown in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The search interface 400 may be generated by a search front end and displayed in a browser window. Embodiments of the invention are not limited to displaying the interface in a browser window. Interface 400 includes a search input box 410. The letters "jagu" 412 are entered in search input box 410. The letters "jagu" 412 are an example of a search prefix. As previously described, the search prefix includes one or more characters that were entered into the search input box prior to submission of the query.

A search assist box 420 is shown below the search input box. The search assistance box 420 includes the autocomplete query "jaguar" 422. An autocomplete query may be a popular query that begins with a search prefix entered into a search box. An auto-complete query is a complete query that a user may select to submit in place of his query.

The search assistance box 420 also includes three topics that the user may select. The topics include Jaguar feline 424, Jaguar car 426, and Jaguar rugby 428. The user may select any of these topics and then receive search results that are responsive to jaguar and fall within the selected topic. For example, if the user selected jaguar feline 424, search results that responded to jaguar and were related to the topic "feline" would be shown. In this example, the topics are displayed as a pair with the autocomplete query. In another embodiment, various topics may be shown without an autocomplete query. For example, the search assistance box may list "rugby," car, "and" feline, "rather than" jaguar rugby, "" jaguar car, "and" jaguar feline.

Referring now to FIG. 5, shown is a flow diagram of a method 500 of generating topic query suggestions in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Topic query suggestions give users one or more topics to select in combination with or in lieu of their query. In step 510, a search query is received. The search query may be an autocomplete search query generated based on a search prefix entered into a search interface by a user. In another embodiment, the search query is entered into a search interface but is not submitted for searching.

In step 520, a preliminary set of search results is generated. The preliminary set of search results is responsive to a search query. The preliminary set of search results may be generated by a search engine. The preliminary set of search results may include a certain threshold number of total responsive search results (which may easily be thousands) returned by the search engine. For example, the top 50 search results returned by a search engine may form the set of search results. The search results may be ranked by relevance before applying a threshold to form a set of search results. Thus, the preliminary set of search results may be the top 50 search results.

In step 530, topics are extracted from the search result set. In one embodiment, topics are extracted using natural language processing techniques. In one embodiment, topics are extracted by applying natural language processing techniques only to metadata associated with search results. Examples of metadata include uniform resource locators ("URLs") and titles of search results. Other metadata includes keywords associated with the search results and summary text (i.e., a short snippet shown with the search results). In another embodiment, the content of the web page or document is analyzed instead of or in addition to the metadata.

In step 540, the topics are output for display. The topics are output for display before the preliminary search results are output for display. In other words, the user is presented with one or more topics prior to displaying any search results for the user. In one embodiment, topics are displayed for the user in a drop-down query assistance box, such as the drop-down query assistance box described above with reference to FIG. 4. Other interfaces are also possible. For example, a user may be presented with a topic selection interface that allows the user to select one or more topics.

In step 550, a selection of a single topic from among the topics is received. The user may select a topic by clicking on it. The selection may be communicated from the search interface to a search engine, which uses the selection to return relevant results. In step 560, a subset of search results associated with the individual topic is output for display from among the preliminary set of search results. The subset of search results may be selected by a search engine. If less than a threshold number of search results within the preliminary set of search results that meet the selected topic, additional search results that are unrelated to the topic may be presented at the bottom of the search results page. For example, the search results page may show ten search results for the user. If only seven search results are available that are related to the selected topic, they are shown at the top of the search results page and an additional three search results are shown that are derived from one or more other topics. In another embodiment, the search engine seeks additional search results responsive to the topic from outside the initial generated preliminary set of search results. This may be accomplished by re-running the search used to generate the preliminary search results and then filtering through the selected topic.

In another embodiment, topics are presented for display with search results even after the user has previously selected the topics. If the user does not find search results that answer the user's question, the user may select a different topic and the search results will be refreshed based on the selection of the topic without the user having to enter a new query.

Referring to FIG. 6, a method 600 of generating topic query suggestions from search prefixes in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. As previously mentioned, the search prefix is a set of characters entered into the search interface by the user. In general, a search prefix is one or more characters less than a complete search query. For example, the character "jagu" may be a search prefix of the query "jaguar". Thus, a search prefix means that the search query is in some sense incomplete and the user is still adding characters. In one embodiment, however, the search prefix may also be the complete query, however before the query is actually submitted to the search engine. Once submitted to a search engine, the search query becomes a complete query and no longer a search prefix.

In step 610, a search prefix is received. The search prefix may be received by an auto-complete component. In step 620, an autocomplete query based on the search prefix is generated. The generation of an autocomplete query has been described above.

In step 630, a set of search results responsive to the autocomplete query is generated. As previously described, the set of search results may be the 50 most relevant search results in response to the autocomplete query. Fifty is merely an example, and different threshold numbers of search results may be used to generate the set of search results.

In step 640, topics are extracted from the search result set. As previously described, natural language processing techniques may be used to extract topics. In one embodiment, topics are extracted by analyzing only metadata associated with search results. In step 650, the topic is output for display and selected by the user. Upon receiving a selection of an individual topic, search results responsive to the individual topic may be output for display. This illustrates outputting the topic for display before outputting the search results for display. In other words, the search results are generated in the background so that topics can be extracted therefrom, but the initial set of search results is not presented for output display. In one embodiment, topics are output for display in combination with one or more autocomplete query suggestions. As an example from FIG. 4, the autocomplete query "jaguar" may be combined with the topic "feline".

Referring to FIG. 7, a method 700 of generating topic query suggestions in response to a plurality of search inputs in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. In step 710, a plurality of search inputs are received from a user. The plurality of search inputs are all part of a search session. The search input may be explicitly indicated by input received from the user as being all part of the search session. For example, the user may press a button on the search interface, e.g., associated with a search toolbar, indicating that a search session is beginning. In another embodiment, the definition for a search session is determined by analyzing the online behavior of the user. For example, search inputs submitted next to each other may be determined as part of a common search session. Over time between search queries, subsequent search inputs may be associated with new search sessions. In addition to indicating that a search session is beginning, the user may provide explicit input to indicate that the search session is complete. The search input may be a query. In some cases, the query may be submitted to a search engine and the results returned. In this embodiment, the plurality of search inputs is a series of searches conducted by the user from the search input of step 710.

In another embodiment, the search input is some portion of the text (e.g., a word or phrase) explicitly specified by the user as the search input. For example, a user may highlight and click on some words within a web page to designate them as search input. In one embodiment, a user may drag some words and phrases into a search session interface. Single-placed words and phrases may constitute a single search input. Thus, as the user repeats the drag operation for different phrases, multiple search inputs are generated.

In another embodiment, the search input is a keyword that is automatically extracted from a web page being viewed by the user. Thus, as a user browses through a series of pages during a search session, keywords are extracted from each page. In this embodiment, the user need not explicitly specify any keywords.

In step 720, for each search input, a set of search results is generated. The search results may be generated by a search engine. In step 730, topics are extracted from each set of search results. In step 740, one or more common topics are identified between the respective sets of search results. The extracted topics may be ordered based on occurrences within different sets of search results. For example, if a topic is extracted from each set of search results, the topic may be given a higher rank. Additionally, the number of occurrences of a topic within each search result set may also be considered. Thus, topics that appear multiple times in each search result set may be ranked higher than topics that appear only once in each search result set. In one embodiment, the number of search result sets from which a topic is extracted is given a higher weight than the number of times a topic is extracted from a single search result set.

In step 750, the one or more common topics are output for display. In step 760, a selection of individual topics from the one or more common topics is received. In step 780, a subset of search results is output from the set of search results for display to the user. The subset of search results is associated with the individual topic. In one embodiment, the set of search results is not output for display to the user until the selection is received.

In one embodiment, an instruction is received from a user to start a new search session. Search input is collected by one or more methods until a user provides an instruction indicating that the search session is complete. At this point, the topics are displayed to the user for selection. The user then selects the one or more topics and provides search results responsive to those topics.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and not of limitation. It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.

Claims (12)

1. A method of generating topic query suggestions in response to a plurality of search inputs, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of search inputs from a user all as part of a search session;

generating a set of search results for each search input, thereby forming a plurality of sets of search results;

extracting topics from each search result set;

identifying one or more common topics extracted from at least two of the plurality of search result sets;

outputting the one or more common topics for display;

receiving a selection of an individual topic from among the one or more common topics; and

outputting, for display, a subset of search results associated with the individual topic from among the set of search results.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of search results is not output for display to a user until the selection is received.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the search input is a portion of text within one or more documents, and wherein a designation of the portion of text is received from a user as the search input.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises: receiving instructions from a user regarding generating a topic after specifying a portion of the text.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a selection of an additional topic among the one or more common topics; and

outputting, from among the set of search results, a new subset of search results associated with the separate topic and the additional topic for display.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the search input is a plurality of search queries submitted during the search session.

7. An apparatus for generating topic query suggestions in response to a plurality of search inputs, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of search inputs from a user, all as part of a search session;

means for generating a set of search results for each search input, thereby forming a plurality of sets of search results;

means for extracting topics from each set of search results;

means for identifying one or more common topics extracted from at least two of the plurality of sets of search results;

means for outputting for display the one or more common topics;

means for receiving a selection of an individual topic from among the one or more common topics; and

means for outputting, for display, a subset of search results associated with the separate topic from among the set of search results.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the set of search results is not output for display to a user until the selection is received.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the search input is a portion of text within one or more documents, and wherein a designation of the portion of text is received from a user as the search input.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus further comprises: means for receiving instructions from a user regarding generating a topic after specifying a portion of the text.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

means for receiving a selection of an additional topic from among the one or more common topics; and

means for outputting, for display, a new subset of search results associated with the separate topic and the additional topic from among the set of search results.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the search input is a plurality of search queries submitted during the search session.