Method and system for finding data objects within large data-object libraries

• US 20070250499A1
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Obrador, Pere, Gargi, Ullas, Atkins, Clayton, Widdowson, Simon
• Application Number:
  US11/408,855
• Publication Number:
  US 20070250499A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention include a method for searching or browsing data objects within a data-object library. A current sub-population of data objects is initialized. The current sub-population contains data objects selected from the data-object library and defined by current data-object-selection criteria. Then, in a continuously iterating fashion, data objects are selected from the current sub-population and presented, and the current data-object-selection criteria are modified in order to modify the current sub-population of data objects from which data objects are subsequently selected for presentation, the modification elicited by input and automatically, by the grazing routine, following a period without input.

Claims

1. A data-object-searching-and-perusal system comprising:

data objects contained in a data-object library that provides data-object-access facilities that locate data objects based on data-object-access criteria;

a presentation routine that electronically presents data-objects; and

a grazing routine that

continuously selects data objects from a current sub-population of data objects defined by current data-object-access criteria for input to the presentation routine for presentation, receives user input that modifies the current data-object-access criteria, in turn modifying the current sub-population from which data-objects are selected for presentation, and

automatically relaxes data-object-access criteria during periods without input, to expand the current sub-population of data objects from which data objects are selected for presentation.

2. The data-object-searching-and-perusal system of claim 1 wherein data objects may include:

photographic images;

digitally-encoded video signals;

digitally encoded audio signals;

multi-media presentations;

text and graphics-containing documents; and

data files renderable by an application program.

3. The data-object-searching-and-perusal system of claim 1 wherein the presentation routine provides a logical data-object display from which display windows can be selected by a user.

4. The data-object-searching-and-perusal system of claim 3 wherein the presentation routine adds data objects, received at intervals from the grazing routine, to the logical data-object display and correspondingly translates the display window within the logical data-object display to present a continuously updated display.

5. The data-object-searching-and-perusal system of claim 4 wherein the presentation routine translates the display window in both horizontal and vertical directions in order to present all the data objects within the logical data-object display while presenting a continuously updated display.

6. The data-object-searching-and-perusal system of claim 1 wherein data-object-access criteria may include one or more of:

attribute/attribute-value pairs;

function/function-arguments/function-output-value triples;

partially or completely formulated data-object-selection queries;

Boolean expressions;

set expressions;

relational-algebra expressions;

database queries; and

executable routines.

7. The data-object-searching-and-perusal system of claim 1

wherein input-based data-object-access-criteria modification, referred to as forced transitions, allow a user to steer data-object presentation to sub-populations of data objects of interest to the user;

and

wherein grazing-routine relaxation of data-object-access-criteria, referred to as unforced transitions, provide for automatic sub-population expansion to facilitate user searching and browsing of the entire data-object library.

8. The data-object-searching-and-perusal system of claim 1 wherein the grazing routine continuously selects data objects from a current sub-population of data objects defined by current data-object-access criteria for input to the presentation routine for presentation by one or more of:

randomly selecting data objects from the current sub-population of data objects;

selecting data objects from the current sub-population of data objects by fairly sampling the data objects according to an estimated or ascertained distribution;

selecting the data objects from the current sub-population of data objects in order to eventually present all data objects within the sub-population;

selecting a subset of data objects determined to be representative of the sub-population;

selecting data objects most often selected by users; and

selecting data objects nearest the center of the sub-population n n-dimensional space.

9. The data-object-searching-and-perusal system of claim 1 wherein a user may select a presented data object, by inputting a selection indication to the presented data object, for one or more of:

inputting the selected data object to a data-object-receiving application program;

printing or otherwise recording the data object;

storing the data object in electronic memory;

storing the data object on a mass storage device; and

observing the data object.

10. The data-object-searching-and-perusal system of claim 1 wherein the current data-object-access criteria are stored within a current profile that includes preferences and encoded characteristics of a user.

11. A method for searching or browsing data objects within a data-object library, the method comprising:

initializing a current sub-population of data objects selected from the data-object library and defined by current data-object-selection criteria; and

iteratively,

selecting data objects from the current sub-population,

presenting the selected data objects, and

modifying the current data-object-selection criteria in order to modify the current sub-population of data objects from which data objects are subsequently selected for presentation, the modification elicited by input and automatically, by the grazing routine, following a period without input.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the current data-object-selection criteria are stored within a current profile that includes preferences and encoded characteristics of a user.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein selecting data objects from the current sub-population further includes one or more of:

randomly selecting data objects from the current sub-population of data objects;

selecting data objects from the current sub-population of data objects by fairly sampling the data objects according to an estimated or ascertained distribution;

selecting the data objects from the current sub-population of data objects in order to eventually present all data objects within the sub-population;

selecting a subset of data objects determined to be representative of the sub-population;

selecting data objects most often selected by users; and

selecting data objects nearest the center of the sub-population n n-dimensional space.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein presenting the selected data objects further includes:

adding selected data objects to a logical data-object display;

providing a display window within the logical data-object display that can be translated vertically and horizontally by user input or programmatically over the logical data-object display; and

and automatically translating the display window in the direction of newly added data objects to provide a continuously changing presentation of data objects.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein modifying the current data-object-selection criteria in order to modify the current sub-population of data objects from which data objects are subsequently selected for presentation further includes:

receiving input to a presented data object and modifying the current data-object-selection criteria to reflect the received input.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the current data-object-selection criteria is modified to decrease the number of data objects within the current sub-population that encompasses the presented data object to which input is received.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the current data-object-selection criteria is modified to increase the number of data objects within the current sub-population.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein modifying the current data-object-selection criteria in order to modify the current sub-population of data objects from which data objects are subsequently selected for presentation further includes:

automatically relaxing the current data-object-selection criteria to increase the number of data objects within the current sub-population following a period without user input.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein modifying the current data-object-selection criteria in order to modify the current sub-population of data objects from which data objects are subsequently selected for presentation further includes:

automatically modifying the current data-object-selection criteria to change the data objects included within the current sub-population following a period without user input.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein a presented data object may be selected, by inputting a selection indication to the presented data object, for one or more of:

inputting the selected data object to a data-object-receiving application program;

printing or otherwise recording the data object;

storing the data object in electronic memory;

storing the data object on a mass storage device; and

observing the data object.