Adaptive meta-tagging of websites

• US 7,636,732 B1
• Filed: 05/30/1997
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Jakob
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US08/865,841
• Time in Patent Office: 4,589 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1-205, 345/841
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Search queries to a search engine are collected over a period of time and used as a source of terms for selectively adding to documents. The terms may be added as meta-tags for enhancing information retrieval. Also, candidate terms may be submitted to the search engine and the most relevant documents retrieved. These documents, or portions thereof, are reviewed to determine if the content is substantially related to the term. If it is, the term is added to the document as a meta-tag and the search engine index is updated to reflect the addition. Employing this invention, search engine results will adapt to changes in usage of search terms.

Claims

1. A web server for information retrieval, comprising:

a. a bus;

b. information storage accessible through the bus and containing stored information;

c. a network interface connected to the bus; and

d. a processor connected to said bus, said processor configured to receive non-predetermined search queries submitted by a client over said network interface, to process the search queries against the stored information, and to provide a list of terms used in the search queries presented over a period of time, wherein the list of terms are selectively added to the stored information against which the search queries are processed.

2. The web server of claim 1 in which a term to be selectively added is added to a document or file as a meta-tag.

3. The web server of claim 2 in which a term to be selectively added is also added to an inverted index.

4. A method of enhancing information retrieval in an information retrieval system, comprising:

a. storing a list of non-predetermined queries received from a client to a search engine on a website;

b. storing a list of search terms used in the queries together with frequency of occurrence of the search terms;

c. selecting at least a portion of relatively high frequency search terms; and

d. processing each search term of the portion and selectively adding each search term to documents or files stored in the system as a meta-tag.

5. The method of claim 4 in which processing each term of said portion comprises presenting the term to a user together with at least identifiers of a number of documents or files stored in said system containing said term.

6. The method of claim 5 in which said processing includes presenting the term to a user together with at least portions of a document identified by one of said identifiers.

7. The method of claim 6 in which said term is presented to a user with portions of a document in a graphical user interface having a user activatable function for adding a term to said document as a meta-tag.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of providing an element for selectively adding said term to said document as a meta-tag.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of providing an element for adding information about the term added to said document as a meta-tag in an inverted index.

10. A method of enhancing information retrieval in an information retrieval system, comprising:

a. storing a list of non-predetermined terms used in queries received from a client;

b. storing, with the list, a frequency of occurrence of the terms; and

c. adding at least one term selected from the list based on frequency of occurrence to at least one document to be searched containing the term as a meta-tag and stored at a web server.

11. A method of enhancing information retrieval in an information retrieval system, comprising:

a. generating a master term list of non-predetermined terms used in queries received from a client by the information retrieval system over a first period of time;

b. generating a new term list of terms used in queries received by the information retrieval system during a later period of time which are not in the master term list; and

c. adding, to documents stored at a web server containing the terms, the master term list and the new term list as a meta-tag.

12. The method of claim 11 in which at least one term selected from terms from said master term list is used to identify documents or files containing said term to which said term may be added as a meta-tag.

13. The method of claim 12 in which said new term database is used to identify documents or Files containing said term to which said term may be added as a meta-tag.

14. The method of claim 11 in which at least one term selected from terms from said master term list is used to identify only documents or files containing said term which have been created or modified since the last time the master term list was used to identify documents or Files, to which said term may be added as a meta-tag.

15. A method of enhancing information retrieval in an information retrieval system, comprising:

a. sorting non-predetermined query terms, received from a client and presented to the information retrieval system, by frequency of occurrence to provide a term list;

b. eliminating noise words and stop words from the term list;

c. selecting a portion of the term list containing the highest frequency terms;

d. processing the highest frequency terms as candidates for inclusion in documents or files containing the terms as a meta-tag and stored at a web server; and

e. adding the candidates to the documents or files containing the terms as a meta-tag.

16. A method of assisting a user in indexing a document created by the user, comprising:

a. extracting non-predetermined terms used in search queries received from a client and presented to a search engine on a website over a period of time;

b. presenting the extracted terms to the user;

c. receiving a user selection of terms using a browser; and

d. adding the received terms to a document to be searched as a meta-tag and stored at a web server.

17. A method of enhancing information retrieval in a system containing stored documents, comprising:

a. identifying a stored document stored at a web server containing a non-predetermined term received from a client;

b. determining if the stored document contains subject matter related to the term; and

c. selectively adding the term to the document containing subject matter related to the term as a meta-tag.

18. A method of operating an information retrieval system, comprising the steps of:

a. extracting non-predetermined terms used in search queries received from a client over a period of time;

b. identifying documents or files containing at least one of said terms and stored at a web server; and

c. selectively adding said at least one of said terms to documents or files containing at least one of said terms as a meta-tag.

19. The method of claim 18 in which said meta-tag is given more weight than other terms when ranking relevance of documents retrieved in response to a search query.

20. A computer program product, comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on the memory, medium, the computer program comprising instructions for storing a list of non-predetermined terms used in queries together with frequency of occurrence and received from a client, and for adding at least one term selected from the list based on frequency of occurrence to at least one document containing the term as a meta-tag and stored at a web server.

21. A computer program product, comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on the memory medium, the computer program comprising instructions for generating a master term list of non-predetermined terms used in queries received from a client by an information retrieval system over a period of time, for generating a new term list of terms used in queries received by the information retrieval system during a later period of time which are not in the master term list, and adding the master term list and the new term list as a source of terms to documents containing the terms as a meta-tag and stored at a web server.

22. A computer program product, comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on the memory, medium, the computer program comprising instructions for extracting non-predetermined terms used in search queries received from a client and presented to a search engine on a website over a period of time, for presenting the extracted terms to the user, for receiving a user selection of terms, and for adding the received terms to a document to be searched as a meta-tag and stored at a web server.

23. A computer program product, comprising:

a. a memory medium located in a web server; and

b. a computer program stored on the memory medium, said computer program comprising instructions for extracting non-predetermined terms used in search queries by received from a client over a period of time, for identifying documents or files containing at least one of the terms and for selectively adding said at least one of the terms to said documents or files containing the at least one of the terms as a meta-tag.