METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROBABILISTICALLY QUANTIFYING AND VISUALIZING RELEVANCE BETWEEN TWO OR MORE CITATIONALLY OR CONTEXTUALLY RELATED DATA OBJECTS

• US 20110072024A1
• Filed: 03/29/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PatentRatings, LLC
• Original Assignee: PatentRatings, LLC
• Inventors: Barney, Jonathan A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,131,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/749
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2465 Query processing support for facilitating data mining operations in structured databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/334 Query execution G06F16/335 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3346 using probabilistic model
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/34 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/382 using citations hypermedia G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/11 Patent retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/912 Applications of a database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/923 Intellectual property
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/93 intellectual property analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/933 Citation analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/937 intellectual property searching

Abstract

In one embodiment the present invention provides a novel method for probabilistically quantifying a degree of relevance between two or more citationally or contextually related data objects, such as patent documents, non-patent documents, web pages, personal and corporate contacts information, product information, consumer to behavior, technical or scientific information, address information, and the like. In another embodiment the present invention provides a novel method for visualizing and displaying relevance between two or more citationally or contextually related data objects. In another embodiment the present invention provides a novel search input/output interface that utilizes an iterative self-organizing mapping (“SOM”) technique to automatically generate a visual map of relevant patents and/or other related documents desired to be explored, searched or analyzed. In another embodiment the present invention provides a novel search input/output interface that displays and/or communicates search input criteria and corresponding search results in a way that facilitates intuitive understanding and visualization of the logical relationships between two or more related concepts being searched.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for probabilistically quantifying a degree of relevance between a first document and a second document citationally related to said first document, the method comprising:

determining one or more generational citation counts between said first and second documents at generations higher than a first generation citational relationship; and

applying a probability transform function to said one or more determined generational citation counts to determine a relevance score reflecting a degree to which the first and second documents are related, said probability transform function being selected and optimized to substantially estimate a relative event probability that said first document cites said second document or said second document cites said first document.