Personalized indexing and searching for information in a distributed data processing system

Abstract

Personalized searching for information in a distributed data processing system including providing in a search portal a personal search term list for a user, the personal search term list comprising search keywords known to be of interest to the user; receiving from the user a navigation identification message comprising a navigation location; and creating a personalized search index in dependence upon the navigation location and the contents of the personal search term list, wherein the personalized search index comprises index records comprising time stamps. Typical embodiments also comprise receiving in the search portal from the user a navigation request message comprising a navigation direction; creating, in dependence upon the personalized search index, the navigation direction, and a last navigation time stamp, a response to the navigation request message; transmitting the response to the user; and updating the last navigation time stamp.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of personalized searching for information in a distributed data processing system, the method comprising: 
 providing in a search portal a personal search term list for a user, the personal search term list comprising search keywords known to be of interest to the user;    receiving from the user a navigation identification message comprising a navigation location; and    creating a personalized search index in dependence upon the navigation location and the contents of the personal search term list, wherein the personalized search index comprises index records, each index record comprising a time stamp.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the time stamp comprises an indication of the date and time of the receiving of the navigation identification message.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the personalized search index comprises a search index further comprising a user identification for the search portal, the user identification for the search portal comprising data uniquely identifying the user as among other users of the search portal.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the navigation identification message further comprises a search keyword and creating a personalized search index further comprises indexing the search keyword with the navigation location and a time stamp in the personalized search index.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein creating a personalized search index further comprises: 
 retrieving a document from the navigation location;  
 identifying search keywords from the personal search term list that occur in the retrieved document; and  
 indexing in the personalized search index the navigation location, a time stamp, and keywords from the personal search term list that occur in the retrieved documents.  
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising establishing a user account for the user on the search portal, the user account comprising user identification unique to the user and a last navigation time stamp.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 receiving in the search portal from the user a navigation request message comprising a navigation direction;  
 creating, in dependence upon the personalized search index, the navigation direction, and a last navigation time stamp, a response to the navigation request message;  
 transmitting the response to the user; and  
 updating the last navigation time stamp.  
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein creating a response comprises: 
 retrieving, from user account data, a last navigation time stamp;  
 retrieving a navigation location from the personalized search index in dependence upon the last navigation time stamp from the user account data and the navigation direction; and  
 retrieving the document identified by the navigation location;  
 wherein transmitting the response to the user comprises transmitting the document to the user.  
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the navigation request message further comprises a navigation interval and retrieving a navigation location from the personalized search index further comprises retrieving a navigation location from the personalized search index in dependence upon the last navigation time stamp from the user account data, the navigation direction, and the navigation interval.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 creating a subset of the personalized search index; and  
 making the subset available to users for remote playback.  
 
     
     
         11 . A system for personalized searching for information in a distributed data processing system, the system comprising: 
 means for providing in a search portal a personal search term list for a user, the personal search term list comprising search keywords known to be of interest to the user;    means for receiving from the user a navigation identification message comprising a navigation location; and    means for creating a personalized search index in dependence upon the navigation location and the contents of the personal search term list, wherein the personalized search index comprises index records, each index record comprising a time stamp.    
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11  wherein the time stamp comprises an indication of the date and time of a receiving of the navigation identification message.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11  wherein the personalized search index comprises a search index further comprising a user identification for the search portal, the user identification for the search portal comprising data uniquely identifying the user as among other users of the search portal.  
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11  wherein the navigation identification message further comprises a search keyword and means for creating a personalized search index further comprises means for indexing the search keyword with the navigation location and a time stamp in the personalized search index.  
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11  wherein means for creating a personalized search index further comprises: 
 means for retrieving a document from the navigation location;  
 means for identifying search keywords from the personal search term list that occur in the retrieved document; and  
 means for indexing in the personalized search index the navigation location, a time stamp, and keywords from the personal search term list that occur in the retrieved documents.  
 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11  further comprising means for establishing a user account for the user on the search portal, the user account comprising user identification unique to the user and a last navigation time stamp.  
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 11  further comprising: 
 means for receiving in the search portal from the user a navigation request message comprising a navigation direction;  
 means for creating, in dependence upon the personalized search index, the navigation direction, and a last navigation time stamp, a response to the navigation request message;  
 means for transmitting the response to the user; and  
 means for updating the last navigation time stamp.  
 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17  wherein means for creating a response comprises: 
 means for retrieving, from user account data, a last navigation time stamp;  
 means for retrieving a navigation location from the personalized search index in dependence upon the last navigation time stamp from the user account data and the navigation direction; and  
 means for retrieving the document identified by the navigation location;  
 wherein means for transmitting the response to the user comprises means for transmitting the document to the user.  
 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17  wherein the navigation request message further comprises a navigation interval and means for retrieving a navigation location from the personalized search index further comprises means for retrieving a navigation location from the personalized search index in dependence upon the last navigation time stamp from the user account data, the navigation direction, and the navigation interval.  
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 11  further comprising: 
 means for creating a subset of the personalized search index; and  
 means for making the subset available to users for remote playback.  
 
     
     
         21 . A computer program product for personalized searching for information in a distributed data processing system, the computer program product comprising: 
 a recording medium;    means, recorded on the recording medium, for providing in a search portal a personal search term list for a user, the personal search term list comprising search keywords known to be of interest to the user;    means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving from the user a navigation identification message comprising a navigation location; and    means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a personalized search index in dependence upon the navigation location and the contents of the personal search term list, wherein the personalized search index comprises index records, each index record comprising a time stamp.    
     
     
         22 . The computer program product of  claim 21  wherein the time stamp comprises an indication of the date and time of a receiving of the navigation identification message.  
     
     
         23 . The computer program product of  claim 21  wherein the personalized search index comprises a search index further comprising a user identification for the search portal, the user identification for the search portal comprising data uniquely identifying the user as among other users of the search portal.  
     
     
         24 . The computer program product of  claim 21  wherein the navigation identification message further comprises a search keyword and means for creating a personalized search index further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for indexing the search keyword with the navigation location and a time stamp in the personalized search index.  
     
     
         25 . The computer program product of  claim 21  wherein means for creating a personalized search index further comprises: 
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for retrieving a document from the navigation location;  
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying search keywords from the personal search term list that occur in the retrieved document; and  
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for indexing in the personalized search index the navigation location, a time stamp, and keywords from the personal search term list that occur in the retrieved documents.  
 
     
     
         26 . The computer program product of  claim 21  further comprising means, recorded on the recording medium, for establishing a user account for the user on the search portal, the user account comprising user identification unique to the user and a last navigation time stamp.  
     
     
         27 . The computer program product of  claim 21  further comprising: 
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving in the search portal from the user a navigation request message comprising a navigation direction;  
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating, in dependence upon the personalized search index, the navigation direction, and a last navigation time stamp, a response to the navigation request message;  
 means for transmitting the response to the user; and  
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for updating the last navigation time stamp.  
 
     
     
         28 . The computer program product of  claim 27  wherein means for creating a response comprises: 
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for retrieving, from user account data, a last navigation time stamp;  
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for retrieving a navigation location from the personalized search index in dependence upon the last navigation time stamp from the user account data and the navigation direction; and  
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for retrieving the document identified by the navigation location;  
 wherein means for transmitting the response to the user comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for transmitting the document to the user.  
 
     
     
         29 . The computer program product of  claim 27  wherein the navigation request message further comprises a navigation interval and means for retrieving a navigation location from the personalized search index further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for retrieving a navigation location from the personalized search index in dependence upon the last navigation time stamp from the user account data, the navigation direction, and the navigation interval.  
     
     
         30 . The computer program product of  claim 21  further comprising: 
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for creating a subset of the personalized search index; and  
 means, recorded on the recording medium, for making the subset available to users for remote playback.