Fuzzy database retrieval

• US 6,877,002 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2001
• Issued: 04/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Prince, John
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/878,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20020099696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 707/5
• US Class Current: 707/749
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/908 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/923 Intellectual property
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method for querying metadata associated with media, such as multimedia and/or streaming media, on a computer network includes separating the metadata into keywords. The keywords are compared with valid keywords. A score is calculated in accordance with the degree of similarity between the keywords and valid keywords. If the degree of similarity is above a threshold, the metadata is qualified as valid metadata. Valid metadata is available for comparison and correction of other (invalid) metadata.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for assessing quality of metadata associated with media on a communications network, said metadata comprising at least one keyword, said method comprising the steps of:

separating said metadata associated with said media into at least one keyword;

comparing each keyword with at least one keyword from a predefined set of keywords associated with a valid database for determining a degree of similarity between said metadata and said set of keywords associated with a valid database; and

calculating a score in accordance with said degree of similarity for indicating said quality of said metadata associated with said media, wherein said score is used for a work flow process of a search engine.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the step of qualifying said metadata as valid metadata if said score is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, wherein said valid metadata comprises valid keywords.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said step of separating said metadata comprises replacing each connecting character positioned adjacent to at least one keyword with a space.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein connecting characters comprise at least one of a period (“

.”

), an underscore (“

_”

), a backslash (“

/”

), a forward slash (“

\”

), a comma (“

,”

), an asterisk (“

*”

), and a hyphen (“

-”

).

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said step of calculating said score comprises summing a total number of matches between each valid keyword and each keyword.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said step of calculating said score comprises:

assigning a weight to each of said valid keywords;

for each valid keyword, summing a number of matches with said keywords for providing a keyword summation;

multiplying said weight of each keyword by its respective keyword summation to provide a keyword product; and

accumulating keyword products in accordance with one of summing all of said keyword products and averaging all of said keyword products for providing said score.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, said metadata comprising a plurality of uniform resource indicators (URIs), each URI comprising at least one keyword;

said method further comprising the steps of;

calculating a score for each URI; and

qualifying said URI as a valid URI if a respective score is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, wherein said valid URI comprises valid keywords.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said metadata comprise elements related to at least one of content of the media, intellectual property rights associated with the media, and instantiation of the media.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said media comprises at least one of multimedia and streaming media.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said communications network is a computer network.

11. A computer system for assessing quality of metadata associated with media on a computer network, said metadata comprising at least one keyword, said computer system comprising at least one computer, each of said at least one computer being communicatively coupled to all of said at least one computer, wherein each of said at least one computer includes at least one program stored therein for allowing communication between each and every of said at least one computer, each of said at least one program operating in conjunction with one another to cause said at least one computer to perform the steps of:

separating said metadata associated with said media into at least one keyword;

comparing each keyword with at least one keyword from a predefined set of keywords associated with a valid database for determining a degree of similarity between said metadata and said set of keywords associated with a valid database; and

calculating a score in accordance with said degree of similarity for indicating said quality of said metadata associated with said media, wherein said score is used for a work flow process of a search engine.

12. A computer system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said step of calculating comprises:

assigning a weight to each of said valid keywords;

for each valid keyword, summing a number of matches with said keywords for providing a keyword summation;

multiplying said weight of each keyword by its respective keyword summation to provide a keyword product; and

accumulating keyword products in accordance with one of summing all of said keyword products and averaging all of said keyword products for providing said score.

13. A computer readable medium having embodied thereon a program for causing a processor to assess a quality of metadata associated with media on a communications network, said metadata comprising at least one keyword, said computer readable medium comprising:

means for causing said processor to separate said metadata associated with said media into at least one keyword;

means for causing said processor to compare each keyword with at least one keyword from a predefined set of keywords associated with a valid database for determining a degree of similarity between said metadata associated with said media and said set of keywords associated with a valid database; and

means for causing said processor to calculate a score in accordance with said degree of similarity for indicating said quality of said metadata associated with said media, wherein said score is used for a work flow process of a search engine.

14. A computer readable medium in accordance with claim 13, wherein said means for causing said processor to calculate said score comprises:

means for causing said processor to assign a weight to each of said valid keywords;

for each valid keyword, means for causing said processor to sum a number of matches with said keywords for providing a keyword summation;

means for causing said processor to multiply said weight of each keyword by its respective keyword summation to provide a keyword product; and

means for causing said processor to accumulate keyword products in accordance with one of summing all of said keyword products and averaging all of said keyword products for providing said score.

15. A data signal embodied in a carrier wave comprising:

a separate metadata code segment for separating metadata associated with media on a communications network into at least one keyword, wherein said metadata comprises at least one keyword;

a compare keyword code segment for comparing each keyword with at least one keyword from a predefined set of keywords associated with a valid database for determining a degree of similarity between said metadata associated with said media and said set of keywords associated with a valid database; and

a calculate score code segment for calculating a score in accordance with said degree of similarity for indicating a quality of said metadata associated with said media, wherein said score is used for a work flow process of a search engine.

16. A data signal in accordance with claim 15, further comprising a qualify metadata code segment for qualifying said metadata as valid metadata if said score is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, wherein said valid metadata comprises valid keywords.

17. A data signal in accordance with claim 15, wherein said metadata is separated by replacing each connecting character positioned adjacent to at least one keyword with a space.

18. A data signal in accordance with claim 17, wherein connecting characters comprise at least one of a period (“

.”

), an underscore (“

₁₃ ”

), a backslash (“

\”

), a forward slash (“

/”

), a comma (“

,”

), an asterisk (“

*”

), and a hyphen (“

-”

).

19. A data signal in accordance with claim 15, wherein said calculate score code segment comprises a sum all matches code segment for summing a total number of matches between each valid keyword and each keyword.

20. A data signal in accordance with claim 15, wherein said calculate score code segment comprises:

an assign weight code segment for assigning a weight to each of said valid keywords;

for each valid keyword, a sum valid keyword matches code segment for summing a number of matches with said keywords for providing a keyword summation;

a multiply code segment for multiplying said weight of each keyword by its respective keyword summation to provide a keyword product; and

an accumulate code segment for accumulating keyword products in accordance with one of summing all of said keyword products and averaging all of said keyword products for providing said score.

21. A data signal in accordance with claim 15, said metadata comprising a plurality of uniform resource indicators (URIs), each URI comprising at least one keyword, said data signal further comprising:

a calculate URI score code segment for calculating a score for each URI;

a qualify URI code segment for qualifying said URI as valid URI if a respective score is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, wherein said valid URI comprises valid keywords.

22. A data signal in accordance with claim 15, wherein said metadata comprise elements related to at least one of content of the media, intellectual property rights associated with the media, and instantiation of the media:

a calculate URI score code segment for calculating a score for each URI;

a qualify URI code segment for qualifying said URI as valid URI if a respective score is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, wherein said valid URI comprises valid keywords.