Resource searching

• US 7,117,201 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2002
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lemon, Michael J., Kuno, Harumi Anne, Muntz, Daniel Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Rimell, Sam
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chojnacki, Mellissa M.
• Application Number:
  US10/102,353
• Publication Number:
  US 20030182270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,658 Days
• Field of Search: 364/242.94, 364/284.4, 707 1- 10, 707/102, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for resource handling provides for receiving a query and providing a response. The query is used to search resources locally available. Metadata is associated with each of the resources. The resources and the metadata are both analyzed with respect to the query such that a response indicative of a match between at least two of the resources and the query is a ranked search result included in the response. The invention is exemplified in an adaptation to peer-to-peer network applications.

Claims

1. A system for resource handling comprising:

means for receiving a query and for providing a response;

means for using said query to search resources available to said means for receiving, said means parses components of a directory paths for said resources to generate metadata associated with the resources wherein the components of the directory paths are defined by individual preferences;

means for storing the metadata respectively associated with each of said resources; and

means for determining a relevancy score for resources using said metadata;

wherein said query is correlated with said resources and said metadata both such that said response indicative of a match between at least two of said resources and said query is a ranked search result included in said response.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said resources available further include location information associating said system with subsidiary systems in direct communication therewith, wherein upon a determined correlation of said location information to said query, any match is included in said response.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said response includes means for directly accessing said subsidiary systems.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

storing said components in a combinatory data set indicative of content with said components as said metadata.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4 comprising:

rules for predetermining if the combinatory data set is compatible with said means for storing.

6. Then system as set forth in claim 4 wherein said components include sub-information related to specific addressing elements related to accessing each of said resources.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1, said means for receiving further comprising:

means for recognizing a direct metadata query and directly routing said query to said means for storing metadata.

8. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said relevancy score is provided in the ranked search result of said response.

9. The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein said relevancy score is calculated from a probability analysis of said metadata.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9 wherein said probability analysis includes calculating a relevancy score based on Confidence, Support, and Lift of each said resource associated with the response.

11. A method for handling resource allocation and retrieval, the method comprising:

storing resources;

parsing components of directory paths of the resources in order to generate metadata wherein the components of the directory paths are defined by individual preferences;

storing the metadata respectively associated with each of said resources;

receiving a query potentially associated with said resources;

performing said query on said resources and on said metadata for locating any potential match; and

responding to said query with ranked results indicative of relevancy of each of said resources having a potential match to said query;

wherein said relevancy is based, at least in part, on said metadata.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11 comprising:

if only a single match to said query is located among said resources, returning information related to retrieving said single match, and updating said metadata based on said information.

13. The method as set forth in claim 11 comprising:

if a plurality of matches to said query is located among said resources, comparing each of said matches to said metadata, ranking each of said matches as to relative relevancy with respect to said query prior to said responding to said query with ranked results.

14. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein said resources are distributed in a peer-to-peer network environment.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14 wherein said metadata includes data sets of historical matches related to neighbor peers of said peer-to-peer network environment.

16. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein said metadata further comprises data sets having each component of each directory path of said directory paths related to a resource identifier for a resource of said directory path.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16 comprising:

parsing each said directory path such that each said component is related to a value indicative of its position in said directory path.

18. The method as set forth in claim 14 wherein said ranked results indicative of relevancy provides a measure of authority as to how authoritative any particular peer is as to the resource-of-interest.

19. A computer-readable medium executable on a computer comprising:

computer code for looking up a content file directory location and content identity based on a query;

computer code for parsing a respective directory path related to each content file that is matched to said query in order to form metadata wherein said respective directory path is defined by individual preference;

computer code for storing the metadata relating each said content file that is matched to said query by content identity coupled to each element of said respective directory path;

computer code for returning an answer to said query indicative of said content file directory location and said content identity wherein each content file that is matched to said query is ranked in accordance with said metadata; and

computer code for calculating at least one relevancy score based on said metadata for each content file that is matched to said query.

20. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 19 in a peer-to-peer network environment.

21. The computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 20, said computer code for storing metadata comprising:

computer code for storing metadata for each content file that is matched to said query wherein said content file directory location is at a neighbor peer.

22. A method of doing business in a network of distributed content files, the method comprising:

providing at least one directory wherein said directory includes some of said distributed content files;

providing remote access to said directory via submission of a query;

associating each of said content files with a related metadata set wherein for each one of said content files the related metadata set includes parsed individual path elements of a directory path into said directory wherein the individual path elements are defined by individual preference and each of said path elements is associated with a content identifier, such that a ranking of the content file associated with each of said files is established, said ranking based, at least in part, on said metadata; and

providing a search result to the query wherein said ranking of each match of the query to a content file is included in said result.

23. The method as set forth in claim 22 comprising:

providing rules for storing a metadata set, and maintaining a database including each metadata set complying with said rules for storing.

24. The method as set forth in claim 23 comprising:

providing access to said database via said query.