Method and apparatus for an information server

• US 6,721,747 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2001
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saba Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Saba Software Incorporated
• Inventors: Lipkin, Daniel S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid
• Assistant Examiner(s): EHICHIOYA, IRETE FRED
• Application Number:
  US09/760,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20020073080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707/200, 707/102, 707/100, 707/3, 707/4, 707/10, 707/1, 707/5, 707/103.R, 707/205, 709/203, 709/217, 709/200, 709/202, 709/225, 709/227, 709/246, 709/247, 709/316, 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/523
• US Class Current: 709/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for managing information in an information resource system containing a server, a client, and a database, by generating metadata using an import agent, determining at least one match using a match agent, and dispatching the at least one match or a result associated with the match using a delivery agent. In an aspect of the invention, the metadata may be RDF metadata. In another aspect of the invention, the match agent may determine the match using an RQL query.

Claims

1. A method of managing information in an information resource system having a server, a client, and a database, comprising the acts of:

generating metadata using at least one import agent, wherein the import agent generates the metadata from one or more of a group consisting of existing web pages, business objects, content management systems and enterprise applications, and puts the generated metadata into a metadata database;

receiving a request to query the metadata database;

using a match agent to query the metadata and to pass a result of the query to a delivery agent;

, and

dispatching the result of the query using the delivery agent, wherein the delivery agent interfaces with one or more of a group of delivery mechanisms comprising web page generators, XML datagrams, email and event messaging systems.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata is RDF metadata.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the match agent determines the at least one match using an RDF Query Language, which is a syntax for writing queries against RDF data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the match agent can be triggered by a user request to a web or application server, by specific events or on a regularly scheduled basis.

5. A computer implemented method of managing information using a match template in an information resource system having at least a first set of metadata and a second set of metadata, comprising the acts of:

providing a match template containing at least one reference to the first set of metadata and containing at least one instruction to specify how a match is to be performed;

using the match template to compare the first set of metadata with the second set of metadata;

extracting search data from the match template to dynamically generate a query based on the first set of metadata;

executing the query against the second set of metadata; and

returning a result of the query execution to a user.

6. A method of managing information in an information resource system having an import agent, a match agent, and a metadata repository, comprising:

importing information to the metadata repository using the import agent, wherein the import agent generates the metadata from one or more of a group consisting of existing web pages, business objects, content management systems and enterprise applications, and puts the generated metadata into a metadata repository; and

dynamically generating a metadata query based on the metadata repository using the match agent to create a match description and to pass the match description to the metadata repository to perform a match.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the match agent can be triggered by a user request to a web or application server, by specific events or on a regularly scheduled basis.

8. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer useable medium including computer readable program code embodied therein for managing information in an information resource system including a server, a client, and a database, the computer readable program code in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect generating metadata using at least one import agent, wherein the import agent generates the metadata from one or more of a group consisting of existing web pages, business objects, content management systems and enterprise applications, and puts the generated metadata into a metadata database;

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to determine at least one match using a match agent to query the metadata and to pass a result of the query to a delivery agent, wherein the at least one match is associated with at least one result of the query; and

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to dispatch the at least one result using a delivery agent, wherein the delivery agent interfaces with one or more of a group of delivery mechanisms comprising web page generators, XML datagrams, email and event messaging systems.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the metadata is RDF metadata.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the match agent determines the at least one match using an RDF Query Language which is a syntax for writing queries against RDF data.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 8 wherein the match agent can be triggered by a user request to a web or application server, by specific events or on a regularly scheduled basis.

12. A computer program product for use with an information resource system including a server, a client, and a database, said computer program product comprising:

a computer useable medium including a first computer readable program code mechanism embodied in said medium for causing managing information, said computer program product including;

a second computer readable program code mechanism for causing a computer to effect generating metadata using at least one import agent, wherein the import agent generates the metadata from one or more of a group consisting of existing web pages, business objects, content management systems and enterprise applications, and puts the generated metadata into a metadata database;

a third computer readable program code mechanism electronically coupled to the second computer readable code mechanism for causing said computer to determine at least one match using a match agent to query the metadata and to pass a result of the query to a delivery agent, wherein the at least one match is associated with at least one result of the query; and

a fourth computer readable program code mechanism electronically coupled to the third computer readable code mechanism for causing said computer to dispatch the at least one result using a delivery agent, wherein the delivery agent interfaces with one or more of a group of delivery mechanisms comprising web page generators, XML datagrams, email and event messaging systems.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the metadata is RDF metadata.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the match agent determines the at least one match using an RDF Query Language which is a syntax for writing queries against RDF data.

15. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer useable medium including computer readable program code embodied therein for managing information using a match template in an information resource system having at least a first set of metadata and a second set of metadata, the computer readable program code in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to use the match template to compare the first set of metadata with the second set of metadata;

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to extract search data from the match template to dynamically generate a query based on the first set of metadata; and

computer readable program code means for causing the computer to execute the query against the second set of metadata and return a result of the query execution to a user using a delivery agent, wherein the delivery agent interfaces with one or more of a group of delivery mechanisms comprising web page generators, XML datagrams, email and event messaging systems.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the metadata is RDF metadata.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the match agent determines the at least one match using an RDF Query Language which is a syntax for writing queries against RDF data.

18. A computer program product for use with a system for managing information using a match template in an information resource system having at least a first set of metadata and a second set of metadata, said computer program product comprising:

a computer useable medium including a first computer readable program code mechanism embodied in said medium for managing information, said computer program product including;

a second computer readable program code mechanism for causing a computer to use the match template to compare the first set of metadata with the second set of metadata;

third computer readable program code mechanism for causing said computer to extract search data from the match template to dynamically generate a query based on the first set of metadata; and

a fourth computer readable program code mechanism for causing said computer to execute the query against the second set of metadata and return a result of the query execution to a user using a delivery agent, wherein the delivery agent interfaces with one or more of a group of delivery mechanisms comprising web page generators, XML datagrams, email and event messaging systems.

19. A computer program product for use with an information resource system having an import agent, a match agent, and a metadata repository, said computer program product comprising:

a computer useable medium including computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for managing information, said computer program product including;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to import information to the metadata repository using the import agent, wherein the import agent generates the metadata from one or more of a group consisting of existing web pages, business objects, content management systems and enterprise applications, and puts the generated metadata into a metadata repository; and

computer readable program code means for causing said computer to dynamically generate a metadata query based on the metadata repository using the match agent to create a match description and to pass the match description to the metadata repository to perform a match.

20. The Computer program product of claim 19 wherein data in the metadata repository is RDF metadata.

21. The Computer program product of claim 19 wherein the match agent determines the at least one match using an RDF Query Language which is a syntax for writing queries against RDF data.

22. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the match agent can be triggered by a user request to a web or application server, by specific events or on a regularly scheduled basis.

23. A method for implementing an efficient Custom Information Delivery Service in a computer using an Import Agent, a Match Agent and a Delivery Agent, the method comprising the acts of:

defining RDF metadata mappings for data objects and metadata of interest;

creating an import agent to capture the metadata, wherein the import agent generates the metadata from one or more of a group consisting of existing web pages, business objects, content management systems and enterprise applications, and puts the generated metadata into a metadata repository;

creating an RDF Query Language document to query the metadata;

creating a match agent to perform the query;

creating a delivery agent to dispatch query results, wherein the delivery agent interfaces with one or more of a group of delivery mechanisms comprising web page generators, XML datagrams, email and event messaging systems; and

integrating the import agent, the match agent and the delivery agent into an executable custom information delivery service.

24. A computer implemented method for use by a match agent, the method comprising the acts of:

providing a Match Descriptor specifying a match agent and a delivery agent;

extracting an RDF query and target RDF document from the Match Descriptor;

parsing the query using an RDF Query Language Parser, wherein the RDF Query Language is a syntax for writing queries against RDF data;

executing the query and passing in the target RDF document as an argument, thereby constructing a result set of matches from the query; and

dispatching the results from the query to the delivery agent.