Technique for locating an item of interest within a stored representation of data

• US 20010051958A1
• Filed: 03/22/2001
• Published: 12/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eureka Database Solutions, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: AltaVista Company (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eberman, Brian, Kovalcin, David E., deVries, Arjen P., Sokolov, Michael, Kontothanassis, Leonidas
• Granted Patent: US 6,799,298 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/233
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24568 Data stream processing; Continuous queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/43 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A technique for accessing an item of interest within a particular one of a plurality of stored representations of data is disclosed. In one embodiment, the technique is realized by having a processing device searching a plurality of stored annotations corresponding to different items within the plurality of stored representations to locate an annotation of interest corresponding to the item of interest. The annotation of interest has an associated search identifier and an associated location identifier corresponding to a location of interest within the particular one of the plurality of stored representations. The processing device then searches a plurality of stored search identifiers associated with the plurality of stored annotations to locate the search identifier and an address identifier corresponding to a location of the particular one of the plurality of stored representations within the plurality of stored representations. The processing device then accesses the item of interest at the location of interest using the address identifier and the location identifier.

Claims

1. A method for accessing an item of interest within a particular one of a plurality of stored representations of data, the method comprising the steps of:

searching a plurality of stored annotations corresponding to different items within the plurality of stored representations to locate an annotation of interest corresponding to the item of interest, the annotation of interest having an associated search identifier and an associated location identifier corresponding to a location of interest within the particular one of the plurality of stored representations;

searching a plurality of stored search identifiers associated with the plurality of stored annotations,to locate the search identifier and an address identifier corresponding to a location of the particular one of the plurality of stored representations within the plurality of stored representations; and

accessing the item of interest at the location of interest using the address identifier and the location identifier.

2. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein:

the item of interest is one of a plurality of items within the particular one of the plurality of stored representations; and

the item of interest is accessed without first accessing another of the plurality of items.

3. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein the search identifier is identified in conjunction with the locating of the annotation of interest.

4. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein the location identifier is identified in conjunction with the locating of the annotation of interest.

5. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein:

the annotation of interest is stored within the plurality of stored annotations; and

the search identifier is stored with the annotation of interest.

6. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein:

the annotation of interest is stored within the plurality of stored annotations; and

the location identifier is stored with the annotation of interest.

7. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein the location identifier is identified in conjunction with the locating of the search identifier.

8. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein:

the search identifier is stored within the plurality of stored search identifiers; and

the location identifier is stored with the search identifier.

9. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein:

the search identifier is stored within the plurality of stored search identifiers; and

the address identifier is stored with the search identifier.

10. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein the data is media data.

11. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein the search identifier is an object identifier, and the stored search identifiers are stored object identifiers.

12. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein the stored address identifiers are stored addresses.

13. The method according to

claim 1

, wherein:

the plurality of stored annotations are stored in a first database; and

the plurality of stored search identifiers are stored in a second database.

14. The method according to

claim 13

, wherein the stored representations of data are stored in a third database.

15. The method according to

claim 14

, wherein the first, the second and the third databases are different databases.

16. The method according to

claim 13

, wherein:

the first database includes the search identifier; and

the second database includes the address identifier.

17. The method according to

claim 13

, wherein:

the first database further includes the location identifier.

18. The method according to

claim 12

, wherein:

the second database further includes the location identifier.

19. The method according to

claim 1

, further comprising the step of:

combining the address identifier and the location identifier to generate a combined identifier, wherein using the address identifier and the location identifier to access the item of interest at the location of interest includes using the combined identifier.

20. The method according to

claim 19

, wherein the combined identifier is in an extended URL format.

22. The apparatus according to

claim 1

, wherein:

the item of interest is one of a plurality of items within the particular one of the plurality of stored representations; and

the third processor accesses the item of interest without first accessing another of the plurality of items.

21. An apparatus for accessing an item of interest within a particular one of a plurality of stored representations of data, the apparatus comprising:

a first processor for searching a plurality of stored annotations corresponding to different items within the plurality of stored representations to locate an annotation of interest corresponding to the item of interest, the annotation of interest having an associated search identifier and an associated location identifier corresponding to a location of interest within the particular one of the plurality of stored representations;

a second processor for searching a plurality of stored search identifiers associated with the plurality of stored annotations to locate the search identifier and an address identifier corresponding to a location of the particular one of the plurality of stored representations within the plurality of stored representations; and

a third processor for accessing the item of interest at the location of interest using the address identifier and the location identifier.

23. The apparatus according to

claim 21

, wherein the first processor identifies the search identifier in conjunction with the locating of the annotation of interest.

24. The apparatus according to

claim 21

, wherein the first processor identifies the location identifier in conjunction with the locating of the annotation of interest.

25. The apparatus according to

claim 21

, wherein:

the annotation of interest is stored within the plurality of stored annotations; and

the search identifier is stored with the annotation of interest.

26. The apparatus according to

claim 21

, wherein:

the annotation of interest is stored within the plurality of stored annotations; and

the location identifier is stored with the annotation of interest.

27. The apparatus according to

claim 21

, wherein the second processor identifies the location identifier in conjunction with the locating of the search identifier.

28. The apparatus according to

claim 21

, wherein:

the search identifier is stored within the plurality of stored search identifiers; and

the location identifier is stored with the search identifier.

29. The apparatus according to

claim 21

, wherein:

the search identifier is stored within the plurality of stored search identifiers; and

the address identifier is stored with the search identifier.

30. The apparatus according to

claim 21

, wherein the data is media data.

31. The apparatus according to

claim 21

, wherein the search identifier is an object identifier, and the stored search identifiers are stored object identifiers.

32. The apparatus according to

claim 21

, wherein the stored address identifiers are stored addresses.

33. The apparatus according to

claim 21

, wherein:

the plurality of stored annotations are stored in a first database; and

the plurality of stored search identifiers are stored in a second database.

34. The apparatus according to

claim 33

, wherein the stored representations of data are stored in a third database.

35. The apparatus according to

claim 34

, wherein the first, the second and the third databases are different databases.

36. The apparatus according to

claim 33

, wherein:

the first database includes the search identifier; and

the second database includes the address identifier.

37. The apparatus according to

claim 33

, wherein:

the first database further includes the location identifier.

38. The apparatus according to

claim 32

, wherein:

the second database further includes the location identifier.

39. The apparatus according to

claim 21

, further comprising:

a combiner for combining the address identifier and the location identifier to generate a combined identifier, wherein using the address identifier and the location identifier to access the item of interest at the location of interest includes using the combined identifier .

40. The apparatus according to

claim 39

, wherein the combined identifier is in an extended URL format.

41. An article of manufacture for accessing an item of interest within a particular one of a plurality of stored representations of data, the article of manufacture comprising:

a computer readable storage medium; and

computer programming stored on the storage medium;

wherein the stored computer programming is configured to be readable from the computer readable storage medium by a computer and thereby cause the computer to operate so as to;

search a plurality of stored annotations corresponding to different items within the plurality of stored representations to locate an annotation of interest corresponding to the item of interest, the annotation of interest having an associated search identifier and an associated location identifier corresponding to a location of interest within the particular one of the plurality of stored representations;

search a plurality of stored search identifiers associated with the plurality of stored annotations to locate the search identifier and an address identifier corresponding to a location of the particular one of the plurality of stored representations within the plurality of stored representations; and

access the item of interest at the location of interest using the address identifier and the location identifier.

42. The article of manufacture according to

claim 41

, wherein:

the item of interest is one of a plurality of items within the particular one of the plurality of stored representations; and

further causing the computer to operate so as to access the item of interest without first accessing another of the plurality of items.

43. The article of manufacture according to

claim 41

, further causing the computer to operate so as to identify the search identifier in conjunction with the locating of the annotation of interest.

44. The article of manufacture according to

claim 41

, further causing the computer to operate so as to identify the location identifier in conjunction with the locating of the annotation of interest.

45. The article of manufacture according to

claim 41

, further causing the computer to operate so as to:

store the annotation of interest within the plurality of stored annotations; and

store the search identifier with the annotation of interest.

46. The article of manufacture according to

claim 41

, further causing the computer to operate so as to:

store the annotation of interest within the plurality of stored annotations; and

store the location identifier with the annotation of interest.

47. The article of manufacture according to

claim 41

, further causing the computer to operate so as to identify the location identifier in conjunction with the locating of the search identifier.

48. The article of manufacture according to

claim 41

, further causing the computer to operate so as to:

store the search identifier within the plurality of stored search identifiers; and

store the location identifier with the search identifier.

49. The article of manufacture according to

claim 41

, further causing the computer to operate so as to:

store the search identifier within the plurality of stored search identifiers; and

store the address identifier with the search identifier.

50. The article of manufacture according to

claim 41

, wherein the data is media data.

51. The article of manufacture according to

claim 41

, wherein the search identifier is an object identifier, and the stored search identifiers are stored object identifiers.

52. The article of manufacture according to

claim 41

, wherein the stored address identifiers are stored addresses.

53. The article of manufacture according to

claim 41

, further causing the computer to operate so as to:

store the plurality of stored annotations in a first database; and

store the plurality of stored search identifiers in a second database.

54. The article of manufacture according to

claim 53

, further causing the computer to operate so as to store the stored representations of data in a third database.

55. The article of manufacture according to

claim 54

, wherein the first, the second and the third databases are different databases.

56. The article of manufacture according to

claim 53

, wherein:

the first database includes the search identifier; and

the second database includes the address identifier.

57. The article of manufacture according to

claim 53

, wherein:

the first database further includes the location identifier.

58. The article of manufacture according to

claim 52

, wherein:

the second database further includes the location identifier.

59. The article of manufacture according to

claim 41

, further causing the computer to operate so as to:

combine the address identifier and the location identifier to generate a combined identifier, wherein using the address identifier and the location identifier to access the item of interest at the location of interest includes using the combined identifier.

60. The article of manufacture according to

claim 59

, wherein the combined identifier is in an extended URL format.