LOCATION MANAGEMENT OF OFF-PREMISE RESOURCES

• US 20080082782A1
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: MacLaurin, Matthew B., Meijer, Henricus Johannes Maria, Ozzie, Raymond E., Raghavan, Kartik N., Glasser, Daniel S., Bergstraesser, Thomas F., Connolly, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,836,056 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

The innovation enables generation of an index of cloud-based resources (e.g., data, services, applications). The index can be used to retrieve a subset of the cloud-based resources by analyzing a user-generated or standing query. ‘Identity’ and contextual factors can be incorporated to enable rich indexing as well as subsequent retrieval of meaningful resources. The cloud-based resources can be indexed and/or searched in accordance with diverse criteria including, but not limited to, type, size, data created, date modified, author core identity, object size, etc. As well, the innovation can provide for dynamically indexing and/or searching resources in accordance with current contextual factors including, but not limited to, author current acting capacity (e.g., current identity), current engaged activity of a user, location, time, date, etc. All of these criteria can facilitate indexing and categorizing of the resources for later retrieval and rendering via a rich index view.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates indexing a plurality of resources, comprising:

a resource analysis component that analyzes a subset of the resources based upon a set of criteria; and

an index generation component that dynamically establishes an index that represents location of the subset of the resources as a function of the analysis.

2. The system of claim 1, the plurality of resources are at least one of data, software and a service.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plug-in that expands the set of criteria.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a metadata generation component that automatically generates the metadata associated to one of structure and semantics of the subset of resources, the index generation component employs the metadata to index the subset of resources.

5. The system of claim 1, the index generation component enables each of the subset of resources to be indexed in a disparate manner.

6. The system of claim 5, the disparate manner is user-defined.

7. The system of claim 2, further comprising a search component that accepts a request from a user and employs the index to locate a subset of resources in accordance with the request.

8. The system of claim 2, further comprising a search component that employs the index to retrieve a subset of resources associated with a context of the user.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a results retrieval component that gathers the subset of resources as a function of context of the user.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a results configuration component that configures a gathered subset of resources as a function of one of a user preference, a device profile, a context or an activity.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a filter component the limits exposure of the subset of resources.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a ranking component that categorizes the subset of resources based at least in part upon one of context, a preference and relevance.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising an ordering component that organizes the subset of resources based at least in part upon one of a preference and relevance.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising a machine learning and reasoning (MLR) component that employs at least one of a probabilistic and a statistical-based analysis that infers a user-preferred configuration.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a monetization component that valuates of a subscription as a function of at least one of scope of the index and scope of search capability.

16. A computer-implemented method of managing a plurality of resources that correspond to a user, comprising:

analyzing a resource as a function of a plurality of categories;

generating one of structure and semantic metadata associated with the resource as a function of at least one of the categories; and

establishing an index based at least in part upon the metadata.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a plug-in; and

expanding the plurality of categories as defined by the plug-in.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining a user-specific indexing scheme, the act of establishing the index employs the user-specific indexing scheme to establish the index.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

searching the index based upon one a user-defined criteria; and

rendering a subset of the resources as a function of the user-defined criteria.

20. A computer-executable system that facilitates management of resources, comprising:

means for identifying an index preference of a user;

means for establishing an index of a plurality of on-premise and/or off-premise resources as a function of the index preference, the index logs semantic and structure data of a plurality of on-premise and/or off-premise resources;

means for expanding capability of the means for establishing the index based at least in part upon a format related to a subset of the on-premise or off-premise resources; and

means for searching the index and identifying a subset of the on-premise or off-premise resources as a function of a user preference.