SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATICALLY SEARCHING FOR DOCUMENTS RELATED TO CALENDAR AND EMAIL ENTRIES

• US 20100325158A1
• Filed: 09/01/2010
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Newbold, David L., Rodriguez, Raudel S., Bolin, Michael, Oral, Tolga
• Granted Patent: US 8,271,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/780
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A system and method are provided for enabling a user to search for documents that the user has previously viewed on its local machine. The system includes three main components: the desktop integration module, the index module, and the graphical user interface module. The desktop integration module is an application which monitors documents with which the user interacts for predetermined events, and obtains content data and metadata from the monitored documents. The index module indexes the content data and metadata received from the desktop integration module. The graphical user interface module then permits a user to utilize the desktop integration module and index module by allowing a user to search for a document.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A computer-implemented method for generating an automatic search query from an electronic mail application integrating with an electronic calendar system comprising:

receiving an input comprising a user-selected calendar entry from the electronic calendar system;

in response to receiving the user-selected calendar entry, automatically generating a search query from the user-selected calendar entry to search a local index of documents that the user has previously accessed for one or more documents related to the selected calendar entry;

executing said search query by locating one or more documents in the local index that are related to the selected calendar entry; and

providing search results in response to said search query to the user, wherein the search results include the one or more documents in the local index that were located during the execution of the search query.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein automatically generating a search query further comprises retrieving metadata from said selected calendar entry and using said metadata to create the search query, wherein said metadata includes one or more of a title of the calendar entry, one or more meeting attendees, and one or more keyword from a body portion of said calendar entry.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein providing said search results further comprises:

providing a user interface having a list of documents matching said search query; and

providing a search entry field enabling the user to enter one or more additional keywords to refine said search results.

12. The method according to claim 9, where the search results include only documents that the user has previously accessed.

13. The method according to claim 9 wherein executing the search query includes remotely searching a user terminal from an internet portal.

14. A computer-implemented method for generating an automatic search query for an electronic mail application integrating an electronic calendar system comprising:

monitoring documents with which a user has interacted;

obtaining content data and metadata from the monitored documents;

creating an index of documents with which the user has interacted by indexing the content data and metadata obtained from the monitored documents;

receiving an input comprising a user-selected calendar entry from the electronic calendar system;

in response to receiving the user-selected calendar entry, automatically generating a search query from the user-selected calendar entry to search the index of documents with which the user has interacted for one or more documents related to the selected calendar entry;

executing said search query by locating one or more documents in the index of documents with which the user has interacted that are related to the selected calendar entry; and

providing search results to the user, wherein the search results include the one or more documents located during the execution of the search query.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein providing said search results further comprises:

providing a user interface having a list of documents matching said search query; and

providing a search entry field enabling the user to enter one or more additional keywords to refine said search results.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the search results include only monitored documents that the user has interacted.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein monitoring documents with which the user has interacted includes filtering out documents that the user has indicated should not be monitored or indexed.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein executing the search query includes remotely searching a user terminal from an internet portal.

19. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions that when executed by a processor are configured to implement a method for generating an automatic search query from an electronic mail application integrating with an electronic calendar system, the instructions comprising:

a query module configured to;

receive an input comprising a user-selected calendar entry from the electronic calendar system;

in response to receiving the user-selected calendar entry, automatically generate a search query from the user-selected calendar entry to search a local index of documents that the user has previously accessed for one or more documents related to the selected calendar entry; and

execute said search query by locating one or more documents in the local index that are related to the selected calendar entry; and

a graphical user interface module configured to provide search results in response to said search query to the user, wherein the search results include the one or more documents in the local index that were located during the execution of the search query.

20. The instructions according to claim 19, wherein automatically generating a search query further comprises retrieving metadata from said selected calendar entry and using said metadata to create the search query, wherein said metadata includes one or more of a title of the calendar entry, one or more meeting attendees, and one or more keyword from a body portion of said calendar entry.

21. The instructions according to claim 19, wherein providing said search results further comprises:

providing a user interface having a list of documents matching said search query; and

providing a search entry field enabling the user to enter one or more additional keywords to refine said search results.

22. The instructions according to claim 19, where the search results include only documents that the user has previously accessed.

23. The instructions according to claim 19 wherein executing the search query includes remotely searching a user terminal from an internet portal.

24. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions that when executed by a processor are configured to implement a method for generating an automatic search query for an electronic mail application integrating an electronic calendar system, the instructions comprising:

a query module configured to;

monitor documents with which a user has interacted;

obtain content data and metadata from the monitored documents;

create an index of documents with which the user has interacted by indexing the content data and metadata obtained from the monitored documents;

receive an input comprising a user-selected calendar entry from the electronic calendar system;

in response to receiving the user-selected calendar entry, automatically generate a search query from the user-selected calendar entry to search the index of documents with which the user has interacted for one or more documents related to the selected calendar entry; and

execute said search query by locating one or more documents in the index of documents with which the user has interacted that are related to the selected calendar entry; and

a graphical user interface module configured to provide search results to the user, wherein the search results include the one or more documents located during the execution of the search query.

25. The instructions according to claim 24, wherein providing said search results further comprises:

providing a user interface having a list of documents matching said search query; and

providing a search entry field enabling the user to enter one or more additional keywords to refine said search results.

26. The instructions method according to claim 24, wherein the search results include only monitored documents that the user has interacted.

27. The instructions according to claim 24, wherein monitoring documents with which the user has interacted includes filtering out documents that the user has indicated should not be monitored or indexed.

28. The instructions according to claim 24, wherein executing the search query includes remotely searching a user terminal from an internet portal.