Method, system, and article to provide data analysis or searching

• US 20060004734A1
• Filed: 05/21/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wolf, Tracee, Malkin, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,296,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/968 interface for database querying and retrieval

Abstract

A method of searching a collection of data that includes specifying a compound query having two or more search parameters; identifying data objects in the collection that match the search parameters; and providing results that include both an identification of matching data objects and an extent to which the objects match respective ones of the search parameters. The extent of match is shown by graphical bars having elongated segments of a unique color associated with each search parameter so that the user may visually appreciate the relevance of respective parameters in the compound query. A client device communicating with a server, receives an applet to effect the user interface. Each search parameter has an associated unique color and the user may specify a range of relevance desired in the results by altering the strength of any one of the search parameters. A computer-readable medium embodying program code and a corresponding apparatus are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of analyzing a collection of data comprising:

a. specifying a compound query that includes two or more search parameters;

b. identifying data objects of the collection that match said search parameters; and

c. providing a visual indication of results that include both an identification of matching data objects and an extent to which the objects match respective ones of the search parameters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specifying step comprises specifying a parameter that includes a phrase of plural search terms.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the specifying step includes associating unique visual indicia with respective ones of said search parameters, and said providing step includes associating in said results one of said unique visual indicia with respective ones of the search parameters.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said visual indicia comprises unique colors.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said providing step includes displaying in a user interface, for each matching data object, a graphical bar having ordered segments of said unique colors where each of said segments has a length indicative of an extent of match of said data object with respective ones of the search parameters.

6. The method of claim 5, further including the step of reordering segments of said graphical bar to effect reordering of a list of data objects according to relevance to respective search parameters associated with said segments.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said user interface includes a text subfield associated with each search parameter, and each subfield is associated with one of said unique colors.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said user interface provides a variable control effective to enable a user to vary the extent of match desired for respective ones of said search parameters.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said variable control comprises a slider bar associated with each of said text subfields that is operable by a user.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein said user interface includes a controllable view field indicator to select an area of view of at least a portion of said matching data objects.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing step includes providing said results to a client via a server communicating with said client over a network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said server comprises an HTTP handler to provide communication over an Internet, a search handler to access said data objects, a relevance handler to determine an extent of match of respective ones of said search parameters, and a user interface handler to provide a graphical user interface to display said results.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said server conveys to said client an applet to enable display of said results on a display device of said client.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said applet enables a user to specify said search parameters and, for each data object matching said search parameters, an associated graphical bar having segments of unique colors and lengths indicative of an extent of match of said data object with respective ones of said search parameters.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said applet provides a list of data object ordered according to ordering of appearance of colors in said graphical bar and respective lengths of segments in said graphical bar.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said apple enables a user to reorder the appearance of colors in said graphical bar to effect reordering the list of data objects according to a reordered appearance of said colors.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said applet enables reordering by dragging and dropping said segments of said graphical bar.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said user interface provides a subfield having an associated unique color for each search parameter.

19. An article of manufacture comprising a computer readable medium embodying programming code to effect an analysis of a collection of data in a computer by enabling a user to specify a compound query that includes two or more search parameters;

to identify data objects of the collection that match said search parameters; and

to provide results that include both an identification of matching data objects and an extent to which the objects match respective ones of the search parameters.

20. The article of claim 19, further including programming code to associate unique visual indicia with respective ones of said search parameters, and to associate unique visual indicia with respective ones of the search parameters.

21. The article of claim 20, wherein said visual indicia comprises unique colors.

22. The article of claim 21, where said programming code effect a display on a user interface, for each matching data object, a graphical bar having ordered segments of unique colors where each segments has a length indicative of an extent of match of said data object with respective ones of the search parameters.

23. The article of claim 22, wherein said programming code enables a user to reorder segments of said graphical bar to effect reordering of a list of data objects according to relevance to respective search parameters associated with said segments.

24. The article of claim 23, wherein said programming code provides on a user interface a text subfield associated with each search parameter where each subfield is associated with one of said unique colors.

25. The article of claim 24, wherein said programming code provides a variable control effective to enable a user to vary the extent of match desired for respective ones of said search parameters.

26. The article of claim 25, wherein said programming code provides a user interface that includes a controllable view field indicator to select an area of view of at least a portion of said matching data objects.

27. The article of claim 19, wherein said programming code comprises an HTTP handler to provide communication over an Internet, a search handler to access said data objects, a relevance handler to determine an extent of match of respective ones of said search parameters, and a user interface handler to provide a graphical user interface to display said results.

28. An apparatus to search a collection of data comprising:

a user interface handler to enable a user to specify a compound query that includes two or more search parameters;

a search engine to identify data objects of the collection that match said search parameters; and

a display handler to provide results to a user that include both an identification of matching data objects and an extent to which the objects match respective ones of the search parameters.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the user interface handler associates unique visual indicia with respective ones of said search parameters, and said display handler associates a unique one of said visual indicia with respective ones of the search parameters.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein 4 said visual indicia comprises unique colors.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said display handler provides, for each matching data object, a graphical bar having ordered segments of said unique colors where each of said segments has a length indicative of an extent of match of said data object with one of the search parameters.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, where the user interface handler enables reordering the segments of the graphical bar to effect reordering of a list of data objects according to relevance to respective search parameters associated with the segments.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said user interface handler includes a text subfield associated with each search parameter, and each subfield is associated with one of said unique colors.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said user interface handler provides a variable control effective to enable a user to vary the extent of match desired for respective ones of said search parameters.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein said user interface handler includes a controllable view field indicator to select an area of view of at least a portion of said matching data objects.

36. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein a client device provides a user interface for said user interface handler and a server provides said search engine, and said client device and said server communicate over a network.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said server comprises an HTTP handler to provide communication over an Internet, a search handler to access said data objects, a relevance handler to determine an extent of match of respective ones of said search parameters, and said user interface handler provide a graphical user interface to display said results on said graphical user interface.