Relevance ranked faceted metadata search method

• US 8,296,295 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Executive Development Corp.
• Original Assignee: BNA
• Inventors: Morton, John Eldon, Scherr, Mitchell H.
• Primary Examiner(s): SYED, FARHAN M
• Application Number:
  US11/849,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20080010276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,876 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/728
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence

Abstract

A method includes receiving a query that identifies a taxonomy item. The method also includes performing a computer taxonomy based search of a plurality of content items against the taxonomy item in response to the query. The taxonomy item is selected from a faceted taxonomy. The computer based taxonomy search identifies a subset of content items where each content item in the subset of content items has a non-binary relevance score with respect to the taxonomy item.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a query that includes a search term;

identifying a taxonomy item related to the search term, wherein the taxonomy item is different from the search term;

performing a computer taxonomy based search of a plurality of content items against the taxonomy item in response to the query, wherein the computer taxonomy based search identifies a subset of content items, wherein each content item in the subset of content items includes the taxonomy item, wherein each content item in the subset of content items has a non-binary relevance score with respect to the taxonomy item, and wherein the non-binary relevance score is based at least partially on a location in which the taxonomy item appears in the content item;

performing a full text search on the subset of content items resulting from the computer taxonomy based search;

determining a relevancy of each content item of the subset of content items with respect to the taxonomy item based at least partially on a result of the full text search; and

providing a file identifying the subset of content items and the relevancy of each of the subset of content items to at least one recipient,

wherein a particular content item does not have a predetermined relevance ranking with respect to the taxonomy item and wherein an on the fly taxonomy entry is used to perform the computer taxonomy based search for the particular content item, and

wherein the location in which the taxonomy item appears in the content item includes a title, an abstract, a key word, a main body, or any combination thereof.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the non-binary relevance score with respect to the taxonomy item satisfies a relevance threshold limitation.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the non-binary relevance score is greater than or equal to a threshold to satisfy the relevance threshold limitation.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the non-binary relevance score is greater than a threshold to satisfy the relevance threshold limitation.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the non-binary relevance score is a positive value less than or equal to one hundred and wherein the threshold is a value that is less than one hundred.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a first relevance score for a first content item with respect to the taxonomy item is higher than a second relevance score for a second content item with respect to the taxonomy item, such that the first content item is identified as more relevant to the taxonomy item than the second content item.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the first content item is within the subset of content items but the second content item is excluded from the subset of content items.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the first content item is a first published article and the second content item is a second published article, and wherein the query identifies at least one source of the plurality of content items.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the taxonomy item is a company name, an industry, a country, a name of a person, or any combination thereof.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the at least one source includes a news source.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the news source includes a news aggregator and wherein the plurality of content items are stored in a centralized database.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein providing the file comprises displaying the file at a display device associated with the at least one recipient, transmitting an email message including the file to an address associated with the at least one recipient, or any combination thereof.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the file is periodically provided to the at least one recipient.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a faceted taxonomy that includes the taxonomy item is customized for a particular user and wherein the customized faceted taxonomy is stored in a computer memory prior to performing the computer taxonomy based search.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the faceted taxonomy is customized by adding a user specified taxonomy item.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of content items includes associated metadata.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the metadata is associated with XML tags and wherein the metadata defines a relation between the search term and the taxonomy item.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a faceted taxonomy that includes the taxonomy item comprises a faceted taxonomy classification system that includes logic to assign multiple classifications to a particular content item.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the non-binary relevance score is a relevance ranking and wherein the relevance ranking is stored in a data file as metadata associated with each content item of the subset of content items.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein a plurality of relevance rankings for an associated plurality of content items are stored in a database using a table.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the threshold is a user-controllable threshold.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising grouping a plurality of taxonomy search results to remove duplicate content items.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a search result of the computer taxonomy based search is communicated to a user at prescribed time intervals.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the non-binary relevance score is further based on a frequency in which the taxonomy item appears in a document.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the non-binary relevance score comprises an averaged relevance ranking, a normalized relevance ranking, a multiple search engine generated relevance ranking, or a combination thereof.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising operational instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive a query that includes a search term;

identify a taxonomy item related to the search term, wherein the taxonomy item is different from the search term;

perform a computer taxonomy based search of a plurality of content items against the taxonomy item in response to the query, wherein the computer taxonomy based search identifies a subset of content items, wherein each content item in the subset of content items includes the taxonomy item, wherein each content item in the subset of content items has a non-binary relevance score with respect to the taxonomy item, and wherein the non-binary relevance score is based at least partially on a location in which the taxonomy item appears in the content item;

perform a full text search on the subset of content items resulting from the computer taxonomy based search;

determine a relevancy of each content item of the subset of content items with respect to the taxonomy item based at least partially on a result of the full text search; and

provide a file identifying the subset of content items and the relevance score of each of the subset of content items to at least one recipient,

wherein a particular content item does not have a predetermined relevance ranking with respect to the taxonomy item and wherein an on the fly taxonomy entry is used to perform the computer taxonomy based search for the particular content item, and

wherein the location in which the taxonomy item appears in the content item includes a title, an abstract, a key word, a main body, or any combination thereof.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the non-binary relevance score with respect to the taxonomy item satisfies a relevance threshold limitation.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the non-binary relevance score is greater than or equal to a threshold to satisfy the relevance threshold limitation.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein a first relevance score for a first content item with respect to the taxonomy item is higher than a second relevance score for a second content item with respect to the taxonomy item, such that the first content item is identified as more relevant to the taxonomy item than the second content item.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the first content item is within the subset of content items but the second content item is excluded from the subset of content items.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the first content item is a first published article and the second content item is a second published article, and wherein the query identifies at least one source of the plurality of content items.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein providing the file comprises displaying the file at a display device associated with the at least one recipient, transmitting an email message including the file to an address associated with the at least one recipient, or any combination thereof.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein a faceted taxonomy that includes the taxonomy item is customized for a particular user and wherein the customized faceted taxonomy is stored in a computer memory prior to performing the computer taxonomy based search.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the faceted taxonomy is customized by adding a user specified taxonomy item.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the non-binary relevance score is a relevance ranking and wherein the relevance ranking is stored in a data file as metadata associated with each content item of the subset of content items.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 35, wherein a plurality of relevance rankings for an associated plurality of content items is stored in a database using a table.

37. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein a particular content item does not have a predetermined relevance ranking with respect to the taxonomy item and wherein an on the fly taxonomy entry is used to perform the computer taxonomy based search for the particular content item.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, further comprising grouping a plurality of taxonomy search results to remove duplicate content items.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein a search result of the computer taxonomy based search is communicated to a user at prescribed time intervals.