Object-based relationship search using a plurality of sub-queries

• US 9,069,862 B1
• Filed: 10/14/2010
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARO, Inc. (Dibona Holding)
• Original Assignee: ARO, Inc. (Dibona Holding)
• Inventors: Perkowitz, Michael, Zimmerman, Michael, Hickl, Andrew Francis, Eustice, Kevin F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Jieying
• Application Number:
  US12/905,000
• Time in Patent Office: 1,720 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705, 707/722, 707/736, 707/769, 715/200, 715/273
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• 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 user query including one or more references to objects of various types and/or text keywords is received from a user and processed into sub-queries. Information sources execute the sub-queries and returns search results matching text keywords and/or relating to objects referenced in the user queries. The search results are organized based on their object types and relationships, and displayed in a manner exposing their relationships to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of performing a relationship-based search, the method comprising:

receiving a user query from a user, the user query including a reference to a query object;

processing the user query into a plurality of sub-queries for information related to the query object, each sub-query being for a corresponding one of a plurality of information sources;

submitting the plurality of sub-queries to the plurality of information sources;

receiving search results for the plurality of sub-queries from the information sources, each search result identifying (a) a search result object related to the query object and (b) a type of relationship indicating a type of relevancy of the search result to the search query;

organizing the search results into a plurality of categories based on types of objects identified in the search results, wherein each of the plurality of categories includes a respective type of objects, the plurality of categories including a first category comprising a first subset of search results with a first object type and a second category comprising a second subset of search results with a second object type;

organizing the first subset of search results in the first category into a plurality of buckets based on types of relationships indicating types of relevancy of the first subset of search results to the search query, each bucket including search results with a respective type of relationship with the search query, the plurality of buckets including a first bucket comprising a first further subset of the first subset of search results in the first category with a first type of relationship with the search query and a second bucket comprising a second further subset of the first subset of search results in the first category with a second type of relationship with the search query; and

providing the search results organized into the plurality of categories, the provided search results including the first subset of search results in the first category organized into the plurality of buckets for presentation to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing comprises:

processing the user query into a sub-query for information related to the query object for a social network model of the user, the social network model comprising information about a plurality of objects related to the user and relationships among the plurality of objects, wherein the submitting comprises;

submitting the sub-query to the social network model, and wherein the receiving comprises;

receiving from the social network model a search result identifying an object related to the query object according to the relationships among the plurality of objects in the social network model.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing comprises:

processing the user query into a sub-query for information related to the query object for an indexing server, the sub-query identifying a text keyword in the user query, and the indexing server indexing documents transmitted to or from the user, wherein the submitting comprises;

submitting the sub-query to the indexing server, and wherein the receiving comprises;

receiving from the indexing server a search result identifying a document including the text keyword.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the types of relationships include a relevancy of the search result to the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first category includes search results that identify people type objects, the query object identifies a person, and the types of relationships include at least one of:

people included in email threads with the person, people with meetings in common with the person, people belonging to a same organization as the person, and people sharing a postal address with the person.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first category includes search results that identify message type objects, the query object identifies a person, and the types of relationships include at least one of:

messages sent by the person, messages received by the person, and messages mentioning the person.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first category includes search results that identify organization type objects, the query object identifies a person, and the types of relationships include at least one of:

organizations associated with the person, and organizations at which the person attended a meeting.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first category includes search results that identify location type objects, the query object identifies a person, and the types of relationships include at least one of:

locations associated with the person, and locations at which the person attended a meeting.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first category includes search results that identify event type objects, the query object identifies a person, and the types of relationships include at least one of:

events organized by the person, and events participated in by the person, and events at which the person attended a meeting.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions for performing a relationship-based search, the computer program instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving a user query from a user, the user query including a reference to a query object;

processing the user query into a plurality of sub-queries for information related to the query object, each sub-query being for a corresponding one of a plurality of information sources;

submitting the plurality of sub-queries to the plurality of information sources;

receiving search results for the plurality of sub-queries from the information sources, each search result identifying (a) a search result object related to the query object and (b) a type of relationship indicating a type of relevancy of the search result to the search query;

organizing the search results into a plurality of categories based on types of objects identified in the search results, wherein each of the plurality of categories includes a respective type of objects, the plurality of categories including a first category comprising a first subset of search results with a first object type and a second category comprising a second subset of search results with a second object type;

organizing the first subset of search results in the first category into a plurality of buckets based on types of relationships indicating types of relevancy of the first subset of search results to the search query, each bucket including search results with a respective type of relationship with the search query, the plurality of buckets including a first bucket comprising a first further subset of the first subset of search results in the first category with a first type of relationship with the search query and a second bucket comprising a second further subset of the first subset of search results in the first category with a second type of relationship with the search query; and

providing the search results organized into the plurality of categories, the provided search results including the first subset of search results in the first category organized into the plurality of buckets for presentation to the user.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the processing comprises:

processing the user query into a sub-query for information related to the query object for a social network model of the user, the social network model comprising information about a plurality of objects related to the user and relationships among the plurality of objects, wherein the submitting comprises;

submitting the sub-query to the social network model, and wherein the receiving comprises;

receiving from the social network model a search result identifying an object related to the query object according to the relationships among the plurality of objects in the social network model.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the processing comprises:

processing the user query into a sub-query for information related to the query object for an indexing server, the sub-query identifying a text keyword in the user query, and the indexing server indexing documents transmitted to or from the user, wherein the submitting comprises;

submitting the sub-query to the indexing server, and wherein the receiving comprises;

receiving from the indexing server a search result identifying a document including the text keyword.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the types of relationships include a relevancy of the search result to the user.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first category includes search results that identify people type objects, the query object identifies a person, and the types of relationships include at least one of:

people included in email threads with the person, people with meetings in common with the person, people belonging to a same organization as the person, and people sharing a postal address with the person.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first category includes search results that identify message type objects, the query object identifies a person, and the types of relationships include at least one of:

messages sent by the person, messages received by the person, and messages mentioning the person.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first category includes search results that identify organization type objects, the query object identifies a person, and the types of relationships include at least one of:

organizations associated with the person, and organizations at which the person attended a meeting.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first category includes search results that identify location type objects, the query object identifies a person, and the types of relationships include at least one of:

locations associated with the person, and locations at which the person attended a meeting.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first category includes search results that identify event type objects, the query object identifies a person, and the types of relationships include at least one of:

events organized by the person, and events participated in by the person, and events at which the person attended a meeting.

19. A computer-implemented method of performing a relationship-based search, the method comprising:

receiving a user query from a user, the user query referencing a person type object;

processing the user query into a plurality of sub-queries for information related to the person type object, each sub-query being for a corresponding one of a plurality of information sources;

submitting the plurality of sub-queries to the plurality of information sources;

receiving search results for the plurality of sub-queries from the information sources, each search result identifying (a) a search result object related to the person type object and (b) a type of relationship indicating a type of relevancy of the search result to the search query;

organizing the search results into a plurality of categories based on types of objects identified in the search results, wherein each of the plurality of categories includes a respective type of objects, the plurality of categories including a first category comprising a first subset of search results of person object type and a second category comprising a second subset of search results of location object type;

organizing the first subset of search results in the first category into a plurality of buckets based on types of relationships indicating types of relevancy of the first subset of search results to the user query referencing the person type object, each bucket including search results with a respective type of relationship with the search query referencing the person type object, the plurality of buckets including a first bucket comprising a first further subset of the first subset of search results in the first category with a first type of relationship with the search query referencing the person type object and a second bucket comprising a second further subset of the first subset of search results in the first category with a second type of relationship with the search query referencing the person type object; and

providing the search results organized into the plurality of categories, the provided search results including the first subset of search results in the first category organized into the plurality of buckets for presentation to the user.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the processing comprises:

processing the user query into a sub-query for information related to the person for a social network model of the user, the social network model comprising information about a plurality of objects related to the user and relationships among the plurality of objects, wherein the submitting comprises;

submitting the sub-query to the social network model, and wherein the receiving comprises;

receiving from the social network model a search result identifying an object related to the person according to the relationships among the plurality of objects in the social network model.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the processing comprises:

processing the user query into a sub-query for information related to the person for an indexing server, the sub-query including a text keyword corresponding to the person'"'"'s name, and the indexing server indexing documents transmitted to or from the user, wherein the submitting comprises;

submitting the sub-query to the indexing server, and wherein the receiving comprises;

receiving from the indexing server a search result identifying a document including the text keyword corresponding to the person'"'"'s name.