Method and apparatus for indexing, searching and displaying data

• US 6,233,571 B1
• Filed: 05/04/1998
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Daniel Egger
• Original Assignee: Daniel Egger
• Inventors: Cannon, Shawn, Egger, Daniel, Sauers, Ronald D.
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/071,120
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2-5, 707/530
• US Class Current: 707/737
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/35 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9532 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• 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 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A computer research tool for indexing, searching and displaying data is disclosed. Specifically, a computer research tool for performing computerized research of data including textual objects in a database or a network and for providing a user interface that significantly enhances data presentation is described. Textual objects and other data in a database or network is indexed by creating a numerical representation of the data. The indexing technique called proximity indexing generates a quick-reference of the relations, patterns and similarity found among the data in the database. Proximity indexing indexes the data by using statistical techniques and empirically developed algorithms. Using this proximity index, an efficient search for pools of data having a particular relation, pattern or characteristic can be effectuated. The Computer Search program, called the Computer Search Program for Data represented in Matrices (CSPDM), provides efficient computer search methods. The CSPDM rank orders data in accordance with the data'"'"'s relationship to time, a paradigm datum, or any similar reference. An alternative embodiment of the invention employs a cluster link generation algorithm which uses links and nodes to index and search a database or network. The algorithm searches for direct and indirect links to a search node and retrieves the nodes which are most closely related to the search node. The user interface program, called the Graphical User Interface (GUI), provides a user friendly method of interacting with the CSPDM program and prepares and presents a visual graphical display. The graphical display provides the user with a two or three dimensional spatial orientation of the data.

Claims

1. A method for using active links within the data of an object stored in a database of a computer so that a user may jump from viewing the data of the object in the database to a position outside the object in the database and outside the computer, comprising:

storing one or more links within data of the object in the database to positions outside of the computer, wherein the stored links are active links;

displaying the data of the object within the database, wherein one or more active links are displayed with the data from the object in the database, wherein positions are nodes in a network that may be accessed, the active links including hyperjump links between nodes in the network and the objects, and the step of displaying comprises;

generating a source map, wherein the source map represents hyperjump links that identify a chosen node as a destination of a link, and

wherein the method further comprises activating a link represented on the source map, wherein a user may hyperjump to a node represented as a node of the link;

selecting one of the displayed active links from those displayed with the displayed data; and

jumping to the position outside the object in the database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the active links are embedded icons and wherein the step of selecting comprises activating an embedded icon.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the active links are embedded text and wherein the step of selecting comprises activating the embedded text.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein computer software is used, further comprising:

generating an active link, wherein the active link can be used to jump from a location in the database to another database.

5. A method for displaying information about a network that has hyperjump data, comprising:

choosing a node;

accessing the hyperjump data;

identifying hyperjump data from within the accessed hyperjump data that has a direct reference to the chosen node;

determining hyperjump data from within the accessed hyperjump data that has an indirect reference to the chosen node using the identified hyperjump data, wherein the step of determining comprises proximity analyzing the identified hyperjump data; and

displaying one or more determined hyperjump data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the hyperjump data includes pointers and wherein the direct reference is a pointer pointing to the chosen node or from the chosen node, and the step of determining comprises analyzing the pointers.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the node represents a topic, the determined hyperjump data has a relationship to the topic, and the step of displaying displays determined hyperjump data that has a relationship to the topic.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the node is a web page in the network, the accessed hypejump data are Universal Resource Locators of linked pages, and the step of determining hyperjump data comprises analyzing the identified hyperjump data.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the node is a document in the network and the determined hyperjump data has a relationship to the document, the step of displaying comprising the step of listing the hyperjump data that has a relationship to the document.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of displaying comprises generating a graphical user display, and wherein information is displayed on a graphical display visually representing more than one coordinate plane.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the nodes are nodes in the network that may be accessed, the hyperjump data includes hyperjump links between nodes in the network, and the step of displaying comprises:

generating a source map using one or more of the determined hyperjump data, wherein the source map represents hyperjump links that identify the chosen node as a destination of a link; and

wherein the method further comprises activating a link represented on the source map, wherein a user may hyperjump to a node represented as a node of the link.

12. A method for visually displaying data related to a web having identifiable web pages and Universal Resource Locators with pointers, comprising:

choosing an identifiable web page;

identifying Universal Resource Locators for the web pages, wherein the identified Universal Resource Locators either point to or point away from the chosen web page;

analyzing Universal Resource Locators, including the identified Universal Resource Locators, wherein Universal Resource Locators which have an indirect relationship to the chosen web page are located, wherein the step of analyzing further comprises cluster analyzing the Universal Resource Locators for indirect relationships; and

displaying identities of web pages, wherein the located Universal Resource Locators are used to identify web pages.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising selecting a web page using the displayed identities of web pages.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising hyperjumping to the selected web page.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of displaying the identities of web pages comprises generating a graphical user display wherein information within the Universal Resource Locators is parsed and used to generate the graphical user display.

16. A method for navigating documents on the world wide web, comprising:

choosing a document;

identifying documents that have a direct relationship to the chosen document;

locating documents that have an indirect relationship to the chosen document identifying Universal Resource Locators for the documents, wherein the identified Universal Resource Locators either point to or point away from the chosen document;

analyzing Universal Resource Locators, including the identified Universal Resource Locators, wherein Universal Resource Locators which have an indirect relationship to the chosen document are located, wherein the step of analyzing further comprises cluster analyzing the Universal Resource Locators for indirect relationships; and

displaying a located document.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein pages and their respective Universal Resource Locators are used and the step of locating documents comprises analyzing the pages and their respective Universal Resource Locators.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of analyzing pages comprises cluster analyzing the pages.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of displaying a located document comprises:

generating a screen display of identities of one or more located documents; and

selecting one or more of the located documents.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of generating a screen display comprises generating a graphical display.

21. A method for displaying information about a network that has hyperjump data, comprising:

choosing a node;

accessing the hyperjump data;

identifying hyperjump data from within the accessed hyperjump data that has a direct reference to the chosen node;

determining hyperjump data from within the accessed hyperjump data that has an indirect reference to the chosen node using the identified hyperjump data, wherein the step of determining comprises cluster analyzing the hyperjump data; and

displaying one or more determined hyperjump data.

22. A method for displaying information about a network that has hyperjump data, comprising:

choosing a node;

accessing the hyperjump data;

identifying hyperjump data from within the accessed hyperjump data that has a direct reference to the chosen node;

determining hyperjump data from within the accessed hyperjump data that has an indirect reference to the chosen node using the identified hyperjump data; and

displaying one or more determined hyperjump data, wherein the nodes are nodes in the network that may be accessed, the hypejump data includes hyperjump links between nodes in the network, and the step of displaying comprises;

generating a source map using one or more of the determined hyperjump data, wherein the source map represents hyperjump links that identify the chosen node as a destination of a link, and wherein the method further comprises activating a link represented on the source map, wherein a user may hyperjump to a node represented as a node of the link.