Method and apparatus for improved relevance of search results

• US 20050203888A1
• Filed: 06/07/2004
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iron Mountain Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Iron Mountain Incorporated
• Inventors: Every, Michael, Woosley, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,244,725 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9532 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A method and system for information retrieval are provided whereby at least one search criterion is received from a user; a query is created based on the at least one search criterion; the query is executed to generate results, each of the results corresponding to a respective data entity which satisfies the at least one search criterion; the results are arranged into an order, the order being determined at least in part by a characteristic of the data entity corresponding to each result and a previous act by a user with respect to the data entity corresponding to each result; and the results are displayed to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for retrieving data, the method comprising acts of:

(A) receiving at least one search criterion from a user;

(B) creating a query based on the at least one search criterion;

(C) executing the query to generate results, each of the results corresponding to a respective data entity which satisfies the at least one search criterion;

(D) arranging the results into an order, the order being determined at least in part by a characteristic of the data entity corresponding to each result and a previous act by a user with respect to the data entity corresponding to each result; and

(E) displaying the results to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the data entity corresponding to each result comprises a period which has elapsed since a creation of the data entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the data entity corresponding to each result comprises a period which has elapsed since a creation of a physical item represented by said data entity.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the physical entity comprises a file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the data entity corresponding to each result comprises a period which has elapsed since a previous access of the data entity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the data entity corresponding to each result comprises a period which has elapsed since a previous modification of the data entity.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the previous act by a user with respect to a data entity comprises a retrieval of the data entity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the previous act by a user with respect to a data entity comprises a retrieval of the physical entity represented by the data entity.

9. The method of any of claims 7-8, wherein the retrieval was performed by a first user, and the act (E) comprises displaying the results to the first user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the previous act was performed by a first user, and the act (E) comprises displaying the results to the first user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the act (C) further comprises executing the query on an electronic file storage which includes the data entity corresponding to each result.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the characteristics of the data entity corresponding to each result and the previous act by a user with respect to said data entity are represented by one or more data elements associated with said data entity in the electronic file storage.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more data elements comply with an XML standard.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the electronic file storage comprises a database.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the database further comprises a relational database, the act (B) further comprises creating an SQL query, and the act (C) further comprises executing the SQL query on the relational database.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the act (D) further comprises arranging the plurality of results into an order defined by at least one instruction provided in the SQL query.

17. A computer-readable medium encoded with signals which, when processed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for retrieving data, the method comprising acts of:

(A) receiving at least one search criterion from a user;

(B) creating a query based on the at least one search criterion;

(C) executing the query to generate a plurality of results, each of the plurality of results corresponding to a respective data entity which satisfies the at least one search criterion;

(D) arranging the plurality of results into an order, the order being determined at least in part by a characteristic of the data entity corresponding to each result, and a previous act by a user with respect to the data entity corresponding to each result; and

(E) displaying the results to the user.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the signals comprise instructions.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the characteristic of the data entity corresponding to each result comprises a period which has elapsed since a creation of the data entity.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the characteristic of the data entity corresponding to each result comprises a period which has elapsed since a creation of a physical item represented by said data entity.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the physical entity comprises a file.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the characteristic of the data entity corresponding to each result comprises a period which has elapsed since a previous access of the data entity.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the characteristic of the data entity corresponding to each result comprises a period which has elapsed since a previous modification of the data entity.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the previous act by a user with respect to a data entity comprises a retrieval of the data entity.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the previous act by a user with respect to a data entity comprises a retrieval of the physical entity represented by the data entity.

26. The computer-readable medium of any of claims 24-25, wherein the retrieval was performed by a first user, and the act (E) comprises displaying the results to the first user.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the previous act was performed by a first user, and the act (E) comprises displaying the results to the first user.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the act (C) further comprises executing the query on an electronic file storage which includes the data entity corresponding to each result.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein each of the characteristics of the data entity corresponding to each result and the previous act by a user with respect to said data entity are represented by one or more data elements associated with said data entity in the electronic file storage.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the one or more data elements comply with an XML standard.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the electronic file storage comprises a database.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the database further comprises a relational database, the act (B) further comprises creating an SQL query, and the act (C) further comprises executing the SQL query on the relational database.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the act (D) further comprises arranging the plurality of results into an order defined by at least one instruction provided in the SQL query.

34. An article of manufacture comprising signals representing results generated by an information retrieval mechanism, the results being generated by executing a query based on at least one search criterion in response to receiving the at least one search criterion from a user, each of the results corresponding to a data entity which satisfies the at least one search criterion, the results being arranged into an order, the order being determined at least in part by a characteristic of a data entity corresponding to each result, and a previous act by a user with respect to a data entity corresponding to each result.

35. The article of manufacture of claim 34, wherein the characteristic of the data entity corresponding to each result comprises a period which has elapsed since a creation of the data entity.

36. The article of manufacture of claim 34, wherein the characteristic of the data entity corresponding to each result comprises a period which has elapsed since a creation of a physical item represented by said data entity.

37. The article of manufacture of claim 36, wherein the physical entity comprises a file.

38. The article of manufacture of claim 34, wherein the previous act by a user with respect to a data entity comprises a retrieval of the data entity.

39. The article of manufacture of claim 34, wherein the previous act by a user with respect to a data entity comprises a retrieval of a physical entity represented by the data entity.

40. The article of manufacture of any of claims 38-39, wherein the retrieval was performed by the user from whom the at least one search criterion was received.

41. The article of manufacture of claim 34, wherein the query is executed on an electronic file storage which includes the data entity corresponding to each result.

42. The article of manufacture of claim 41, wherein the characteristics of the data entity corresponding to each result and the previous act by a user with respect to said data entity are each represented by one or more data elements associated with said data entity in the electronic file storage.

43. The article of manufacture of claim 42, wherein the one or more data elements comply with an XML standard.

44. The article of manufacture of claim 41, wherein the electronic file storage comprises a database.

45. The article of manufacture of claim 44, wherein the database further comprises a relational database, the query further comprises an SQL query, and the SQL query is executed on the relational database.

46. The article of manufacture of claim 45, wherein the plurality of results are arranged into an order defined by at least one instruction provided in the SQL query.