Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Sirui Sun

Pradeep Chilakamarri

Bernhard S J Kohlmeier

Bernhard Sj Kohlmeier

Bernhard SJ Kohlmeier

By applying a set of simple geometric rules to the connections within a connected graph of 'topics' it is possible to uncover hidden relationships that are otherwise inaccessible to the lay person. Interesting, potentially non-obvious threads of content, termed indirect connection clusters (ICCs), can be found from an online encyclopedia or other graph of articles that are not directly connected to a starting topic, but instead are connected via an intermediate clique of articles. A system performing a search of an information graph can receive a request for identifying relevant content, identify (in a traversal of the information graph) one or more ICCs using a starting topic associated with the request, refine the one or more ICCs (eliminating certain ICCs) and generate a refined set of ICCs, and rank ICCs within the refined set. The ranked ICCs can be provided in response to the request for identifying relevant content.

Methods of searching through indirect cluster connections

An assisted content authoring productivity tool can provide a set of content related to at least one topic determined from a user's expression of intent. The content can include topics that are not obviously related to the user's topic, but identified from indirect cluster connections found in a graph model of information such as, but not limited to, an online encyclopedia like Wikipedia. A document can be populated with topic anchors so a user can return to or have generated a set of content related to a particular topic. The topic anchor can include a graphical user interface including a topic exploration object that, when selected, initiates a command to request information related to that topic.

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Sirui Sun