Searching data based on entities related to the data

• US 9,268,841 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Mattox, John R., Faus, Norman Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, TUANKHANH D
• Application Number:
  US12/040,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20090222433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,916 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-813
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification

Abstract

Systems and methods classify, organize, and retrieve data from a variety of applications based on entities associated with the data. A data classification module is configured to retrieve stored information from a repository. The data classification module is configured to receive a request to retrieve the stored information. The data classification module is configured to search the repository based on the request. Based on the search, the data classification module is configured to retrieved stored information from the repository. The data classification module is configured provide the retrieved information to a requester of the information. For example, the data classification module can be configured to provide the retrieved information in a series of interactive cascading menus.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor from a requesting application, a request to retrieve information associated with an entity;

retrieving, by the processor, a first record from a first application in a repository that matches the request and a second record from a second application in the repository that is associated with the first record, wherein the repository to store information in a hierarchical data structure related to stored entities, the hierarchical data structure comprising the first record and the second record, wherein the first record and the second record each comprise corresponding stored identities, stored persons related to the stored entities, and stored data related to the stored entities;

providing, by the processor, to the requesting application a first interactive interface element comprising information from the first record; and

providing, by the processor, to the requesting application, a second interactive interface element cascading from the first interactive interface element and comprising information from the second record presented jointly with the information from the first record in view of information selected from the first record via an interaction with the first interactive interface element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting application is one of a group consisting of:

a database application, an electronic mail application, a customer relationship management application, a computer system utility application, a browser application, a multi-media application, a word processing application, and a spreadsheet application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first interactive interface element and the second interactive interface element comprise menus.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and the second records comprising stored data related to the stored entities comprises a link to the stored data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the entity comprises one of an identity of the entity, a person associated with the entity, or a data associated with the entity.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

searching the repository in view of the request; and

determining the first record that matches the one of the identity of the entity, the person associated with the entity, or the data associated with the entity.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the processor to;

receive from a requesting application a request for information associated with an entity;

retrieve a first record from a first application in a repository that matches the request and second record from a second application in the repository that is associated with the first record, wherein the repository to store information in a hierarchical data structure related to stored entities, the hierarchical data structure comprising the first record and the second record, wherein the first record and the second record each comprise corresponding stored identities, stored persons related to the stored entities, and stored data related to the stored entities;

provide, to the requesting application, a first interactive interface element comprising information from the first record; and

provide, to the requesting application, a second interactive interface element cascading from the first interactive interface element and comprising information from the second record presented jointly with the information from the first record in view of information selected from the first record via an interaction with the first interactive interface element.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, the processor to provide the first interactive interface element and the second cascading interactive interface element in the requesting application, the first interactive interface element and the second interactive interface element being common for different applications of plurality of applications.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, the processor to generate menus.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the repository to store the first and the second records comprising a link to the stored data.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, the processor to search the repository in view of the request and determine the first record that matches one of an identity of the entity, a person associated with the entity, or a data associated with the entity.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive, by the processor from a requesting application, a request to retrieve information associated with an entity;

retrieve, by the processor, a first record from a first application in a repository that matches the request and a second record from a second application in the repository that is associated with the first record, wherein the repository to store information in a hierarchical data structure related to stored entities, the hierarchical data structure comprising the first record and the second record, wherein the first record and the second record each comprise corresponding stored identities, stored persons related to the stored entities, and stored data related to the stored entities;

provide, by the processor, to the requesting application a first interactive interface element comprising information from the first record; and

provide, by the processor, to the requesting application, a second interactive interface element cascading from the first interactive interface element and comprising information from the second record presented jointly with the information from the first record in view of information selected from the first record via an interaction with the first interactive interface element.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the requesting application is one of a group consisting of:

a database application, an electronic mail application, a customer relationship management application, a computer system utility application, a browser application, a multi-media application, a word processing application, and a spreadsheet application.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the first interactive interface element and the second interactive interface element comprise menus.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the first and the second records comprising stored data related to the stored entities comprises a link to the stored data.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the information associated with the entity comprises one of an identity of the entity, a person associated with the entity, or a data associated with the entity.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the processor further to:

search the repository in view of the request; and

determine the first record that matches the one of the identity of the entity, the person associated with the entity, or the data associated with the entity.