Patent Application
20080027923
So that the manner in which the above recited embodiments of the invention are attained and can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be obtained by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures.
In one embodiment, the present invention is a method and apparatus for managing peer-to-peer search results. Embodiments of the present invention allow a requesting node to manage both the quality and the quantity of the results that are returned in response to a search request message sent in a P2P network. By combining these abilities to both limit the number of search results and control the quality of the search results, fewer, better results can be returned while generating less network traffic.
The method 200 is initialized at step 202 and proceeds to step 204, where the method 200 receives a search request message. The search request message is received from a neighbor node, who may be the requesting node (i.e., the node at which the search request message originated) or an intermediate node on the path from the requesting node to the receiver.
Referring back to
Thus, for example, consider a weighted threshold value, where:
An exemplary results rank field value for a new search request message might be 50, while an exemplary maximum TTL value is 8. Thus, as the search request message propagates through the network, each receiving node will calculate one Weighted threshold value at step 206. In this case, the first node calculates a Weighted threshold=(50)−(8/(7+1))+1=50; the second node calculates a Weighted threshold=(50)−(8/(6+1))+1=49.86; the third node calculates a Weighted threshold=(50)−(8/(5+1))+1=49.67, and so on, until the last node calculates a Weighted threshold=(50)−(8/(0+1))+1=43. In a further example, the weighted threshold could account for the value in the results count field 308, such that as the number of returned results increases, the threshold value is closer to the value in the results rank field 304. If the results count field value is lower, the threshold value could be lower than the results rank field value. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous other combinations of the fields in the search request message 300 may be weighted to produce a threshold value, depending on the nature of the desired search results.
In step 208, the method 200 determines whether any locally available results can potentially satisfy the search request. If the method 200 concludes in step 208 that there are no local results that may satisfy the search request, the method 200 proceeds to step 222 and updates the search request message, as described in greater detail below.
Alternatively, if the method 200 concludes in step 208 that there is at least one local result that may satisfy the search request, the method 200 proceeds to step 210 and selects one of the identified search results.
In step 212, the method 200 calculates a relative rank of the selected search result. In one embodiment, the relative rank of a search result is determined by a number or percentage of words or data in the search result that is matched to the search request. In another embodiment, the relative rank of a search result is a weighted value that accounts for at least one of the characteristics tracked in the fields of the search request message 300 of
In step 214, the method 200 determines whether the rank of the search result calculated in step 212 meets or exceeds the threshold value computed in step 206. A simplest, unweighted case would be where the threshold value is simply the value in the search request message's results rank field. In this case, the calculated rank of a search result would need to at least meet the value in the results rank field of the search request message. In the exemplary weighted case discussed above with respect to step 206, it can be appreciated that the threshold value that must be met by a search result decreases as the search request message propagates through the network.
If the method 200 concludes in step 214 that the rank of the search result does not meet or exceed the threshold value, the method 200 proceeds to step 218 and discards the search result. Alternatively, if the method 200 concludes in step 214 that the rank of the search result does meet or exceed the threshold value, the method 200 proceeds to step 216 and returns the search result to the requesting node.
Once the search result has been discarded (i.e., in accordance with step 218) or returned to the requesting node (i.e., in accordance with step 216), the method 200 proceeds to step 220 and determines whether there are any remaining potential search results to be considered. If the method 200 concludes in step 220 that there are still potential search results to be considered, the method 200 returns to step 210 and proceeds as described above to select a next potential search result.
Alternatively, if the method 200 concludes in step 220 that there are no more potential search results to be considered, the method 200 proceeds to step 222 and updates the search request message. Specifically, in step 222, the method 200 updates the hop count and time to live (TTL) fields of the search request message (i.e., fields 306 and 310 in
In step 224, the method 200 determines whether the results rank and results count fields that track the ranks and number of returned search results (i.e., fields 304 and 308 in
In step 228, the method 200 determines whether the search request message has timed out. In one embodiment, this determination is made based on the values in one or more of the following fields of the search request message: the results count field, the maximum results field, the hop count field and the TTL field. For example, the TTL field of the search request message may have expired, or the maximum results field may indicate that a maximum allowable number of results have been returned to the requesting node. If the method 200 concludes in step 228 that the search request message has timed out, the method 200 proceeds to step 230 and discards the search request message. Alternatively, if the method 200 concludes in step 228 that the search request message has not timed out, the method 200 proceeds to step 232 and forwards the search request message on to one or more neighboring nodes in accordance with standard P2P protocol.
Once the search request message has been either discarded (i.e., in accordance with step 230) or forwarded (i.e., in accordance with step 232), the method 200 terminates in step 234.
The method 200 thereby allows a requesting node to manage both the quality and the quantity of the results that are returned in response to a search request message sent in a P2P network. For example, by requiring returned results to meet at least a minimum threshold of quality (i.e., by relatively ranking the results), the chances of relevant results being returned are increased, while the chances of receiving redundant and/or inferior results are decreased. That is, if a search result identified by a potential responding node is not at least as good (e.g., relevant) as a search result that has already been returned by a prior node, the potential responding node will not respond. Moreover, the method 200 allows the requesting node to limit the number of search results that are allowed in response to a search request message. By combining these abilities to both limit the number of search results and control the quality of the search results, fewer, better results are returned while generating less network traffic.
Because many copies of a given search request message may go out simultaneously over many different paths in the network, the different fields of each search request message may vary in their respective values. For example, the results rank filed of a first copy of a search request message may reflect a greater value than the corresponding field of a second copy of the search request message sent over a different path. Thus, the results returned over different paths within the network may vary.
Moreover, in some embodiments, one or more fields of the search request message may be omitted, and any decisions made by other nodes within the network (e.g., as far as whether to return a given search result) may be based on the values in the fields that are not omitted.
Alternatively, the search management module 405 can be represented by one or more software applications (or even a combination of software and hardware, e.g., using Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC)), where the software is loaded from a storage medium (e.g., I/O devices 406) and operated by the processor 402 in the memory 404 of the general purpose computing device 400. Thus, in one embodiment, the search management module 405 for managing search results received over a P2P network described herein with reference to the preceding Figures can be stored on a computer readable medium or carrier (e.g., RAM, magnetic or optical drive or diskette, and the like).
Thus, the present invention represents a significant advancement in the field of computer networks. A method and apparatus are provided that enable a user to manage both the quality and the quantity of the results that are returned in response to a search request message sent in a P2P network. By combining these abilities to both limit the number of search results and control the quality of the search results, fewer, better results can be returned while generating less network traffic.
While the foregoing is directed to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
