OPTIMIZATION OF SYSTEM PERFORMANCE BASED ON COMMUNICATION RELATIONSHIP

• US 20020178161A1
• Filed: 03/31/1999
• Published: 11/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: YU, PHILIP SHI-LUNG, BREZIN, JONATHAN P., LAFF, MARK RICHARD, KELLOGG, WENDY ANNE
• Granted Patent: US 7,039,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A method and apparatus for optimizing information-retrieval related system performance based on users'"'"' communication relationships. Users'"'"' interactions and relationships with each other are tracked by a ‘relationship analyzer’ that queries multiple heterogeneous information sources, such as e-mail logs, organization charts, calendar entries, phone logs, etc. A data structure is created for each user reflecting the intensity of communication relationship with other users, and modified over time as the data in the information sources change. A relationship group is defined based on the data structure and preference or importance ratings for each type of communication relationship that includes each user'"'"'s group of highest-priority other users. A derived relationship group may also be defined based on high-priority users of a user'"'"'s highest-intensity relationships. The relationship analyzer then acts as a proxy for user queries, and may modify queries and create persistent data stores or store the results of queries or sub-queries in order to improve system performance in a variety of ways: for example, to shorten retrieval time, to resolve missing or ambiguous results, to prioritize information for downloading to limited-resource computing devices, or to propagate updated information among closely related users. A way to derive a relationship group based on subject lines of communications, or other text-based content of communication-related information, is also described.

Claims