System And Method For Providing Orientation Into Digital Information

• US 20090100043A1
• Filed: 08/12/2008
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Stefik, Barbara S., Stefik, Mark Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,671,104 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3326 using relevance feedback from the user, e.g. relevance feedback on documents, documents sets, document terms or passages
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition

Abstract

A system and method for providing orientation into digital information is provided. A plurality of evergreen indexes for subject areas are maintained. The evergreen indexes include digital information and are each organized by topics that include a topic model matched to the digital information. A user interest within the digital information is determined. The topic models for the evergreen indexes are evaluated against the user interest and those topics models that best match the user interest are identified. Access to the digital information is provided via at least one of the topic models in at least one of the evergreen indexes.

Claims

1. A system for providing orientation into digital information, comprising:

an information configured to maintain a plurality of evergreen indexes for subject areas comprising digital information and which are each organized by topics comprising a topic model matched to the digital information;

a guide generator configured to determine a user interest within the digital information; and

a topic model matcher configured to evaluate the topic models for the evergreen indexes against the user interest and identifying those topics models that best match the user interest,

wherein access to the digital information is provided via at least one of the topic models in at least one of the evergreen indexes.

2. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an evaluator configured to base the user interest on at least one of topics found in an article on display, receiving a query comprising topic search terms, and a topic of interest selected from a topic hierarchy, and to generate a list of the evergreen indexes that contains those topic models that best match the article, topical search terms, or topic of interest, respectively.

3. A system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface configured to rank the evergreen indexes by the topic models identified, and to bias the topics provided based on the ranking of their respective evergreen indexes.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein presentation of the evergreen indexes is biased by matching of the topics in the evergreen indexes to the user interest.

5. A system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a user interface configured to present the evergreen indexes visually separated in the display by associated augmented community.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein a guide is generated on demand comprising the article and the topics for each of the topic models identified.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the digital information comprises one or more of printed documents, Web pages, and material written in a digital media.

8. A method for providing orientation into digital information, comprising:

maintaining a plurality of evergreen indexes for subject areas comprising digital information and which are each organized by topics comprising a topic model matched to the digital information;

determining a user interest within the digital information;

evaluating the topic models for the evergreen indexes against the user interest and identifying those topics models that best match the user interest; and

providing access to the digital information via at least one of the topic models in at least one of the evergreen indexes.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

basing the user interest on at least one of;

identifying topics found in an article on display;

receiving a query comprising topic search terms; and

defining a topic of interest selected from a topic hierarchy; and

creating a list of the evergreen indexes that contains those topic models that best match the article, topical search terms, or topic of interest, respectively.

10. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

ranking the evergreen indexes by the topic models identified; and

biasing the topics provided based on the ranking of their respective evergreen indexes.

11. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

biasing presentation of the evergreen indexes by matching of the topics in the evergreen indexes to the user interest.

12. A method according to claim 11, further comprising:

presenting the evergreen indexes visually separated in the display by associated augmented community.

13. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

generating a guide on demand comprising the article and the topics for each of the topic models identified.

14. A method according to claim 8, wherein the digital information comprises one or more of printed documents, Web pages, and material written in a digital media.

15. An apparatus for providing orientation into digital information, comprising:

means for maintaining a plurality of evergreen indexes for subject areas comprising digital information and which are each organized by topics comprising a topic model matched to the digital information;

means for determining a user interest within the digital information;

means for evaluating the topic models for the evergreen indexes against the user interest and means for identifying those topics models that best match the user interest; and

means for providing access to the digital information via at least one of the topic models in at least one of the evergreen indexes.