HK1181940B - System and method for television search assistant - Google Patents

Description

System and method for television search assistant

This application includes material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the patent and trademark office files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to systems and methods for interfaces for online television guides, and more particularly to systems and methods for providing search assistance in online television guides.

Background

Various web-based services exist that feature various types of online, searchable television programs and/or channel guides. However, given the large number of programs that can be listed, users may find it difficult to compose a query that returns accurate and targeted results. In addition, such services often provide only the ability to search for a title, but not the ability to search for a channel or a cast member.

Disclosure of Invention

In one embodiment, the invention is a method. A network search query including at least one token is received over a network. A plurality of suggested search terms matching the network search query are selected from a suggested search term database using a computing device. Each of the plurality of suggested search terms is assigned to one of a plurality of categories. Ranking, with a computing device, a plurality of suggested search terms within each of a plurality of categories. Determining, with a computing device, a number n of suggested search terms to return to a user for each of a plurality of categories_c，n_cEqual to the ratio of the number of suggested search terms in the respective category to the total number of suggested search terms multiplied by the total number of search terms displayed. Ranking, with a computing device, top n in a respective category by, for each category in a plurality of categories_cThe suggested search terms of (a) are added to the integrated result set to create the integrated result set. And sending the integrated result set to the user through the network. A selection of a suggested search term is received from a user over a network, and a network search is performed using the selected suggested search term using a computing device.

In one embodiment, the invention is a system comprising a plurality of modules, each module comprising one or more processors, programmed to execute software code retrieved from a computer readable storage medium storing software for various functions. In one embodiment, the modules include: a search query receiving module for receiving web search queries from users over a network, each web search query including at least one token; a suggested search term selection module for selecting, for each network search query received by the search query receiving module, a set of suggested search terms from a suggested search term database that match the respective network search query, each suggested search term in the set of suggested search terms being assigned to one of a plurality of categories; a suggested search term ranking module for pairing within each of a plurality of categories within each set of suggested search terms selected by the suggested search term selection moduleSuggesting search terms for ranking; a category result determination module to determine, for each set of suggested search terms ranked by the suggested search term ranking module, a number n of suggested search terms to return in the integrated results set for each of a plurality of categories_cEach n is_cEqual to a ratio of a number of suggested search terms in the respective category to a total number of suggested search terms multiplied by a predetermined total number; an integrated result set creation module for, for each set of suggested search terms processed by the category result determination module, ranking n top in the respective category by, for each category in the plurality of categories_cTo the integrated result set to create the integrated result set; a result set sending module for sending the integrated result set created by the integrated result set creating module to the user whose query caused the creation of the corresponding integrated result set through the network; a search term selection receiving module for receiving, over a network, from a user who received the integrated result set from the result set sending module, a selection of a suggested search term from the corresponding integrated result set; and a web search module for performing a web search using the selected suggested search term selected by the search term selection receiving module.

Drawings

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 presents a television guide user interface after a user enters a search string "fox" in a query entry box.

FIG. 2 shows a closer view of a drop-down list of suggested search terms of the television guide user interface of FIG. 1.

Fig. 3 shows sample search results that are generated when a user selects a search term related to a channel, a program title, and a cast member.

Fig. 4 illustrates a high-level view of a system capable of providing an online television guide with a classified search assist function.

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of a method for providing category-based search assist functionality in an online television guide.

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a search service engine capable of supporting at least one embodiment of the process illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an internal architecture of an example of a computing device, such as a television guide server computer and/or processor supporting the search service engine of FIG. 6, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The present invention is described below with reference to block diagrams and operational illustrations of methods and apparatus for selecting and presenting media related to a particular topic. It will be understood that each block of the block diagrams or operational illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams or operational illustrations, can be implemented by analog or digital hardware and computer program instructions.

These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, ASIC, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, implement the functions/acts specified in the block diagrams or operational block or blocks.

In some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the operational illustrations. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.

For the purposes of this disclosure, the term "server" should be understood to refer to a service point that provides processing, databases, and communication facilities. By way of example and not limitation, the term "server" may refer to a single physical processor with associated communication and data storage and database facilities, or it may refer to a networked or clustered processor complex and associated network and storage devices, as well as operating software and one or more database systems and application software supporting services provided by the server.

For the purposes of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium stores computer data in a machine-readable form, which data may include computer program code that is executable by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computer-readable storage media for tangible or fixed storage of data or communication media for transient interpretation of signals containing code. Computer-readable storage media, as used herein, refers to physical or tangible storage (rather than signals) and includes, without limitation, volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for tangible storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer-readable storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, DVD, or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other physical or physical medium which can be used to tangibly store the desired information or data or instructions and which can be accessed by a computer or processor.

For purposes of this disclosure, a module is a software, hardware or firmware (or combination thereof) system, process or function, or combination thereof, that performs or facilitates the processes, features and/or functions described herein (with or without human interaction or augmentation). The module may include sub-modules. Software components of the module may be stored on computer-readable media. The modules may be integral to one or more servers or may be loaded and executed by one or more servers. One or more modules may be grouped into an engine or application.

For purposes of this disclosure, a search term should be understood to mean a string of one or more linguistic symbols that may convey a concept or a group of concepts and that may be used to search a database for entries related to such concept. The search terms may include a single character or symbol, a single word or stem, or a group of words or natural language phrases.

The present invention is directed to systems and methods for improving the usability of online program guides by providing a search assist function that presents suggested search terms organized in a number of program categories. In one embodiment, the suggested search terms are presented in categories by channel, program title, and cast member name.

Fig. 1-3 illustrate one embodiment of a television guide user interface 1000 that provides search assist functionality and query capabilities by channel, title, and actor. Fig. 5 presents television guide user interface 1000 after the user enters the search string "fox" in query entry box 1200. The interface presents the suggested search terms 1400 in a drop-down list. The user may select one of the displayed terms to perform the search, or may continue to attempt to obtain more targeted terms.

Fig. 2 shows a closer view of the suggested search term drop-down list 1400 of the television guide user interface 1000 of fig. 1. The suggested search term drop-down list 1400 is configured to provide the user with the relevant channels 1420, cast people 1460, and program titles 1440. The search predicts and suggests results in all three categories. In one embodiment, the suggested search term window 1400 has a predetermined quantitative large number of suggested search terms. In the illustrated embodiment, window 1400 displays no more than 10 suggested search terms.

In one embodiment, the number of suggested search terms displayed in each category is proportional to the total number of suggested search terms in each category. For example, assume that for the term "fox," 58 possible search terms are found. Among these results, it is assumed that 24 are channels, 15 are titles, and 19 are job personnel. The number of entries per category may be calculated as follows:

channel: ((24/58) × 10) =4.1379 (round down to 4)

Title: ((15/58) × 10) =2.586 (round up to 3)

The actors: ((19/58) × 10) =3.275 (round down to 3)

Thus, the 4 most relevant suggested search terms related to the channel and the 3 most relevant suggested search terms related to the title and actors will be displayed.

Fig. 3 shows sample search results that are generated when a user selects a suggested search term related to channel 1420, program title 1640, and cast member 1660.

Fig. 4 illustrates a high-level view of a system 2000 capable of providing an online television guide with a classified search assist functionality. Television viewer 2200 accesses television guide services and the like via the internet 2900. The television guide service is provided by a television guide service provider 2400, such as Yahoo!. In one embodiment, the television guide service provider 2400 maintains one or more television guide servers 2440 and a television programming database 2480, such as a set of electronic programming guide databases that include detailed information about television programs on multiple channels.

In one embodiment, the television database includes a suggested search term table 2484. The table includes data relating to channels, program titles and cast members integrated into a single table. In one embodiment, data is periodically extracted from the electronic program guide database 2480, e.g., overnight, and imported into the suggested search term table 2484, and the table is re-indexed. In one embodiment, the suggested search term table 2484 includes information about each channel, programs per channel, and cast members associated with the programs per channel. In one embodiment, the information includes a channel call sign, a channel display name, a channel description, a program title, a program description, and a cast member full name.

In one embodiment, each record in search assist table 2484 also includes search assist categories such as channel, program title, and cast. In one embodiment, each record in the search assist table 2484 also includes a timestamp field that can be used to filter out programs that have already been played. In one embodiment, the channel record has a timestamp equivalent to the end time of the last program present in the current electronic data. The program records have a timestamp equal to the last ending time of the program per channel, and the cast personnel records use a timestamp equal to the last time that the program associated with each channel ended.

The system shown in fig. 4 is merely exemplary. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the functionality provided by the system in fig. 4 may be provided by a number of alternative configurations.

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of a method 3000 for providing category-based search assistance functionality in an online television guide. A television program search query comprising one or more linguistic symbols is received 3100 from a user. In one embodiment, the query may include one or more terms related to the channel, the program, or the cast member of the channel. In one embodiment, once a user begins typing in a query input box on a television programming search interface, characters comprising a search query are received and analyzed. In one embodiment, the characters comprising the search query are received and analyzed only after a minimum number of characters (e.g., three) have been entered in the query input box.

A plurality of suggested search terms matching the television program search query are then selected 3200 from the suggested search term database. In one embodiment, each suggested search term includes a description of a channel, a program title, or a full name of a cast member, and each suggested search term is assigned to one of a plurality of categories. In one embodiment, such categories include channel, program, and cast member.

In one embodiment, the suggested search term database includes information about each channel, programs per channel, and cast members associated with programs per channel, and also includes a category for each entry on the table. In one embodiment, each record in the suggested search term database also includes a timestamp that can be used to filter out past results. In one embodiment, how the timestamp is calculated depends on the type of data for each record. The channel record has a time stamp equivalent to the end time of the last program present in the current electronic program data. In one embodiment, the program records have a timestamp equal to the last end time of the program per channel, and the cast personnel records use a timestamp equal to the last time that the program associated with each channel ends.

In one embodiment, the suggested search term database is queried for all records that match the television program search query in the following database fields: channel call letters, channel display names, channel descriptions, program titles, program descriptions, and cast member full names.

In one embodiment, the results are limited such that results with timestamps that occur before the current date and time are omitted. In one embodiment, the results are limited such that only results related to channels in the user's current channel map are returned. In one embodiment, the results are limited so that only suggested search terms that match the television program search query at the beginning of a word within the term are returned, e.g., a query for "hous" will match records such as "House," "desperse House windows," "KTRKHouston, texas (cbs)," BrianHouston, "but not" monica calhoun "or" jennifer morehouse.

The selected suggested search terms are then ranked 3300 by relevance within each of a plurality of categories. In one embodiment, the data is ordered first by the record containing the television programming search query at the beginning of the record, then by the electronic programming ranking (e.g., popularity) and finally by the relevance of the record (e.g., goodness of fit to the query). If the television program search query matches the results exactly, it will be placed at the top of its associated category, otherwise it will be placed at the end. In one embodiment, if the television program search query is numeric and corresponds to the tuning position of a channel in the user's channel map, that channel will be added to the top of the channel group.

In one embodiment, if the number of suggested search terms exceeds a predetermined total number n_t(e.g., the total number of suggested search terms displayable by the television guide user interface), then the number n of suggested search terms to be returned to the user is determined 3400 for each of the plurality of categories_cSo that n is_t=∑n_c. In one embodiment, for each of a plurality of categories, n_cEqual to the ratio of the number of suggested search terms in the respective category to the total number of suggested search terms multiplied by a predetermined total number n_t。

In one embodiment, the number of suggested search terms for each category is divided by the total number of suggested search terms, then multiplied by a predetermined total number, and then rounded up or down to the nearest integer. For example, in the example above regarding the word "fox", 58 possible search terms are found. Among these results, it is assumed that 24 are channels, 55 are titles, and 59 are job personnel. The number of entries per category may be calculated as follows:

channel: ((24/58) × 10) =4.1379 (round down to 4)

Title: ((15/58) × 10) =2.586 (round up to 3)

The actors: ((19/58) × 10) =3.275 (round down to 3)

In other embodiments, other rounding schemes may be used. In one embodiment of a three class scheme, the smallest two class products are rounded up to the nearest integer, and the largest group products are rounded down to the nearest integer orThe most recent integer is decremented by one, if necessary, to produce a total count equal to the predetermined total number. Other rounding schemes are possible, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Where the television program search query returns a number of suggested search terms less than or equal to the predetermined total number, the number n of suggested search terms in each category_cWill equal the number of suggested search terms in that category returned by the television program search query.

An integrated result set is then created 3500. In one embodiment, for each of a plurality of categories, n top-ranked in the respective category_cThe suggested search terms of individuals are added to the integrated results set. In one embodiment, the suggested search terms are added to the result set in order of channel, title, and last actor result. The consolidated result set is then sent 3600 to the user.

A selection of suggested search terms in the integrated result set is received 3700 from the user. The selection may be received after the first set of suggested search terms is sent to the user, or the selection may be received after the multiple sets of suggested search terms are sent to the user in response to the multiple character inputs. The selected suggested search terms are then used to perform 3800 television program searches.

In one embodiment, step 3100-.

It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the principles discussed above with reference to the search assist functionality provided by a television program search application may be adapted to search applications for other types of scheduled broadcast programs, such as audio programs (e.g., internet radio stations). It will also be readily apparent that the principles discussed above with reference to the search assist functionality provided by the television programming search application may be more generally applicable to any network search application in which suggested search terms may be categorized into multiple categories.

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a search service engine 4000 capable of supporting at least one embodiment of the process illustrated in FIG. 6. The search service search engine includes one or more modules. Each module includes one or more processors programmed to execute software code retrieved from a computer-readable storage medium that stores software for performing various functions. In one embodiment, the search service engine 4000 includes a search query receiving module 4100, a suggested search term selection module 4200, a suggested search term ranking module 4300, a category result determination module 4400, an integrated result set creation module 4500, a result set sending module 4600, a search term selection receiving module 4700, and a network search module 4800.

Each module may be implemented on one or more servers or other computing devices. For example, each module may be implemented on one or more television guide servers, such as shown in 2440 of FIG. 6. Other configurations are possible, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

In one embodiment, the search query receiving module 4100 is configured to receive a television program search query comprising one or more language symbols from a user over a network such as the internet. In one embodiment, such a query may include one or more terms related to a channel, a program, or a cast member of a program. In one embodiment, the search query receiving module 4100 provides an API that allows user applications, such as online television guidance applications, to submit search queries to the module.

In one embodiment, the suggested search term selection module 4200 is configured to, for each television program search query received by the search query receiving module 4100, select a set of suggested search terms from a suggested search term database that match the respective television program search query, wherein each suggested search term is assigned to one of a plurality of categories. In one embodiment, the suggested search terms selected by the suggested search term selection module 4200 include a description of the channel, a program title, or a full name of the cast and are assigned to categories including the channel, the program, or the cast.

In one embodiment, the suggested search term database includes a single suggested search term table that is periodically populated and re-indexed with imports of electronic program data from an electronic program guide database. In one embodiment, the table of suggested search terms is stored as a relational database. In one embodiment, a full text index is maintained for all searched fields.

In one embodiment, the search assistance database includes information about each channel, programs per channel, and cast members associated with programs per channel. In one embodiment, the search assist database further includes a category for each entry on the database. In one embodiment, each entry on the database also includes a timestamp field that can be used to filter out past results.

In one embodiment, the suggested search term database is queried for all records that match the search term in the following locations: channel call letters, channel display names, channel descriptions, program titles, program descriptions, and cast member full names.

In one embodiment, the results are limited such that results with timestamps that occur before the current date and time are omitted. In one embodiment, the results are limited such that only results related to channels in the user's current channel map are returned. In one embodiment, the results are limited such that only suggested search terms that match the television program search query at the beginning of the word are returned.

In one embodiment, the suggested search term ranking module 4300 is configured to rank suggested search terms within each of a plurality of categories within each set of suggested search terms selected by the suggested search term selection module 4200. In one embodiment, the data is ordered first by the records that include the television programming search query at the beginning of the record, then by the electronic programming ranking (e.g., popularity), and finally by the relevance of the records (e.g., goodness of fit to the query). If the television program search query matches the results exactly, it will be placed at the top of its associated category, otherwise it will be placed at the end. In one embodiment, if the television program search query is numeric and corresponds to a tuning position of a channel in the user's channel map, that channel will be added to the top of the channel category.

In one embodiment, the category result determination module 4400 is configured to determine, for each set of suggested search terms ranked by the suggested search term ranking module 4300, a number n of suggested search terms to be returned in the aggregated result set for each of the plurality of categories within the set_c. Each number n of category result search terms_cEqual to the ratio of the number of suggested search terms in the respective category to the total number of suggested search terms in the set multiplied by a predetermined total number n_t. In various embodiments, n for each set of suggested search terms_cIs determined using one or more of the rounding techniques described above with reference to operation 3400 of method 3000 shown in figure 5.

In one embodiment, the consolidated result set creation module 4500 is configured to create a consolidated result set by, for each of a plurality of categories, ranking n top in the respective category_cTo a corresponding consolidated result set to create a consolidated result set for each set of suggested search terms processed by the category results determination module 4400.

In one embodiment, the result set sending module 4600 is configured to send the consolidated result set created by the consolidated result set creation module 4500 over a network to the user whose respective query caused the creation of the respective consolidated result set.

In one embodiment, the search term selection receiving module 4700 is configured to receive over a network a selection of suggested search terms from a respective integrated result set from a user who received the integrated result sets from the result set transmitting module 4600.

In one embodiment, the web search module 4800 is configured to perform a television program search using the search term selected by the search term selection receiving module.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an internal architecture of an example of a computing device, such as television guide server computer 2440 and/or a processor supporting the search service engine of FIG. 6, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. A computing device, as referred to herein, refers to any device having a processor capable of executing logic or coded instructions and may be a server, a personal computer, a set-top box, a smart phone, a tablet computer, or a media device, to name a few. As shown in the example of fig. 8, the internal architecture 5100 includes one or more processing units (also referred to herein as CPUs) 5112 that interface with at least one computer bus 5102. Also interfacing with the computer bus 5102 are one or more persistent storage media 5106, a network interface 5114, memory 5104 (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM), runtime transient memory, Read Only Memory (ROM), etc.), a media disk drive interface 5108 that is an interface for drives capable of reading and/or writing media including removable media such as floppy disks, CDROM, DVD, etc., a display interface 5110 that is an interface for a monitor or other display device, a keyboard interface 5116 that is an interface for a keyboard, a pointing device interface 5118 that is an interface for a mouse or other pointing device, and various other interfaces not separately shown, such as parallel and serial port interfaces, Universal Serial Bus (USB) interfaces, etc.

The memory 5104 interfaces with the computer bus 5102 to provide information stored in the memory 5104 to the CPU5112 during execution of software programs, such as operating systems, application programs, device drivers, and software modules, including program code, and/or computer-executable process steps, including the functions described herein, such as one or more of the process flows described herein. The CPU5112 first loads computer executable process steps from a storage device, such as the memory 5104, one or more storage media 5106, removable media drives, and/or other storage devices. CPU5112 can then execute the stored process steps in order to execute the loaded computer-executable process steps. Stored data, such as data stored by a memory device, may be accessed by CPU5112 during execution of computer-executable process steps.

The one or more persistent storage media 5106 are computer-readable storage medium(s) that can be used to store software and data, such as an operating system and one or more application programs. The one or more persistent storage media 5106 can also be used to store device drivers (e.g., one or more of a digital camera driver, a monitor driver, a printer driver, a scanner driver, or other device drivers), web pages, content files, playlists, and other files. The one or more persistent storage media 5106 can also include program modules and data files for implementing one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the method and system of the present disclosure may be implemented in any manner and thus are not limited by the foregoing exemplary embodiments and examples. In other words, functional elements being performed as single or multiple components in various combinations of hardware and software or firmware, as well as various functions, may be distributed among software applications at the client level, or at the server level, or both. In this regard, any number of the features of the different embodiments described herein may be combined into single or multiple embodiments, and alternate embodiments having fewer than or more than all of the features described herein are possible. Functionality may also be distributed, in whole or in part, among multiple components, in manners now known or to become known. Thus, many software/hardware/firmware combinations are possible in implementing the functions, features, interfaces and preferences described herein. Moreover, the scope of the present disclosure covers conventionally known ways of implementing the described features and functions and interfaces, as well as variations and modifications that may be made to the hardware or software or firmware components described herein, as would be understood by those skilled in the art now and hereafter.

Additionally, embodiments of the methods presented and described in flow chart form in this disclosure are provided as examples in order to provide a more complete understanding of the present technology. The disclosed methods are not limited to the operations and logic flows presented herein. Alternate embodiments are contemplated in which the order of various operations is altered, and sub-operations described as part of larger operations are performed independently.

While various embodiments are described for purposes of this disclosure, these embodiments should not be construed as limiting the teachings of the disclosure to these embodiments. Various changes and modifications may be made to the elements and operations described above to achieve results that are still within the scope of the systems and processes described in this disclosure.

Claims (13)

1. A method for a television search assistant, comprising:

receiving a web search query including at least one token from a user over a network;

selecting, with a computing device, a plurality of suggested search terms from a suggested search term database that match the network search query, each of the plurality of suggested search terms being assigned to one of a plurality of categories;

ranking, with the computing device, the plurality of suggested search terms within each of the plurality of categories;

determining, with the computing device, a number n of suggested search terms to return to the user for each of the plurality of categories_c，n_cEqual to a ratio of a number of suggested search terms in the respective category to a total number of suggested search terms multiplied by a total number of displayed search terms;

ranking, with the computing device, top n in the respective category by, for each category in the plurality of categories_cTo the integrated result set to create the integrated result set;

sending the integrated result set to the user over the network;

receiving a selection of a suggested search term from the user over the network; and

performing, with the computing device, a web search with the selected suggested search terms.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein,

the network search query is a program search query for searching an online program guide,

the suggested search term database is associated with the online program guide,

the selected suggested search terms are used to search the online program guide.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the suggested search terms are selected from the following list: a description of a channel, a program title, and a name of a cast member, and the plurality of categories include the following categories: channel, program title, and cast member.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a timestamp is associated with each suggested search term, and search terms having timestamps less than a current time are not selected.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein

If the time stamp is associated with a channel, the time stamp is equal to the end time of the last program scheduled for that channel,

if the time stamp is related to a program title, the time stamp is equal to the last end time of the program scheduled on a channel,

if the timestamp is associated with a cast member, the timestamp is equivalent to the last end time of the program associated with the cast member scheduled on a channel.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein only suggested search terms associated with channels in a channel map associated with the user are selected.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein only suggested search terms that match the network search query at the beginning of a word within the respective suggested search term are selected.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of suggested search terms are ranked such that suggested search terms comprising the network search query at the beginning of respective suggested search terms are ranked first, and remaining suggested search terms are ranked by electronic program rank and by relevance of suggested search terms to the network search query.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of receiving a web search query, selecting a plurality of suggested search terms, ranking, determining, creating, and sending are repeated a plurality of times until a selection of a suggested search term is received.

10. A system for a television search assistant, the system comprising:

means for receiving a web search query comprising at least one token from a user over a network;

means for selecting, with a computing device, a plurality of suggested search terms from a suggested search term database that match the network search query, each of the plurality of suggested search terms being assigned to one of a plurality of categories;

means for ranking, with the computing device, the plurality of suggested search terms within each of the plurality of categories;

determining, with the computing device, a number n of suggested search terms to return to the user for each of the plurality of categories_cN is a device of_cEqual to a ratio of a number of suggested search terms in the respective category to a total number of suggested search terms multiplied by a total number of displayed search terms;

for each of the plurality of categories, ranking n top of the respective category by the computing device_cMeans for adding the suggested search terms to the integrated result set to create the integrated result set;

means for sending the integrated result set to the user over the network;

means for receiving a selection of suggested search terms from the user over the network; and

means for performing, with the computing device, a web search with the selected suggested search term.

11. The system for a television search assistant according to claim 10,

the network search query is a program search query for searching an online program guide,

the suggested search term database is associated with the online program guide,

the selected suggested search terms are used to search the online program guide.

12. The system for a television search assistant according to claim 11, wherein the suggested search terms are selected from the list of: a description of a channel, a program title, and a name of a cast member, and the plurality of categories include the following categories: channel, program title, and cast member.

13. The system for a television search assistant according to claim 11, wherein the means for receiving a web search query, selecting a plurality of suggested search terms, ranking, determining, creating and sending repeats the operations a plurality of times until a selection of a suggested search term is received.