LIBRARY DESCRIPTION OF THE USER INTERFACE FOR FEDERATED SEARCH RESULTS

• US 20090327226A1
• Filed: 06/26/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: HYSOM, SHANNON SCOTT, MCCONNELL, CHRISTOPHER CLAYTON, BRITO, CARLOS, BEAM, TYLER KIEN, MARCUCCI, PAOLO
• Granted Patent: US 8,001,154 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/256 in federated or virtual databases

Abstract

Methods and computer-readable media are provided for performing a federated search using a library description file to locate multiple data sources. For a federated search, a library description can be used to describe a set of data sources searched, and may further be used to describe how search results should be presented to a user. The format of such a library description file can include multiple elements, some of which provide information on how to display the library and others that define which data sources are included in the library. The library description file can be created according to library description template.

Claims

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

a first data field containing data representing one or more location elements, wherein one or more libraries are comprised of the one or more location elements;

a second data field containing data representing a display format element for the one or more libraries; and

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

2. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the one or more location elements are comprised of one or more data sources.

3. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the data structure further comprises a data field including link elements corresponding to the one or more locations.

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

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

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

7. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the display format element defines the formatting of the presentation of the one or more libraries.

8. A method of creating a library description file, the method comprising:

receiving a description of one or more locations, said description containing information describing a data source of each of the one or more locations;

grouping the one or more locations based on predefined criteria into one or more groups;

creating one or more library description files for each of the one or more groups, wherein said library description files are comprised of information describing the one or more libraries; and

storing the one or more library description files on a computer-readable medium.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information describing the data source of the location defines the content of the data source corresponding to the one or more locations.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the criteria define that locations are grouped into libraries based on their content.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the library description file includes link elements.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the library description file includes one or more shell link elements.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the library description file includes a properties element.

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

15. One or more computer storage media with computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of executing a federated search of one or more libraries and displaying the libraries and search results according to one or more library description files, the method comprising:

receiving a search query;

receiving a selection of one or more libraries to perform the search query upon, wherein said one or more libraries have corresponding library description files;

generating a list of search results by accessing one or more locations defined by the one or more library description files; and

presenting a list of search results and libraries in an arrangement defined by the one or more library description files.

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

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

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

19. The one or more computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the library description file includes display element that defines how the search results and library are presented.

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