SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SEARCHING A VOLUME OF FILES

• US 20080177701A1
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Total E&p USA, Inc. (Totalenergies Se)
• Original Assignee: Total E&p USA, Inc. (Totalenergies Se)
• Inventors: Coulter, Vickie K., Merritt, Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US11/625,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20080177701A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06

Abstract

A pathname-based index is constructed for use in searching for a file of interest that resides in a volume of files. Thus, information contained in the paths present in the volume of files (e.g., directories and subdirectories) is used for efficiently searching for a file of interest. According to certain embodiments, an indexing application searches a volume of files and retrieves information (e.g., metadata) about the files contained therein for storage to a database that can then be searched, rather than requiring the full volume itself to be searched. Further, the file information (e.g., metadata) is indexed in the database based on the files'"'"' respective pathname in the volume of files. Thus, information contained in the file'"'"'s pathname can be utilized in searching the database for information about the file (e.g., for discovering the file as being of interest).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

constructing a database of information about files stored to a volume of files;

indexing the information based on pathnames for the files in the volume;

receiving a user-defined search criteria, wherein the search criteria includes at least a portion of a pathname; and

searching the database for files whose indexes match the search criteria.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said indexing is preformed by a computer-executable software process.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said constructing is performed by said computer-executable software process.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said receiving and said searching are preformed by a computer-executable software process.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said pathname comprise directory and subdirectory names to which said files are stored in said volume.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said pathnames comprise user-defined names.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said user-defined names comprise names logically related to said files stored to said respective pathnames.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said information about said files comprises respective links to each of said files.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said information about said files comprises metadata.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

retrieving from said files in said volume, said metadata.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said search criteria further includes at least one search term relating to said metadata.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

presenting to a user identification of the files whose indexes match the search criteria.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

presenting to said user a link to the files whose indexes match the search criteria.

14. A system comprising:

a volume of files; and

an indexing application stored to computer-readable medium and executable by a computer to construct a database of information about the files indexed based on the files'"'"' respective pathname in the volume.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the pathnames are user-defined pathnames.

16. The system of claim 14 further comprising a searching application stored to computer-readable medium and executable by a computer to receive a user-defined search criteria that includes at least a portion of a pathname, and said searching application further executable by said computer to search the database for files whose indexes match the search criteria.

17. A system comprising:

means for storing a volume of files, wherein a plurality of different pathnames for accessing the files exist in the volume; and

means for constructing, based on the file'"'"'s respective pathnames in the volume, indexes for database records of information about the files.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising;

means for populating the database records with said information about the files.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the information about the files comprises metadata stored for the files in the volume of files.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the pathnames comprise directory and subdirectory names.