System and method for information retrieval from object collections with complex interrelationships

A computer program product residing on a computer-readable medium, for use in navigating through information associated with a plurality of objects, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

• access a stored plurality of objects and a stored plurality of relationships between pairs of objects from the plurality of objects, each of the objects having associated attribute-value pairs that characterize the object wherein each value of the associated attribute-value pairs describes its respective object, wherein, for each relationship between a pair of objects, an attribute-value pair of a first object of the pair of objects includes a reference that identifies a respective relationship to a second object of the pair of objects, wherein the reference is stored as a value of the attribute-value pair, wherein the first and second objects are from the stored plurality of objects;
• compute a first navigation state in response to a first query, the first navigation state corresponding to a first set of objects from the stored plurality of objects, wherein the objects in the first set of objects include the attribute-value pairs that characterize the objects, and at least one respective relationship;
• define a first subset of the first set of objects, wherein at least one object in the first subset includes the reference that identifies the at least one respective relationship to one or more objects in a second set of objects;
• access, responsive to a user request to determine at least one possible refinement to the first navigation state, at least one object in the second set of objects, based on the reference that identifies the at least one respective relationship to the one or more objects in the second set of objects and obtain at least one attribute-value pair associated with the at least one object in the second set of objects;
• present in a user interface, responsive to the user request, at least one possible refinement to the first navigation state based on the at least one attribute-value pair associated with the at least one object in the second set of objects, a first possible refinement corresponding to a third set of objects, the second set of objects being a subset of the third set of objects and each object in the third set of objects including a reference that identifies at least one respective relationship to at least one object in the second set of objects, wherein the third set of objects includes a least one object distinct from the first subset of objects;
• and
• compute a second navigation state that refines the first navigation state, the second navigation state corresponding to a fourth set of objects from the plurality of objects, wherein each object in a subset of the fourth set of objects has at least one respective relationship to one or more objects in the third set of objects.

A computer implemented method for navigating through information comprising:

• storing a plurality of objects and a plurality of relationships between pairs of objects from the plurality of objects, each of the objects having associated attribute-value pairs that characterize the object wherein each value of the associated attribute-value pairs describes its respective object, wherein, for each relationship between a pair of objects, an attribute-value pair of a first object of the pair of objects includes a reference that identifies a respective relationship to a second object of the pair of objects, wherein the reference is stored as a value of the attribute-value pair, wherein the first and second objects are from the stored plurality of objects;
• computing a first navigation state in response to a first query, the first navigation state corresponding to a first set of objects from the stored plurality of objects, wherein the objects in the first set of objects include the attribute-value pairs that characterize the objects, and at least one respective relationship;
• defining a subset of the first set of objects, wherein at least one object in the subset includes the reference that identifies the at least one respective relationship to one or more objects in a second set of objects;
• accessing, responsive to a user request to determine at least one possible refinement to the first navigation state, at least one object in the second set of objects, based on the reference that identifies the at least one respective relationship to the one or more objects in the second set of objects and obtaining at least one attribute-value pair associated with the at least one object in the second set of objects;
• presenting in a user interface, responsive to the user request, at least one possible refinement to the first navigation state based on the at least one attribute-value pair associated with the at least one object in the second set of objects, wherein the second set of objects includes at least one object distinct from the subset of objects, the possible refinement corresponding to a third set of objects, the third set of objects being a subset of the second set of objects and each object in the third set of objects including a reference identifies at least one respective relationship to at least one object in the second set of objects;
• and
• computing a second navigation state that refines the first navigation state, the second navigation state corresponding to a fourth set of objects from the plurality of objects, wherein each object in a subset of the fourth set of objects has at least one respective relationship to one or more objects in the third set of objects.

A method for navigating through information comprising:

• storing a plurality of objects and a plurality of relationships between pairs of objects from the plurality of objects, each of the objects having associated attribute-value pairs that characterize the object, wherein each value of the associated attribute-value pairs describes its respective object, wherein, for each relationship between a pair of objects, a value of an attribute-value pair of a first object of the pair of objects refers to a second object of the pair of objects, wherein the first and second objects are from the stored plurality of objects;
• computing a first navigation state in response to a first query, the first navigation state corresponding to a first set of objects from the stored plurality of objects, wherein the objects in the first set of objects include the attribute-value pairs that characterize the objects, and the attribute-value pairs include at least one relationship between a pair of objects;
• defining a subset of the first set of objects, wherein at least one object in the subset includes the at least one of the stored plurality of relationships as the value of attribute-value pair that refers to one or more objects in a second set of objects;
• accessing, responsive to a user request to determine at least one possible refinement to the first navigation state, at least one object in the second set of objects, based on the at least one of the stored plurality of relationships stored as the value of attribute-value pair that refers to one or more objects in a second set of objects and obtaining at least one attribute-value pair associated with the at least one object in the second set of objects;
• presenting in a user interface, responsive to the user request, a possible refinement to the first navigation state based on the at least one attribute-value pair associated with the at least one object in the second set of objects, the possible refinement corresponding to a third set of objects, the second set of objects being a subset of the third set of objects and each object in the third set of objects being characterized by the at least one attribute-value pair with a value that refers to the at least one object in the second set of objects, wherein the third set of objects includes at least one object distinct from the first subset of objects;
• and
• computing a second navigation state that refines the first navigation state, the second navigation state corresponding to a fourth set of objects from the plurality of objects, wherein each object in a subset of the fourth set of objects has at least one of the stored plurality of relationships as the value of attribute-value pair that refers to one or more objects in the third set of objects.