GUIDED NAVIGATION SYSTEM

• US 20110131210A1
• Filed: 01/12/2011
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle OTC Subsidiary LLC (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Inquira Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Bierner, Gann Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 8,296,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/740
• 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 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A navigation system is used in combination with a data retrieval system to more effectively locate the correct answers or information in search content. The navigation system provides taxonomies that identify different information categories and sub-categories (facets). Classifiers automatically classify the search content by identifying the content corresponding with associated facets. The facets, in conjunction with the associated classifiers, provide robust classification and correlation between both structured and unstructured content. Rules can be used in conjunction with the facets and classifiers to automatically control different navigation operations. The navigation system can also leverage ontologies to dynamically create taxonomies and provides unique facet expansion and intra-document classification operations.

Claims

1. A method for classifying content, comprising:

receiving, at a processor and as part of performing a query, both structured and unstructured content;

providing a taxonomy having an entire set of displayed and non-displayed preexisting facets associated with different subject categories;

using, by the processor, a structured classifier to classify the structured content with one or more of the preexisting facets in the taxonomy;

using, by the processor, a different unstructured classifier to classify the unstructured content with one or more of the same preexisting facets in the same taxonomy; and

displaying, in response to the query, the one or more preexisting facets classified with the structured content and classified with the unstructured content.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the structured classifier searches predetermined data fields or predefined locations in the structured content for information associated with the preexisting facets.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the unstructured classifier searches for information associated with the preexisting facets that are not located in predefined data fields or predefined locations in the unstructured content.

4. The method according to claim 3, including using an Intelligent Matching Language (IML) in the unstructured classifier to search for data items in the unstructured content corresponding with a concept identified by the preexisting facets.

5. The method according to claim 1, including:

assigning identifiers to data items in both the structured and unstructured content;

using the structured classifier to generate a list of the identifiers for the data items in the structured content associated with the preexisting facets;

using the unstructured classifier to add the identifiers to the same list for the data items in the unstructured content associated with the preexisting facets; and

displaying the number of data items in both the structured and unstructured content associated with the same preexisting facets by counting the number of identifiers in the list that are possible answers to the query.

6. The method according to claim 1, including:

identifying data items located in either the structured or unstructured content associated with a selected one of the preexisting facets;

automatically creating new facets that are configured as sub-categories for the selected one of the preexisting facets, the newly created facets generated from the data items identified in the structured or unstructured content and not previously existing anywhere in the entire displayed or non-displayed taxonomy prior to receiving the structured or unstructured content;

building a new taxonomy that includes the new facets that are sub-categories underneath the selected one of the preexisting facets; and

classifying the data items according to the new taxonomy.

7. The method according to claim 1, including:

associating an ontology with the structured and unstructured content that includes at least one concept having different categories and sub-categories;

inserting a portion of the ontology into the taxonomy; and

using the categories and sub-categories for the inserted portion of the ontology as facets for classifying the structured and unstructured content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the structured content is a portion of a search result of the query, and wherein the search result that includes the structured content is classified on a display using the respective preexisting facets.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the structured content is a portion of a search result, the portion being displayed in a particular preconfigured format.

10. The method according to claim 1, including:

identifying data items located in the structured content associated with a selected one of the preexisting facets;

automatically creating new facets that are configured as sub-categories for the selected one of the preexisting facets, the newly created facets generated from the data items identified in the structured content and not previously existing anywhere in the entire displayed or non-displayed taxonomy prior to receiving the structured content;

building a new taxonomy that includes the new facets that are sub-categories underneath the selected one of the preexisting facets; and

classifying the data items according to the new taxonomy.

11. A computer readable memory having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving both structured and unstructured content;

providing a taxonomy having facets associated with different subject categories;

using a structured classifier to classify the structured content with one of the facets;

using an unstructured classifier to classify the unstructured content with the facet; and

wherein the structured classifier is enabled to use predefined fields in the structured content, and the unstructured classifier is enabled to classify the unstructured content even though the unstructured content does not have predefined fields.

12. The computer readable memory according to claim 11, wherein the structured classifier searches the predefined fields in the structured content for information associated with the facet.

13. The computer readable memory according to claim 11, wherein the unstructured classifier searches for information associated with the facet that is not located in predefined fields or predefined locations in the unstructured content.

14. The computer readable memory according to claim 11, wherein the operations further comprising using an Intelligent Matching Language (IML) in the unstructured classifier to search data items in the unstructured content corresponding with a concept identified by the facet.

15. The computer readable memory according to claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying data items in the structured content associated with the facet;

identifying different sub-categories for the identified data items;

building a new taxonomy by listing the sub-categories underneath the facet; and

classifying the data items according to the new taxonomy.

16. The computer readable memory according to claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

associating an ontology with the structured and unstructured content that includes at least one concept having different categories and sub-categories;

inserting a portion of the ontology into the taxonomy; and

using the categories and sub-categories for the inserted portion of the ontology as facets for classifying the structured and unstructured content.

17. The computer readable memory according to claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

building new classifiers for the facets created from the inserted portion of the ontology; and

using the new classifiers to classify the content with the facets created from the inserted portion of the ontology.

18. The computer readable memory according to claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

conducting a query that returns search results;

comparing concept categories in the ontology with data items contained in the search results;

identifying the concept categories associated with the data items from the search results; and

dynamically creating facets in the taxonomy according to the concept categories in the ontology corresponding with the search results.

19. A computing system, comprising:

a processor configured to receive both structured and unstructured content and to classify using separate respective structured and unstructured classifiers both the structured and unstructured content into categories identified in a same associated taxonomy; and

wherein the structured classifier is enabled to use predefined fields in the structured content, and the unstructured classifier is enabled to classify the unstructured content even though the unstructured content does not have predefined fields; and

wherein the processor is further configured to independently operate both the structured and unstructured classifiers for the same taxonomy categories, the structured classifiers classifying the structured content for associated taxonomy categories and the unstructured classifiers classifying the unstructured content for associated taxonomy categories.

20. The computing system according to claim 19, including memory that contains lists associated with the taxonomy categories, the processor configured to classify data items in both the structured and unstructured content with the taxonomy categories and then store identifiers for the classified items in the lists associated with the taxonomy categories.