Automated system and method for capturing and managing user knowledge within a search system

• US 6,327,593 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1998
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Goiffon, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/220,209
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 707/6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2272 Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/316 Indexing structures
• 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 system and method is provided for allowing users to interactively modify a search index used in performing concept-based searches. The system includes a repository for storing a network of natural language concepts. The repository further stores associations between selected ones of the natural language concepts and other data items that are cataloged according to the natural language concepts, wherein the data items may be stored within the repository, or on one or more remote systems. A user provides one or more natural language concepts as a search query used to locate associated ones of the data items. Subsequent iterations of a search may be performed to modify the scope of the search. After successful search results are obtained, the user may create one or more new associations, wherein each association relates any of the one or more natural language concepts included within a query with any selected one of the data items located during any iteration of the search. Similarly, the user may delete selected associations existing between located ones of the natural language concepts and selected ones of the data items. This modification of the knowledge base allows the search index to evolve to reflect the needs of the user. According to one aspect of the invention, the network of natural language concepts includes relationships between concepts that organize the concepts according to generalizations and specifications. The user is allowed to create additional relationships between any of the natural language concepts that are located during any iteration of a search such that the organization of the concept network is tailored to user needs. The user is further allowed to store additional natural language concepts in the repository, and to relate the additional natural language concepts both to other concepts, and to selected ones of the data items. According to another aspect of the invention, a user display is provided to list, for all iterations of a search, all query terms specified by a user, all located concepts, and all located data items. The user creates and/or deletes associations between the displayed concepts and/or between concepts and data items using either a standard “drag and drop” interface, or using a sequence of “copy and paste” keystrokes.

Claims

1. For use in a system having a memory for storing objects, first ones of the objects being asset elements that are each being cataloged by being associated with one or more natural language concepts, second ones of the objects being locator elements each for storing indicators indicative of a respective one of the natural language concepts, the memory further for storing association indicators each for relating a respective one of the asset elements to an associated one of the locator elements wherein the associated one of the locator elements stores an indicator indicative of a natural language concept descriptive of the associated asset element, a search system for use in searching for asset elements by specifying natural language concepts, the search system, comprising:

user interface means for receiving from a user one or more indicators each indicative of a natural language concept;

search means coupled to said user interface for searching the memory to locate all locator elements storing any of said one or more indicators received from the user, said search means further for searching the memory to locate, for each locator element that is located, any related asset element; and

memory modification means coupled to said search means for allowing the user to create additional association indicators each to selectably relate a selected one of the located locator elements with a selected one of the located asset elements, and whereby said selected one of the located asset elements is newly-associated with an additional one of the natural language concepts.

2. The search system of claim 1, wherein said search means includes display means for displaying any of said located asset elements to the user, and wherein said user interface includes means for allowing the user to specify one or more additional indicators in response to said display means displaying said any of said located asset elements so that an additional iteration of the search may be performed to locate additional ones of the asset elements.

3. The search system of claim 2, wherein said search means further includes iterative means for allowing the user to perform any selectable number of additional iterations of the search.

4. The search system of claim 3, and further including storage means coupled to said search means, for storing, for each iteration of the search, said one or more indicators received from the user during said each iteration of the search, any locator elements located during said each iteration of the search, and any asset elements located during said each iteration of the search.

5. The search system of claim 4, wherein said memory modification means includes display means for displaying the contents of said storage means.

6. The search system of claim 5, wherein said memory modification means includes means for allowing the user to create said additional association indicators such that each of said additional association indicators may selectably relate a selected one of the located locator elements located during any said iteration of the search with a selected one of the located asset elements located during any other said iteration of the search.

7. The search system of claim 6, wherein said display means of said memory modification means includes drag and drop means for allowing the user to create said additional association indicators by positioning a selected one or more of said located asset elements in proximity to a selected one or more of said located locator elements.

8. The search system of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores locator element association indicators each for relating a first one of the locator elements to an associated second one of the locator elements, and wherein said memory modification means includes means for allowing a user to create additional locator element association indicators each for relating any said located locator element to a selected one of predetermined other ones of said located locator elements.

9. The search system of claim 8, wherein said search means includes search expansion means for allowing the user to selectively locate additional ones of the locator elements that have a predetermined relationship with any of said located locator elements, and wherein said additional ones of the locator elements are further used to locate additional ones of the asset elements that are each related to any of said additional ones of the locator elements.

10. The search system of claim 1, wherein said memory modification means includes locator element creation means for creating additional ones of said locator elements each for storing an indicator indicative of a natural language concept that was received from the user but not located in any one of the locator elements stored in the memory.

11. The search system of claim 10, wherein said locator element creation means includes means for creating additional association indicators for allowing said additional ones of said locator elements to be selectably related to selected ones of predetermined other ones of said located asset elements.

12. The search system of claim 10, wherein said locator element creation means includes means for creating additional ones of said locator element association indicators for allowing said additional ones of said locator elements to be selectably related to selected ones of said located locator elements.

13. The search system of claim 1, wherein said memory modification means includes deletion means for allowing the user to selectively delete one or more of the ones of the association indicators that associate one of said located locator elements with one of said located asset elements.

14. A system used to catalog groups of data signals, comprising:

a storage device to store each of the groups of data signals, said storage device further to store concept indicators each indicative of a respective natural language concept, said storage device further to store relationship indicators each indicative of an association between a respective one of the groups of data signals and a respective one of the concept indicators;

search means coupled to said storage device, said search means for searching said storage device to locate specified ones of said natural language concepts as specified by a user of the system, said search means further for locating, for each located one of said natural language concepts, any associated group of data signals as indicated by one of said relationship indicators; and

relationship creation means coupled to said search means for allowing each of said located ones of said natural language concepts to be selectively newly associated with one or more located groups of data signals by selectively creating one or more new ones of said relationship indicators.

15. The system of claim 14, and further including concept indicator creation means coupled to said search means for use in selectively creating ones of said concept indicators for those ones of said natural language concepts that were specified by the user of the system, but that were not located in said storage devices.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said relationship creation means includes means for creating one or more of said relationship indicators, each to selectively newly associate a respective one or more created ones of said concept indicators with a respective one of said one or more located group of data signals.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein said storage device further includes circuits to store concept relationship indicators, each of said concept relationship indicators for relating a respective one of said concept indicators to an associated other one of said concept indicators.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said relationship creation means includes means for selectively creating ones of said concept relationship indicators between selected ones of said located ones of said natural language concepts.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein said search means includes search expansion means for selectively locating additional ones of said natural language concepts, wherein each of said additional ones of said natural language concepts have a predetermined relationship to any of said located ones of said natural language concepts, said search expansion means further for locating any of the groups of data signals associated with any of said additional ones of said natural language concepts.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein said relationship creation means includes interface means for allowing the user to view a list of said specified ones of said natural language concepts, for allowing the user to view a list of said located ones of said natural language concepts, and for further allowing the user to view a list of said one or more located groups of data signals.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said interface means includes drop-and-drag interface means for allowing the user to selectively create ones of said relationship indicators by positioning a selected one or more of said located groups of data signals in proximity to a selected one or more of said natural language concepts listed within said list of said located ones of said natural language concepts.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein said search means includes iterative means for allowing said specified ones of said natural language concepts to be specified by the user of the system during multiple iterations of a search.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said search means includes means for invoking said relationship creation means during any of said multiple iterations of a search to create said one or more new ones of said relationship indicators, each of said one or more new ones of said relationship indicators indicative of an association between one of said natural language concepts located during any of said multiple iterations of the search and any of said one or more located groups of data signals located during any of said multiple iterations of the search.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein said search means includes browse means for allowing the user to view each of said concept indicators stored within said storage device for use in selecting ones of said natural language concepts to be used in searching said storage device.

25. For use in a data processing system having a repository for storing locator elements each being indicative of a natural language concept, wherein the natural language concepts indicated by the locator elements are used to catalog data items by creating associations that each associate one of the data items with an associated one of the locator elements, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an indicator indicative of a natural language concept;

(b) searching the repository for one or more locator elements indicative of the natural language concept indicated by said received indicator;

(c) identifying all data items that are associated with each locator element located in step (b);

(d) repeating steps (a)-(c) a selectable number of times; and

(e) associating a selected one of the locator elements located during any iteration of said step (b) with a selected one of the data items identified during any iteration of said step (c).

26. The method of claim 25, wherein step (e) may be repeated any selectable number of times.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said step (e) may be performed following the completion of any iteration of said steps (a)-(c).

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the repository stores relationship indicators each for recording an association between two associated ones of the locator elements, and wherein step (e) includes the step of defining one or more new ones of the relationship indicators each to associate any selected one of said locator elements located during any iteration of said step (b) with a selected one of predetermined other ones of said locator elements located during any iteration of said step (b).

29. The method of claim 28, and further including the step of storing said one or more relationship indicators in the repository.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein said searching step further includes the step of selectively expanding the search to locate one or more additional locator elements each having a predetermined association to any of said one or more locator elements indicative of the natural language concept indicative by said received indicator.

31. The method of claim 25, and further including the step of creating a new one of the locator elements for any selected one of the natural language concepts received in step (a) but not stored in the repository.

32. The method of claim 25, and further including the step of selectively removing an association between a selected one of the locator elements located during any iteration of said step (b) and a selected one of the data items identified during any iteration of said step (c).

33. The method of claim 25, wherein the data processing system includes a drag-and-drop interface, and wherein step (e) is performed using the drag-and-drop interface.