Guided navigation system

• US 7,921,099 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2006
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle OTC Subsidiary LLC (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Inquira Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Bierner, Gann Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali; Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hocker; John P
• Application Number:
  US11/382,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,791 Days
• Field of Search: 707 2- 3, 707/5, 707/7, 707101-102, 707/708, 707/731, 707/999.002, 715/713, 345/854
• US Class Current: 707/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A navigation system is used in combination with a data retrieval system to more effectively locate the correct answers or information in search content. The navigation system provides taxonomies that identify different information categories and sub-categories (facets). Classifiers automatically classify the search content by identifying the content corresponding with associated facets. The facets, in conjunction with the associated classifiers, provide robust classification and correlation between both structured and unstructured content. Rules can be used in conjunction with the facets and classifiers to automatically control different navigation operations. The navigation system can also leverage ontologies to dynamically create taxonomies and provides unique facet expansion and intra-document classification operations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for classifying content, comprising:

(A) receiving, at a processor and as part of performing a query, both structured and unstructured content;

(B) providing a taxonomy having an entire set of preexisting facets associated with different subject categories;

(C) using, by the processor, a structured classifier to classify the structured content with one or more of the preexisting facets in the taxonomy;

(D) using, by the processor, a different unstructured classifier to classify the unstructured content with one or more of the same preexisting facets in the same taxonomy;

(E) displaying, in response to the query, the one or more preexisting facets classified with the structured content and classified with the unstructured content;

(F) associating an ontology with the structured and unstructured content that includes at least one concept having different categories and sub-categories;

(G) inserting a portion of the ontology into the taxonomy;

(H) using the categories and sub-categories for the inserted portion of the ontology as facets for classifying the structured and unstructured content;

(I) conducting the query to return search results;

(J) comparing concept categories in the ontology with data items contained in the search results;

(K) identifying the concept categories associated with the data items from the search results;

(L) dynamically and automatically creating new facets in the taxonomy according to the concept categories in the ontology corresponding with the search results, the dynamically and automatically created new facets being different than any of the preexisting facets that currently exist in the entire taxonomy; and

(M) using the new facets along with the entire set of preexisting facets to classify both the structured and unstructured content.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

building new classifiers for the facets created from the ontology;

using the new classifiers to classify the content with the facets created from the inserted portion of the ontology.

2. A computer-implemented method for classifying content, comprising:

(A) receiving, at a processor and as part of performing a query, search results including both structured and unstructured content;

(B) providing a taxonomy having an entire set of preexisting facets associated with different subject categories;

(C) using, by the processor, a structured classifier to classify the structured content with one or more particular preexisting facets in the taxonomy;

(D) using, by the processor, a different unstructured classifier to classify the unstructured content with at least one of the particular preexisting facets;

(E) displaying, in response to the query, those ones of the particular preexisting facets that are classified with both the structured content and the unstructured content;

(F) associating an ontology with the structured and unstructured content that includes at least one concept having different categories and sub-categories;

(G) inserting a portion of the ontology into the taxonomy;

(H) using ones of the subject categories that correspond to the inserted portion of the ontology as facets for classifying the structured and unstructured content;

(I) comparing data items contained in the search results to the ontology;

(J) identifying a particular concept of the ontology according to the comparison;

(K) dynamically and automatically creating a new facet in the taxonomy according to the identified concept, the new facet being different than the preexisting facets of the set; and

(L) using the new facet along with the preexisting facets of the set to classify both the structured and unstructured content.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

building new classifiers for the facets created from the inserted portion of the ontology; and

using the new classifiers to classify the structured and unstructured content with the facets created from the inserted portion of the ontology.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the structured classifier searches predetermined data fields or predefined locations in the structured content for information associated with the respective particular preexisting facets.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the unstructured classifier searches data that is not located in predefined data fields or predefined locations in the unstructured content for information associated with the respective particular preexisting facets.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising using an Intelligent Matching Language (IML) in the unstructured classifier to search for data items in the unstructured content corresponding with a concept identified by the displayed preexisting facets.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

assigning identifiers to data items in both the structured and unstructured content;

using the structured classifier to generate a list of the identifiers for the data items in the structured content associated with the respective particular preexisting facets;

using the unstructured classifier to add the identifiers to the same list for the data items in the unstructured content associated with the respective particular preexisting facets; and

displaying the number of data items in both the structured and unstructured content associated with the displayed preexisting facets by counting the number of identifiers in the list that are possible answers to the query.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying data items located in either the structured or unstructured content associated with a selected one of the preexisting facets of the set;

automatically creating new facets that are configured as sub-categories for the selected facet, said newly created facets generated from the data items identified in the structured or unstructured content and not previously existing anywhere in the entire taxonomy prior to receiving the structured or unstructured content;

building a new taxonomy that includes the new facets that are sub-categories underneath the selected facet; and

classifying the data items according to the new taxonomy.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the structured content is a portion of a search result of the query, and wherein the search result that includes the structured content is classified on a display using the respective ones of the particular preexisting facets.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the structured content is a portion of a search result, the portion being displayed in a particular preconfigured format.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying data items located in the structured content associated with a selected one of the preexisting facets of the set;

automatically creating new facets that are configured as sub-categories for the selected facet, said newly created facets generated from the data items identified in the structured content and not previously existing anywhere in the entire taxonomy prior to receiving the structured content;

building a new taxonomy that includes the new facets that are sub-categories underneath the selected facet; and

classifying the data items according to the new taxonomy.

3. A computer-implemented method for classifying content, comprising:

(A) receiving, at a processor and as part of performing a query, search results including both structured and unstructured content;

(B) providing a taxonomy having an entire set of preexisting facets associated with different subject categories;

(C) using, by the processor, a structured classifier to classify the structured content with one or more particular preexisting facets in the taxonomy;

(D) using, by the processor, a different unstructured classifier to classify the unstructured content with at least one of the particular preexisting facets;

(E) displaying, in response to the query, those ones of the particular preexisting facets that are classified with both the structured content and the unstructured content;

(F) comparing data items contained in the search results to an ontology;

(G) identifying a particular concept of the ontology according to the comparison;

(H) dynamically and automatically creating a new facet in the taxonomy according to the identified concept, the new facet being different than the preexisting facets of the set;

(I) using the new facet along with the preexisting facets of the set to classify both the structured and unstructured content;

(J) comparing the facets classified with the query to a list containing a subset of the set of preexisting facets, the facets of the subset associated with advertisements; and

(K) if the comparison indicates a match, displaying a particular one of the advertisements according to a result of the comparison.