Apparatus and method for search and retrieval of documents

• US 9,015,134 B2
• Filed: 12/25/2004
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Haim Melman
• Inventors: Melman, Haim Zvi
• Primary Examiner(s): Arjomandi, Noosha
• Application Number:
  US10/905,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20050114322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,769 Days
• Field of Search: 707/7, 707/5, 707/3, 707/100, 707/4, 707/723, 707/737, 707/706, 707/703
• US Class Current: 707/703
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3341 using boolean model
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A system for the support and management of search for documents is presented. The system includes knowledge-database, query interface and communication to a database of documents to be searched. Information generated during a search session is collected by the system and is added to the knowledge-database. The information is ranked automatically according to the usage of that information by the user. During successive search sessions, or during search made by other users, the system uses the knowledge-database to support the users with keywords, queries and reference to documents.

Claims

1. A computer based method of searching for documents, comprising the steps of:

receiving a search query to search for documents, the search query including at least two terms;

searching for related stored queries in a database of stored queries which were stored so to enable display of the related stored query as they were submitted and include at least two terms;

wherein said searching is for related stored queries that include at least one term included in the received search query;

displaying at least one of said related stored queries as submitted and that includes at least one term of said received query; and

displaying at least one representation of a document that is related to one of said displayed related stored queries, the representation comprising at least one of a) a title, b) summary and c) a URL of said document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said stored queries is stored with reference to data including at least one of a user who submitted the query, a group of users which said user belongs, rank of the query, relations of the query to other stored queries and relations of the query to retrieved documents.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of ranking said related stored queries.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the ranking is based on at least one of the following values:

a. rank of said at least one of said related stored queries;

b. number of documents retrieved by said stored queries;

c. number of documents retrieved by said stored queries that are ranked over a certain value;

d. the sum of ranks of documents retrieved by said stored queries;

e. the sum of ranks of documents retrieved by said stored queries that are ranked over a certain value;

f. number of documents retrieved by said stored queries that are ranked at a certain value;

g. number of documents retrieved by said stored queries that are ranked lower than a certain value;

h. the sum of ranks of documents retrieved by said stored queries that are ranked lower than a certain value;

i. rank of at least one document retrieved by said stored queries; and

j. number of terms of the search query that are present in said at least one of said stored queries.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of ranking said document.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the ranking of said document is according to at least one of indication of relevancy by a user, traced reviews of the document, traced printings of the document and traced savings of the document.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving from a user an indication about the relevancy of said document.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of performing a search for documents based on a query from said related stored queries.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the query on which the search is performed is selected by a user from said displayed related stored queries.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing information on at least one user who used at least one of said related stored queries.

11. The method according to claim 1, a wherein register indications of who selected a document to be displayed is stored in said database.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said indications are provided in an order according to at least one of the following:

a. ranking of said related stored queries selected by each of said users; and

b. number of said related stored queries selected by each of said users.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing information on at least one user who selected a document to be displayed.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein information on at least one user who selected said one of said related stored queries is stored in said database in relation to said one of said related stored queries.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein information on at least one group of users to which one user from the group selected said one of said related stored queries belongs is stored in said database in relation to said one of said related stored queries.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein relation of said at least one presentation of a document to said one of said stored queries is stored in said database.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said stored relation includes an indication that a user displayed a document of said at least one representation of a document, that was included in search results, following receiving of said stored query.

18. The method according to claim 16, including displaying said relation of said at least one presentation of a document to said one of said stored queries.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of said related queries are displayed in an order according to ranking of said related queries.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein representations of at least two documents are displayed in an order according to ranking of said documents.

21. The method of claim 1, including storing said received search query as submitted by a user in said database as stored queries and storing said terms of the received search query in said database as related query terms of previously received query terms.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein said database of stored queries includes at least one of the following parameters for each of the representation of a document:

a. was the document relevant to a user, b. was the document presented, c. was the document printed, d. was the document saved, e. was the document marked by the user as positive or negative, f. who within a group of users reviewed the document, g. document summary, h. document generation dated, i. last update date.

23. The method of claim 1, including allowing selection of one of said displayed related stored queries by a user.

24. The method of claim 1, including allowing editing of one of said displayed related stored queries by a user.

25. The method according to claim 1, a further comprising the step of receiving from a user a positive or negative indication relating to at least one representation of said document.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing information on a group of users to which the user who selected a document to be displayed belongs.

48. The method of claim 1, wherein said database of stored queries includes at least one of the following parameters for each of the representation of a document:

a. was the document relevant to a user, b. was the document presented, c. was the document printed, d. was the document saved, e. was the document marked by the user as positive or negative, f. who within a group of users reviewed the document, g. document summary, h. document generation dated, i. last update date.

27. A computer based method of searching for documents, comprising the steps of:

receiving a search query to search for documents, the search query including at least two terms;

searching for related stored queries in a database of stored queries which were stored so to enable retrieval of said stored query as they were submitted;

wherein a related stored query is a stored query including at least two terms and includes at least one term included in the received search query;

performing a search for documents based on a query from said related stored queries that includes at least one term of said received query;

displaying at least one of said related stored queries; and

displaying at least one representation of a document that is related to one of said displayed related stored queries, the representation comprising at least one of a) a title, b) summary and c) a URL of said document.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein at least one of said stored queries is stored with reference to data including at least one of:

who selected the query, a group to which the user who selected the query belongs, rank of the query, relations of the query to other stored queries and relations of the query to retrieved documents.

29. The method according to claim 28, further comprising the step of displaying at least one of said related stored queries based on said data.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of ranking said related stored queries.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the ranking is based on at least one of the following values:

a. rank of said at least one of said related stored queries;

b. number of documents retrieved by said stored queries;

c. number of documents retrieved by said stored queries that are ranked over a certain value;

d. the sum of ranks of documents retrieved by said stored queries;

e. the sum of ranks of documents retrieved by said stored queries that are ranked over a certain value;

f. number of documents retrieved by said stored queries that are ranked at a certain value;

g. number of documents retrieved by said stored queries that are ranked lower than a certain value;

h. the sum of ranks of documents retrieved by said stored queries that are ranked lower than a certain value;

i. rank of at least one document retrieved by said stored queries; and

j. number of terms of the search query that are present in said at least one of said stored queries.

32. The method of claim 27, further comprising the step of ranking said document.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein said ranking of a document is according to at least one of indication of relevancy by a user, traced reviews of the document, traced printings of the document and traced savings of the document in a storage device.

34. The method according to claim 27, further comprising the step of receiving from a user a positive or negative indication relating to at least one representation of said document.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein the query on which the search is based on is selected by a user from said related stored queries.

36. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing information on at least one user who selected at least one of said related stored queries.

37. The method according to claim 27, wherein register indications of who selected the document to be displayed is stored in said database.

38. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing information on at least one user who selected said document to be displayed.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said information is provided in an order according to at least one of the following:

a. ranking of said related stored queries selected by each of the users; and

b. number of said related stored queries selected each of said users.

40. The method of claim 27, wherein relation of said at least one representation of a document to said one of said stored queries is stored in said database.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein information on at least one user who selected said one of said related stored queries is stored in said database in relation to said one of said related stored queries.

42. The method according to claim 40, wherein said stored relation includes an indication that a user displayed a document of said at least one representation of a document, that was included in search results, following receiving of said stored query.

43. The method according to claim 40, including displaying said relation of said at least one presentation of a document to said one of said stored queries.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein information on at least one user group to which at least one user from said group selected said related stored queries belongs is stored in said database in relation to said one of said related stored queries.

45. The method of claim 27, wherein at least two of said related queries are displayed in an order according to ranking of said related queries.

46. The method of claim 27, wherein representations of at least two documents are displayed in an order according to ranking of said documents.

47. The method of claim 27, including storing said received search query as submitted by a user in said database as stored queries and storing said terms of the received search query in said database as related query terms of previously received query terms.

49. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing information on at least one user group which at least one user from said group selected one of said related stored queries.