Resource searching

• US 20030182270A1
• Filed: 03/20/2002
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lemon, Michael J., Kuno, Harumi Anne, Muntz, Daniel Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,117,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system and method for resource handling. In an environment for receiving a query and for providing a response, the query is used to search resources locally available. Metadata is associated with each of said resources. The resources and said metadata are both analyzed with respect to the query such that said response indicative of a match between at least two of said resources and said query is a ranked search result included in said response. The invention is exemplified in an adaptation to peer-to-peer network applications.

Claims

1. A system for resource handling comprising:

means for receiving a query and for providing a response;

means for using said query to search resources locally available to said means for receiving; and

means for storing metadata respectively associated with each of said resources,

wherein said query is correlated with said resources and said metadata both such that said response indicative of a match between at least two of said resources and said query is a ranked search result included in said response.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said resources locally available further include location information associating said system with subsidiary systems in direct communication therewith, wherein upon a determined correlation of said location information to said query, any match is included in said response.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said response includes means for directly accessing said subsidiary systems.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

for each said query, parsing information associated with identification of each of said resources that is included in the ranked search result into primary elements related to accessing each of said resources, respectively, and

storing said primary elements in a combinatory data set indicative of content with said primary element as said metadata.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4 comprising:

rules for predetermining if the combinatory data set is compatible with said means for storing.

6. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein said primary elements include sub-information related to specific addressing elements related to accessing each of said resources.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1, said means for receiving further comprising:

means for recognizing a direct metadata query and directly routing said query to said means for storing metadata.

8. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising:

means for determining a relevancy score for resources using said metadata wherein said relevancy score is provided in the ranked search result of said response.

9. The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein said relevancy score is calculated from a probability analysis of said metadata.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9 wherein said probability analysis includes calculating a relevancy score based on Confidence, Support, and Lift of each said resource associated with the response.

11. A method for handling resource allocation and retrieval, the method comprising:

storing resources;

storing metadata respectively associated with each of said resources;

receiving a query potentially associated with said resources;

performing said query on said resources and on said metadata for locating any potential match; and

responding to said query with ranked results indicative of relevancy of each of said resources having a potential match to said query.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11 comprising:

if only a single match to said query is located among said resources, returning information related to retrieving said single match, and

updating said metadata based on said information.

13. The method as set forth in claim 11 comprising:

if a plurality of matches to said query is located among said resources, comparing each of said matches to said metadata,

ranking each of said matches as to relative relevancy with respect to said query prior to said responding to said query with ranked results.

14. The method as set forth in claim 11 wherein said resources are distributed in a peer-to-peer network environment.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14 wherein said metadata includes data sets of historical matches related to neighbor peers of said peer-to-peer network environment.

16. The method as set forth in claim 14 comprising:

storing a directory path for each of said resources, wherein said metadata further comprises data sets having each element of said data path related to a resource identifier for each of said resources respectively.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16 comprising:

parsing each said directory path such that each said element is related to a value indicative of its position in said directory path.

18. The method as set forth in claim 14 wherein said ranked results indicative of relevancy provides a measure of authority as to how authoritative any particular peer is as to the resource-of-interest

19. A computer memory having associative computer code comprising:

computer code for looking up a content file directory location and content identity based on a query;

computer code for parsing a respective directory path related to each content file that is matched to said query;

computer code for storing metadata relating each said content file that is matched to said query by content identity coupled to each element of said respective directory path; and

computer code for returning an answer to said query indicative of said content file directory location and said content identity wherein each content file that is matched to said query is ranked in accordance with said metadata.

20. The memory as set forth in claim 19 said computer code for storing metadata comprising:

computer code for calculating at least one relevancy score for each content file that is matched to said query.

21. The memory as set forth in claim 19 in a peer-to-peer network environment.

22. The memory as set forth in claim 21, said computer code for storing metadata comprising:

computer code for storing metadata for each content file that is matched to said query wherein said content file directory location is at a neighbor peer.

23. A method of doing business in a network of distributed content files, the method comprising:

providing at least one directory wherein said directory includes some of said distributed content files;

providing remote access to said directory via submission of a query;

associating each of said content files with a related metadata set wherein for each one of said content files the related metadata set includes parsed individual path elements of a directory path into said directory and each of said path elements is associated with a content identifier, such that a ranking of the content file associated with each of said files is established; and

providing a search result to the query wherein said ranking of each match of the query to a content file is included in said result.

24. The method as set forth in claim 23 comprising:

providing rules for storing a metadata set, and

maintaining a database including each metadata set complying with said rules for storing.

25. The method as set forth in claim 24 comprising:

providing access to said database via said query.