Structuring and searching data in a hierarchical confidence-based configuration

#The present disclosure relates to structuring data on a server system and/or database system. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to structuring and searching data in a hierarchical confidence-based configuration.

#Searching data of a server is an operation that a client computer may initiate over a network, such as the Internet. Data is organized in some manner in the server to which the client computer sends a query. The advent of digital media (e.g., audio, video and metadata) has caused the sheer size of data to become enormous. When a client computer queries a server, the server may have to search through an enormous amount of data to provide a result for the query. Conventional methods of retrieving data are decreasing in efficiency because methods of searching data sets are not evolving as quickly as the data sets are getting bigger.

#In conventional servers, data may range from high confidence quality data to low confidence quality data. High confidence quality data is data that is entered with a relatively high amount of known care and known control. Low confidence quality data is data that is entered with a relatively low amount of known care and known control. An example of high confidence quality data is data that is entered into a server by the editorial staff of the company that owns the server. An example of low confidence quality data is data that is entered into a server by unaffiliated public users of the server.

#The inventive embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitate this description, like reference numerals designate like structural elements.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for structuring and searching data in a hierarchical confidence-based configuration, in accordance with some embodiments;

#FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the system of FIG. 1 for structuring and searching data in a hierarchical confidence-based configuration, in accordance with some embodiments;

#An embodiment is disclosed for a method and a system for structuring and searching data in a hierarchical confidence-based configuration. Numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments. It will be understood, however, to one skilled in the art, that the embodiments may be practiced with other specific details.

#Some terms are defined below for clarity purposes. These terms are not rigidly restricted to these definitions. These terms and other terms may also be defined by their use in the context of this description.

#“Computer” (e.g., “client computer” or “client” or “server”) may refer to a single computer or to a system of interacting computers. A computer is a combination of a hardware system, a software operating system and perhaps one or more software application programs. Examples of a computer include without limitation a laptop computer, a palmtop computer, a smart phone, a cell phone, a mobile phone, an mp3 player, a digital audio recorder, a digital video recorder, a CD player, a DVD player, an IBM-type personal computer (PC) having an operating system such as Microsoft Windows®, an Apple® computer having an operating system such as MAC-OS, hardware having a JAVA-OS operating system, and a Sun Microsystems Workstation having a UNIX operating system.