SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INVOKING FUNCTIONALITIES USING CONTEXTUAL RELATIONS

• US 20100274804A1
• Filed: 04/06/2008
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semantinet Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semantinet Ltd.
• Inventors: Keinan, Tal, Muskal, Tal
• Granted Patent: US 9,311,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A method for obtaining contextually related instances. The method comprises providing a map of a plurality of contextual relations between a plurality of instance types and a plurality of functionalities. Each one of the functionalities is associated with one of the mapped contextual relations and configured for providing one or more instances of a respective type. The method further comprises receiving a contextual linkage between a known instance and a requested instance, identifying a match between the contextual linkage and a segment of the map, and obtaining the requested instance by using the known instance along with a group of which is selected from the functionalities; each member of the group is associated with a contextual relation in the segment.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining contextually related instances, comprising:

a) providing a plurality of functionalities and a map of a plurality of contextual relations among a plurality of instance types, each said functionally being associated with at least one of said plurality of contextual relations and configured for providing at least one instance of a respective type;

b) receiving a contextual linkage between at least one known instance and at least one requested instance;

c) identifying a match between said contextual linkage and a segment of said map, said segment being associated with a group of said plurality of functionalities; and

d) executing said group with said at least one known instance for obtaining said at least one requested instance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving comprises receiving a search query comprising said contextual linkage.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said map is a contextual relation graph and said segment being a sub-graph thereof, further comprises converting said contextual linkage to a graph before said matching.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said sub-graph is an ordered graph comprising a plurality of segments, said obtaining comprises executing each member of said group according to the order in said ordered graph.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining comprises obtaining at least one intermediate instance, said executing comprising executing a member of said group with at least one intermediate instance for obtaining said at least one requested instance.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one known instance appears in a document, further comprising selecting said contextual linkage according to at least on member selected from a group consisting of:

said document, a profile of a user accessing said document and a browsing history related to said document.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said document is selected from a group consisting of a webpage, a website, a database record, a screen display.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each said contextual relation describes at least one of a social relation, a characterizing relation, an ownership relation, a property relation, and an identifying relation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of contextual relations defines at least one constrain, said executing comprises verifying said at least one known instance comply with said constrain.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said contextual linkage comprises a group of said plurality of contextual relations.

11. The method of claim 10, said obtaining comprises executing a first of said group for obtaining at least one intermediate instance and executing said at least one intermediate instance along a second of said group for obtaining said at least one requested instance.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising outputting an answer graph depicting a contextual relationship of at least one of said at least one intermediate instance and said at least one requested instance.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of contextual relations is a conditional contextual relation defining at least one required instance.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of said plurality of functionalities is configured for using said at least one required instance for obtaining said at least one requested instance.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of said plurality of contextual relations defines an inherence relation between one of said plurality of instance types to another of said plurality of instance types.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining comprises using at least one of said plurality of functionalities for providing a member selected from a group consisting of an advertisement, a rich site summary (RSS), a media file, a link to a contextually related content, and a website;

wherein said member is contextually related to said at least one known instance.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of functionalities is a search module configured for searching at least one instance of an associated said instance type in at least one database.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of functionalities is a conversion module configured for converting at least one instance of an associated said instance type.

19. A system for identifying a contextually related instance, comprising:

a contextual map for mapping a plurality of contextual relations among a plurality of instance types;

a list of a plurality of functionalities, each said functionality being associated with at least one of said plurality of contextual relations;

an input module configured for receiving a contextual linkage between at least one known instance and at least one requested instance; and

a computing module configured for selecting a group of said plurality of functionalities according to a match between said contextual linkage and a segment of said contextual map and obtaining said at least one requested instance by using said group.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of said plurality of functionalities is configured for communicating with a network node for said obtaining.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said network node is selected from a group consisting of a database, a list, and a web server.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of said plurality of functionalities is configured for generating said at least one requested instance according to said at least one known instance.

23. A method for obtaining a plurality of contextually related instances, comprising:

a) providing a map of a plurality of contextual relations among a plurality of instance types and a plurality of functionalities, each said functionality being configured for providing at least one instance of one of said plurality of instance types;

b) receiving a known instance of a first of said plurality of instance types;

c) using said map for identifying a group of said plurality of instance types, each member of said group being connected to said first instance type by at least one of said plurality of contextual relations; and

d) for each member of said group, obtaining at least one contextually related instance using a respective said functionality.

24. A method for obtaining a plurality of contextually related instances, comprising:

identifying at least one object of interest of a first instance type in a data resource;

providing a query defining a contextual linkage between said first instance type and a second instance type;

identifying a match between said contextual linkage and a segment of a map of a plurality of contextual relations among a plurality of instance types; and

using said match for acquiring at least one instance of said second instance type.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said data resource is selected from a group consisting of a webpage, a screenshot, a word processor document, and a graphic user interface.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said object of interest is selected from a group consisting of a word, a parse, a paragraph, a website, a link, a media file, and metadata element.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said using comprises selecting at least one of a plurality of functionalities, each said functionality being configured for providing at least one instance of one of said plurality of instance types and using said at least one selected functionality for said acquiring.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein said data resource is accessed by a browsing user, said formulating is performed according to a user profile of said browsing user.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein said providing comprises selecting said contextual linkage according to said object of interest.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein said providing comprises providing a profile of a user accessing said data resource and defining said contextual linkage according to said profile.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said data resource is a website, said providing comprises selecting said contextual linkage according to at least one characteristic of said website.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein said data resource is a website, further comprising enhancing a display of said website with said at least one acquired instance.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said at least one acquired instance are displayed in association with said at least one object of interest.