Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer network managing – Computer network monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-05
2004-08-24
El-Hady, Nabil (Department: 2154)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer network managing
Computer network monitoring
C709S223000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C706S059000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06782423
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for improving a portion which involves a problem in point of configuration in a hypertext system configuration on a network.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a hypertext system (e.g., World Wide Web, hereinafter referred to simply as “Web”) configured on a network, an access history of each user (visitor) can be recorded in a server which stores a hypertext. In the access history are usually included an identifier (IP address in case of utilizing the internet) of a computer used by the accessed user, accessed time, and an identifier (URL in Web) on the server of the accessed page (file).
As a technique for analyzing both access history and hyperlink structure and acquiring a knowledge which permits judging whether the configuration of a hypertext system (e.g., Web site) is superior or inferior, there is known [Perkowitz and Etzioni, 98] (Perkowitz and Etzioni, Adaptive Web Sites: Automatically Syntherizing Web Pages, in Proc. of AAAI-98).
According to the technique of [Perkowitz and Etzioni, 98], first, with respect to all of page sets on a site, an access co-occurrence frequency from the same user is calculated and page sets exceeding a predetermined threshold value are allowed to remain, while the other page sets are discarded. Further, from among the remaining page sets, those actually coupled by hyperlinks are discarded. Then, the still remaining page sets are regarded as a graph coupled with arcs. The graph is then analyzed to extract a clique (a complete graph with all nodes coupled through arcs). A page group which constitutes the clique is not connected with hyperlinks correlated (strongly) with each other, it is possible to understand that an inferior portion on the site could be found out. According to this technique, despite a strong tendency to making access at the same session by many users, it is possible to find out a page group free of hyperlink therebetween (therefore each user will be asked to make much effort for page-to-page transition).
According to the prior art it is possible to show explicitly a page group inferior in configuration, but it has been impossible to analyze the cause of a problem involved in the page group. Therefore, it has been required for the hypertext administrator concerned to find out a page group remedying method by trial and error. This method involves modifying a certain portion, collecting access histories for a while, measuring the effect of improvement, and repeating these operations. During these operations, the configuration of the hypertext system becomes unstable, giving rise to the problem that users making repeated access are confused. Further, since the method for improving a page group in a hypertext system depends on the object, scale, function, and layout of the hypertext system, as well as topics and user type, it is necessary to grasp features of the hypertext system concerned.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been accomplished in view of the abovementioned circumstances and provides a hypertext analyzing method involving pre-calculating a correlation between various attributes extracted from page contents and a page-to-page transition frequency with respect to an arbitrary page set on a hypertext system concerned and showing which attribute should be modified and how it should be modified for improving the configuration with respect to a portion which includes configurational problem on the hypertext system.
For implementing the above method, according to the first aspect of the present invention there is provided a hypertext analyzing system including a hyperlink transition frequency acquiring unit for analyzing access history information on the access to a hypertext system, also analyzing a hyperlink structure, and calculating a hyperlink transition frequency between pages (e.g., all pages) linked together by a hyperlink, an attribute extracting unit for extracting (one or more) attributes from the contents of a page set linked by a hyperlink, a correlation analyzing unit for calculating a correlation between the hyperlink transition frequency and the attributes, a correlation data storing unit for storing data obtained by the correlation analyzing unit, an attribute analyzing unit for comparing attributes which have been extracted, using the attribute extracting unit, from the contents (e.g., one) designated page set with the correlation data stored in the correlation data storing unit and thereby acquiring information on which attribute should be modified, to what degree it should be modified, and what effect will be obtained thereby, on the assumption that the hyperlink transition frequency between the pages of the page set is to be changed (generally for the purpose of increase), and a display unit for displaying the result obtained by the attribute analyzing unit.
In this configuration, it is possible to easily show which attribute should be changed for obtaining a desired transition frequency between pages which have been correlated with each other using a hyperlink in designer's expectation of user transition. An administrator of a hyperlink system, e.g., Web system, can build and maintain a desired Web system by changing attributes of Web pages on the basis of the contents thus presented.
According to the second aspect of the present invention there is provided a hypertext analyzing system including a hyperlink transition frequency acquiring unit for analyzing access history information on the access to a hypertext system, also analyzing a hyperlink structure, and calculating a hyperlink transition frequency between pages (e.g., all pages) linked together by a hyperlink, an attribute extracting unit for extracting (one or more) attributes from the contents of a page set linked by a hyperlink, a correlation analyzing unit for calculating a correlation between the hyperlink transition frequency and the attributes, a correlation data storing unit for storing data obtained by the correlation analyzing unit, a to-be-analyzed page set acquiring unit for calculating, using the hyperlink transition frequency acquiring unit, a hyperlink transition frequency between pages (e.g. all pages) linked together by a hyperlink in a designated page group and acquiring a page set (e.g., one or more) of a small hyperlink transition frequency, an attribute analyzing unit for comparing attributes which have been extracted, using the attribute extracting unit, from the contents of the page set acquired by the to-be-analyzed page set acquiring unit with the correlation data stored in the correlation data storing unit and thereby acquiring information on which attribute should be modified, to what degree it should be modified, and what effect will be obtained thereby, on the assumption that the hyperlink transition frequency between the pages of the page set is to be changed (generally for the purpose of increase), and a display unit for displaying the result obtained by the attribute analyzing unit.
Also in this configuration, it is possible to easily show what attribute should be changed for obtaining a desired transition frequency between pages which have been correlated with each other, and it is possible to build and maintain a desired hyperlink system, e.g., Web system. In addition, pages small in transition frequency despite of being linked by a hyperlink can be picked out automatically as an object to be modified.
According to the third aspect of the present invention there is provided a hypertext analyzing system including a hyperlink transition frequency acquiring unit for analyzing access history information on the access to a hypertext system, also analyzing a hyperlink structure, and calculating a hyperlink transition frequency between pages (e.g., all pages) linked together by a hyperlink, attribute extracting unit for extracting (one or more) attributes from the contents of a page set linked by a hyperlink, a correlation analyzing unit for calculating a correlation between
Kato Hiroki
Nakayama Takehiro
Yamane Yohei
El-Hady Nabil
Fuji 'Xerox Co., Ltd.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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