Patent · US Expired

Method for normalizing document metadata to improve search results using an alias relationship directory service

US7228301B2 · kind B2 · utility

22Cited by
19References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 27, 2003
Grant dateJun 5, 2007
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 15, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S707/99943
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The present invention provides methods, systems, and computer program products for normalizing document search terms through use of an alias database, as may be found in an alias relationship file, such as a directory service. A gatherer module receives as input (or crawls through) several documents in series or in parallel and can recognize data segments as related to one of the aliases in the alias relationship file. The gatherer then associates the document appropriately so that a search engine may find all documents associated with a search term, regardless of whether the term has undergone several name changes (various aliases) over the course of time. Accordingly, a user may then search for a person's name, and receive as a search result all documents listing the person's name, as well as documents listing, for example, only the person's email address.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.