Content data indexing

• US 7,266,553 B1
• Filed: 07/01/2002
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jayanti, Harish, Anderson, Christopher Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): WASSUM, LUKE S
• Application Number:
  US10/187,859
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 5, 707/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 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 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• 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 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A full text indexing system is provided for processing content associated with data applications such as encyclopedia and dictionary applications. A build process collects data from various sources, processes the data into constituent parts, including alternative word sets, and stores the constituent parts in structured database tables. A run-time process is used to query the database tables and the results in order to provide effective matches in an efficient manner. Run-time processing is optimized by preprocessing all steps that are query-independent during the build process. A double word table representing all possible word pair combinations for each index entry and an alternative word table are used to further optimize run-time processing.

Claims

1. A computer system for searching and retrieving information from at least one content source containing multiple content entities, comprising:

a build process for storing content information associated with the multiple content entities in a searchable content database comprising at least one index, wherein the content information includes text content information for the multiple content entities and further includes association information identifying relationships between different content entities and wherein the build process includes;

creating an alt word table of the at least one content source; and

apart from the alt word table, identifying and creating one or more associations between different content entities of the at least one content source; and

a run-time process operative to receive at least one search term entered by a user and to process the at least one search term against the at least one index in the searchable content database to attempt to identify a first content entity as a first match in a search result, wherein the run-time process operates after the build process is complete, and wherein;

if said alt word table includes at least one alternate word associated with the at least one search term, the run-time process is further operative to identify a second content entity as a second match between the alternate word and the index and to return at least one search result corresponding to the second match; and

if search result corresponding to the first content entity or the second content entity has an associated other content entity, the run-time process is further operative to identify a third content entity as a third match between the at least one search term or alternate word and the third content entity, even though the third content entity does not include the at least one search term or the alternate word.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the build process is further operative to create a double word table including at least one word pair associated with the search term.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the run-time process is further operative to limit the processing of the search term against a portion of the index containing the word pair.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the content information includes text.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein associations include a forward association between the content entity and the third content entity, such that the content entity and the third content entity are associated with each other during the run-time process.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the associations include a reverse association between the content entity and the third content entity.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the content information includes compound media.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the content information includes composite media.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the build process is further operative to process content browsing data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the build process is further operative to process search preview data.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the run-time process is further operative to translate search terms into tokens using a natural language parser, wherein the token can be processed against the at least one index in the searchable content database.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the run-time process is further operative to rank the at least one search result, based on a likelihood that the at least one search result satisfies the search term.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the build process is further includes:

creating a search content table that includes a list of searchable content within the content database;

creating a search word table containing a list of unique words, wherein the search word table includes the alt word table as a subset thereof;

creating a search content word table including words attached to each entry in the search content table in a predefined order; and

creating a search content double word table storing word pairs identified in content within the content database, the content double word table being similar to the search content word table but including unordered, unique pairs of words.

14. A method for searching and retrieving content from at least one content source that includes multiple content entities, the method comprising the steps of:

building a search index table comprising;

index entries corresponding to content information contained in the content source, the search index table including a double word table that includes unordered, unique word pairs, said double word table having at least one word pair corresponding to at least one of the index entries; and

association information corresponding to associations between different content entities of the at least one content source;

receiving a search term entered by a user;

processing the search term against a portion of the search index table including a word pair corresponding to the search term to determine whether a first match corresponding to a first content entity is available;

processing association information corresponding to the first content entity to identify a second match corresponding to a second content entity; and

returning a search result identifying the first and second content entities, in response to a determination that the first and second matches are available, wherein the second content entity is a match despite not including the at least one search term.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the search index table further comprises a search word table.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the search word table comprises an alt word list including at least one alternate word associated with the search term.

17. The method of claim 16, further including the step of determining the availability of an additional match between the alternate word and the search index table.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of returning at least one search result identifying an additional content entity, in response to a determination that the additional match is available.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the search index table further comprises a search content word table.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the search index table further comprises a search content table including a list of data that are one of indexed and searched.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of building the search index table further comprises adhering to at least one rule contained in a rule table.

22. A computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of claim 14.