System and method for generating and retrieving different document layouts from a given content

• US 20030225747A1
• Filed: 06/03/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kozakov, Lev, Brown, Gregory T., Kim, Moon Ju, Drissi, Youssef, Miller, John Williams, Doganata, Yurdaer Nezihi, Fin, Tong-Haing, Cofino, Thomas A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,254,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9532 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A document search and retrieval system and program product therefor. Search requests are provided to the system through a user interface. A document decomposer decomposes documents into individual document components. Document components and corresponding searchable indices for each are stored in a Component Library. A search unit searches stored document components responsive to search queries. A results validator compares document hitlists with a document type identified in a search query to select valid hitlists entries for a final hitlist. A document view assembly module collects identified document components and assembles them into a document for view at the user interface.

Claims

1. A system for searching document components and retrieving search result documents, said system comprising:

a document decomposer decomposing documents into individual document components;

a component library storing said document components;

a search unit searching stored said document components responsive to search queries; and

a results validator analyzing document hitlists of documents identified by said search unit against a document type identified in a search query to select valid hitlists entries for a final hitlist.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein search requests are provided as said search queries including search terms and a preferred document type to said system through a user interface and search results are provided from said system through said user interface.

3. A system as in claim 1 wherein the document decomposer locates document components within an identified document, extracts each located component and stores extracted components in said component library.

4. A system as in claim 3 wherein said component library further contains a table of document type masks corresponding to supported document types, each document type mask defining a set of components constituting a particular document type.

5. A system as in claim 4 wherein said results validator identifies documents in said hitlist containing components constituting a selected document type.

6. A document search and retrieval system as in claim 5 wherein said document decomposer decomposes documents of document types including frequently asked questions (FAQ), downloads and authorized program analysis reports (APAR).

7. A system as in claim 1 further comprising:

a textual index unit containing a searchable index of said components stored in said component library.

8. A system as in claim 7 wherein said textual index unit includes an indexer indexing components in said component library to create a textual index for each component.

9. A system as in claim 1, further comprising:

a document view assembly module collecting identified said document components and assembling collected said document components into a document for view at said user interface.

10. A document component search system operating on one or more computer systems, the computer systems having one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more memories, and one or more network interfaces connecting the computer system to one or more computer networks, said document search system comprising:

a document decomposer extracting text subportions from documents to distill document components, said documents being defined by one or more document type models, document components being indexed for full text searching;

a document search unit identifying relevant documents of static document type and validating search results, valid search results being documents that include all components of a requested document type; and

a document retrieval unit collecting components for a selected document type from a selected valid document and dynamically assembling said document components according to said selected document type for display.

11. A document component search system as in claim 10, said document decomposer comprising:

identification means for identifying document components according to document type;

storage means for storing documents for decomposition and storing document components in a component library; and

text indexing means for indexing document component content for text searching.

12. A document component search system as in claim 11 wherein the document search unit analyzes search results, comparing each document type model to the requested document type mask and selects one or more documents for viewing as a requested document type.

13. A document component search system as in claim 12 wherein the document retrieval unit comprises a document view construction unit dynamically assembling documents from document components according to said requested document type model, said document view construction unit comprising:

a component selection unit selectively retrieving said document components matching a document type mask; and

a document assembler assembling retrieval components into a viewable document according to said requested document type mask.

14. A computer program product for searching and retrieving document components and presenting documents constituted from retrieved components for view, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, said computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code means for entering search requests and presenting search results for view;

computer readable program code means for decomposing documents into individual document components;

computer readable program code means for storing said document components;

computer readable program code means for searching stored document components responsive to a search query and listing documents identified as responding to said search query in a hitlist; and

computer readable program code means for analyzing document hitlists against a document type identified in said search query to select valid hitlists entries for a final hitlist.

15. A computer program product as in claim 14, wherein decomposable document types include frequently asked questions (FAQ), downloads and authorized program analysis reports (APAR).

16. A computer program product as in claim 14, wherein the computer readable program code means for entering search requests accepts queries including search terms and a preferred said document type.

17. A computer program product as in claim 14, further comprising:

computer readable program code means for storing a searchable index of said document components stored in said component library.

18. A computer program product as in claim 17, wherein said computer readable program code means for decomposing documents locates document components within an identified document, extracts each located component and stores extracted components in said component library.

19. A computer program product as in claim 17, wherein said computer readable program code means for storing a searchable index includes computer readable program code means for indexing components in said component library to create a textual index for each stored said document component, said textual index being stored as a searchable index.

20. A computer program product as in claim 17, wherein said computer readable program code means for storing document components stores a table of document type masks corresponding to supported document types including frequently asked questions (FAQ), downloads and authorized program analysis reports (APAR), each document type mask defining a set of components constituting a particular document type.

21. A computer program product as in claim 20, wherein said computer readable program code means for analyzing document hitlists identifies documents in said hitlist containing components constituting a selected document type.

22. A computer program product as in claim 14, further comprising:

computer readable program code means for collecting identified said document components and assembling collected said document components into a document for view.