HIERARCHICAL DATA-DRIVEN NAVIGATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INFORMATION RETRIEVAL

• US 20080134100A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle OTC Subsidiary LLC (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Endeca Technologies Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: JOHNSON, Keith, GOURLEY, David, KNABE, Frederick C., TUNKELANG, Daniel, FERRARI, Adam J., WALTER, John S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,823 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3323 using document space presentation or visualization, e.g. category, hierarchy or range presentation and selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/962 Entity-attribute-value
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A data-driven, hierarchical information navigation system and method enable search of sets of documents or other materials by certain common attributes that characterize the materials. The invention includes several aspects of a data-driven, hierarchical navigation system that employs this navigation mode. The navigation system of the present invention includes features of an interface, a knowledge base and a taxonomy definition process and a classification process for generating the knowledge base, a graph-based navigable data structure and method for generating the data structure, World Wide Web-based applications of the system, and methods of implementing the system. Users are able to search or browse a particular collection of documents by selecting desired values for the attributes. A data-driven, hierarchical information navigation system and method enable this navigation mode by associating terms with the materials, defining a set of hierarchical relationships among the terms, and providing a guided search mechanism based on the relationship between the terms.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for retrieving information comprising:

storing in a data structure a plurality of attribute-value pairs associated with a collection of materials, wherein each of a plurality of values has an association with at least one of a plurality of attributes characterizing the materials;

providing a user interface for entering a query to retrieve information regarding the collection of materials;

displaying through the user interface a first set of navigation options corresponding to a plurality of attribute-value pairs associated with a plurality of attributes;

in response to a query received at the user interface that includes a selection of at least a first attribute-value pair from the first set of navigation options;

displaying through the user interface a representation of a first navigation state responsive to the query, the first navigation state corresponding to a first set of attribute-value pairs and to a first particular subset of the materials, the first set of attribute-value pairs including at least the first selected attribute-value pair, the first particular subset of the materials consisting of those materials in the collection of materials that are each described by every attribute-value pair in the first set of attribute-value pairs; and

displaying through the user interface a second set of context-dependent navigation options for selecting a term corresponding to an attribute-value pair so as to navigate from the first navigation state to another navigation state, the second set of context-dependent navigation options including an option to select a term corresponding to a second attribute that was not represented by the user interface in the first set of navigation options; and

in response to a selection of a term corresponding to a second attribute-value pair associated with the second attribute as a navigation option from the second set of context-dependent navigation options;

displaying through the user interface a representation of a second navigation state responsive to the selection of the second attribute-value pair, the second navigation state corresponding to a second set of attribute-value pairs and to a second particular subset of the materials, the second particular subset of the materials consisting of those materials in the collection of materials that are each described by every attribute-value pair in the second set of attribute-value pairs; and

displaying through the user interface a third set of navigation options for navigating from the second navigation state to another navigation state, the third set of navigation options including an option to de-select a term corresponding to an attribute-value pair other than the second attribute-value pair.

2. A computer program product, residing on a computer-readable medium, for use in retrieving information, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

access a data structure containing a plurality of attribute-value pairs associated with a collection of materials, wherein each of a plurality of values has an association with at least one of a plurality of attributes characterizing the materials;

provide a user interface for entering a query to retrieve information regarding the collection of materials;

display through the user interface a first set of navigation options corresponding to a plurality of attribute-value pairs associated with a plurality of attributes;

in response to a query received at the user interface that includes a selection of at least a first attribute-value pair from the first set of navigation options;

display through the user interface a representation of a first navigation state responsive to the query, the first navigation state corresponding to a first set of attribute-value pairs and to a first particular subset of the materials, the first set of attribute-value pairs including at least the first selected attribute-value pair, the first particular subset of the materials consisting of those materials in the collection of materials that are each described by every attribute-value pair in the first set of attribute-value pairs; and

display through the user interface a second set of context-dependent navigation options for selecting a term corresponding to an attribute-value pair so as to navigate from the first navigation state to another navigation state, the second set of context-dependent navigation options including an option to select a term corresponding to a second attribute that was not represented by the user interface in the first set of navigation options; and

in response to a selection of a term corresponding to a second attribute-value pair associated with the second attribute as a navigation option from the second set of context-dependent navigation options;

display through the user interface a representation of a second navigation state responsive to the selection of the second attribute-value pair, the second navigation state corresponding to a second set of attribute-value pairs and to a second particular subset of the materials, the second particular subset of the materials consisting of those materials in the collection of materials that are each described by every attribute-value pair in the second set of attribute-value pairs; and

display through the user interface a third set of navigation options for navigating from the second navigation state to another navigation state, the third set of navigation options including an option to de-select a term corresponding to an attribute-value pair other than the second attribute-value pair.

3. A system for retrieving information comprising:

a memory containing a plurality of attribute-value pairs associated with a collection of materials, wherein each of a plurality of values has an association with at least one of a plurality of attributes characterizing the materials;

a user interface for entering a query to retrieve information regarding the collection of materials and for displaying a first set of navigation options corresponding to a plurality of attribute-value pairs associated with a plurality of attributes; and

a processor programmed to;

in response to a query received from the user interface that includes a selection of at least a first attribute-value pair from the first set of navigation options;

display through the user interface a representation of a first navigation state responsive to the query, the first navigation state corresponding to a first set of attribute-value pairs and to a first particular subset of the materials, the first set of attribute-value pairs including at least the first selected attribute-value pair, the first particular subset of the materials consisting of those materials in the collection of materials that are each described by every attribute-value pair in the first set of attribute-value pairs; and

display through the user interface a second set of context-dependent navigation options for selecting a term corresponding to an attribute-value pair so as to navigate from the first navigation state to another navigation state, the second set of context-dependent navigation options including an option to select a term corresponding to a second attribute that was not represented by the user interface in the first set of navigation options; and

in response to a selection of a term corresponding to a second attribute-value pair associated with the second attribute as a navigation option from the second set of context-dependent navigation options;

display through the user interface a representation of a second navigation state responsive to the selection of the second attribute-value pair, the second navigation state corresponding to a second set of attribute-value pairs and to a second particular subset of the materials, the second particular subset of the materials consisting of those materials in the collection of materials that are each described by every attribute-value pair in the second set of attribute-value pairs; and

display through the user interface a third set of navigation options for navigating from the second navigation state to another navigation state, the third set of navigation options including an option to de-select a term corresponding to an attribute-value pair other than the second attribute-value pair.