Method and system for managing tags

• US 8,423,574 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2008
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carter, Bernadette A., Chang, Belinda Y., Li, Fuyi, Nesbitt, Pamela A., Seacat, Lisa A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MORRISON, JAY A
• Application Number:
  US12/187,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20100036888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/791
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A method and system manage one or more tags for an item. The tags reside in a datastore. The method and system include associating the tag with at least one expiration condition and determining whether the at least one expiration condition has been met. If the expiration condition(s) have been met, then corrective action is taken for the tag while retaining the at least one item.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing a tag for an item, the tag residing in a datastore, the method comprising:

associating the tag with at least one expiration condition, wherein the at least one expiration condition is a condition for expiration of the tag, the at least one expiration condition comprising expiring the tag in response to not reaching a minimum number of uses of the tag within a time interval, wherein the minimum number of uses is a quantity, wherein the quantity is two or more;

determining a number of uses of the tag within the time interval;

comparing the minimum number of uses to the number of uses; and

taking corrective action on the tag while retaining the item, wherein the taking of corrective action and the retaining of the item are in response to the number of uses being less than the minimum number of uses.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the corrective action comprises:

displaying the prompt for a user to approve the removal of the tag from the datastore; and

removing the tag from the datastore in response to the user approving the removal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the corrective action comprises at least one of:

removal of the tag from the datastore while retaining the item, replacement of the tag with a default tag while retaining the item, or marking the tag as obsolete while retaining the item.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one expiration condition associating further comprises:

setting the minimum number of uses of the tag.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the comparing comprises:

determining whether the minimum number of uses has been reached; and

in response to the minimum number of uses being reached, determining that the at least one expiration condition has been met.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the item comprises at least one additional tag and wherein the at least one expiration condition associating further comprises:

comparing the tag to the at least one additional tag; and

setting the at least one expiration condition based on the comparing.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the tag comparing further comprises:

determining whether the tag is an antonym for any of the at least one additional tag; and

wherein the at least one expiration condition setting further comprises setting the at least one expiration condition to a reduced number of uses in response to the tag being the antonym for any of the at least one additional tag.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the tag comprises a character string.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the tag is a portion of a larger tag.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

resetting a tag status in response to the at least one expiration condition not being met.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the corrective action includes updating the expiration condition in response to a new use of the tag.

11. A computer-implemented method for managing a tag for an item, the tag residing in a datastore, the item corresponding to at least one additional tag, the method comprising:

performing a comparison of the tag to the at least one additional tag;

setting at least one expiration condition of the tag based on the comparison, wherein the at least one expiration condition is a condition for expiration of the tag, the at least one expiration condition comprising expiring the tag in response to not reaching a minimum number of uses of the tag within a time interval, wherein the minimum number of uses is a quantity, wherein the quantity is two or more;

determining a number of uses of the tag within the time interval;

comparing the minimum number of uses to the number of uses; and

removing the tag from the datastore while retaining the item, wherein the removal of the tag and the retaining of the item are in response to the number of uses being less than the minimum number of uses.

12. A system for managing a tag associated with an item comprising:

a datastore for storing the item, the tag, and at least one expiration condition of the tag; and

a tag management system for;

associating the tag with the at least one expiration condition, wherein the at least one expiration condition is a condition for expiration of the tag, the at least one expiration condition comprising expiring the tag in response to not reaching a minimum number of uses of the tag within a time interval, wherein the minimum number of uses is a quantity of two or more;

determining a number of uses of the tag within the time interval;

comparing the minimum number of uses to the number of uses; and

taking corrective action on the tag while retaining the item, wherein the taking of corrective action and the retaining of the item are in response to the number of uses being less than the minimum number of uses.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the corrective action comprises displaying the prompt for a user to approve the removal of the tag from the datastore and removing the tag from the datastore while retaining the item in response to the user approving the removal.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the corrective action comprises removal of the tag from the datastore while retaining the item.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage device having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a processor within a computer causes the computer to perform operations, the operations comprising:

associate at least one expiration condition for a tag corresponding to an item, wherein the at least one expiration condition is a condition for expiration of the tag, the tag residing in a datastore, the at least one expiration condition comprising expiring the tag in response to not reaching a minimum number of uses of the tag within a time interval, wherein the minimum number of uses is a quantity, wherein the quantity is two or more;

determine a number of uses of the tag within the time interval;

compare the minimum number of uses to the number of uses; and

take corrective action on the tag while retaining the item, wherein the taking of corrective action and the retaining of the item are in response to the number of uses being less than the minimum number of uses, the corrective action comprising at least one of removal of the tag from the datastore while retaining the at least one item or displaying a prompt to a user for the removal of the tag.

16. A system comprising:

means for associating a tag with at least one expiration condition, wherein the at least one expiration condition is a condition for expiration of the tag, the at least one expiration condition comprising expiring the tag in response to not reaching a minimum number of uses of the tag within a time interval, wherein the minimum number of uses is a quantity, wherein the quantity is two or more;

means for determining a number of uses of the tag within the time interval;

means for comparing the minimum number of uses to the number of uses; and

means for taking corrective action on the tag while retaining the item, wherein the taking of corrective action and the retaining of the item are in response to the number of uses being less than the minimum number of uses.