System and method for providing information navigation and filtration

• US 8,965,886 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Open Text Holdings, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Recommind Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Puzicha, Jan, Hofmann, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US13/773,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20130166548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 707/728, 707/749, 707/752, 707/754
• US Class Current: 707/728
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A system and method for information navigation and filtration is provided. One or more query terms are received from a user. A preliminary relevance of one or more objects associated with an enterprise system is determined based on the query terms. The preliminary relevance may be propagated between objects. At least one rating is assigned to the one or more objects based on the preliminary relevance. An overall relevance of the one or more objects is established based on the at least one rating. The one or more objects are ranked according to the overall relevance. Data is provided as search results comprised of the one or more objects according to the ranking to the user. The search results may then be filtered based on at least one selected, dynamically generated filter. The filtered search results may be dynamically generated and provided to the user.

Claims

1. A method for providing data based on object relevance using a processor coupled to a memory, the method comprising:

receiving one or more query terms from a user via a communications interface associated with the processor; and

executing instructions, stored in the memory, by the processor to;

determine a preliminary relevance of one or more objects associated with an enterprise system based on the query terms;

assign at least one rating to the one or more objects based on the preliminary relevance;

propagate the preliminary relevance among the one or more objects;

establish an overall relevance of the one or more objects based on the at least one rating, using the preliminary relevance and the propagation;

rank the one or more objects according to the overall relevance;

provide data as search results comprising the one or more objects according to the ranking to the user;

filter the search results using at least one selected, dynamically generated filter associated with the one or more objects, the at least one dynamically generated filter based on relationships inferred among the one or more objects;

rank the filtered search results; and

transmit to display the filtered search results to the user via the communications interface.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising filtering the search results according to one or more virtual domains.

3. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising associating metadata with the one or more objects.

4. The method recited in claim 3, wherein the preliminary relevance is determined at least in part based on the metadata.

5. The method recited in claim 3, wherein the overall relevance is determined at least in part based on the metadata.

6. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving at least one further query term from the user for narrowing the search results.

7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein filtering the search results comprises providing a dynamic search result display.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein filtering the search results comprises including result objects from other domains that are most relevant.

9. A system for providing data based on object relevance, comprising:

a processor coupled with a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor;

a communications interface of the processor configured to receive one or more query terms from a user;

a ratings module using the processor in communication with the communications interface, the ratings module configured to determine a preliminary relevance of one or more objects associated with an enterprise system based on the query terms, to assign at least one rating to the one or more objects based on the preliminary relevance, and to establish an overall relevance of the one or more objects based on the at least one rating;

a search results module using the processor in communication with the ratings module, the search results module configured to rank the one or more objects according to the overall relevance, and to provide data as search results comprising the one or more objects according to the ranking to the user; and

a filtering engine using the processor configured to filter the search results using at least one selected dynamically generated filter, the at least one selected dynamically generated filter based on relationships inferred among the one or more objects, and to transmit to display the filtered search results to the user via the communications interface.

10. The system recited in claim 9, wherein the filtering engine is further configured to filter the data according to one or more virtual domains.

11. The system recited in claim 9, wherein the ratings module is further configured to associate metadata with the one or more objects.

12. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the preliminary relevance is determined at least in part based on the metadata.

13. The system recited in claim 11, wherein the overall relevance is determined at least in part based on the metadata.

14. The system recited in claim 9, wherein the communications interface is further configured to receive at least one further query term from the user for narrowing the search results.

15. A nontransitory computer readable medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for providing data based on object relevance, the method comprising:

receiving one or more query terms from a user via a communications interface associated with the processor;

determining a preliminary relevance of plurality of objects associated with an enterprise system based on the one or more query terms;

assigning at least one rating to the plurality of objects based on the preliminary relevance;

propagating the preliminary relevance among the plurality of objects;

establishing an overall relevance of the plurality of objects based on the at least one rating, the preliminary relevance, and the propagation;

ranking the plurality of objects according to the overall relevance;

providing data as search results comprised of the plurality of objects according to the ranking to the user;

inferring relationships between the plurality of objects using transitive properties of the plurality of objects;

filtering the search results using at least one selected dynamically generated filter, the at least one selected dynamically generated filter based on the relationships inferred among the plurality of objects; and

transmitting to display the filtered search results to the user via the communications interface.

16. The nontransitory computer readable medium recited in claim 15, further comprising filtering the data according to one or more virtual domains.

17. The nontransitory computer readable medium recited in claim 15, further comprising associating metadata with the plurality of objects.

18. The nontransitory computer readable medium recited in claim 17, wherein the preliminary relevance is determined at least in part based on the metadata.

19. The nontransitory computer readable medium recited in claim 17, wherein the overall relevance is determined at least in part based on the metadata.

20. The nontransitory computer readable medium recited in claim 15, further comprising receiving at least one further query term from the user for narrowing the search results.

21. A nontransitory computer readable medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for providing data based on object relevance, the method comprising:

receiving one or more query terms from a user via a communications interface associated with the processor;

determining a preliminary relevance of one or more objects associated with an enterprise system based on the one or more query terms;

assigning at least one rating to the one or more objects based on the preliminary relevance;

propagating the preliminary relevance among the one or more objects;

establishing an overall relevance of the one or more objects based on the at least one rating, the preliminary relevance, and the propagation;

ranking the one or more objects according to the overall relevance;

providing data as search results comprised of the one or more objects according to the ranking to the user;

filtering the search results based on at least one selected, dynamically generated filter associated with the one or more objects, the at least one selected dynamically generated filter based on relationships inferred among the one or more objects;

ranking the filtered search results; and

transmitting to display the filtered search results to the user via the communications interface.

22. The nontransitory computer readable medium recited in claim 21, further comprising filtering the data according to one or more virtual domains.

23. The nontransitory computer readable medium recited in claim 21, further comprising associating metadata with the one or more objects.

24. The nontransitory computer readable medium recited in claim 23, wherein the preliminary relevance is determined at least in part based on the metadata.

25. The nontransitory computer readable medium recited in claim 23, wherein the overall relevance is determined at least in part based on the metadata.

26. The nontransitory computer readable medium recited in claim 21, further comprising receiving at least one further query term from the user for narrowing the search results.