Scoping queries in a search engine

• US 20020083054A1
• Filed: 12/27/2000
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Meyerzon, Dmitriy, Peltonen, Kyle
• Granted Patent: US 6,898,592 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/5
• 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: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Systems and methods for scoping a search. When a content index for electronic data is built, one or more scope restrictions are included in the content index. The scope restriction may be, for example, a root folder identifier, a mailbox identifier, or a URL. Because the scope restriction is included in the content index random access of the property store to determine the scope is avoided. Rather, the scope restriction is implicitly added to a search that uses the content index. By including a scope restriction in the search query, the search results identified from the content index are limited to results that match the scope restriction. Advantageously, the effect of including the scope restriction in the search is ignored if the search results are relatively small or when including the scope restriction provides little benefit.

Claims

1. In a system including a data store, wherein the data store is indexed by a content index using terms, a method for scoping a search of the data store, wherein the search includes one or more terms, the method comprising:

an act of including an identifier in the content index, wherein the identifier is implicitly included in the search;

an act of identifying a first list of document identifiers with the one or more terms from the content index;

an act of identifying a second list of document identifiers with the identifier from the content index; and

an act of comparing the second list of document identifiers with the first list of document identifiers to identify a subset of document identifiers that satisfy the search.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the act of including an identifier in the content index further comprises an act of building the content index.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising an act of returning the subset of document identifiers.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the act of comparing the second list of document identifiers with the first list of document identifiers further comprises an act of restricting the search based on the identifier.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the identifier is a folder identifier.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the folder identifier is unique across the content index.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the identifier is a Uniform Resource Locator.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the act of comparing the second list of document identifiers with the first list of document identifiers further comprises an act of intersecting the second list of document identifiers with the first list of document identifiers to identify the subset of document identifiers.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising an act of refraining from comparing the second list of document identifiers with the first list of document identifiers when the second list of document identifiers cannot reduce the first list of document identifiers.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising an act of refraining from comparing the second list of document identifiers with the first list of document identifiers when processing only the first list of document identifiers is more efficient.

11. In a system including one or more data stores, wherein a search engine gathers and indexes data from the one or more data stores in a content index, a method for focusing a search of the data, the search including one or more terms, the method comprising:

an act of including one or more scope restrictions in the content index when the search engine indexes the data, wherein the one or more scope restrictions are non-text;

an act of adding a scope restriction to the search, the scope restriction included in the one or more scope restrictions;

an act of identifying a first list of document identifiers from the content index using the one or more terms of the search;

an act of identifying a second list of document identifiers from the content index using the scope restriction; and

an act of focusing the first list of document identifiers by using the second list of document identifiers to generate a subset list of document identifiers from the first list of document identifiers.

12. A method as defined in claim 11, further comprising an act of returning the subset list of document identifiers to a user.

13. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the act of including one or more scope restrictions in the content index further comprises an act of building the content index.

14. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the act of focusing the first list of document identifiers further comprises an act of scoping the search based on the scope restriction.

15. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the scope restriction is a folder identifier.

16. A method as defined in claim 15, wherein the folder identifier is unique across the content index.

17. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the scope restriction is a Uniform Resource Locator.

18. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the act of focusing the first list of document identifiers further comprises an act of intersecting the second list of document identifiers with the first list of document identifiers.

19. A method as defined in claim 11, wherein the act of focusing the first list of document identifiers further comprises an act of identifying matching document identifiers from the first list of document identifiers and the second list of document identifiers, wherein the matching document identifiers are included in the subset list of document identifiers.

20. A method as defined in claim 11, further comprising an act of refraining from focusing the first list of document identifiers using the second list of document identifiers when the second list of document identifiers cannot reduce the first list of document identifiers.

21. A method as defined in claim 11, further comprising an act of refraining from focusing the first list of document identifiers when processing only the first list of document identifiers is more efficient.

22. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the acts recited in claim 11.

24. A method as defined in claim 23, wherein the step for generating a subset list of document identifiers further comprises a step for comparing the first list of document identifiers with the second list of document identifiers.

25. A method as defined in claim 23, wherein the step for generating a subset list of document identifiers further comprises a step of intersecting the second list of document identifiers with the first list of document identifiers.

26. A method as defined in claim 23, wherein the step for generating a subset list of document identifiers further comprises a step for identifying matching document identifiers from the first list of document identifiers and the second list of document identifiers, wherein the matching document identifiers are included in the subset list of document identifiers.

27. A method as defined in claim 23, further comprising a step for refraining from generating a subset list of document identifiers when it is efficient to only process the first list of document identifiers.

28. A method as defined in claim 27, further comprising a step for accessing a property store for the first list of document identifiers.

29. A method as defined in claim 23, further comprising a step for returning the subset list of document identifiers.

30. A method as defined in claim 23, wherein the folder identifier is a URL.

31. A method as defined in claim 23, the folder identifier is a set of URLs.

23. In a system including a mail store partitioned into one or more mailboxes, wherein a search engine has indexed the mail store in a content index, a method for scoping a search of the mail store, the search including one or more terms, the method comprising steps for:

the search engine including one or more identifiers in the content index, wherein the one or more identifiers identify the one or more mailboxes;

including a root folder identifier in the search, the root folder identifier included in the one or more identifiers;

identifying a first list of document identifiers from the content index using the one or more terms, wherein the first list of document identifiers correspond to messages in the one or more mailboxes;

identifying a second list of document identifiers from the content index using the root folder identifier, wherein the second list of document identifiers correspond to messages in a mailbox identified by the root folder identifier; and

generating a subset list of document identifiers by removing document identifiers from the first list of document identifiers that do not match document identifiers in the second list of document identifiers.

32. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing the steps recited in claim 23.