METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING TAGS

• US 20100036888A1
• Filed: 08/06/2008
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carter, Bernadette A., Li, Fuyi, Seacat, Lisa A., Nesbitt, Pamela A., Chang, Belinda Y.
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A method and system manage one or more tags for an item. The tags reside in a datastore. The method and system include associating the tag with at least one expiration condition and determining whether the at least one expiration condition has been met. If the expiration condition(s) have been met, then corrective action is taken for the tag while retaining the at least one item.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing a tag for an item, the tag residing in a datastore, the method comprising:

associating the tag with at least one expiration condition;

determining whether the at least one expiration condition has been met; and

taking corrective action for the tag while retaining the item if the at least one expiration condition has been met.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the corrective action includes:

displaying the prompt for a user to approve the removal of the tag from the datastore; and

removing the tag from the datastore if the user approves the removal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the corrective action includes at least one of:

removal of the tag from the datastore while retaining the item, replacement of the tag with a default tag while retaining the item, and marking the tag as obsolete while retaining the item.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one expiration condition associating further includes:

setting a maximum time interval since a last use of the tag.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the determining includes:

determining an elapsed time since the last use of the tag;

comparing the elapsed time with the maximum time interval; and

if the elapsed time is at least the maximum time interval, determining that the at least one expiration condition has been met.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the determining includes:

setting an expiration time as a time of last use plus the maximum time interval;

determining whether the expiration time has been reached; and

if the expiration time has been reached, determining that the at least one expiration condition has been met.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the expiration condition includes a minimum number of uses within a time interval and wherein the determining includes:

determining a number of uses of the tag during the time interval;

comparing the number of uses with the minimum number of uses; and

determining that the at least one expiration condition has been met if the number of uses is less than the minimum number of uses.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the item includes at least one additional tag and wherein the at least one expiration condition associating further includes:

comparing tag to the at least one additional tag; and

setting the at least one expiration condition based on the comparing.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the tag comparing further includes:

determining whether the tag is an antonym for any of the at least one additional tag; and

wherein the at least one expiration condition setting further includes setting the at least one expiration condition to at least one of a reduced time interval and a reduced number of uses if the tag is the antonym for any of the at least one additional tag.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the tag includes a character string.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the tag is a portion of a larger tag.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

resetting a tag status if the at least one expiration condition is not met.

13. A computer-implemented method for managing a tag for an item, the tag residing in a datastore, the item corresponding to at least one additional tag, the method comprising:

performing a comparison of the tag to the at least one additional tag;

setting at least one expiration condition for the tag based on the comparison, the at least one expiration condition including at least one of a minimum number of uses in a time interval and a maximum time interval for the tag based on the comparison;

determining at least one of a number of uses of the tag in the time interval and an elapsed time since a last use of the tag;

comparing at least one of the minimum number of uses to the number of uses and the elapsed time to the maximum time interval; and

removing the tag from the datastore while retaining the item if at least one of the number of uses is less than the minimum number of uses and the elapsed time is at least the maximum time interval.

14. A system for managing a tag associated with an item comprising:

a datastore for storing the item, the tag, and at least one expiration condition for the tag; and

a tag management system for associating the tag with the at least one expiration condition, determining whether the at least one expiration condition has been met, and taking corrective action for the tag while retaining the item if the at least one expiration condition has been met.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the corrective action includes displaying the prompt for a user to approve the removal of the tag from the datastore and removing the tag from the datastore while retaining the item if the user approves the removal.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the corrective action includes removal of the tag from the datastore while retaining the item.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the at least one expiration condition includes at least one of a maximum time interval since a last use of the tag and a minimum number of uses in a time interval for the tag.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the tag system determines an elapsed time since the last use of the tag, compares the elapsed time with the maximum time interval, and determines that the at least one expiration condition has been met if the elapsed time is at least the maximum time interval.

19. The system of claim 18 the tag system further determines a number of uses of the at least one tag during the time interval, compares the number of uses with the minimum number of uses, and determines that the at least one expiration condition has been met if the number of uses is less than the minimum number of uses.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

associate at least one expiration condition for a tag corresponding to an item, the tag residing in a datastore;

determine whether the at least one expiration condition has been met; and

take corrective action for the tag while retaining the item if the at least one expiration condition has been met, the corrective action including at least one of removal of the tag from the datastore while retaining the at least one item and displaying a prompt to a user for the removal of the tag.