초록 ▼

A method and system for indexing and retrieving database objects, such as images, include a database manager which initializes database objects based on vectors for values of quantified features associated with the database objects. Similar database objects are grouped into common clusters that are

A method and system for indexing and retrieving database objects, such as images, include a database manager which initializes database objects based on vectors for values of quantified features associated with the database objects. Similar database objects are grouped into common clusters that are based on system-perceived relationships among the objects. For each search session, a vector for a search query is calculated and database objects from the closest cluster within feature space are selected for presentation at a user device. The user indicates which of the selected objects are relevant to the search session and which of the objects are irrelevant. If one of the clusters includes both relevant and irrelevant objects, the cluster is split into two clusters, so that one of the resulting clusters includes the relevant objects and the other cluster includes irrelevant objects. The correlation matrix is updated to indicate that the resulting clusters have a weak correlation. If two of the clusters include database objects which were indicated to be relevant to the search session, the correlation matrix is updated to indicate that the two clusters have a strong correlation. To avoid an excessive proliferation of database clusters, mergers are performed on clusters which are closely located within the feature space and share a strong correlation within the correlation matrix. Following continued use, the groupings of objects into clusters and the cluster-to-cluster correlations will reflect user-perceived relationships.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method of managing objects of a database comprising steps of:presenting first database objects in response to a search query of a first search session; enabling a user to designate a first subset of said first database objects as being relevant to said first search session and to designate a se

1. A method of managing objects of a database comprising steps of:presenting first database objects in response to a search query of a first search session; enabling a user to designate a first subset of said first database objects as being relevant to said first search session and to designate a second subset of said first database objects as being irrelevant to said first search session; at least partially based upon designations of said first and second subsets, organizing said objects of said database into multi-object groups and defining correlations among said groups, organization of a plurality of said objects into a specific said group being indicative of content similarities among said objects, said correlations being indicative of user-perceived similarities among said groups; and storing said organization of said groups and said defined correlations among said groups for access during a second search session following completion of said first search session.