Ultralink text analysis tool

• US 20060150087A1
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daniel Cronenberger, Manuel C. Peitsch, Martin Romacker, Nicolas Grandjean, Olivier Kreim, Patrick Mevel, Pierre Parisot, Therese Vachon
• Original Assignee: Daniel Cronenberger, Manuel C. Peitsch, Martin Romacker, Nicolas Grandjean, Olivier Kreim, Patrick Mevel, Pierre Parisot, Therese Vachon
• Inventors: Vachon, Therese, Romacker, Martin, Mevel, Patrick, Kreim, Olivier, Parisot, Pierre, Grandjean, Nicolas, Peitsch, Manuel C., Cronenberger, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/337,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20060150087A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/256
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes

Abstract

The invention is a computer implemented method that allows a user to search a text for specific words (e.g. words found in a user-defined library), visually identify any such words found in the text, and have at their fingertips a utility for further exploration of each identified word. The utility, sometimes herein called an ultralink utility, allows a wide variety of options for further exploration of the identified word. The user thereby saves time in explorations; in addition the utility can assist in directing the user to inquiries which may be important for the user.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for exploring a word in a text comprising:

a) displaying a text on a computer display device,

b) responding to a user invocation event by identifying one or more words which are present in the text, from a user-defined library, thereby generating one or more identified words,

c) associating a utility with each identified word, wherein the utility provides the user with a list of two or more options for further exploration of the identified word based on a concept type associated with the identified word; and

d) displaying the text on the computer display device with the utility in visual association with each identified word.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer display device is a video monitor.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user invocation event is selected from among clicking on a request button in a navigation bar, clicking on an icon elsewhere on the computer display device, touching an icon on a touch-sensitive screen, a mouse click, a mouse action, a keyboard input and any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least two identified words are generated.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the user-defined library comprises at least two different words.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein step d) employs placing a visual icon adjacent to the identified word.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein step d) employs textual highlighting of the word.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein a different colour of textual highlighting is employed for identified words of different concept types.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of two or more options is selected from among Search Options and Analytical Options.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein prior to providing the list of two or more options, where there is more than one concept type associated with the identified word, activation of the utility invokes a request to the user to select the concept type.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the utility displays the list of two or more options in response to a second user invocation event.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein in response to the second user invocation event the utility displays the list of two or more options in a separate window.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein each of the two or more options displayed in response to the second user invocation event may be activated in response to a third user invocation event.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the results of the option activated by the third user invocation event are displayed in a separate window.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer executes the steps of generating one or more identified words and associating with each identified word a utility by:

sending the text to a lexical analysis server comprising a user-defined library,

wherein the lexical analysis server;

compares each word in the text against the user-defined library,

tags words in the text also found in the user-defined library, to generate tagged words,

returns tagged words to the computer,

receiving the tagged word from the lexical analysis server, and

modifying the text on the computer display device to visually associate the utility with every occurrence of each tagged word.

16. A computer readable medium encoding a computer program for executing on a computer system a computer process for exploring one or more words in a text, the computer process comprising:

a) displaying a text on a computer display device,

b) responding to a user invocation event by identifying one or more words which are present in the text, from a user-defined library, thereby generating one or more identified words,

c) associating a utility with each identified word, wherein the utility provides the user with a list of two or more options for further exploration of the identified word based on a concept type associated with the identified word; and

d) displaying the text on the computer display device with the utility in visual association with each identified word.

17. The computer process encoded by the computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the computer process comprises displaying a text on a computer display device which is a video monitor.

18. The computer process encoded by the computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the user invocation event of the computer process is selected from among clicking on a request button in a navigation bar, clicking on an icon elsewhere on the computer display device, touching an icon on a touch-sensitive screen, a mouse click, a mouse action, a keyboard input and any combination thereof.

19. The computer process encoded by the computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the computer process generates at least two identified words.

20. The computer process encoded by the computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the computer process identifies at least two different words.

21. The computer process encoded by the computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the computer process performs the step of visually associating a utility with each identified word by placing a visual icon adjacent to the identified word.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the step of visually associating a utility with each identified word employs textual highlighting of the word.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein a different colour of textual highlighting is employed for identified words of different concept types.

24. The computer process encoded by the computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the computer process provides the list of two or more options from among Search Options and Analytical Options.

25. The computer process encoded by the computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the utility provided by the computer process, prior to providing the list of two or more options, requests the user to select the concept type where there is more than one concept type associated with the identified word.

26. The computer process encoded by the computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the computer process executes the steps of generating one or more identified words and visually associating with each identified word a utility by:

sending the text to a lexical analysis server comprising a user-defined library,

wherein the lexical analysis server;

compares each word in the text against the user-defined library,

tags words in the text also found in the user-defined library, to generate tagged

words,

returns tagged words to the computer,

receiving the tagged words from the lexical analysis server, and

modifying the text on the computer display device to visually associate the utility with every occurrence of each tagged word.

27. The computer process encoded by the computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein the computer process executes the steps of generating one or more identified words and visually associating with each identified word a utility employing:

means for sending the text to a lexical analysis server means for generating identified words; and

means for presenting the text on a computer display device to visually associate the utility with every occurrence of each identified word,

wherein the utility provides a user with a list of two or more options for further exploration of the identified word based on a concept type associated with the identified word.