Search engine system and method utilizing context of heterogeneous information resources

• US 6,490,579 B1
• Filed: 07/16/1998
• Issued: 12/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NTT Data Services Corporation
• Original Assignee: Perot Systems Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Gao, Yong, Navin-Chandra, Dundee
• Primary Examiner(s): Kindred, Alford W.
• Application Number:
  US09/116,525
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 707/526, 707/1-10, 707/100-103, 707/200-201, 707/500-501, 707/513-517, 707/522-524, 707/529-531, 345/326, 345/338, 345/357, 345/520, 345/845, 345/700
• US Class Current: 707/707
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/92 Navigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/966 Distributed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating the retrieval of information from a system of distributed computers or information resources is disclosed. In particular, the system and method of the present invention improves upon metasearch techniques by including information resource profiles that provide directives to the metasearch engine for facilitating information recovery. These information resource profiles additionally allow for metasearches to recover information from non-indexed information resources such as when browsing the web. Contextual searching is further provided via a grouping of the information resource profiles. The present invention is further directed to tools for the creation and management of the information resource profiles.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating the searching of heterogeneous information resources within a distributed computer system using a search query and a search context, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a metasearch engine on a host computer within said distributed computer system, said search query and said search context associated therewith;

comparing, by said metasearch engine, said search context to a plurality of stored search contexts; and

requesting, by said metasearch engine, a number of search results from a corresponding number of heterogeneous information resources using said search query and said search context, said search results from the heterogeneous information resources having a stored search context substantially matching said search context.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of stored search contexts are stored within a context store containing a corresponding plurality of information resource profiles for respective information resources, whereby said respective information resource profiles facilitate the searching of said heterogeneous information resources within said distributed computer system by narrowing the searching to only those information resources having an information resource profile substantially matching said search context.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said respective information resource profiles comprises at least one context field therein selected from the group consisting of subject area, information type and problem type, whereby said searching is narrowed to information resources substantially matching at least one of said context fields.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said respective information resource profiles comprises a location field therein selected from the group consisting of pointer, address, access method and security, whereby said searching is narrowed to information resources substantially matching at least one of said location fields.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said respective information resource profiles comprises an action field therein selected from the group consisting of information access and navigation, whereby said searching is narrowed to information resources substantially matching at least one of said action fields.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said respective information resource profiles comprises a pattern field therein selected from the group consisting of information extraction and return parameters, whereby said searching is narrowed to information resources substantially matching at least one of said pattern fields.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of requesting is performed in batch mode, said search query and associated search context being stored within a batch store for a given time period corresponding to a search time received by said metasearch engine in said step of receiving, said search time being associated with said search query and said search context.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

retrieving, from at least one of said number of information resources, corresponding search results.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of:

ordering said retrieved search results pursuant to the context thereof.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said metasearch engine in said step of requesting requests said search results from said number of information resources simultaneously.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

fusing said number of search results received from said corresponding number of information resources.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if a given information resource is non-indexed, said method further comprises the step of:

browsing said given information resource using said search query.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if a given information resource is non-indexed, said method further comprises the step of:

data mining said given information resource using said search query.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if a given information resource is non-indexed, said method further comprises the step of:

downloading, from said given information resource, a plurality of pages associated therewith;

indexing said plurality of downloaded pages; and

searching said indexed, downloaded pages using said search query.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein said information resources are selected from the group consisting of a web site, database, search engine, computer file, indexed file and non-indexed file.

16. A method for facilitating searching via a metasearch engine among indexed and non-indexed information resources within a distributed computer system using a search query and a search context, said method comprising the steps of:

determining for a respective one of said indexed and non-indexed information resources a respective information resource profile associated therewith, said respective information resource profile having a search context field therein;

inputting a search context value into the search context field of said respective information resource profile, said search context value being associated with the content of said respective one information resource, whereby said respective one information resource is searchable using a search context query;

receiving said search query and said search context associated therewith;

comparing said search context to a plurality of stored search contexts; and

requesting a number of search results from a corresponding number of indexed and non-indexed information resources using said search query and said search context, said search results from information resources having a stored search context substantially matching said search context.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising repeating said determining and inputting steps for a plurality of said information resources in said distributed computer system.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein said step of inputting further comprises the step of:

inputting into said respective information resource profile a search context value selected from the group consisting of subject area, information type and problem type.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said step of inputting further comprises the step of:

inputting into said respective information resource profile a location field selected from the group consisting of pointer, address, access method and security.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein said step of inputting further comprises the step of:

inputting into said respective information resource profile an action field selected from the group consisting of information access and navigation.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein said step of inputting further comprises the step of:

inputting into said respective information resource profile a pattern field selected from the group consisting of information extraction and return parameters.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein said information resources are selected from the group consisting of a web site, database, search engine, computer file, indexed fire and non-indexed file.

23. A computer system for facilitating the searching of heterogeneous information resources using a search query and a search context, said computer system comprising:

a metasearch engine for receiving said search query and said search context associated therewith;

requesting means, within said metasearch engine, for requesting a number of search results from a corresponding number of heterogeneous information resources using said search query and said search context; and

comparison means for comparing said search context to a plurality of context fields in a plurality of information resource profiles, whereby said plurality of information resource profiles facilitate the searching of said heterogeneous information resources within said computer system by narrowing the searching to only those heterogeneous information resources having an information resource profile substantially matching said search context.

24. The computer system according to claim 23, further comprising:

a context store containing said plurality of information resource profiles for said corresponding plurality of information resources, each said information resource profile containing said context field therein.

25. The computer system according to claim 23, wherein said comparison means compares a context field selected from the group consisting subject area, information type and problem type, whereby said searching is narrowed to information resources substantially matching at least one of said context fields.

26. The computer system according to claim 23, wherein said comparison means further compares a location field selected from the group consisting of pointer, address, access method and security, whereby said searching is narrowed to information resources substantially matching at least one of said location fields.

27. The computer system according to claim 23, wherein said comparison means further comprises an action field selected from the group consisting of information access and navigation, whereby said searching is narrowed to information resources substantially matching at least one of said action fields.

28. The computer system according to claim 23, wherein said comparison means further comprises a pattern field selected from the group consisting of information extraction and return parameters, whereby said searching is narrowed to information resources substantially matching at least one of said pattern fields.

29. The computer system according to claim 23, further comprising

batch means for storing said search query and said search context for a given time period.

30. The computer system according to claim 23, further comprising:

retrieval means for retrieving said number of search results from said information resources.

31. The computer system according to claim 30, further comprising:

ordering means for ordering said retrieved search results.

32. The computer system according to claim 23, further comprising:

browsing means for browsing a given non-indexed information resource using said search query.

33. The computer system according to claim 23, further comprising:

data mining means for data mining a given non-indexed information resource using said search query.

34. The computer system according to claim 23, further comprising:

downloading means for downloading, from a given non-indexed information resource, a plurality of pages associated therewith;

indexing means for indexing said downloaded pages; and

searching means for searching said indexed, downloaded pages using said search query.