Information retrieval index allowing updating while in use
First Claim
21. A method of updating an electronic document for information retrieval, the electronic document including a main portion stored in a first storage device having a given access speed, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a supplemental portion in a second storage device having an access speed faster than the first storage device;
(b) storing, updates of the electronic document in the supplemental portion;
(c) causing queries of the electronic document to read both the supplemental portion and the main portion; and
(d) at predetermined intervals, merging the main portion with the supplemental portion;
whereby the electronic document may be updated concurrently with use.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A reverse index useful for identifying documents in information retrieval searches may be used concurrently for indexing while it is updated with new documents. Interruption to the use of the index is kept to a manageable level by partitioning the index and updating only single partitions of the index at a given time and further by bifurcating the index into a high speed supplemental portion that may be corrected concurrently on a real-time basis and which is periodically merged with the larger main portion. These two structures are merged during reading after brief locking, with pointer redirection.
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Citations
70 Claims
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21. A method of updating an electronic document for information retrieval, the electronic document including a main portion stored in a first storage device having a given access speed, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a supplemental portion in a second storage device having an access speed faster than the first storage device;
(b) storing, updates of the electronic document in the supplemental portion;
(c) causing queries of the electronic document to read both the supplemental portion and the main portion; and
(d) at predetermined intervals, merging the main portion with the supplemental portion;
whereby the electronic document may be updated concurrently with use. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A system for information retrieval comprising:
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an electronically readable document divided into a plurality of partitions;
a program executed on an electronic computer and communicating with the electronically readable document to;
(a) receiving update portions;
(b) matching the update portions to at least one partition;
(c) concurrently lock at least one partition for updating while keeping at least one partition unlocked for reading;
(d) update the locked partition with the keyword and document identifiers for the new document only if the keyword matches with the locked partition; and
(e) change the locked and unlocked partitions and repeat steps (d) and (e) to update each of the partitions over a predetermined period;
whereby the electronic document may be updated concurrently with use of the index. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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56. An system allowing on-line updating and comprising:
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an electronically readable document including a main portion stored in a first storage device having a given access speed and a supplemental portion in a second storage device having an access speed faster than the first storage device;
an electronic computer communicating with the electronically readable document and executing a stored program to;
(a) store update portions in the supplemental portion;
(b) cause queries of the electronic document to read both the main portion and the supplemental portion; and
(c) at predetermined intervals, merging the main portion with the supplemental portion;
whereby the electronic document may be updated concurrently with use. - View Dependent Claims (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70)
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68-1. The system of claim 66 wherein the step (c) of merging the main portion and supplemental portions includes the step of deleting from the change-log file all keywords having an earlier timestamp than that of the main portion.
Specification