System for linking hypermedia data objects in accordance with associations of source and destination data objects and similarity threshold without using keywords or link-difining terms

• US 5,694,594 A
• Filed: 11/14/1994
• Issued: 12/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Daniel Chang
• Inventors: Chang, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US08/338,645
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 395/157, 395/50, 395/600, 395/602, 395/54, 395/606, 395/603, 395/610, 395/614, 395/200.19, 364/419.19
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A networked data-handling system including a plurality of processor-database units is disclosed in this invention. Each processor-database unit includes a many structured data objects. Each structured data object contains retrievable user requested data stored in the data base of that unit. The networked system includes an user interface for allowing an user to enter and modify a plurality of query requests and link instructions. The networked system further includes a link generator for receiving and executing the query requests and the link instructions for generating links between the structured data object distributed among the networked processor-database units for retrieving the retrievable user requested data from the linked structured data object The link generator further includes a user profile generator for accumulating and employing the query requests and link instructions for generating a user profile filtering file. The link generator further includes an experience-based link creating unit for applying the accumulated query requests and link instructions and the user profile filtering file for generating a recommended links.

Claims

1. A data-handling system provided for operating in network systems each including a plurality of processor-database units each containing a plurality of structured hypermedia data objects retrievable by user via said network systems therefrom, said data-handling system comprising:

a user interface for a user to enter and modify a user input of a source data-object and a destination data-object thus allowing a user to provide intuitive-associations of two data-objects without requiring specific input of link-defining terms, and to enter a user designated similarity threshold;

an automatic link generator for receiving and processing said user input of said source data-object and said destination data-object for generating a system generated user-link-profile; and

said automatic link generator further provided for applying said system generated user link profile and said similarity threshold to automatically generate a plurality of system generated links for linking a plurality of data-objects in said processor-database units conforming to said user designated similarity threshold whereby a plurality of system generated links can be generated based only on a user input of said source data-object and said destination data-object without requiring a user input of keywords or other link-defining terms.

2. The data-handling system of claim 1 wherein:

said automatic link generator further includes a term vector computing means for computing a plurality of user-link term vectors for quantifying said system generated user link profile for said user generated link; and

said automatic link generator further includes a link-similarity computing means for applying said user-link term vectors to compute a link-similarity between every two of said plurality of processor-database units in order to automatically generate said plurality of system-generated links for linking a plurality of processor-database units conforming to said user designated similarity threshold whereby each of said system-generated links .being generated based on said user input of said source data-object and destination data-object without requiring a user input of keywords or other link-defining terms.

3. The data-handling system of claim 1 wherein:

said automatic link generator further provides said system-generated links to said user interface for said user to enter a new source data-object and a new destination data-object, and to enter a new user designated similarity threshold.

4. The data-handling system of claim 3 wherein:

said automatic link generator further includes a storage means for storing said user input of source data-object and destination data-object said similarity thresholds, said system generated user link profiles, said term vectors, and said system-generated links.

5. A link management system provided for logging-on by a plurality of data-users for linking said data-users to a plurality of indexed data-objects distributed among a plurality of hypermedia databases, said link management system comprising:

a link manager for receiving a similarity threshold and a user input of a first data-object and a second-data object in said hypermedia databases, said link manager includes a profile computing means for computing a user-link profile representing an association of said first data-object to said second data object;

,

said link manager further applying said user-link profile to compute a link-similarity between every two of said indexed data objects distributed among said data bases; and

an automatic link generator for automatically generating a system-generated link between two of said indexed data objects when said link-similarity exceed said similarity threshold whereby a plurality of system generated links can be generated based only on a user input of said first data-object and said second data-object without requiring a user input of keywords or other link-defining terms.

6. The link management system of claim 5 wherein:

a plurality of said indexed data-objects, represented by D-Obj^k (1), where k=1, 2, 3, . . . , L and L is a positive integer, wherein each includes N^k levels of sub-data-objects, represented by D-Obj^k (i), where i=2, 3, . . . N^k and N^k is a positive integer, wherein D-Obj^k (i) includes several D-Obj^k (i+1); and

said automatic link generator generating a system-generated link between two of said indexed data objects including any two of said D-Obj^K (1) and said sub-data-objects D-Obj^k (i) for k=1, 2, 3, . . . , L and i=2, 3, . . . N^k, when said link-similarity exceed said similarity threshold whereby said system generated links can be generated without a data-object size limitation.

7. The link management system of claim 6 wherein:

said link-profile computing means further includes a term vector computing means for applying a Salton Vector Space computation to compute a plurality of term vectors for quantifying said user link profile and said link-similarity between every two of said data objects and said sub-data-objects.

8. A link management system provided for logging-on by a plurality of data-users for linking said data-users to a plurality of indexed data-objects distributed among a plurality of hypermedia databases, said link management system comprising:

a link manager for receiving a similarity threshold and a user input of a source data-object and a destination-data object in said hypermedia databases, said link manager includes a profile computing means for computing a user-link profile including a set of user-selected source term vectors for said user-selected source data-object and a set of user-selected destination term vectors for said user-selected destination data-object for representing an association of said source data-object to said destination data object;

said link manager further applying said sets of user-selected source term vectors to compute a source-node similarity between said user-selected source data-object and each of said data objects, said link manager further applying said sets of user-selected destination term vectors to compute a destination-node similarity between said user-selected destination data-object and each of said data objects;

an automatic link generator for automatically generating a system-generated link between a system generated source node having a source-node similarity exceeds said source-node similarity threshold and a system generated destination node having a destination-node similarity exceeds said destination-node similarity threshold whereby a plurality of system generated links can be generated between said system generated source node and said system generated destination node based only on a user input of said source data-object and said destination data-object without requiring a user input of keywords or other link-defining terms.

9. The link management system of claim 8 wherein:

a plurality of said indexed data-objects, represented by D-Obj^k (1), where k=1, 2, 3, . . . , L and L is a positive integer, wherein each includes N^k levels of sub-data-objects, represented by D-Obj^k (i), where i=2, 3, . . . N^k and N^k is a positive integer, wherein D-Obj^k (i) includes several D-Obj^k (i+1); and

said automatic link generator generating a system-generated link between two of said indexed data objects including any two of said D-Obj^K (1) and said sub-data-objects D-Obj^k (i) for k=1, 2, 3, . . . , L and i=2, 3, . . . N^k, when said link-similarity exceed said similarity threshold whereby said system generated links can be generated without a data-object size limitation.

10. The link management system of claim 9 wherein:

said link-profile computing means further includes a term vector computing means for applying a Salton Vector Space computation to compute a plurality of term vectors for quantifying said user link profile and said link-similarity between every two of said data objects and said sub-data-objects.