Automatic object reference identification and linking in a browseable fact repository

• US 20070198481A1
• Filed: 02/17/2006
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Betz, Jonathan, Hogue, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,260,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links

Abstract

Links between facts associated with objects are automatically created and maintained in a fact repository. Names of objects are automatically identified in the facts, and collected into a list of names. The facts are then processed to identifying such names in the facts. Identified names are used as anchor text for search links. A search link includes a-search query for a service engine which search the fact repository for facts associated with objects having the same name.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of creating links between facts in a fact repository including a plurality of facts, each fact associated with an object, and each object including a name fact including a name of the object, the method comprising:

automatically establishing a list of object names from a plurality of name facts;

automatically identifying object names included in a plurality of facts, those object names included in the list of object names; and

for each identified object name in the plurality of facts, automatically constructing a search link in the fact, the search link comprising a search query including search criteria indicating the identified object name.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically constructing a search in the fact further comprises:

using the identified object name in the fact as an anchor for the search link.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically identifying, in a plurality of facts, object names, comprises:

identifying phrases in a fact; and

for each identified phrase, determining whether the phrase is included in the list of object names.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying phrases in a fact comprises:

forming a plurality of sequences of consecutive terms in the fact; and

testing each sequence of terms to determine whether the sequence is a phrase.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein testing each sequence of terms comprises:

determining whether an information gain of the sequence of terms exceeds a threshold.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein testing each sequence of terms comprises:

determining whether a probability of the sequence of terms exceeds a joint probability of the terms included in the sequence.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each object name included in the list of object name, storing a category for object associated with the object name; and

including in the search criteria of the search query an indication of the category of the object associated with the object name indicated in the search criteria.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each object name included in the list of object names, storing an additional attribute for object associated with the object name, along with a value of the attribute; and

including in the search criteria of the search query an indication of the additional attribute and the value of the attribute of the object associated with the object name indicated in the search criteria.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying for an object the fact including the search link, including the object name as the anchor of the search link;

responsive to receiving a selection of the search link, providing the search query to a service engine for retrieving objects having a name fact that matches the object name included in the search criteria of the search link;

receiving from the service engine at least one search result including an object having an object name that matches the object name included in the search criteria of the search link; and

displaying the received object.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically repeating the steps of automatically establishing a list of object names from a plurality of name facts, automatically identifying object names included in the list of object names, and automatically constructing a search link in the fact.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a predetermined number of facts in the fact repository being modified, repeating, for each of the modified facts, the steps of automatically establishing a list of object names from a plurality of name facts, automatically identifying object names included in the list of object names, and automatically constructing a search link in the modified fact.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a predetermined number of new facts in the fact repository being created, repeating, for each of the created facts, the steps of automatically establishing a list of object names from a plurality of name facts, automatically identifying object names included in the list of object names, and automatically constructing a search link in the new fact.

13. A computer implemented method of creating links in a fact repository including a plurality of facts, each object associated with a set of facts, each fact including an attribute descriptive of the fact and a value associated with the attribute, the values including numbers, dates, and text, the method comprising:

automatically establishing a list of fact values from a plurality of facts having a selected type of attribute;

identifying in at least one fact, a value included in the list of fact values; and

constructing a link in the fact, the link comprising a search query for an object having the identified value, and using the identified value in the fact as an anchor for the search query.

14. A user interface for a client device, for searching and browsing fact repository comprising a plurality of facts associated with objects, the fact repository coupled to a service engine adapted to search the fact repository in response to a search query, the user interface implemented on the client device by computer executable code and data, comprising:

a detailed object page, adapted for display on the client device, including a plurality of facts associated with a first object, each fact including information descriptive of the first object, at least one fact including a search link, the search link including anchor text comprising a name of a second object, and a search query for objects having a same name as the name of the second object, wherein the client device, in response to selection of the search link, is adapted to provide the search query to the service engine to retrieve the facts associated with at least one object having a same name as the name of the second object.