Interactive object retrieval method and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9311366-B2
Application number	US-201313941560-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2013
Priority date	Dec 27, 2012
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

An interactive object retrieval method is provided. The present method includes receiving a time-space searching condition and a query, and selecting a plurality of searching results from an object database in accordance with the time-space searching condition, a similarity between the query and each of a plurality of data records of a first category in the object database, and a time information and a location information corresponding to each of a plurality of data records of a second category in the object database. The method further includes receiving at least one user input corresponding to at least one of the searching results, and determining a display manner of the searching results on a user interface in accordance with the at least one user input and the similarity between the query and each searching result.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An interactive object retrieval method, comprising:
receiving a query and a time and space searching condition;
selecting a plurality of data records of a first category complied with the time and space searching condition from an object database;
comparing a similarity between the query and each of the data records of the first category to obtain a plurality of data records of a second category wherein a time information and a location information are corresponding to each of the data records of the second category;
dividing the data records of the second category into a plurality of groups, wherein the data records of the second category in a same group correspond to a same location information, and a time difference between the time information corresponding to the data records of the second category in the same group does not exceed a predetermined value;
respectively selecting the data records of the second category having a highest similarity with the query from each of the groups;
taking all of the data records of the second category which are selected as a plurality of searching results;
receiving at least one user input corresponding to at least one of the searching results from a user interface, wherein each of the at least one user input corresponds to a similarity decreasing operation or a similarity increasing operation; and
determining a display manner of each of the searching results on the user interface according to the at least one user input and a similarity between the query and each of the searching results, comprising
for each of the at least one user input, determining whether the user input corresponds to the similarity decreasing operation or the similarity increasing operation, so as to change a display size of one of the searching results on the user interface and to change the similarity between the query and the one of the searching results, wherein the one of the searching results is corresponding to the user input; and

selecting the searching results that have the similarity with the query higher than a threshold value from all of the searching results to serve as a plurality of formal searching results.

2. The interactive object retrieval method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of taking all of the data records of the second category which are selected as the searching results comprises:
for each two data records of the second category adjacent to each other in a time sequence among all of the data records of the second category which are selected, retaining at least one of the two data records of the second category adjacent to each other in the time sequence according to the time information and the location information corresponding thereto; and
taking all of the data records of the second category which are retained as the searching results.

3. The interactive object retrieval method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein after the step of taking all of the data records of the second category which are selected as the searching results, the method further comprises:
displaying the searching results on the user interface according to a time sequence of the time information corresponding to each of the searching results, wherein the display size of each of the searching results on the user interface corresponds to the similarity between each of the searching results and the query.

4. The interactive object retrieval method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein after the step of taking all of the data records of the second category which are selected as the searching results, the method further comprises:
displaying an association mark between each two searching results adjacent to each other in a time sequence, wherein an appearance of the association mark corresponds to a similarity between the two searching results and/or corresponds to an association between the location information corresponding to the two searching results.

5. The interactive object retrieval method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying an object moving track on a map by connecting the location information corresponding to each of the formal searching results on the map according to the time information corresponding to each of the formal searching results.

6. The interactive object retrieval method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein both of the data records of the first category and the data records of the second category are all of a plurality of data records in the object database.

7. An interactive object retrieval system, comprising:
a filtering module, comprising:
a preliminary filtering module, selecting a plurality of data records of a first category complied with a time and space searching condition from an object database; and
a similarity comparison module, coupled to the preliminary filtering module, receiving the data records of the first category from the preliminary filtering module, comparing a similarity between the query and each of the data records of the first category to obtain a plurality of data records of a second category wherein a time information and a location information are corresponding to each of the data records of the second category, and dividing the data records of the second category into a plurality of groups, wherein the data records of the second category in a same group correspond to a same location information, and a time difference between the time information corresponding to the data records of the second category in the same group does not exceed a predetermined value, wherein the similarity comparison module respectively selects the data records of the second category having a highest similarity with the query from each of the groups, and takes all of the data records of the second category which are selected as a plurality of searching results; and

an interactive module, coupled to the filtering module, receiving at least one user input corresponding to at least one of the searching results, and providing a user interface, wherein each of the at least one user input corresponds to a similarity decreasing operation or a similarity increasing operation,
wherein the filtering module determines a display manner of each of the searching results on the user interface according to the at least one user input and a similarity between the query and each of the searching results,
wherein for each of the at least one user input, the similarity comparison module determines whether the user input corresponds to the similarity decreasing operation or the similarity increasing operation, so as to change a display size of one of the searching results on the user interface and to change the similarity between the query and the one of the searching results wherein the one of the searching results is corresponding to the user input, and selects the searching results that have the similarity with the query higher than a threshold value from all of the searching results to serve as a plurality of formal searching results.

8. The interactive object retrieval system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the similarity comparison module
for each two data records of the second category adjacent to each other in a time sequence among all of the data records of the second category which are selected, the similarity comparison module retains at least one of the two data records of the second category adjacent to each other in the time sequence according to the time information and the location information corresponding thereto,
the similarity comparison module takes all of the data records of the second category which are retained as the searching results.

9. The interactive object retrieval system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the similarity comparison module disp

Assignees

• Ind Tech Res Inst

Inventors

• Tang Tsann-Tay
• Hsu Yu-Feng
• Shih Ming-Yu

Classifications

• G06F16/2477 Primary

  Temporal data queries · CPC title

• G06F16/95

  Retrieval from the web · CPC title

• G06F16/9535

  Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation · CPC title

• G06F16/29

  Geographical information databases · CPC title

• G06F16/447

  Temporal browsing, e.g. timeline · CPC title