Method and apparatus for active information discovery and retrieval

• US 6,498,795 B1
• Filed: 05/28/1999
• Issued: 12/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC USA (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Zhang, Junbiao, Ott, Maximilian
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): LY, ANH VU H
• Application Number:
  US09/321,628
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 370/255, 370/256, 370/395.31, 370/395.32, 370/400, 370/408, 370/411, 370/428, 709/218, 709/219, 709/242
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention is built upon an active network framework and an ontology-based information hierarchy, and, in addition to the features found in current network models, it provides a symmetrical framework for information filtering and binding in the network. Queries from information requesters are directly routed to relevant information sources and contents from information providers are distributed to the destinations that expressed an interest in the information. The query packets and content packets can carry commands that are executed at the active network nodes encountered by the packets as they traverse the network.

Claims

1. A method of information routing, comprising:

providing a plurality of information provider nodes, each having a plurality of stored information thereon;

providing a plurality of information requestor nodes;

providing a plurality of active network nodes and connecting each active network node to a subset of said plurality of information provider nodes, a subset of said plurality of information requester nodes and a subset of said plurality of said active network nodes;

creating at least one content ontology instance tree and at least one query ontology instance tree on each of said plurality of active network nodes;

injecting information content packets, each of said information content packets containing content data and content routing data to said plurality of stored information located on the information provider node that injected said information content packet;

modifying said at least one content ontology instance tree at active network nodes traversed by said information content packets by inserting content data and content routing data contained within said information content packets in a branch of said at least one content ontology instance tree;

injecting information query packets, each of said information query packets containing query data and query routing data to the information requester node that injected said information query packet;

modifying said at least one query ontology instance tree at active network nodes traversed by said information query packets by inserting query data and query routing data contained within said information query packets into a branch of said at least one query ontology instance tree; and

establishing an information route between at least one information requester node and at least one information provider node, said information route created after said information query packets search said at least one content ontology instance tree at each active network node traversed, thereby reaching an information provider node, or said information content packets search said at least one query ontology instance tree at each active network node traversed, thereby reaching an information requester node.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein connecting each active network node includes building a routing tree for said plurality of active network nodes.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein building a routing tree includes performing a depth first search to prevent the formation of loops between the individual nodes of said plurality of active network nodes.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein modifying content ontology instance trees includes assigning confidence levels to nodes within said content ontology instance trees based upon said content data inserted by said information content packets.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein modifying content ontology instance trees includes pruning of said branches of said content ontology instance trees based upon the confidence level of said nodes.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein modifying query ontology instance trees includes assigning confidence levels to nodes within said query ontology instance trees based upon said query data inserted by said information query packets.

7. The method as set forth in claim 4, wherein modifying query ontology instance trees includes pruning of said branches of said query ontology instance trees based upon the confidence level of said nodes.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein injecting the information query packet includes:

adding search filters to said information query packet;

adding a search interest hierarchy to said information query packet; and

adding function invocations to said information query packet that are recognized by said plurality of active network nodes.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein injecting the information content packet includes:

adding search filters to said information content packet;

adding a search interest hierarchy to said information content packet; and

adding function invocations to said information content packet that are recognized by said plurality of active network nodes.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein injecting said information query packet includes assigning a predetermined amount of resource credit to said information query packet.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein injecting said information content packet includes assigning a predetermined amount of resource credit to said information content packet.

12. A method of creating an information route in a plurality of active network nodes, each active node containing at least one content ontology instance tree and at least one query ontology instance tree, comprising:

receiving an information content packet at one of said plurality of active network nodes, said information content packet including residual content data;

updating said at least one content ontology instance tree at one of said active network nodes with said residual data from said information content packet;

searching said at least one query ontology instance tree and determining the next hop for said information content packet;

receiving an information query packet at one of said plurality of active network nodes, said information query packet including residual query data;

updating said at least one query ontology instance tree at one of said active network nodes with said query data from said information query packet; and

searching said at least one content ontology instance tree and determining the next hop for said information query packet.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein updating said at least one content ontology instance tree includes assigning confidence levels to nodes within said content ontology instance tree based upon said residual content data.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein updating said at least one content ontology instance tree further includes pruning branches of a content ontology instance tree based upon the confidence level of said nodes.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein a pruned content ontology instance tree is sent from one active node to neighboring active network nodes.

16. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the result said information content packet search of the at least one query ontology instance tree determines the next hop.

17. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein updating said at least one query ontology instance tree includes assigning confidence levels to nodes within said query ontology instance tree based upon said residual query data.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein updating said at least one query ontology instance tree further includes pruning branches of a query ontology instance tree based upon the confidence level of said nodes.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein a pruned query ontology instance tree is sent from one active node to neighboring active network nodes.

20. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein result from said information query packet search of the at least one content ontology instance tree determines the next hop.

21. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein processing said information content packets includes creating additional information content packets for posting on alternate information routes.

22. The method as set forth in claim 21, wherein creating said additional information content packets further includes making a determination of resource credit allocation between said additional information content packets.

23. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein processing said information query packets includes creating additional information query packets for searching alternate information routes.

24. The method as set forth in claim 23, wherein creating said additional information query packets further includes making a determination of resource credit allocation between said additional information query packets.

25. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein said residual data deposited by said information content packet remains for a predetermined time period before disposal.

26. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein said residual data deposited by said information query packet remains for a predetermined time period before disposal.

27. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein the resource credit allocation of said information query packet increments or decrements as it traverses an active network node.

28. The method as set forth in claim 27, wherein said information query packet is deleted if its resource credit allocation decrements to zero.

29. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein th e resource credit allocation of said information content packet increments or decrements as it traverses an active network node.

30. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein said information content packet is deleted if its resource credit allocation decrements to zero.

31. The method as set forth in claim 27, wherein multiple information query packets combine into a new single information query packet, and combine all resource credit allocations into said new single information query packet.

32. The method as set forth in claim 27, wherein multiple information content packets combine into a new single information content packet, and combine all resource credit allocations into said new single information content packet.

33. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein said information content packets invoke pre-loaded functions that modify on said at least one content ontology instance tree and search said at least one query ontology instance tree at each of said active network nodes.

34. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein said information query packets invoke pre-loaded functions that modify on said at least one query ontology instance tree and search said at least one content ontology instance tree at each of said active network nodes.

35. A computer system adapted to creating an information route in a plurality of active network nodes, each active node containing at least one content ontology instance tree and at least one query ontology instance tree, comprising:

a processor;

a memory including software instructions adapted to enable the computer system to perform;

receiving an information content packet at one of said plurality of active network nodes, said information content packet including residual content data;

updating said at least one content ontology instance tree at one of said active network nodes with said residual data from said information content packet;

searching said at least one query ontology instance tree and determining the next hop for said information content packet;

receiving an information query packet at one of said plurality of active network nodes, said information query packet including residual query data;

updating said at least one query ontology instance tree at one of said active network nodes with said query data from said information query packet; and

searching said at least one content ontology instance tree and determining the next hop for said information query packet.

36. A computer program product for enabling a computer to create an information route in a plurality of active network nodes, each active node containing at least one content ontology instance tree and at least one query ontology instance tree, comprising:

software instructions for enabling the computer to perform predetermined operations, and a computer readable medium bearing the software instructions;

the predetermined operations including the steps of;

receiving an information content packet at one of said plurality of active network nodes, said information content packet including residual content data;

updating said at least one content ontology instance tree at one of said active network nodes with said residual data from said information content packet;

searching said at least one query ontology instance tree and determining the next hop for said information content packet;

receiving an information query packet at one of said plurality of active network nodes, said information query packet including residual query data;

updating said at least one query ontology instance tree at one of said active network nodes with said query data from said information query packet; and

searching said at least one content ontology instance tree and determining the next hop for said information query packet.

37. A network of nodes for information searching, comprising:

a plurality of information provider nodes, each having a plurality of stored information thereon;

a plurality of information requestor nodes;

a plurality of active network nodes, each active network node connected to a subset of said plurality of information provider nodes, a subset of said plurality of information requestor nodes and a subset of said plurality of active network nodes;

a plurality of ontology instance trees, each one of said plurality of active network nodes having at least one content ontology instance tree and at least one query ontology instance tree, wherein each content ontology instance tree contains content data from information content packets and each query ontology instance tree contains query data from information query packets; and

an active node service package at each one of said plurality of active network nodes for processing commands embedded within said information query packets and said information content packets.

38. The network as set forth in claim 37, wherein said network includes a plurality of computers interconnected via a physical network.

39. The network as set forth in claim 37, wherein said network includes a plurality of computers interconnected via a virtual network.

40. The network as set forth in claim 39, wherein said virtual network consists only of participating nodes within a plurality of computers.

41. The network as set forth in claim 37, wherein said network includes an Intranet.

42. The network as set forth in claim 37, wherein said network includes a plurality of computers interconnected via the Internet.

43. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the connected active network includes a routing tree for controlling routing among said plurality of active network nodes.

44. The method as set forth in claim 43, wherein said routing tree does not contain loops between the individual nodes of said plurality of active network nodes.

45. The network as set forth in claim 37, wherein said active node service package contains invocable pre-loaded functions at each of said active network nodes.

46. The network as set forth in claim 45, wherein said invocable pre-loaded functions operate on said at least one content ontology instance tree and said at least one query ontology instance tree at each of said active network nodes.

47. The network as set forth in claim 45, wherein said invocable pre-loaded functions support searching and modifying said at least one content ontology instance tree and said at least one query ontology instance tree at each of said active network nodes.

48. The network as set forth in claim 37, wherein said at least one content ontology instance tree at each of said active network nodes contains routing information indicating the path to the origin of said content packets.

49. The network as set forth in claim 48, wherein the branches of said at least one content ontology instance tree at each of said active network nodes have confidence levels assigned to the nodes of said content ontology instance tree based upon the content of said branches.

50. The network as set forth in claim 49, wherein each of said plurality of active network nodes prunes branches of a content ontology instance tree based upon the confidence level of said content ontology instance tree nodes.

51. The network as set forth in claim 50, wherein a pruned content ontology instance tree is sent to from one active network node to neighboring active network nodes.

52. The network as set forth in claim 37, wherein said at least one query ontology instance tree at each of said active network nodes contains routing information indicating the path to the origin of said query packets.

53. The network as set forth in claim 52, wherein the branches of said at least one query ontology instance tree at each of said active network nodes have confidence levels assigned to the nodes of said query ontology instance tree based upon the content of said branches.

54. The network as set forth in claim 53, wherein each of said plurality of active network nodes prunes branches of a query ontology instance tree based upon the confidence level of said query ontology instance tree nodes.

55. The network as set forth in claim 54, wherein a pruned query ontology instance tree is sent to from one active network node to neighboring active network nodes.