LOCATION DESCRIPTION FOR FEDERATION AND DISCOVERABILITY

• US 20090222411A1
• Filed: 02/28/2008
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: HYSOM, SCOTT, MCCONNELL, CHRIS, BRITO, CARLOS, TVORUN, EVGENY, BEAM, TYLER, MARCUCCI, PAOLO
• Granted Patent: US 8,515,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

System and methods for directing a federated search using a location description file to locate a data source are provided. For a federated search, a location description may be used to describe the location of each data source searched, and may further be used to connect the user to that particular data source. The format of such a location description file may include several elements, some of which provide information on how to display the file (e.g., name, description, author, icon link, etc.) and other elements (e.g., simple location, location type, etc.) are used to connect the user to the location of the data source.

Claims

1. One or more computer storage media having stored thereon a data structure for storing data representing location description files associated with data sources, the data structure comprising:

a first data field containing data representing a simple location element of one or more data sources;

a second data field containing data representing a location type element of the one or more data sources; and

a third data field derived from the first and second data fields representing a location description format of the one or more data sources.

2. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the location type element includes a location creator element.

3. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the data structure further comprises a data field containing data representing a link element.

4. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the data structure further comprises a data field containing a shell link element.

5. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the data structure further comprises a data field containing data representing a properties element.

6. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the location description format is created using a location description template.

7. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the location type element includes a location provider element.

8. A method of directing a search to a data source, the method comprising:

receiving a location of a data source in a location description format, wherein the location description format includes a simple location element and a location type element;

storing the location in a location description file; and

accessing the location from the location description file.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the location type element includes a location creator element and a location provider element.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the location description file includes a link element.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the location description file includes one or more elements in a shell link format.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the location description file includes a properties element.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the location description file is created using a location description template.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising adding the location description file to a library.

15. One or more computer storage media with computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of performing a federated search of one or more data sources in response to a search query, the method comprising:

receiving a search query;

locating one or more data sources using a location description file, wherein each data source has a location description file associated therewith;

accessing the one or more data sources;

searching the one or more data sources to produce search results; and

providing a presentation of the search results.

16. The one or more computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the location type element includes a location creator element and a location provider element.

17. The one or more computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the location description file includes a link element.

18. The one or more computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the location description file includes one or more elements in a shell link format.

19. The one or more computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the location description file includes a properties element.

20. The one or more computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the location description file is generated using a location description template.