Metadata search results ranking system

• US 6,718,324 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2003
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Edlund, Stefan B., Emens, Michael L., Myllymaki, Jussi, Teng, Shanghua, Kraft, Reiner
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong, Cam-Y
• Application Number:
  US10/354,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20030120654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/10, 707/5
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• 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

Abstract

A system and method of metadata search ranking is disclosed. The present invention utilizes a combination of popularity and/or relevancy to determine a search ranking for a given search result association. Given the exponential growth rate currently being experienced in the Internet community, the present invention provides one of the few methods by which searches of this vast distributed database can produce useful results ranked and sorted by usefulness to the searching web surfer. The present invention permits embodiments incorporating a Ranking System/Method (0100) further comprising a Session Manager (0101), Query Manager (0102), Popularity Sorter (0103), and Association (0104) functions. These components may be augmented in some preferred embodiments via the use of a Query Entry means (0155), Search Engine (0156); Data Repository (0157), Query Database (0158), and/or a Resource List (0159).

Claims

1. A metadata search ranking system comprising:

a session manager;

a result analyzer;

a relevancy calculator;

a representation manager;

a monitoring agent;

a version manager;

a version adjusted popularity daemon process;

a ranking database; and

a scheme database;

wherein

said session manager applies search requests to a search engine and forwards search requests to said monitoring agent;

said monitoring agent uses selections indicated by said session manager to update the popularity counter in said ranking database for the URL of said search request;

said version manager takes detected changes in URLs subject to said search requests and updates said ranking database to indicate said changes;

said result analyzer retrieves said search engine results and interprets said results based on said scheme database to generate a content relevance;

said relevancy calculator takes said content relevance from said result analyzer and at least one of a version adjusted popularity and a document recency from said ranking database and generates one or more metadata ranking value;

said representation manager takes said ranking value and permits at least one of viewing and interrogation of said search results based on said ranking values; and

said version adjusted popularity daemon process calculates the version-adjusted popularity and stores it within said ranking database.

2. The metadata search ranking system of claim 1 wherein one or more components of said system is implemented on a personal computer (PC).

3. The metadata search ranking system of claim 2 wherein said personal computer (PC) utilizes a graphical user interface.

4. The metadata search ranking system of claim 3 wherein said graphical user interface utilizes a Microsoft™

Windows™

operating environment.

5. A metadata search ranking system comprising:

a session manager means;

a result analyzer means;

a relevancy calculator means;

a representation manager means;

a monitoring agent means;

a version manager means;

a version adjusted popularity daemon process means;

a ranking database means; and

a scheme database means;

wherein

said session manager means applies search requests to a search engine and forwards search requests to said monitoring agent means;

said monitoring agent means uses selections indicated by said session manager means to update the popularity counter in said ranking database means for the URL of said search request;

said version manager means takes detected changes in URLs subject to said search requests and updates said ranking database means to indicate said changes;

said result analyzer means retrieves said search engine results and interprets said results based on said scheme database means to generate a content relevance;

said relevancy calculator means takes said content relevance from said result analyzer and version adjusted popularity or document recency from said ranking database means and generates one or more metadata ranking value;

said representation manager means takes said ranking value and permits viewing or interrogation of said search results based on said ranking value; and

said version adjusted popularity daemon process means calculates the version-adjusted popularity and stores it within said ranking database means.

6. The metadata search ranking system of claim 5 wherein one or more components of said system is implemented on a personal computer (PC).

7. The metadata search ranking system of claim 6 wherein said personal computer (PC) utilizes a graphical user interface.

8. The metadata search ranking system of claim 7 wherein said graphical user interface utilizes a Microsoft™

Windows™

operating environment.

9. A metadata search ranking method comprising:

obtaining a search request query string and submitting said search request to a session manager;

submitting said search request to a search engine;

obtaining search results from said search engine;

analyzing said search results for content relevance using a ranking database;

calculating relevancy based on at least one version adjusted popularity and document recency;

ranking said search results based on relevancy;

performing at least one of representing and viewing said ranked search results;

monitoring selection of said ranked search results and updating said ranking database accordingly; and

updating URL version numbers within said ranking database when there are at least one of detected document changes and updates to version adjusted popularity information;

a version adjusted popularity daemon process;

said version adjusted popularity daemon process calculates the version-adjusted popularity and stores it within said ranking database.

10. The metadata search ranking method of claim 9 wherein one or more steps is implemented on a personal computer (PC).

11. The metadata search ranking method of claim 10 wherein said personal computer (PC) utilizes a graphical user interface.

12. The metadata search ranking method of claim 11 wherein said graphical user interface utilizes a Microsoft™

Windows™

operating environment.

13. A metadata search ranking method comprising:

means for obtaining a search request query string and submitting said search request to a session manager;

means for submitting said search request to a search engine;

means for obtaining search results from said search engine;

means for analyzing said search results for content relevance using a ranking database;

means for calculating relevancy based on at least one of a version adjusted popularity and document recency;

means for ranking said search results based on relevancy;

means for performing at least one of representing and viewing said ranked search results;

means for monitoring selection of said ranked search results and updating said ranking database accordingly; and

means for updating URL version numbers within said ranking database when there are detected at least one of document changes and updates to version adjusted popularity information;

a version adjusted popularity daemon process;

said version adjusted popularity daemon process calculates the version-adjusted popularity and stores it within said ranking database.

14. The metadata search ranking method of claim 13 wherein one or more steps is implemented on a personal computer (PC).

15. The metadata search ranking method of claim 14 wherein said personal computer (PC) utilizes a graphical user interface.

16. The metadata search ranking method of claim 15 wherein said graphical user interface utilizes a Microsoft™

Windows™

operating environment.

17. A computer usable medium having computer-readable program code means providing metadata search ranking, said computer-readable program means comprising:

computer program code means for obtaining a search request query string and submitting said search request to a session manager;

computer program code means for submitting said search request to a search engine;

computer program code means for obtaining search results from said search engine;

computer program code means for analyzing said search results for content relevance using a ranking database;

computer program code means for calculating relevancy based on at least one of version adjusted popularity and document recency;

computer program code means for ranking said search results based on relevancy;

computer program code means for performing at least one of representing and viewing said ranked search results;

computer program code means for monitoring selection of said ranked search results and updating said ranking database accordingly;

and computer program code means for updating URL version numbers within said ranking database when there are detected at least one of document changes and updates to version adjusted popularity information;

a version adjusted popularity daemon process;

said version adjusted popularity daemon process calculates the version-adjusted popularity and stores it within said ranking database.

18. The computer usable medium of claim 17 wherein said medium is compatible with a personal computer (PC).

19. The computer usable medium of claim 18 wherein said computer code means utilizes a graphical user interface.

20. The computer usable medium of claim 19 wherein said graphical user interface utilizes a Microsoft™

Windows™

operating environment.