Method and System for Enterprise Search Navigation

• US 20110119257A1
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Rajasekhar, Chitta
• Granted Patent: US 8,706,717 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

A method can include receiving a search request from a user interface (UI), selecting one or more repositories in response to the search request, and displaying, on a display device, search results corresponding to the selected repositories. The selected repositories are a subset of a plurality of available repositories, as specified by an administrator. By selecting or de-selecting the available repositories, a user can define or refine a search of the available repositories. In various implementations, the method includes interface elements that assist a user in previewing revised search results based on revised selections of repositories, and/or selections of subcategories of information available in one or more of the repositories.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a search request from a user interface (UI);

selecting one or more repositories in response to the search request, wherein the selected repositories are a subset of a plurality of administrator-specified repositories; and

displaying, on a display device, search results corresponding to the selected repositories.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the UI comprises a plurality of repository selection inputs;

the plurality of repository selection inputs corresponds to the plurality of administrator-specified repositories; and

the search request comprises

a selection of a first repository selection input among the plurality of repository selection inputs, and

a de-selection of a second repository selection input among the plurality of repository selection inputs.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the search results comprise search results corresponding to the first repository; and

the search results exclude search results corresponding to the second repository.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the UI on the display device;

displaying, in the UI, initial search results; and

displaying, in the UI, a plurality of repository selection inputs, wherein the plurality of repository selection inputs corresponds to the plurality of administrator-specified repositories, wherein

the search request comprises a de-selection of a second repository selection input among the plurality of repository selection inputs, and

the search results exclude search results that correspond to a de-selected repository, and

the displaying the search results comprises revising the UI to display the search results.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving indications of the administrator-specified repositories.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

displaying, in the UI, a plurality of repository selection inputs, wherein

the plurality of repository selection inputs corresponds to the received indications of the administrator-specified repositories,

the search request comprises indications of user selections and de-selections of the repository selection inputs, and

the selected repositories are selected in response to the indications of the user selections and de-selections of the repository selection inputs.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

generating a search index of the administrator-specified repositories, wherein

the generating the search index is performed in response to the receiving the indications of the administrator-specified repositories, and

the generating the search index comprises communicating with each of the administrator-specified repositories.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving the indications of the administrator-specified repositories is performed during a configuration of the search index.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving an update of the indications of the administrator-specified repositories, and

updating the plurality of repository selection inputs in response to the update.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

configuring data interfaces in response to the receiving indications of the administrator-specified repositories, wherein the data interfaces are configured to provide communication with the administrator-specified repositories; and

configuring the UI in response to the receiving indications of the administrator-specified repositories.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a revised search request from the UI;

selecting a revised set of one or more repositories, wherein

the revised set of repositories is selected in response to the revised search request, and

the revised set of repositories is a subset of the plurality of administrator-specified repositories; and

displaying, on the display device, revised search results corresponding to the revised set of repositories.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

re-ranking the search results, in response to the revised search request, to generate the revised search results.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the selected repositories comprise repositories of different types;

the selected repositories are each of a type selected from group consisting of;

a training archive, an instant messaging archive, a blog archive, and a video archive;

the search results comprise;

a first section displaying search results corresponding to a first data repository among the selected repositories, and

a second section displaying search results corresponding to a second data repository among the selected repositories;

the first and second sections are displayed in a single-page view; and

the first section comprises;

a check box for the first repository selection input,

a rank-ordered list of the search results corresponding to the first data repository,

a count describing a number of search results corresponding to the first data repository, and

a hierarchy of check boxes for selection of categories and subcategories of data from the first data repository.

14. A system comprising:

a memory configured to store a search index;

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

display a user interface (UI) on a display device,

receive a search request from the UI,

select one or more repositories in response to the search request, wherein the selected repositories are a subset of a plurality of administrator-specified repositories,

obtain search results from the search index, wherein

the search results correspond to the selected repositories, and

display the search results on the display device.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

an indexing module coupled to the memory and the processor, and configured to

read contents of the plurality of administrator-specified repositories, and

update the search index based at least in part on the contents of the data repositories;

a selection module configured to

display selection inputs in the UI, wherein the selection inputs correspond to the plurality of administrator-specified repositories, and

receive selections and de-selections of the administrator-specified repositories, wherein the search request comprises the selections and de-selections of the administrator-specified repositories; and

a search module configured to

generate the search results based at least in part on the search index and the search request, and

exclude data from the search results based at least in part on the de-selections of the administrator-specified repositories.