Method and system for improving a text search

• US 6,691,107 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2000
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Munoz, Joseph A., Richardt, Randal J., Lynn, Ronald W., Dockter, Michael J., Seiffert, Roland, Doerre, Jochen F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Yicun
• Application Number:
  US09/620,930
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/101, 707/102, 345/589
• US Class Current: 707/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3328 using graphical result space presentation or visualisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/34 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• 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: Y10S 707/917 Text
• 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 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method and system for improving text searching is disclosed. The method and system provides a network of document relationship and utilizes the network of document relationships to identify the region of documents that can be used to satisfy a user'"'"'s request. In a preferred embodiment, the text searching method in accordance with the present invention augments a conventional text search by using information on document relationships and metadata. The text searching method and system improves upon conventional text search techniques by incorporating relationship metadata to define regions to search within. In the present invention the definition of a region is not limited to just categories as it includes neighborhoods around individual documents and sets which have been user defined.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for improving a text search in a processing system comprising:

(a) providing a plurality of document relationships; and

(b) utilizing the plurality of document relationships to define a region that can satisfy a request from a user, wherein the region for that request is determined based at least in part on characterizing information from the user, the characterizing information relating to and further defining the request and being input to the processing system in addition to the request, and wherein the characterizing information includes a designation of a location within information space, the designation being input to the processing system before the request.

2. A computer readable medium containing program instructions to be performed on a computer and for improving a text search in a processing system, the program instruction performing steps comprising:

(a) providing a plurality of document relationships; and

(b) utilizing the plurality of document relationships to define a region that can satisfy a request from a user, wherein the region for that request is determined based at least in part on characterizing information from the user, the characterizing information relating to and further defining the request and being input to the processing system in addition to the request, and wherein the characterizing information includes at least one selection from example candidate results returned to the user after the request is made.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 2 wherein the document relationships comprise relationship metadata.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 2 wherein the program instructions further perform a step comprising locating a plurality of documents that are related to the selection from the example candidate results.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 4 wherein the program instructions further perform a step comprising providing a second plurality of documents, each of the second plurality of documents being provided based upon the selection from the example candidate results and the number of relationships it has with the example candidate documents, with the first plurality of documents, and with the second plurality of documents.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein each of the second plurality of documents are provided based upon a relevance, a number of relationships it has with the example candidate results, the first plurality of documents, and the second plurality of documents, and whether it was the selection from the example candidate results.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein the second plurality of documents is presented to the user as a list of search results to the text search query.

8. A method for improving a text search in a processing system comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a plurality of document relationships; and

(b) utilizing the plurality of document relationships to define a region that can satisfy a request from a user, wherein the region for that request is determined based at least in part on characterizing information from the user, the characterizing information relating to and further defining the request and being input to the processing system in addition to the request, and wherein the characterizing information includes a designation of a location within information space, the designation being input to the processing system before the request.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the document relationships comprise relationship metadata.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising creating a region based on the location, the region including a plurality of documents related to the location to be searched for the request.

11. A method for improving a text search in a processing system comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a plurality of document relationships; and

(b) utilizing the plurality of document relationships to define a region that can satisfy a request from a user, wherein the region for that request is determined based at least in part on characterizing information from the user, the characterizing information relating, to and further defining the request and being input to the processing system in addition to the request, and wherein the characterizing information includes at least one selection from example candidate results returned to the user after the request is made.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the document relationships comprise relationship metadata.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising locating a plurality of documents that are related to the selection from the example candidate results.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising providing a second plurality of documents, each of the second plurality of documents being provided based upon the selection from the example candidate results and the number of relationships it has with the example candidate documents, with the first plurality of documents, and with the second plurality of documents.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein each of the second plurality of documents are provided based upon a relevance, a number of relationships it has with the example candidate results, the first plurality of documents, and the second plurality of documents, and whether it was the selection from the example candidate results.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the second plurality of documents is presented to the user as a list of search results to the text search query.

17. A system for improving a text search in a processing system comprising:

means for providing a plurality of document relationships; and

means for utilizing the plurality of document relationships to define a region that can satisfy a request from a user, wherein the region for that request is determined based at least in part on characterizing information from the user, the characterizing information relating to and further defining the request and being input to the processing system in addition to the request, and wherein the characterizing information includes a designation of a location within information space, the designation being input to the processing system before the request.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the document relationships comprise relationship metadata.

19. A system for improving a text search in a processing system comprising the steps of:

(a) means for providing a plurality of document relationships; and

(b) means for utilizing the plurality of document relationships to define a region that can satisfy a request from a user, wherein the region for that request is determined based at least in part on characterizing information from the user, the characterizing information relating to and further defining the request and being input to the processing system in addition to the request, and wherein the characterizing information includes at least one selection from example candidate results returned to the user after the request is made.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the document relationships comprise relationship metadata.

21. The system of claim 19 further comprising means for locating a plurality of documents that are related to the selection from the example candidate results.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising means for providing a second plurality of documents, each of the second plurality of documents being provided based upon the selection from the example candidate results and the number of relationships it has with the example candidate documents, with the first plurality of documents, and with the second plurality of documents.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein each of the second plurality of documents are provided based upon a relevance, a number of relationships it has with the example candidate results, the first plurality of documents and the second plurality of documents, and whether it was the selection from the example candidate results.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the second plurality of documents is presented to the user as a list of search results to the text search query.