Database interface and database analysis system
First Claim
1. A database interface, comprising:
- a user interface device including at least one processor configured to form a representation of a first query of a database in response to an input, to transmit the first query of the database, to receive a result of the first query, to receive a recommendation to change the first query, to present for display a representation of the result of the first query, to present for display a representation of the recommendation to change the first query, to transmit a second query of the database in response to another input, to receive a result of the second query, and to present for display a representation of the result of the second query;
wherein the first query has a parameter that corresponds to an object in a set, the recommendation to change the first query includes at least one child of the object and at least one parent of the object, and the second query corresponds to a child of the object or parent of the object selected from the recommendation to change the first query.
13 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method, system, and computer program product for interactive searching with executable suggestions are provided. The present invention provides a search engine and data management technology that can understand what users are looking for, understand the data in a database, and present immediately useful suggestions for finding the right information. Executable suggestions are presented that enable a user to further narrow or broaden a search intelligently and adaptively in real-time. Each executable suggestion describes a search and corresponding search criteria and provides information on the actual search results a user will obtain according to this search criteria. In one embodiment of the present invention, a system has a suggestion engine and one or more suggestion spaces.
116 Citations
25 Claims
-
1. A database interface, comprising:
-
a user interface device including at least one processor configured to form a representation of a first query of a database in response to an input, to transmit the first query of the database, to receive a result of the first query, to receive a recommendation to change the first query, to present for display a representation of the result of the first query, to present for display a representation of the recommendation to change the first query, to transmit a second query of the database in response to another input, to receive a result of the second query, and to present for display a representation of the result of the second query; wherein the first query has a parameter that corresponds to an object in a set, the recommendation to change the first query includes at least one child of the object and at least one parent of the object, and the second query corresponds to a child of the object or parent of the object selected from the recommendation to change the first query. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
-
-
5. A method for interfacing with a database, comprising:
-
forming a representation of a first query of the database at a database interface processing device in response to an input, wherein the first query has a parameter that corresponds to an object in a set; transmitting the first query to the database; receiving at the database interface processing device a result of the first query and a recommendation to change the first query, wherein the recommendation to change the first query includes at least one child of the object and at least one parent of the object; presenting for display at the database interface processing device a representation of the result of the first query and a representation of the recommendation to change the first query; transmitting from the database interface processing device a second query of the database, wherein the second query corresponds to a child of the object or a parent of the object selected from the recommendation to change the first query; receiving at the database interface processing device a result of the second query; and presenting for display at the database interface processing device a representation of the result of the second query. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. An article of manufacture including a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for interfacing with a database, the operations comprising:
-
forming a representation of a first query of the database in accordance with an input, wherein the first query has a parameter that corresponds to an object in a set; transmitting the first query to the database; receiving a result of the first query and a recommendation to change the first query, wherein the recommendation to change the first query includes at least one child of the object and at least one parent of the object; presenting for display a representation of the result of the first query and a representation of the recommendation to change the first query; transmitting a second query of the database in response to another input, wherein the second query corresponds to a child of the object or a parent of the object selected from the recommendation to change the first query; receiving a result of the second query; and presenting for display a representation of the result of the second query.
-
-
10. A database analysis system, comprising:
-
a search engine executing on at least one processor and configured to; receive a first query of a database, wherein the first query has a parameter that corresponds to an object in a set, search the database for the object, and transmit a result of the first query; and a suggestion engine executing on the at least one processor and configured to; analyze a number of search result elements, for each candidate value of the parameter, determine a value of the parameter corresponding to the result of the first query, wherein the value of the parameter corresponding to the result of the first query has a baseline number of search result elements in the object in the set, determine (i) at least one parent of the object in the first set, wherein the number of search result elements in the object for the candidate value of the parameter is more than the baseline number of search result elements, and (ii) at least one child of the object in the set, wherein the number of search result elements in the object for the candidate value of the parameter is less than the baseline number of search result elements; and transmit a recommendation to change the first query, wherein the search engine further is configured to receive a second query of the database, and to transmit a result of the second query, and wherein the recommendation to change the first query includes at least one child of the object and at least one parent of the object, and the second query corresponds to a child of the object or a parent of the object selected from the recommendation to change the first query. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A method for analyzing a database, comprising:
-
receiving from an interface device a first query of a database, wherein the first query has a parameter that corresponds to an object in a set; searching the database for the object; analyzing at a suggestion engine a number of search result elements in the object, for each candidate value of the parameter, to determine a value of the parameter corresponding to a result of the first query, wherein the value of the parameter corresponding to the result of the first query has a baseline number of search result elements; constructing at the suggestion engine a recommendation to change the first query, wherein the recommendation to change the first query includes at least one parent of the object, wherein the number of search result elements of the object for the candidate value of the parameter is more than the baseline number of search result elements, and at least one child of the object, wherein the number of search result elements of the object for the candidate value of the parameter is less than the baseline number of search result elements; transmitting a result of the first query to the interface device; transmitting from the suggestion engine to the interface device the recommendation to change the first query; receiving from the interface device a second query of the database, wherein the second query corresponds to a parent of the object or a child of the object selected from recommendation to change the first query transmitted to the interface device; and transmitting to the interface device a result of the second query. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. An article of manufacture including a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for analyzing a database, the operations comprising:
-
receiving from an interface device a first query of a database, wherein the first query has a parameter that corresponds to an object in a set; searching the database for the object; analyzing a number of search result elements in the object, for each candidate value of the parameter, to determine a value corresponding to the result of the first query, wherein the value of the parameter corresponding to the result of the first query has a baseline number of search result elements; constructing a recommendation to change the first query, wherein the recommendation to change the first query includes at least one parent of the object, wherein the number of search result elements of the object for the candidate value of the parameter is more than the baseline number of search result elements, and at least one child of the object, wherein the number of search result elements of the object for the candidate value of the parameter is less than the baseline number-of search result elements; transmitting a result of the first query to the interface device; transmitting to the interface device the recommendation to change the first query; receiving from the interface device a second query of the database, wherein the second query corresponds to a child of the object or a parent of the object selected from the recommendation to change the first query transmitted to the interface device; and transmitting to the interface device a result of the second query.
-
-
22. A database interfacing system, comprising:
-
means for forming a representation of a first query of the database, wherein the first query has a parameter that corresponds to an object in a set; means for transmitting the first query to the database; means for receiving a result of the first query and a recommendation to change the first query, wherein the recommendation to change the first query includes at least one child of the object and at least one parent of the object; means for presenting a display representation of the result of the first query and a display representation of the recommendation to change the first query; means for transmitting a second query of the database, wherein the second query corresponds to a child of the object or a parent of the object selected from the recommendation to change the first query; means for receiving a result of the second query; and means for presenting a display representation of the result of the second query.
-
-
23. A database analysis system, comprising:
-
means for receiving a first query of a database, wherein the first query has a parameter that corresponds to an object in a set; means for searching the database for the object; means for analyzing a number of search result elements in the object, for each candidate value of the parameter, to determine a value of the parameter corresponding to the result of the first query, wherein the value of the parameter corresponding to the result of the first query has a baseline number of search result elements in the object in the set, to determine at least one parent of the object in the first set, wherein the number of search result elements of the object for the candidate value of the parameter is more than the baseline number of search results, and at least one child of the object, wherein the number of search result elements of the object for the candidate value of the parameter is less than the baseline number of search result elements; means for transmitting a result of the first query; means for transmitting a recommendation to change the first query, wherein the recommendation to change the first query includes at least one child of the object and at least one parent of the object; means for receiving a second query of the database, wherein the second query corresponds to a child of the object or a parent of the object selected from the recommendation to change the first query; and means for transmitting a result of the second query.
-
-
24. A database analysis system, comprising:
-
a search engine executing on at least one computing device and configured to; receive a first query of a database, wherein the first query has a first parameter that corresponds to an object in a first set and a second parameter that corresponds to the object in a second set; search the database for the object; and transmit a result of the first query; and a suggestion engine executing on the at least one computing device and configured to; analyze a number of search result elements, for each candidate value of the first parameter, and for each candidate value of the second parameter, determine a value of the first parameter corresponding to the result of the first query having a baseline number of search results in the object in the first set, determine a value of the second parameter corresponding to the result of the first query having the baseline number of search results in the object in the second set, determine; (i) at least one child of the object in the first set, wherein the number of search result elements in the object for the candidate value of the parameter is less than the baseline number of search result elements; (ii) at least one parent of the object in the first set, wherein the number of search result elements in the object for the candidate value of the parameter is more than the baseline number of search result elements, (iii) at least one child of the object in the second set, wherein the number of search result elements for the candidate value of the second parameter of the object in the second set is less than the baseline number; and (iv) at least one parent of the second object in the second set, wherein the number of search result elements for the candidate value of the second parameter of the object in the second set is more than the baseline number, and transmit a recommendation to change the first query, wherein the recommendation to change the first query includes (a) at least one child of the object in the first set or at least one child of the object in the second set, and (b) at least one parent of the object in the first set or at least one parent of the object in the second set; and wherein the search engine is further configured to receive a second query of the database, and to transmit a result of the second query, wherein the second query corresponds to a child of the object or a parent of the object selected from the recommendation. - View Dependent Claims (25)
-
Specification