Method for classification

• US 7,505,956 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2002
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ibbotson, John Bryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Debbie M
• Application Number:
  US10/150,381
• Publication Number:
  US 20030135430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,496 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 5, 707/7, 707/8, 707/10, 707100-1041, 707200-203, 707/205, 705/1, 705/26, 705/27, 709200-204, 709217-219, 715/500, 715/530
• US Class Current: 707/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• 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 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A method for classification of objects (17) for retrieval from a database (19). The method includes a user (10) classifying an object (30) by designating one or more terms for the object (17). The one or more terms are saved in association with an address for the object (17) in a user index (21). The user index (21) is in a local environment (14) of the user (10). The method also includes promoting the one or more terms for the object (17) from the user index (21) to a global index (22) if the one or more terms meet a predefined set of rules. The global index (22) is accessible by multiple users (10) and may be a search engine index. The objects (17) for retrieval from the database (19) may be web pages or web sites on the Internet. The objects (17) may be in the form of text documents, audio, video, image or any other form of media or a combination of forms of media. The one or more terms may be terms in the object (17) or in an associated description of the object (17).

Claims

1. A method for classification of objects for retrieval from a database, the method comprising:

classifying an object by designating one or more terms for the object, the one or more terms being different from previously assigned terms for the object;

saving the one or more terms in association with an address for the object in a user search index, the user search index being in a local environment of a user, the user search index containing a list of search terms for use by the user in a search query;

promoting the one or more terms for the object from the user search index to a global search index if the one or more terms meet a predefined set of rules, the global search index being accessible by multiple users, the predefined set of rules being based on a number of different users classifying the object with the one or more terms after retrieval of the object from search query results; and

combining user search index terms with global search index terms to form a master search query, the master search query operable by the user on a global object database.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the global index is a search engine index.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the database is formed of a plurality of servers connected by a network.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the objects for retrieval from the database are one of web pages and web sites on the Internet.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each object comprises at least one media selected from the group of text documents, audio, video, image and any other form of media.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more terms are terms in the object or in an associated description of the object.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the local environment of the user is a portal to the Internet.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user registers with a global search engine and the local environment of the user is a partition of a global search engine.