SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SCOPING SEARCHES USING INDEX KEYS

• US 20100017403A1
• Filed: 09/29/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Merrigan, Chadd Creighton, Meyerzon, Dmitriy, Lee, David J., Peltonen, Kyle G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,843,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: N/A
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9032 Query formulation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A set of index keys is included in an index search system that are associated with the scope of the search rather than the content of the documents that are the target of the search. These scope related index keys, or scope keys allows the scope of the search to be selected, reducing the number of documents that a search is required to sift through to obtain results. Furthermore, compound scopes are recognized and stored such that an index of complex search scopes is provided to eliminate rehashing of the searches based on these complex search scopes.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a search scope for a query of documents, comprising:

identifying a property related to the documents;

generating a scope-related index key according to the identified property, wherein the scope-related index key is included in a set of other index keys associated with a crawl of the documents, the other index keys including content-related keys; and

generating an index with a computing device, the index including;

a first portion corresponding to index keys that are related to content of the documents; and

a second portion corresponding to scope-related index keys;

wherein the index includes a document record that corresponds to the scope-related index key, wherein the document record is used in providing results to the query such that the search scope of the query is related to the scope-related index key when the query is authored to include the search scope and, as the content related index is searched for a keyword included in the search query, the search is limited to the scope previously defined according to the second portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the documents are in a network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the index further includes a third portion that includes additional document records organized according to combinations of the scope-related index keys such that another search scope is defined by the combination.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the combination of the scope-related index keys corresponds to a Boolean combination.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the third portion is updated when a new combination of scope-related index keys is created by copying the third portion to create a new portion while inserting document records into the new third portion that corresponds to the new combination.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a change amongst the documents that are queried causes an update to the index such that an additional document record is associated with the scope-related index key in the index when the additional document is associated with the property, wherein the change corresponds to at least one of new document inserted amongst the documents, a document amongst the documents being removed, and a modification to a document amongst the documents.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the document record includes a document identifier that identifies the document for the query.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a scope selection according to the scope-related index key such that the scope selection is selectable by a client for providing a scope to a client generated query.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an interface for manually generating and manipulating additional scope-related index keys from additional properties associated with additional search scopes of the documents.

10. A system for establishing a search scope for a query of documents, comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to generate;

a scopes plugin that is configured to identify a property related to the documents that is associated with a scope of the documents and generate a scope-related index key according to the identified property, wherein the scope-related index key is emitted among a set of other index keys associated with a crawl of the documents; and

an index that is configured to include a document record that corresponds to the scope-related index key, wherein the document record is used in providing results to the query such that the search scope of the query is related to the scope-related index key when the query is authored to included the search scope.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the index further includes a first partition corresponding to index keys that are related to content of the documents and a second partition that corresponds to the scope-related index keys.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the index further includes a third partition that includes additional document records organized according to combinations of the scope-related index keys such that another search scope is defined by the combination.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the index is further configured to be updated when an additional document is inserted amongst the documents that are queried such that an additional document record is associated with the scope-related index key in the index when the additional document is associated with scope-related index key.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising an interface for manually generating and manipulating additional scope-related index keys from additional properties associated with additional search scopes of the documents.

15. A computer-readable storage medium that includes computer-executable instructions for establishing a search scope for a query of documents, the instructions comprising:

identifying a property related to the documents;

generating a scope-related index key according to the identified property, wherein the scope-related index key is included in a set of other index keys associated with a crawl of the documents, the other index keys including content-related keys; and

generating an index with a computing device, the index including;

a first portion corresponding to index keys that are related to content of the documents; and

a second portion corresponding to scope-related index keys;

wherein the index includes a document record that corresponds to the scope-related index key, wherein the document record is used in providing results to the query such that the search scope of the query is related to the scope-related index key when the query is authored to include the search scope and, as the content related index is searched for a keyword included in the search query, the search is limited to the scope previously defined according to the second portion.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein arranging the index further comprises including a third portion that includes additional document records organized according to combinations of the scope-related index keys such that another search scope is defined by the combination.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the third portion is updated when a new combination of scope-related index keys is created by copying the third portion to create a new portion while inserting the document records into the new third portion that corresponds to the new combination.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the third portion is updated asynchronously to an update of the first portion and the second portion.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein arranging the index further comprises updating the index when an additional document inserted amongst the documents that are queried, such that an additional document record is associated with the scope-related index key when the additional document is associated with the identified property.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein each of the document records includes a document identifier that identifies the document for the query.