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US 8,086,614 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for generating relevance-sensitive collation keys
AssigneeThink Software Pty Ltd
InventorAlon R. J. Novy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for generating collation keys that can be used by sorting methods so as to arrange a sequence of data objects in order of their semantic relevance to the user or their relevance to an operating context. The constituent data values of each data object are “weighted” according to semantic relevance and a composite collation key is generated that reflects the data object's overall relevance.
Claims20
A method of operating a computerized control system that includes at least one processor and a memory, the control system being for controlling a plurality of tasks, activities, and/or attributes, the method comprising:
- (a) converting or representing the tasks, activities, and/or attributes that are to be controlled to or by a plurality of data objects that correspond to respective tasks, activities, and/or attributes;
- (b) providing a plurality of ranking values for each of the plurality of data objects, the data objects for sorting, such that a ranking value is generated for each corresponding sort field of a plurality of sort fields for each data object, each ranking value being indicative of the sort order of the data object or of meta-data associated with the data object, the sort order using only the sort field corresponding to the ranking value;
- (c) providing a function of a plurality of the ranking values corresponding to the plurality of sort fields, and using the provided function to generate a single collation key value for the data objects that is determined from each of a row with values in each of N fields to determine a weight for each value, the collation key arranged to provide for ordering the plurality of data objects, the function for a particular data object indicative of the relative degree to which the ranking value for each of the plurality of corresponding sort fields influences the collation key;
- and
- (d) using the collation key for ordering the tasks, activity, and/or attributes that correspond to the data objects,
- wherein the collation key is arranged to provide for ordering the plurality of data objects according to their respective relevance to a user, user operating context, or a system acting as a user system.
3 more elements
A computer readable storage medium having encoded thereon instructions that include instructions that when executed by at least one processor of a processing system that is part of a control system for controlling a plurality of tasks, activities, and/or attributes cause the control system to:
- (a) convert or represent the tasks, activities, and/or attributes that are to be controlled to or by a plurality of data objects that correspond to respective tasks, activities, and/or attributes;
- (b) provide a plurality of ranking values for each of a plurality of data objects, the data objects for sorting, such that a ranking value is generated for each corresponding sort field of a plurality of sort fields for each data object, each ranking value being indicative of the sort order of the data object or of meta-data associated with the data object, the sort order using only the sort field corresponding to the ranking value;
- (c) provide a function of a plurality of the ranking values corresponding to a plurality of sort fields, and using the provided function to generate a single collation key value for the data objects that is determined from each of a row with values in each of N fields to determine a weight for each value, the collation key arranged to provide for ordering the plurality of data objects, the function indicative of the relative degree to which the ranking value for each of the plurality of sort fields influences the collation key and
- (d) use the collation key to ordering the tasks, activity, and/or attributes that correspond to the data objects,
- wherein the collation key is arranged to provide for ordering the plurality of data objects according to their respective relevance to a user, user operating context, or a system acting as a user system.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a processing system to control a plurality of tasks, activities, and/or attributes, including a computer readable medium comprising instructions that when executed are configured to:
- (a) convert or represent the tasks, activities, and/or attributes that are to be controlled to or by a plurality of data objects that correspond to respective tasks, activities, and/or attributes;
- (b) generate a plurality of ranking values for each of a plurality of data objects, the data objects for sorting, such that a ranking value is generated for each corresponding sort field of a plurality of sort fields for each data object, each ranking value being indicative of the sort order of the data object or of meta-data associated with the data object, the sort order using only the sort field corresponding to the ranking value;
- (c) generate a weight value for each of the ranking values for each sort field indicative of the degree to which the ranking value for the sort field influences a collation key for sorting the data objects, the generating of the weight order being according to a weight generating function that is determined from each of a row with values in each of N fields to determine a weight for each value;
- and
- (d) generate a value of the collation key for each of the data objects, the collation key arranged to provide for ordering the plurality of data objects according to their respective relevance to a user, user operating context, or a system acting as a user system;
- (e) carry out ordering according to the value of the collation key in order to control a plurality of tasks, activities, and/or attributes corresponding to the data objects.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.