Enhancing content using linked context

• US 9,524,345 B1
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richard Vanderdrift
• Original Assignee: Richard Vanderdrift
• Inventors: VanderDrift, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Bullock, Joshua
• Application Number:
  US12/869,575
• Time in Patent Office: 2,308 Days
• Field of Search: 707/723, 707/758
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

Search and discovery enhanced by providing information context. Searchable content might be embedded in contexts, which describe or limit the content'"'"'s intentionality. For health-care content, contexts might include symptoms, testing, diagnosis, treatment, indicators and contra-indicators, prognosis for recovery, and otherwise. A content publisher might describe the intended context for that content. A content reviewer might specify additional contexts for that content. Content searches are enhanced using those contexts; searches thus return information focused on those intended.

Claims

1. A method, including steps of

by a server, maintaining documents including searchable content,

the searchable content associated with

(1) content schemas, the content schemas including, for each document, an organization thereof, the organization including a hierarchy of elements that can have values, and

(2) context information, the context information relating to a least one intentionality of said content, said intentionality of said content including one or more context schemas, said context schemas including formatted information, said formatted information being formatted by a user of said user in response to said intentionality of said content,

the formatted information including a hierarchy of elements each associated with a selected value;

by said server, receiving a search request for said searchable content, the search request including an intentionality of said search request, the intentionality of the search request including a second hierarchy of named elements each associated with a selected value;

conducting a search for said searchable content in response to said search request, the search providing results in response to whether the elements in the searchable content have values like the values in the search request;

ranking the results of that search request, in response to a measure of similarity between said formatted information of the context information and the intentionality of the search request.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein

said hierarchy of values includes two or more levels in the hierarchy;

and

the hierarchy is organized with differing elements or differing values occupying differing levels of the hierarchy.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein

said hierarchy of values includes a tree structure.

4. A method, including steps of

receiving, at a server, from one or more users conducting a search, searchable content and context information, said context information including one or more context schema, said intentionality of said content including one or more context schemas, said context schemas including formatted information, said formatted information being formatted by a user of said user in a hierarchy of elements each associated with a selected value in response to said intentionality of said content;

said context schema including formatted information, said formatted information defining attributes to which values can be assigned in a hierarchy of elements with associated values, the hierarchy defining a tree structure having two or more levels;

by said server, associating said searchable content with both content schemas, said content schemas including for each element of searchable content an organization thereof, the organization including a hierarchy of elements that can have values, and context information, said context information relating to an intentionality of said content;

wherein

the server ranks results of search requests in response to whether elements in said context schemas for said searchable content are like elements in said formatted information, said formatted information being formatted by a user of said user in response to said intentionality of said content.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein

said formatted information includes one or more markup language schema definitions;

and

including steps of

describing context information using selection of one or more attributes to which values can be assigned, using inclusion of those attributes in the formatting information, and using association of selected values in the formatting information for those attributes.

6. A method as in claim 5, wherein

said searchable context information includes values to be assigned to said attributes;

and including steps of

associating said searchable context information with second context information, said second context information being supplied by an entity other than said supplier of said one context information.

7. A method, including steps of

by a server, maintaining elements of content, said elements of content organized in response to content schemas, the content schemas including, for each element of content, a hierarchy of elements that can have values;

by said server, receiving one or more context schema, said context schema each including information formatted in an hierarchical structure having two or more levels, the information including selected elements and selected values associated with those elements, said hierarchical structures each including at least some information non-derivable from said content;

by said server, receiving one or more instances of said context schema from one or more users, at least some of said elements of content being tagged with said instances of said context schema by said users;

by said server, receiving one or more specifications from said users, said specifications being sufficient to identify content tagged with at least some of said instances of said context schema, and in response to said specifications, identifying said tagged content to said users;

ranking the results of a search of those elements of content in response to whether context schema associated with particular ones of those elements of content are like specifications received from said users.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein

said context information includes one or more cases in which said content is contemplated to be used.

9. A method as in claim 7, wherein

said context information includes information relating to one or more of symptoms, testing, diagnosis, treatment, indicators, contra-indicators, prognosis, or recovery.

10. A method as in claim 7, including steps of

by said server, identifying said tagged content in response to matching at least portions of said elements of content with said specifications;

wherein matching particular ones of said elements of content with said specifications includes determining whether one or more selected elements with values at a first level in said hierarchy of elements are like a selected value associated with a selected element in said specifications, said selected element being at a second level in a second hierarchy of elements, said second level differing from said first level.

11. A method as in claim 10, including steps of

ranking said identified tagged content in response to said matching at least portions of said elements of content with said specification.

12. A method as in claim 7, including steps of

by said server, in response to said instances of said context schema, said instances of context schema including matchable elements, identifying secondary instances of said context schema having said elements;

in response to said secondary instances, identifying secondary said tagged content to said users.

13. A method as in claim 12, including steps of

collectively ranking said identified tagged content and said secondary tagged content

in response to matching at least portions of said identified tagged content and secondary tagged content.

14. A method as in claim 7, including steps of

by said server, receiving information interpretable as instructions by a computing device coupled to said server;

said instructions being performed by said computing device, in response to said identifying of said tagged content to said users.

15. A method as in claim 7, wherein

at least one said element of content is tagged with more than one said instance of a context schema.

16. A method as in claim 7, wherein

at least one said instance of a context schema includes one or more of

a tag associated with more than one said element of content,

at least some matchable values embedded therein,

at least some values external to said elements of content.

17. A method as in claim 7, wherein

one or more of said context schema includes one or more of

in its hierarchical structure, exemplar elements and values associated therewith,

an identification of a classification of said content.

18. A method as in claim 7, wherein

said instances of context schema relate to at least one intentionality of said users with respect to said content.

19. A method as in claim 7, wherein

said specifications from said users include one or more search criteria related to said content.