Image search engine augmenting search text based upon category selection

Abstract

An image search engine server having an image search engine that performs image searches based on a search term that is augmented by a built-in thesaurus and/or a dictionary. For a thesaurus-based algorithm, the approach is to send a query back to the user, who can select the image search domain, sub-domain, and other hierarchical search refinements from one or more dropdown menus. The items in the dropdown menus that the user selects during the “query back” are used to augment the search string entered by the user to better refine the image search. If the user entered search string is a single string of dictionary word or words or the dictionary mode is elected, then synonyms for that search string are used to generate the augmented search string for the final context-based search operation. The result is improved image search results.

1 . An online search system that services both a plurality of web servers and a plurality of users via an Internet, the plurality of web servers offering a plurality of web page data, the plurality of web page data including a plurality of links to a plurality of images, the online search system comprising:
 a database structure associatively storing text data for each of the plurality of images; and   a search system that, based on first search text, interacts with the database structure to identify search results, the search results including a first plurality of images corresponding to the first search text;   the search system assists in delivery of at least a portion of the first plurality of images to support a first visual presentation for a first user;   the search system receiving a category selection from the first user;   the search system augmenting the first search text based upon the category selection to produce second search text; and   the search system assists in delivery of at least a portion of a second plurality of images relating to the second search text to support a second visual presentation for the first user.   
     
     
         2 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further:
 receives restriction input from the first user; and   assists in delivery of at least a portion of a third plurality of images based upon the restriction input.   
     
     
         3 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further filters at least some of the plurality of images based upon at least one adult filter parameter. 
     
     
         4 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system supports a series of search input interactions with the first user that sequentially arrive in response to user presentation of a corresponding series of search results. 
     
     
         5 . The online search system of  claim 1 , the search server further augmenting the first search text by a context manager. 
     
     
         6 . The image search server of  claim 5 , wherein augmenting is based upon a dictionary-based approach where at least one word is parsed from the first search text and related words are processed from the at least one word to create the second search text. 
     
     
         7 . The image search server of  claim 5 , wherein augmenting is based upon a thesaurus-based approach where at least one word is parsed from the first search text and related words are processed from the at least one word to create the second search text. 
     
     
         8 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further:
 receives a restriction input from the first user; and   assists in delivery of a third plurality of images based upon the restriction input.   
     
     
         9 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the search system identifies a search category;   the search system further interacts with the database structure to identify the search results based upon the search category.   
     
     
         10 . The online search system of  claim 9 , wherein the search category is based upon the first search text. 
     
     
         11 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further identifies the search results based upon popularity of the first plurality of images. 
     
     
         12 . The online search system of  claim 1 , wherein the search system further orders the search results based upon the first search text. 
     
     
         13 . A computer program for instructing a user's computer of a user to perform a method supporting Internet based interaction with an online search system, the online search system gathering a plurality of web page related data including a plurality of related images from a plurality of web hosting servers, the method comprising:
 directing the user's computer to produce a first visual presentation for the user to support gathering of first search text from the user;   directing the user's computer to deliver the first search text to the online search system to support a first search to identify first images from the plurality of related images;   directing the user's computer to produce a second visual presentation for the user based on the first images;   directing the user's computer to receive a category selection from the user; and   directing the user's computer to produce a third visual presentation for the user including second images from the plurality of related images from a second search based upon second search text constructed by augmentation of the first search text based upon the category selection.   
     
     
         14 . The computer program of  claim 13 , the second visual presentation providing a category based visual presentation for the user. 
     
     
         15 . The computer program of  claim 14 , wherein the category based visual presentation is based upon the first search text. 
     
     
         16 . The computer program of  claim 13 , the third visual presentation supporting gathering of a restriction input from the user, and the method further comprising:
 directing the user's computer to deliver the restriction input to the online search system; and   directing the user's computer to produce a fourth visual presentation for the user including third images selected based upon the restriction input.   
     
     
         17 . The computer program of  claim 13 , wherein the first images also based upon popularity of images. 
     
     
         18 . The computer program of  claim 13 , wherein the first images are filtered by the online search system based upon at least one adult filter parameter. 
     
     
         19 . An online search system that services both a plurality of web servers and a plurality of users via an Internet, the plurality of web servers offering a plurality of web page data, the plurality of web page data including a plurality of links to a plurality of images, the online search system comprising:
 a database structure associatively storing text data for each of the plurality of images; and   a search system that, based on a first search text, interacts with the database structure to identify search results, the search results including a first plurality of images corresponding to the first search text, wherein the search system further identifies the search results based upon popularity of the first plurality of images;   the search system assists in delivery of at least a portion of the first plurality of images to support a first visual presentation for a first user;   the search system receiving a category selection from the first user;   the search system augmenting the first search text based upon the category selection to produce second search text; and   the search system assists in delivery of at least a portion of a second plurality of images relating to the second search text to support a second visual presentation for a first user.   
     
     
         20 . The online search system of  claim 19 , wherein the search system further filters at least some of the plurality of images based upon at least one adult filter parameter.