US6636848B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Information search using knowledge agents
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 2000-07-06
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Granted: 2003-10-21
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Expires: 2020-07-06
Abstract
Abstract A method for searching a corpus of documents, such as the World Wide Web, includes defining a knowledge domain and identifying a set of reference documents in the corpus pertinent to the domain. Upon inputting a query, the corpus is searched using the set of reference documents to find one or more of the documents in the corpus that contain information in the domain relevant to the query. The set of reference documents is updated with the found documents that are most relevant to the domain. The updated set is used in searching the corpus for information in the domain relevant to subsequent queries.
Inventors
- 👤 Yariv Aridor
- 👤 David Carmel
- 👤 Michael Herscovici
- 👤 Yoelle Maarek-Smadja
- 👤 Aya Soffer
- 👤 Ronny Lempel
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 12:06
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/90; G06F16/95; G06F16/951; G06F16/953; G06F16/9532; G06F16/9538; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99931; Y10S707/99933; Y10S707/99935; Y10S707/99936
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
120 words
A method for searching a corpus of linked documents containing terms, comprising: defining a knowledge domain; identifying a set of reference documents in the corpus pertinent to the domain; inputting a search query; searching the corpus to find one or more of the documents in the corpus that contain information relevant to the query; evaluating a textual resemblance between the found documents and the reference documents so as to assign respective textual scores to the found documents; assessing links between the found documents and the reference documents so as to assign respective topological scores to the found documents; and ranking the found documents with respect to their relevance to the domain responsive to the textual scores and the topological scores.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
120 words
A method for searching a corpus of linked documents containing terms, comprising: defining a knowledge domain; identifying a set of reference documents in the corpus pertinent to the domain; inputting a search query; searching the corpus to find one or more of the documents in the corpus that contain information relevant to the query; evaluating a textual resemblance between the found documents and the reference documents so as to assign respective textual scores to the found documents; assessing links between the found documents and the reference documents so as to assign respective topological scores to the found documents; and ranking the found documents with respect to their relevance to the domain responsive to the textual scores and the topological scores.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein evaluating the textual resemblance comprises assessing, for each of a plurality of the terms in the found documents, a respective frequency of occurrence in the reference documents.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein the documents comprise World Wide Web pages, and wherein assessing the links comprises generating a graph of the links between the pages and calculating authority weights of the nodes of the graph.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
138 words
Apparatus for searching a corpus of linked documents containing terms, comprising: a memory, adapted to store an identification of a set of reference documents in the corpus pertinent to a predefined knowledge domain; and a search processor, which responsive to receiving a query as input, is adapted to search the corpus to find one or more of the documents in the corpus that contain information relevant to the query, to evaluate a textual resemblance between the found documents and the reference documents so as to assign respective textual scores to the found documents, to assess links between the found documents and the reference documents so as to assign respective topological scores to the found documents, and to rank the found documents with respect to their relevance to the domain responsive to the textual scores and the topological scores.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
138 words
Apparatus for searching a corpus of linked documents containing terms, comprising: a memory, adapted to store an identification of a set of reference documents in the corpus pertinent to a predefined knowledge domain; and a search processor, which responsive to receiving a query as input, is adapted to search the corpus to find one or more of the documents in the corpus that contain information relevant to the query, to evaluate a textual resemblance between the found documents and the reference documents so as to assign respective textual scores to the found documents, to assess links between the found documents and the reference documents so as to assign respective topological scores to the found documents, and to rank the found documents with respect to their relevance to the domain responsive to the textual scores and the topological scores.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
152 words
A computer software product for searching a corpus of documents, the product comprising a computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to receive a definition of a knowledge domain and an identification of a set of reference documents in the corpus pertinent to the domain, and further cause the computer, responsive to a query, to search the corpus to find one or more of the documents in the corpus that contain information relevant to the query, to evaluate a textual resemblance between the found documents and the reference documents to assign respective textual scores to the found documents, to assess links between the found documents and the reference documents to assign respective topological scores to the found documents, and to rank the found documents with respect to their relevance to the domain responsive to the textual scores and the topological scores.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
152 words
A computer software product for searching a corpus of documents, the product comprising a computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to receive a definition of a knowledge domain and an identification of a set of reference documents in the corpus pertinent to the domain, and further cause the computer, responsive to a query, to search the corpus to find one or more of the documents in the corpus that contain information relevant to the query, to evaluate a textual resemblance between the found documents and the reference documents to assign respective textual scores to the found documents, to assess links between the found documents and the reference documents to assign respective topological scores to the found documents, and to rank the found documents with respect to their relevance to the domain responsive to the textual scores and the topological scores.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-10-20 | 2007-04-21 | 2007-10-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-10-20 | 2011-04-21 | 2011-10-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-10-20 | 2015-04-21 | 2015-10-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |