Local terminal search system, filtering method used for the same, and recording medium storing program for performing the method

• US 7,849,072 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Original Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Inventors: Kwak, Yong Jae
• Primary Examiner(s): Jalil; Neveen Abel
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEACH, POLINA G
• Application Number:
  US11/678,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20070203916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156

Abstract

A local terminal search system is provided, which includes a search request processing unit, a search/index unit, a filtering unit, and a complex-structured file preprocessing unit. The search request processing unit receives search request information and converts search result information into prescribed document format and provides it to a search interface program. The search/index unit searches a local terminal using a search keyword in the search request information to generate search result information and indexes information stored in the terminal. The filtering unit collects information of files stored in the terminal for filtering and determines if a file corresponding to the collected information is a complex-structured file which requires more than a prescribed threshold time for filtering and filters the file if it is not a complex-structured file. If it is a complex-structured file, the file preprocessing unit extracts or generates information required for filtering to generate preprocessed information segments.

Claims

1. A local terminal search system that searches information stored in a local terminal, the system comprising:

a search request processing unit configured to receive search request information and to provide the search result information to a user;

a search/index unit configured to construct an index database by indexing information stored in the local computer and to search said index database using a search keyword in association with the search request information, the search/index unit receiving the search request information from the search request processing unit;

one or more memories for storing said index database;

a filtering unit, the filtering unit collecting information of files stored in the local terminal, the filtering unit determining whether files corresponding to the collected file information are complex-structured files, the filtering unit filtering the files if the files are not complex-structured files, and the filtering unit providing the filtered information to said search/index unit for indexing, wherein the complex-structured file being defined as a file that requires more than a prescribed threshold time for filtering of the file;

a complex-structured file preprocessing unit configured to extract information required for filtering the file corresponding to the file information collected by the filtering unit to generate preprocessed information segments if the corresponding file is a complex-structured file; and

a processor for controlling said filtering unit and said complex-structured file preprocessing unit,

wherein a preprocessed file generated by combining the preprocessed information segments is stored in a snapshot database and the filtering unit performs filtering of the preprocessed file stored in the snapshot database during a period of time in which the processor can afford to perform the filtering,

wherein the complex-structured file preprocessing unit generates preprocessed information segments for a prescribed time and terminates a corresponding preprocessing process if the prescribed time has elapsed,

wherein the preprocessed information segment comprises at least one segment selected from the group consisting of a file name information segment, an extension information segment, a path information segment, a capacity information segment, a meta information segment, and a capture image information segment.

2. The local terminal search system of claim 1, wherein the complex-structured file comprises a moving image file or an audio file.

3. The local terminal search system of claim 1, wherein the filtering unit determines whether or not a file is a complex-structured file using extension information of the file.

4. The local terminal search system of claim 1, wherein the preprocessed file includes a header and respective fields that store the preprocessed information segments and each of the fields is set to be variable in length and the header stores start offset information of each of the fields.

5. The local terminal search system of claim 1, wherein the filtering unit includes:

an idle time monitoring unit configured to determine whether or not the local terminal is in an idle time;

a file collection unit, the file collection unit collecting information of files stored in the local terminal if the local terminal is in an idle time, the file collection unit determining whether a file corresponding to the collected file information is a complex-structured file, the file collection unit providing the collected file information to the complex-structured file preprocessing unit if the file corresponding to the collected file information is a complex-structured file; and

a filter, the filter receiving a non-complex-structured file from the file collection unit, the filter filtering the received file,

wherein the idle time monitoring unit monitors whether a new preprocessed file has been stored in the snapshot database and, if a new preprocessed file has been stored in the snapshot database, the file collection unit provides the new preprocessed file to the filter.

6. The local terminal search system of claim 1, wherein the complex-structured file preprocessing unit includes:

a queue, the queue storing complex-structured file information received from the filter;

a file extraction thread, the file extraction thread extracting complex-structured file information to be preprocessed from the queue; and

a preprocessed information segment generator configured to analyze a file provided from the file extraction thread and extracts or generates information required for filtering.

7. The local terminal search system of claim 1, wherein, when the search request processing unit receives search request information, the search/index unit determines whether or not filtering is in progress at the filtering unit and processes a corresponding search request after waiting until filtering is completed if the determination is that filtering is in progress.

8. The local terminal search system of claim 6, wherein the preprocessed information segment generator generates preprocessed information segments for the prescribed time and terminates the corresponding preprocessing process if the prescribed time has elapsed.

9. A filtering method used for a local terminal search system, the filtering method comprising:

at a computing device including a processor and a memory;

collecting file information stored in a local terminal;

determining whether a file corresponding to the collected file information is a complex-structured file, the complex-structured file being defined as a file that requires more than a prescribed threshold time for filtering of the file;

filtering by said processor the file corresponding to the collected file information if the corresponding file is not a complex-structured file;

extracting by said processor information required for filtering of the corresponding file to generate preprocessed information segments if the corresponding file is a complex-structured file;

combining the generated preprocessed information segments to generate a preprocessed file; and

storing the generated preprocessed file in a snapshot database;

filtering by said processor the preprocessed file during a period of time in which the processor can afford to perform the filtering;

indexing each filtered file to provide indexed data;

storing the indexed data in an index database,

wherein the extracting of the information required for filtering of the corresponding file is for a prescribed time and a corresponding preprocessing process terminates if the prescribed time has elapsed,

wherein the preprocessed information segment comprises at least one segment selected from the group consisting of a file name information segment, an extension information segment, a path information segment, a capacity information segment, a meta information segment, and a capture image information segment.

10. The filtering method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether or not a new preprocessed file has been stored in the snapshot database; and

performing filtering of a new preprocessed file if the new preprocessed file has been stored in the snapshot database.

11. The filtering method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether the local terminal is in an idle time;

wherein collecting file information stored in the local terminal and filtering the new preprocessed file are performed during the idle time.

12. The filtering method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether or nor the filtering is in progress;

wherein a corresponding search request is processed after waiting until the filtering is completed if the determination is that the filtering is in progress.

13. The filtering method of claim 9,

wherein the preprocessed file includes a header and respective fields that store the preprocessed information segments and each of the fields is set to be variable in length and the header stores start offset information of each of the fields.

14. One or more storage media having stored thereon a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform acts including:

collecting file information stored in a local terminal;

determining whether a file corresponding to the collected file information is a complex-structured file, the complex-structured file being defined as a file that requires more than a prescribed threshold time for filtering of the file;

filtering the file corresponding to the collected file information if the corresponding file is not a complex-structured file;

extracting information required for filtering of the corresponding file to generate preprocessed information segments if the corresponding file is a complex-structured file;

combining the generated preprocessed information segments to generate a preprocessed file; and

storing the generated preprocessed file in a snapshot database;

filtering the preprocessed file during a period of time in which the processor can afford to perform the filtering;

indexing each filtered file to provide indexed data;

storing the indexed data in an index database,

wherein the extracting of the information required for filtering of the corresponding file is for a prescribed time and a corresponding preprocessing process terminates if the prescribed time has elapsed,

wherein the preprocessed information segment comprises at least one segment selected from the group consisting of a file name information segment, an extension information segment, a path information segment, a capacity information segment, a meta information segment, and a capture image information segment.