SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PRESENTING RESULTS OF GEOGRAPHIC TEXT SEARCHES

• US 20080033936A1
• Filed: 08/06/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Metacarta, Inc.
• Inventors: FRANK, John
• Application Number:
  US11/834,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20080033936A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/00 Maps; Plans; Charts; Diagrams, e.g. route diagram star maps G09B27/04; devices for holding or supporting maps A47B97/02; for computing purposes G06G1/14, G09B1/16; display boards G09F

Abstract

Under one aspect, an interface program causes a computer system to accept search criteria including a free-text query and a domain identifier identifying a domain in a metric vector space; obtaining a set of document-location tuples satisfying the search criteria from a corpus of documents; and determining whether the tuples are associated with a single document or a plurality of documents. If the tuples are associated with multiple documents, the program causes the computer to display a visual domain representation, visual indicators representing the tuples, and, for each tuple, a document summary including a document identifier and a document text substring shorter than a specified length. If the tuples are associated with a single document, the program causes the computer to display a visual domain representation, visual indicators representing the tuples, a document summary including an identifier for the document, and a document text substring longer than the specified length.

Claims

1. An interface program stored on a computer-readable medium for causing a computer system with a display device to perform the functions of:

accepting search criteria from a user, the search criteria including a free-text query and a domain identifier, the domain identifier identifying a domain in a metric vector space;

in response to accepting the search criteria from the user, obtaining a set of document-location tuples from a corpus of documents, each document-location tuple satisfying the search criteria from the user;

determining whether the document-location tuples are associated with a single document or are associated with a plurality of documents;

if the document-location tuples are associated with multiple documents;

displaying on the display device a visual representation of the domain identified by the domain identifier;

displaying a plurality of visual indicators representing the document-location tuples; and

for each document-location tuple, displaying a document summary including an identifier for the document, and a document text substring shorter than a specified maximum length;

if the document-location tuples are associated with a single document;

displaying on the display device a visual representation of the domain identified by the domain identifier;

displaying a plurality of visual indicators representing the document-location tuples;

displaying a document summary including an identifier for the document; and

displaying a document text substring having a length longer than the specified maximum length.

2. The interface program of claim 1, wherein, if the document-location tuples are associated with a single document, the displayed document text substring is associated with multiple document-location tuples.

3. The interface program of claim 1, wherein the document-location tuples each include a document identifier, and wherein the program further causes the computer system to determine whether the document-location tuples are associated with a single document or are associated with a plurality of documents by comparing the document identifier for each document-location tuple.

4. The interface program of claim 1, wherein the text substring comprises a portion of text responsive to the free-text query entered by the user.

5. The interface program of claim 4, wherein the portion of text responsive to the free-text query entered by the user comprises at least one of an exact string match to a portion of the free-text query, a partial string match to a portion of the free-text query, and a match to a step word derived from a portion of the free-text query.

6. The interface program of claim 1, wherein the document text substring displayed for the single document includes a substantial portion of the document text.

7. The interface program of claim 1, wherein the program further causes the computer system to perform the functions of, if the document-location tuples are associated with multiple documents, for each document-location tuple, displaying a means of accessing that document.

8. The interface program of claim 7, wherein the program further causes the computer system to perform the functions of, if the document-location tuples are associated with a single document, displaying a single means of accessing the document.

9. A method of displaying information about document-location tuples, the method comprising:

accepting search criteria from a user, the search criteria including a free-text query and a domain identifier, the domain identifier identifying a domain in a metric vector space;

in response to accepting the search criteria from the user, obtaining a set of document-location tuples from a corpus of documents, each document-location tuple satisfying the search criteria from the user;

determining whether the document-location tuples are associated with a single document or are associated with a plurality of documents;

if the document-location tuples are associated with multiple documents;

displaying on the display device a visual representation of the domain identified by the domain identifier;

displaying a plurality of visual indicators representing the document-location tuples; and

for each document-location tuple, displaying a document summary including an identifier for the document, and a document text substring shorter than a specified maximum length;

if the document-location tuples are associated with a single document;

displaying on the display device a visual representation of the domain identified by the domain identifier;

displaying a plurality of visual indicators representing the document-location tuples;

displaying a document summary including an identifier for the document; and

displaying a document text substring having a length longer than the specified maximum length.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, if the document-location tuples are associated with a single document, the displayed document text substring is associated with multiple document-location tuples.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the document-location tuples each include a document identifier, and further comprising determining whether the document-location tuples are associated with a single document or are associated with a plurality of documents by comparing the document identifier for each document-location tuple.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the text substring comprises a portion of text responsive to the free-text query entered by the user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the portion of text responsive to the free-text query entered by the user comprises at least one of an exact string match to a portion of the free-text query, a partial string match to a portion of the free-text query, and a match to a step word derived from a portion of the free-text query.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the document text substring displayed for the single document includes a substantial portion of the document text.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising, if the document-location tuples are associated with multiple documents, for each document-location tuple, displaying a means of accessing that document.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, if the document-location tuples are associated with a single document, displaying a single means of accessing the document.