Abstract:
A method for organizing and displaying data includes classifying data objects with facets, wherein facets are aspects that include subjects of the data objects, associating tags with the data objects, wherein the tags are descriptive labels of the data objects, associating the tags with the facets, displaying the facets in response to a request for data objects, displaying the tags associated with the displayed facets in further response to the request for data objects, and displaying data objects corresponding to the displayed facets in further response to the request for data objects.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates to querying information classified with metadata, and particularly to metadata involving tags and facets. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Background 
         [0004]    The growth of information resources including the Internet has resulted in an enormous amount of information that may be accessed by users. The scope of this information is broad and drives a demand for methods for effectively classifying the information for easier information retrieval. 
         [0005]    A piece of data or information may be called a data object. Tags are words associated with a particular data object and may be used to enable retrieval of data objects by a user. Facets are descriptive words used in a hierarchal system for classifying data objects. Both tags and facets offer advantages for data retrieval, however each have limitations based on the data retrieval needs of a user. 
         [0006]    Thus, it is desirable for a data retrieval system to enable a user to more effectively access data objects. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantages are provided through the provision of a method for organizing and displaying data, the method comprising, classifying data objects with facets, wherein facets are aspects that include subjects of the data objects, associating tags with the data objects, wherein the tags are descriptive labels of the data objects, associating the tags with the facets, displaying the facets in response to a request for data objects, displaying the tags associated with the displayed facets in further response to the request for data objects, and displaying data objects corresponding to the displayed facets in further response to the request for data objects. 
         [0008]    An exemplary system for organizing and displaying data, the system comprising, data objects stored in a memory, wherein the data objects are classified with facets and tags are associated with the data objects, and the tags are further associated with the facets, and a processor, wherein the processor is operative to receive a request for data objects and responsive to the request for data objects output the data objects, the facets, and the tags corresponding to the request for data objects to a display. 
         [0009]    Another embodiment includes a computer readable medium with logic, wherein the logic is operative to classify data objects with facets, wherein facets are aspects that include subjects of the data objects, associate tags with the data objects, wherein the tags are descriptive labels of the data objects, associate the tags with the facets, display the facets in response to a request for data objects, display the tags associated with the displayed facets in further response to the request for data objects, and display data objects corresponding to the displayed facets in further response to the request for data objects. 
         [0010]    Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed invention. For a better understanding of the invention with advantages and features, refer to the description and to the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary data retrieval system. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary method for classifying and retrieving data. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a browsing interface on a display of a data retrieval system. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  illustrates the exemplary embodiment of a browsing interface on a display of a data retrieval system of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0016]      FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  illustrate a prior art example of a browsing interface on a display of a facet data retrieval system. 
           [0017]      FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b  illustrate a prior art example of a browsing interface on a display of a tag cloud data retrieval system. 
       
    
    
       [0018]    The detailed description explains the preferred embodiments of the invention, together with advantages and features, by way of example with reference to the drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    Systems and methods involving classifying and browsing of faceted information via clouds are provided. 
         [0020]    In this regard, information stored in memory in a database or another system that includes stored information such as the Internet should be organized to facilitate efficient retrieval of data by a user. Information on the Internet or a database may comprise data objects. A data object is a particular piece of information. Thus, when a user desires a particular piece of information, they may use a browser interface to search for a data object. 
         [0021]    One method for classifying data objects uses facets. A facet is an aspect that includes subjects of a data object. A facet is an isolated perspective on a data object. A user may classify each data object by subjects (facets). For example, if a database includes a plurality of recipes, each recipe would be a data object. Facets may include, for example, “courses”, “meals”, and “ingredients” related to each data object. Each facet may be further subdivided into other facets. The “courses” facet may include the facets “appetizers,” “entrées,” and “deserts”, the ingredients facet may include “chicken,” “pork,” “rice,” “beef,” “ice cream,” and “pastas.” 
         [0022]    Thus, if a recipe for spaghetti with meatballs includes spaghetti pasta, tomato sauce, meatballs, and oregano, the spaghetti with meatballs data object may be classified with the facets, entrée, beef, dinner, and pasta. 
         [0023]    An example of a prior art browser interface  500  for searching for data objects using facets is illustrated in  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b . In operation, if a user is using the browser interface to find the recipe for spaghetti with meatballs the user may enter a search term recipes. The facet “Meals” is displayed in a facet bar  504 . The facet “Meals” is subdivided into other facets (e.g., “Breakfast”, “Lunch”, “Dinner”, and “Snack” . . . ) that are displayed in a facet box  506 . All of the data objects classified under the facet “Meals” are displayed in a data object name box  508  that display the name of each data object (e.g., “Chicken Soup,” “Milk Shake,” . . . ), and a data object description box  510  that displays a description of each data object (e.g. A soup containing chicken and noodles . . . ). A status bar  502  indicates that 999 data objects of 999 total data objects are displayed. 
         [0024]    Referring now to  FIG. 5   b , since the desired recipe, spaghetti with meatballs, is a dinner, the user may select the “Dinner” facet from the facet box  506 . The facet bar  504  responsively displays the facet “Dinner.” The data object name box  508  now displays the name of each data object (e.g., “Meat Loaf,” “Baked Sea Bass”, . . . ) that is classified with the “Dinner” facet. The data object description box displays a description of each data object. The status bar  502  has been updated to indicate that 400 data objects of 999 total data objects are displayed. A user may then scroll through the data object name box  508  to find the desired recipe for “Spaghetti with Meatballs.” 
         [0025]    Tags are used in another method for indexing and retrieving data objects. A tag is a word that is associated with a data object. A group of tags may be grouped into a cloud. The recipe for “Spaghetti with Meatballs” data object may, for example, be associated with the tags spaghetti pasta, beef, meatballs, Italian, spices, and each of the tags may be included in a cloud. 
         [0026]      FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b  illustrate an example of a prior art browser interface  600  for using tags and clouds to find data objects. Referring to  FIG. 6   a , if a user would like to find a recipe for “Spaghetti with Meatballs,” the user may enter a search term such as “Recipes.” The browser interface  600  then displays the tag “Recipes” in a tag bar  604 . All of the tags associated with the search term “Recipes” are displayed in a cloud box  606 . A status bar  602  indicates that a data object name box  608  and a data object description box  610  are displaying 999 of 999 available data objects associated with the tag “Recipes.” 
         [0027]    Referring now to  FIG. 6   b , since the user desires a recipe for “Spaghetti with Meatballs”, the user selects the tag “Italian” from the cloud box  606 . The tag bar  604  now displays the tags “Recipes” and “Italian.” The status bar  602  indicates that the data object name box  608  and the data object description box  610  are displaying 223 of 999 available data objects that are associated with the tags “Recipes” and “Italian.” A user may then scroll through the data object name box  608  to find the desired recipe for “Spaghetti with Meatballs.” 
         [0028]    Each of the above described examples of a prior art systems using facets and tags for data retrieval may require several steps and considerable time for a user to find the desired data objects. The embodiments of a data system browser that allows browsing using facets and tags, thereby enabling a user to access desired data objects more quickly and efficiently are described. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 1  illustrates a block diagram of a system  100  that includes a processor  102 , a memory  104  communicatively connected to the processor  102 , and a display  106  communicatively connected to the processor  102 . The memory may include a database  110 . The processor  102  is also communicatively connected to the Internet  108 . 
         [0030]    A user may use the processor  102  to store and classify data objects in the memory  104 , the database  110 , and the Internet  108 . The user may also use the processor to browse for data objects stored in the memory  104 , the database  110  and the Internet  108 . The processor  102  may display a browser interface on the display  106 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 2  illustrates a block diagram of a method  200  for classifying and displaying data objects stored in the system  100  of  FIG. 1 . Method  200  allows a user to classify data objects using both facets and tags and retrieve data objects using tags and facets. 
         [0032]    In this regard, method  200  begins at block  202 , classifying data objects with facets. Once the data objects are classified by a user with facets, the user associates tags with the data objects in block  204 . The tags are then associated by the user with the facets in block  206 . Once the data objects are classified with facets and associated with tags, and the tags are associated with the facets, a user may request a first group of data objects using, for example, a browser interface on a display. The system  100  receives the user request for a group of data objects in block  208 . The requested first group of data objects is displayed in block  210 . The facets classifying the requested first group of data objects are displayed in block  212  and a first group of tags associated with the displayed facets are displayed in block  214 . The system  100  receives a second request for data objects associated with a tag from the first group of tags in block  216 . The system  100  then displays a second group of data objects associated with the tag from the first group of tags in block  218 . 
         [0033]    The method  200  may be further understood by referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 .  FIGS. 3 and 4  include an exemplary embodiment of a browser interface for retrieving data objects in the system  100 . In the exemplary embodiment of  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a user is using the browser interface to retrieve data objects that include recipes. 
         [0034]    In this regard,  FIG. 3  includes a browser interface  300 . The browser interface  300  includes a status bar  302 , facet bars  304 , cloud boxes  306 , a data object name box  308 , a data object description box  310 , and a search box  312 . 
         [0035]    In operation, a user enters a search term in the search box  312 . In the illustrated example of  FIG. 3 , the user has entered the search term “Recipes.” The processor  100  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) receives the search term and searches the database  110  in the memory  104  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) for recipes. In the illustrated embodiment, the processor has searched the database  110  for data objects, while the processor may also search other sources of data stored in memory such as the Internet  108 . 
         [0036]    The status bar  302  displays the number of data objects found in the search, and the number of data objects displayed. In this illustrated example of  FIG. 3 , the processor  100  has found  999  recipes and is displaying 999 recipes in the data object name box  308  and a data object description box  310 . The data object name box  308  displays the name of each data object (e.g. “Chicken Soup,” “Milk Shake,” . . . ), while the data object description box  310  displays a description of each data object (e.g. “A soup containing chicken and noodles . . . ”). 
         [0037]    In the illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the data objects have been classified with facets and associated with tags. The tags have also been associated with the facets as described in the method  200 . Thus, the browser interface  300  displays facets classifying the data objects (e.g. “Courses,” “Meals,” “Ingredients”) in the facet bars  304  and clouds of tags associated with the data objects (e.g. “Appetizers,” “Entrées,” “Breakfast,” “Chicken,” “Beef” . . . ) and the facets in the cloud boxes  306 . 
         [0038]    In the illustrated example of  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the user is interested in recipes for entrées that include pasta and beef. Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the user has selected the tag “Entrées” from the cloud box  307  under the facet bar  305 . The tag “Entrées” is displayed in the facet bar  305 . The user has also selected the tags “Pasta” and “Beef” from the cloud box  309 . The tags “Pasta and “Beef” appear in the facet bar  311 . 
         [0039]    The database  110  includes two data objects that have the associated tags “Entrées,” “Pasta,” and “Beef.” Thus, the a data object name box  308  and a data object description box  310  display the data objects named Spaghetti with Meatballs and Beef Stroganoff. The status bar  302  has been updated to indicate that 2 data objects of 999 data objects are displayed. 
         [0040]    The illustrated exemplary embodiment of  FIGS. 3 and 4  show an exemplary browser interface that allows a user to use both facets and tags to search for and display data objects from a large database. The use of both facets and tags allows a user to more effectively and efficiently find information in a database or on the Internet. 
         [0041]    While the preferred embodiment to the invention has been described, it will be understood that those skilled in the art, both now and in the future, may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow. These claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described.