Method and apparatus for digital media management, retrieval, and collaboration

• US 6,941,294 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2002
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ben Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Emotion, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Flank, Sharon
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US10/063,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20020194199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,234 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/102
• US Class Current: 707/742
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5838 using colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5846 using extracted text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• 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

Abstract

A system stores digital media records, and comprising a vocabulary file of words keyed to the digital media records. A search query is received by computer from a user, the search query including words. The search query is logged by computer, yielding a query log. The query log is processed by computer to identify words in the query log which are not words already included in the vocabulary file and which are not words which are variants of words already included in the vocabulary file. Such words are defined as “not-found words.” The not-found words are added to the vocabulary file, and the not-found words are keyed to the digital media records.

Claims

1. A method for use with a system storing digital media records, the system comprising a vocabulary file of words keyed to the digital media records, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a search query by computer from a user, the search query including words;

logging the search query by computer, yielding a query log;

processing the query log to identify words in the query log which are not words already included in the vocabulary file and which are not words which are variants of words already included in the vocabulary file, the processing performed by computer, said words defined as “

not-found words;

”

adding the not-found words to the vocabulary file, and

keying the not-found words to the digital media records.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the vocabulary file further comprises a thesaurus and the step of keying the not-found words to the digital media records comprises adding the not-found words to the thesaurus.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the adding and keying steps are performed manually.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the adding and keying steps are performed automatically.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing step comprises morphological analysis.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing step comprises spell checking.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing step comprises name identification.