Index structure of metadata, method for providing indices of metadata, and metadat searching method and apparatus using the indices of metadata

• US 20040210571A1
• Filed: 05/14/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shin, Hyoseop
• Granted Patent: US 7,444,357 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/81 Indexing, e.g. XML tags; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

An index structure of metadata provided for searching for information on contents and a method for providing indices of the metadata, and a method and an apparatus for searching for the metadata using the index structure of the metadata are provided, in which the index structure of the metadata includes values of multi-keys and identification information of the metadata corresponding to the values of the multi-keys, wherein the multi-keys are structured by a combination of predetermined fields of the metadata.

Claims

1. A method of searching for metadata divided into fragments, using an index having a list of multi-keys and location information for defining the multi-keys, the method comprising:

searching from the index of the metadata, a multi-key corresponding to search conditions of a combination of fields of the metadata; and

extracting a fragment of the metadata using the searched multi-key.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the searching of the multi-key comprises:

determining location information corresponding to the fields of the search conditions with respect to the metadata; and

searching for the multi-key corresponding to the location information with respect to the fields of the search conditions.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the searching of the multi-key comprises searching for a value of the multi-key meeting the search conditions.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

the searching of the value comprises searching for the value among values of the multi-key from the index, and

the extracting of the fragment comprises extracting the fragment of the metadata using identification information of the fragment corresponding to the vale of the multi-key.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein in response to a plurality of values of the multi-key meeting the search conditions, the extracting of the fragment comprises extracting ones of the fragments of the metadata corresponding to the values of the multi-key meeting the search conditions.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the searching of the value comprises:

searching for a representative key value meeting the search conditions, among representative key values of the index corresponding to ranges of values of the multi-key; and

searching for the value among a range of values corresponding to the representative key value.

12. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the operations recited in claim 1.

7. A method of searching for metadata divided into fragments, using an index having a list of multi-keys and location information for defining the multi-keys, the method comprising:

searching from the index of the metadata, a value of a multi-key corresponding to search conditions of a combination of fields of the metadata; and

extracting a fragment of the metadata corresponding to the searched value.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein in response to a plurality of values of the multi-key meeting the search conditions, the extracting of the fragment comprises extracting ones of the fragments of the metadata corresponding to the values of the multi-key meeting the search conditions.

13. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the operations recited in claim 7.

9. A method of searching for metadata divided into fragments, the method comprising:

accessing a list comprising a plurality of combinations of location information on a fragment and location information defining at least two key within the fragment; and

searching from the list, a combination corresponding to search conditions of at least two key of the metadata.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising extracting one or more fragments of the metadata corresponding to identification information on the metadata identified by the selected combination.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein one of the location information on the fragment and the location information defining the at least two key is expressed as a predetermined code.

14. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the operations recited in claim 9.

15. An apparatus for searching for metadata divided into fragments, using an index having a list of multi-keys and location information defining the multi-keys, comprising:

an input unit receiving search conditions; and

a control unit searching from the index of the metadata, a multi-key corresponding to the search conditions of a combination of fields of the metadata, and extracting a fragment of the metadata using the searched key.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the control unit searches for a value of the multi-key meeting the search conditions among values of the multi-key from the index, and extracts the fragment using identification information of the fragment corresponding to the value of the multi-key.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein in response to a plurality of values of the multi-key meeting the search conditions, the control unit extracts ones of the fragments of the metadata corresponding to the values of the multi-key meeting the search conditions.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the control unit searches for a representative value meeting the search conditions, among representative values of the index corresponding to ranges of values of the multi-key, and searches for the value among a range of values corresponding to the representative key value.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the location information is expressed in XPath.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein at least a part of the location information is expressed as a predetermined code.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the metadata is metadata as defined in the TVA Forum.

22. An apparatus for searching for metadata divided into fragments, using an index having a list of multi-keys and location information defining the multi-keys, comprising:

an input unit receiving search conditions; and

a control unit searching from the index of the metadata, a value of a multi-key corresponding to the search conditions of a combination of fields of the metadata, and extracting a fragment of the metadata using the searched value.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the control unit searches for the value of the multi-key meeting the search conditions among values of the multi-key from the index, and extracts the fragment using identification information of the fragment corresponding to the value of the multi-key.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the control unit searches for a representative value meeting the search conditions, among representative values of the index corresponding to ranges of values of the multi-key, and searches for the value among a range of values corresponding to the representative key.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein in response to a plurality of values of the multi-key meeting the search conditions, the control unit extracts ones of the fragments of the metadata corresponding to the values of the multi-key meeting the search conditions.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein at least a part of the location information is expressed as a predetermined code.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, further comprising:

a receiving unit receiving the metadata and the index of the metadata;

a storage unit storing therein the metadata and the index of the metadata; and

an output unit outputting the search result by the control unit.

28. An apparatus for searching for metadata divided into fragments, using an index having a list of multi-keys and location information defining the multi-keys, comprising:

an input unit receiving search conditions of at least two keys of the metadata; and

a control unit selecting from a list comprising a plurality of combinations of location information on a fragment and location information defining at least two keys within the fragment, a combination corresponding to the search conditions.

29. The apparatus as claimed in claim 28, wherein the control unit further extracts one or more fragments of the metadata corresponding to identification information on the metadata identified by the selected combination.

30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 28, wherein one of the location information on the fragment and the location information defining the at least two key is expressed as a predetermined code.