Context-based electronic document search using a synthetic event

• US 8,903,813 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Friedlander, Robert R., Kraemer, James R., Silobrcic, Josko
• Primary Examiner(s): Vy, Hung T
• Application Number:
  US13/540,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20140006390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 707/723, 707/758, 707/736, 707/741, 706/47
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A computer hardware-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product identifies non-synthetic event elements in electronic files. A first set of binary data that describes a synthetic event is received from a requesting computer. The synthetic event is a non-executable descriptor of a set of context-related factors. A processor performs a context-based search of a database of electronic files to identify a relevant electronic file, which includes the synthetic event. The processor then searches the relevant electronic file for at least one non-synthetic event element, which is absent from the synthetic event. In response to determining that the relevant electronic file comprises the non-synthetic event element, the processor transmits a second set of binary data to the requesting computer. This second set of binary data includes the relevant electronic file and a description of an identified non-synthetic event element in the relevant electronic file.

Claims

1. A computer hardware-implemented method of identifying non-synthetic event elements in electronic files, the computer hardware-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a requesting computer, a first set of binary data that describes a synthetic event, wherein the synthetic event is a non-executable descriptor of a set of context-related factors;

performing a context-based search of a database of electronic files to identify a relevant electronic file, wherein the relevant electronic file comprises the synthetic event;

searching the relevant electronic file for at least one non-synthetic event element, wherein the non-synthetic event element is absent from the synthetic event;

in response to determining that the relevant electronic file comprises said at least one non-synthetic event element, transmitting a second set of binary data to the requesting computer, wherein the second set of binary data comprises the relevant electronic file and a description of an identified non-synthetic event element within the relevant electronic file;

limiting the context-based search to search only files that are not related to activities that generated the synthetic event, wherein an activity that generated the synthetic event was medical disease research, and wherein the context-based search is limited to searching non-medical literature; and

establishing a connection between the synthetic event and non-synthetic event elements found in the non-medical literature.

2. The computer hardware-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the synthetic event describes factors related to a user activity, and wherein the computer hardware-implemented method further comprises:

generating a recommendation based on the identified non-synthetic event element, wherein the recommendation recommends performing additional steps related to the user activity.

3. The computer hardware-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the synthetic event is an occurrence of a set of words in a single document, wherein a factor in the set of context-related factors is the occurrence of all words in the set of words, and wherein a context of the set of context-related factors is the single document containing all of the words in the set of words.

4. The computer hardware-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the synthetic event describes factors related to a user activity, wherein the user activity is diagnosing a medical patient, and wherein the computer hardware-implemented method further comprises:

generating a recommendation to perform additional medical tests, on the medical patient, which are related to the identified non-synthetic event element, wherein the synthetic event is a combination of facts about a patient, wherein the facts about the patient include the patient'"'"'s age, a medical diagnosis of a primary disease currently afflicting the patient, and a list of medications being taken by the patient, wherein the patient'"'"'s age, the medical diagnosis of the primary disease currently afflicting the patient, and the list of medications being taken by the patient are factors in the set of context-related factors, and wherein a context of the set of context-related factors is the patient being diagnosed for a secondary disease that is caused by the primary disease.

5. The computer hardware-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

ranking a source of the relevant electronic file, wherein the ranking is based on a public reputation of the source; and

weighting the identified non-synthetic event element based on said ranking.

6. The computer hardware-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

ranking a source of the relevant electronic file, wherein the ranking is based on an historical frequency of usage of the source by a generator of the synthetic event; and

weighting the identified non-synthetic event element based on said ranking.

7. A computer program product for identifying non-synthetic event elements in electronic files, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to receive, from a requesting computer, a first set of binary data that describes a synthetic event, wherein the synthetic event is a non-executable descriptor of a set of context-related factors;

second program instructions to perform a context-based search of a database of electronic files to identify a relevant electronic file, wherein the relevant electronic file comprises the synthetic event;

third program instructions to search the relevant electronic file for at least one non-synthetic event element, wherein the non-synthetic event element is absent from the synthetic event;

fourth program instructions to, in response to determining that the relevant electronic file comprises said at least one non-synthetic event, transmit a second set of binary data to the requesting computer, wherein the second set of binary data comprises the relevant electronic file and a description of an identified non-synthetic event element within the relevant electronic file;

fifth program instructions to limit the context-based search to search only files that are not related to activities that generated the synthetic event, wherein an activity that generated the synthetic event was medical disease research, and wherein the context-based search is limited to searching non-medical literature; and

sixth program instructions to establish a connection between the synthetic event and non-synthetic event elements found in the non-medical literature; and

wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the synthetic event describes factors related to a user activity, and wherein the computer program product further comprises:

seventh program instructions to generate a recommendation based on the identified non-synthetic event element, wherein the recommendation recommends performing additional steps related to the user activity; and

wherein the seventh program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the synthetic event describes factors related to a user activity, wherein the user activity is scientific laboratory research, and wherein the computer program product further comprises:

seventh program instructions to generate a recommendation to research topics related to the identified non-synthetic event element; and

wherein the seventh program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the synthetic event describes factors related to a user activity, wherein the user activity is diagnosing a medical patient, and wherein the computer program product further comprises:

seventh program instructions to generate a recommendation to perform additional medical tests, on the medical patient, which are related to the identified non-synthetic event element; and

wherein the seventh program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the synthetic event describes a user activity, and wherein the computer program product further comprises:

seventh program instructions to determine a context for the context-based search based on an activity type of the user activity; and

wherein the seventh program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

seventh program instructions to rank a source of the relevant electronic file, wherein the ranking is based on a public reputation of the source; and

eighth program instructions to weight the identified non-synthetic event element based on said ranking; and

wherein the seventh and eighth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media.

13. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

seventh program instructions to rank a source of the relevant electronic file, wherein the ranking is based on an historical frequency of usage of the source by a generator of the synthetic event; and

eighth program instructions to weight the identified non-synthetic event element based on said ranking; and

wherein the seventh and eighth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media.

14. A computer system comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU), a computer readable memory, and a non-transitory computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to receive, from a requesting computer, a first set of binary data that describes a synthetic event, wherein the synthetic event is a non-executable descriptor of a set of context-related factors;

second program instructions to perform a context-based search of a database of electronic files to identify a relevant electronic file, wherein the relevant electronic file comprises the synthetic event;

third program instructions to search of the relevant electronic file for at least one non-synthetic event element, wherein the non-synthetic event element is absent from the synthetic event;

fourth program instructions to, in response to determining that the relevant electronic file comprises said at least one non-synthetic event, transmit a second set of binary data to the requesting computer, wherein the second set of binary data comprises the relevant electronic file and a description of an identified non-synthetic event element within the relevant electronic file;

fifth program instructions to limit the context-based search to search only files that are not related to activities that generated the synthetic event, wherein an activity that generated the synthetic event was medical disease research, and wherein the context-based search is limited to searching non-medical literature; and

sixth program instructions to establish a connection between the synthetic event and non-synthetic event elements found in the non-medical literature; and

wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media for execution by the CPU via the computer readable memory.

15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the synthetic event describes factors related to a user activity, and wherein the computer system further comprises:

seventh program instructions to generate a recommendation based on the identified non-synthetic event element, wherein the recommendation recommends performing additional steps related to the user activity; and

wherein the seventh program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media for execution by the CPU via the computer readable memory.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the synthetic event describes factors related to a user activity, wherein the user activity is scientific laboratory research, and wherein the computer system further comprises:

seventh program instructions to generate a recommendation to research topics related to the identified non-synthetic event element; and

wherein the seventh program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media for execution by the CPU via the computer readable memory.

17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the synthetic event describes factors related to a user activity, wherein the user activity is diagnosing a medical patient, and wherein the computer system further comprises:

seventh program instructions to generate a recommendation to perform additional medical tests, on the medical patient, which are related to the identified non-synthetic event element; and

wherein the seventh program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media for execution by the CPU via the computer readable memory.

18. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the synthetic event describes factors related to a user activity, and wherein the computer system further comprises:

seventh program instructions to determine a context for the context-based search based on an activity type of the user activity; and

wherein the seventh program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media for execution by the CPU via the computer readable memory.

19. The computer system of claim 14, further comprising:

seventh program instructions to rank a source of the relevant electronic file, wherein the ranking is based on a public reputation of the source; and

eighth program instructions to weight the identified non-synthetic event element based on said ranking; and

wherein the seventh and eighth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media for execution by the CPU via the computer readable memory.