System and method for information retrieval using context information

• US 20080114758A1
• Filed: 11/15/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Khan, Mohammed Rafiushan, Rupp, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and method of collecting information and associated context. Information is retrieved using context information by receiving a search request to identify an information item, the search request including a context item comprising circumstantial information related to a previous experience with the information item, and searching at least one data store using the context item, so as to identify the information item associated with the context item

Claims

1. A method executable by at least one computing system of retrieving information using context information comprising:

receiving a search request to identify an information item, the search request including a context item comprising circumstantial information related to a previous experience with the information item;

searching at least one data store using the context item, so as to identify the information item associated with the context item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search request is received from an application program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the search request is received from a user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information item is a document, and the context item is metadata associated with the document.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the document is saved as a file and the context item is stored as part of a file.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the context item is other than file system information associated with the file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information item is an electronic mail message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information item is an instant message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information item is contact information.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the information item is an instant message.

10. A method executable by at least one computing system of retrieving an information item comprising:

collecting context information for the information item, said step of collecting comprises;

identifying context information corresponding to the information item, the context information comprising circumstantial information related to a current experience with the information item; and

storing the context information; and

retrieving an information item associated with the stored context information, said step of retrieving comprising;

receiving a search request including at least one search criteria comprising at least one item of the context information;

searching at least one data store using the context item, so as to identify the information item associated with the context item.

11. A computer-readable medium having embodied therein a computer program for executing a method of retrieving information using context information, the method comprising:

receiving a search request to identify an information item, the search request including a context item comprising circumstantial information related to a previous experience with the information item;

searching at least one data store using the context item, so as to identify the information item associated with the context item.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the search request is received from an application program.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the search request is received from a user.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the information item is a document, and the context item is metadata associated with the document.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the document is saved as a file and the context item is stored as part of a file.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the context item is other than file system information associated with the file.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the information item is an electronic mail message.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the information item is contact information.

20. A computer-readable medium having embodied therein a computer program for executing a method of retrieving an information item, the method comprising:

collecting context information for the information item, said step of collecting comprises;

identifying context information corresponding to the information item, the context information comprising circumstantial information related to a current experience with the information item; and

storing the context information; and

retrieving an information item associated with the stored context information, said step of retrieving comprising;

receiving a search request including at least one search criteria comprising at least one item of the context information;

searching at least one data store using the context item, so as to identify the information item associated with the context item.