Method for selecting terms from vocabularies in a category-based system

• US 20040078356A1
• Filed: 10/10/2003
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Griffin, William James, Fuller, Deana R., Mazner, Jeremy Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,257,593 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/35 Clustering; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A system and method for categorizing a document in a document management system, wherein said document management system comprises a tree of nodes, and enables a document to be categorized in a plurality of nodes. Each node has a category label indicative of a document category. Unique vocabulary terms are listed wherein each vocabulary term represents only one node in the tree and comprises that node'"'"'s category label. A checkbox is provided for each of the vocabulary terms whereby a user may select one or more vocabulary term by checking a corresponding checkbox. From the checked terms, a set of vocabulary terms is generated for associating a document with all of the nodes corresponding to the selected vocabulary terms.

Claims

1. A method for categorizing a document, comprising the acts of:

displaying a plurality of vocabulary terms each term representative of a category;

displaying a selector associated with each one of the plurality of vocabulary terms;

accepting input indicating selection of one or more vocabulary terms when said selector is selected; and

providing said selected vocabulary terms for association of said document with each category having a corresponding vocabulary term selected.

2. The method as recited on claim 1 wherein said acts are carried out on a first computer and wherein said vocabulary terms are provided to a second computer wherein said document is associated with the plurality of categories.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the act of displaying the list in a drop-down box.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein selected ones of said vocabulary terms are distinguished from unselected ones of said vocabulary terms.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein the selected ones are distinguished by moving them to the top of said list.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the act of filtering the list by inputting a character match string and displaying only vocabulary terms containing the character match string.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the act of adding vocabulary search terms to said document by providing a plurality of vocabulary terms and associating selected ones of the vocabulary terms.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein the vocabulary terms are selected by moving selected ones of said search vocabulary terms to the top of a list of vocabulary search terms.

9. A computer-readable medium, said computer readable medium bearing computer executable instructions capable of carrying out the acts recited in claim 1.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising adding vocabulary terms representative of an additional category.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 wherein the added vocabulary terms are stored for use and display with other documents.

12. A system for categorizing a document in a document management system, comprising:

a module for generating a plurality of vocabulary terms wherein each vocabulary term represents a category label;

a module for providing the plurality of unique vocabulary terms to a display device wherein the vocabulary terms are listed along with a selection mechanism for each of the vocabulary terms so that a user may select at least one vocabulary term; and

a module associating the document with all of the categories corresponding to the selected vocabulary terms wherein the document may be stored in association with the categories.

13. The system as recited in claim 12 further comprising a memory containing a plurality of categories, wherein the document may be associated with at least one of the categories;

14. The system as recited in claim 13 wherein the categories are associated with nodes in a tree data structure.

15. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the selection mechanism comprises a check box.

16. The system as recite in claim 13 further comprising a storage device for storing the documents in association with the categories.

17. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein the display device is associated with a first computer and wherein the storage device is associated with a second computer.

18. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein each module comprises a plurality of computer readable instructions.

19. The system as recited in claim 14 wherein the memory containing the tree structure of category nodes is a database operable by a server computer and wherein the display device is a client computer coupled to the server computer by way of a network connection.

20. The system as recited in claim 14 further comprising a module for adding additional vocabulary terms to said system that may be associated with a category label.