Custom constraints for faceted exploration

• US 8,214,345 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Torres, Robert J., Brown, Douglas S., Holt, Alexander W., Moran, Michael E., Rudd, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lie, Angela M
• Assistant Examiner(s): MINA, FATIMA P
• Application Number:
  US11/539,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20080086451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• Field of Search: 707/805, 707/707, 707/706, 707/726, 707/729, 715/707
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

The Facet Navigator permits users to set custom constraints for searching databases by facet, displays facets representing fields in a database, and provides a manipulator for each facet. The manipulator may be a slider bar, or a drop-down menu, or some other interactive device known to persons skilled in the art. When a user sets constraints for a facet with the manipulator, the Facet Navigator searches the database based on the constraints and displays a list of items in the database that satisfy the constraints. The Facet Navigator displays a preview of interim results whenever a cursor is moved over an active region of the manipulator, where the preview includes details of database items meeting a search criteria based on the location of the cursor on the manipulator.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a computer presenting in a display one or more facets, wherein the one or more facets comprise one or more fields in one or more databases, wherein the one or more facets further comprise one or more continuous facets and one or more discrete facets, and wherein one or more constraints are defined for each of the one or more facets;

the computer presenting, responsive to receiving a selection of a facet, a view field and one or more manipulator fields for the one or more facets, wherein the one or more manipulator fields are connected to and surround the view field on at least four sides of the view field, wherein each of the one or more manipulator fields comprises a graphical representation of one or more constraint values defined for the one or more facets;

the computer selecting the one or more constraint values for the one or more facets in the one or more manipulator fields;

the computer searching, by the one or more facets, the one or more databases;

the computer calculating, responsive to searching the one or more databases by the one or more facets, one or more interim search results for each selected constraint value, wherein the interim search results comprise at least one of product counts for recently modified facets or facet constraints, a portion of searched items that meet a constraint of a previewed facet, a brand, a product feature, and a hyperlink to another search result or web page;

the computer presenting, responsive to a cursor moving over an active region of the one or more manipulator fields for the one or more facets, a preview of the interim search results, wherein the preview includes one or more of;

details of one or more database items satisfying one or more selected constraints for the one or more facets, or a numerical value indicating a number of items in the one or more facets satisfying the one or more selected constraints; and

the computer presenting in the view field a list of items retrieved from the one or more databases that meet one or more constraint values in the one or more manipulator fields, and wherein the view field automatically updates in response to a change in any of the one or more manipulator fields.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the computer displaying a graphical representation of the one or more constraints for the one or more continuous facets.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the selecting the one or more constraint values for the one or more facets in the one or more manipulator fields comprises:

selecting a point on a slider bar to set a range, wherein the range is defined by a minimum range and a maximum range.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the computer selecting, displaying, manipulating, or searching by an extended collection of the one or more facets related to the one or more fields in the one or more databases.

5. A computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices, to display one or more facets, wherein the one or more facets comprise one or more fields in one or more databases, wherein the one or more facets further comprise one or more continuous facets and one or more discrete facets, and wherein one or more constraints are defined for each of the one or more facets;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices, to present, responsive to receiving a selection of a facet, a view field and one or more manipulator fields for the facet, wherein the one or more manipulator fields are connected to and surround the view field on at least four sides of the view field, and wherein each of the one or more manipulator fields comprises a graphical representation of one or more constraint values defined for the facet;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices, to select the one or more constraint values for the facet in the one or more manipulator fields;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices, to search, by the one or more facets, the one or more databases; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices, to calculate, responsive to searching the one or more databases by the one or more facets, one or more interim search results for each selected constraint value, wherein the interim search results comprise at least one of product counts for recently modified facets or facet constraints, a portion of searched items that meet a constraint of a previewed facet, a brand, a product feature, and a hyperlink to another search result or web page;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices, to present, responsive to a cursor moving over an active region of the one or more manipulator fields for the facet, a preview of the interim search results, wherein the preview includes one or more of;

details of one or more database items satisfying one or more selected constraint values for the facet, or a numerical value indicating a number of items in the facet satisfying the one or more selected constraint values; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices, to present in the view field a list of items retrieved from the one or more databases that meet the one or more constraint values in the one or more manipulator fields, and wherein the view field automatically updates in response to a change in any of the one or more manipulator fields.

6. The computer program product of claim 5 further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices, to display a graphical representation of the one or more constraints for the one or more continuous facets.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 wherein the program instructions to select the one or more constraint values for the facet in the one or more manipulator fields select a point on a slider bar to set a range, wherein the range is defined by a minimum range and a maximum range.

8. A system for searching one or more databases by one or more facets, the system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more computer-readable memories, to display one or more facets, wherein the one or more facets comprise one or more fields in one or more databases, wherein the one or more facets further comprise one or more continuous facets and one or more discrete facets, and wherein one or more constraints are defined for each of the one or more facets;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to present, responsive to receiving a selection of a facet, a view field and one or more manipulator fields for the facet, wherein the one or more manipulator fields are connected to and surround the view field on at least four sides of the view field, wherein each of the one or more manipulator fields comprises a graphical representation of one or more constraint values defined for the facet;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to select one or more constraint values for the facet using the one or more manipulator fields;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to search, by the one or more facets, the one or more databases;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to calculate, responsive to searching the one or more databases by the one or more facets, one or more interim search results for each selected constraint value, wherein the interim search results comprise at least one of product counts for recently modified facets or facet constraints, a portion of searched items that meet a constraint of a previewed facet, a brand, a product feature, and a hyperlink to another search result or web page;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to present, responsive to a cursor moving over an active region of the one or more manipulator fields for the facet, a preview of the interim search results, wherein the preview includes one or more of;

details of one or more database items satisfying one or more selected constraint values for the facet, or a numerical value indicating a number of items in the facet satisfying the one or more selected constraints; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to display in the view field a list of items retrieved from the one or more databases that meet the one or more constraint values in the one or more manipulator fields, and wherein the view field automatically updates in response to a change in any of the one or more manipulator fields.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to display a graphical representation of the one or more constraints for the one or more continuous facets.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the program instructions to select the one or more constraint values for the facet using the one or more manipulator fields select a point on a slider bar to set a range, wherein the range is defined by a minimum range and a maximum range.