Method and system for integrating web-based systems with local document processing applications

• US 20120036125A1
• Filed: 08/05/2010
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH (The Woodbridge Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH (The Woodbridge Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Al-Kofahi, Khalid, Light, Marc Noel, Hurwitz, Joel Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 11,386,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/728
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/332 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system and software that allow users to readily access online legal research tools, while using other applications, such as word processors. One exemplary computer-implemented system provide an add-on software framework that integrates into a host word-processing application on a client access device. The add-on software framework allows users to select from an expandable listing of one or more web applications on a web server, with each of the web application capable of controlling operation of the host word processing application. The web applications facilitate extraction and access to information from the information-retrieval services as well as secondary source reference texts and incorporation of the information in the document or in metadata associated with the document. The present invention allows seamless user experience across host application, such as traditional word processing applications, and Information Service Providers (ISP), such as legal research database and searching tools, and Secondary sources, such as reference texts related to primary source documents, e.g., case law and statues, associated with the ISP service.

Claims

1. A computer useable medium having a set of executable code for enabling electronic communications between a word processing program of a client access device and an information services provider system (ISP), the set of executable code comprising:

(a) a first set of computer program code for operatively connecting to the word processing program;

(b) a second set of computer program code for operatively connecting to the information services provider system;

(c) a third set of computer program code for accepting a user search request initiated by a user of the word processing program;

(d) a fourth set of computer program code for transmitting the user search request to the information services provider system;

(e) a fifth set of computer program code for receiving a set of search results, the set of search results comprising a set of referencing text results; and

(f) a sixth set of computer program code for displaying within the word processing program at least a portion of the set of referencing text results.

2. The computer useable medium of claim 1 wherein the third set of computer program code comprises code for identifying a highlighted portion of text within the word processing program.

3. The computer useable medium of claim 1 wherein the word processing program is one of Microsoft Word, and Corel WordPerfect.

4. The computer useable medium of claim 1 wherein the set of referencing text results comprises case law.

5. The computer useable medium of claim 1 wherein the set of search results comprises a primary set of case law results derived from an ISP case law database.

6. The computer useable medium of claim 5 wherein sixth set of computer program code further comprises computer program code for combining the set of referencing text results and the primary set of case law results.

7. The computer useable medium of claim 1 wherein the computer useable medium comprises a memory within the information services provider system and further comprises:

(g) a seventh set of computer program code for receiving from the ISP the first set of computer program code, the second set of computer program code, the third set of computer program code, the fourth set of computer program code, the fifth set of computer program code, and the sixth set of computer program code at the client access device; and

(h) a eighth set of computer program code for installing at the client access device the first set of computer program code, the second set of computer program code, the third set of computer program code, the fourth set of computer program code, the fifth set of computer program code, and the sixth set of computer program code on the client access device.

8. A computer-implemented method for enabling electronic communications between a word processing program operating on a client access device and a computer-based information services provider system (ISP), the method comprising:

(a) operatively connecting to a word processing program operating on a client access device;

(b) operatively connecting to an ISP;

(c) accepting a user search request initiated by a user of the word processing program;

(d) transmitting the user search request to the ISP;

(e) receiving a set of search results, the set of search results comprising a set of referencing text results; and

(f) receiving for display within a user interface of the word processing program at least a portion of the set of referencing text results.

10. The method of claim 10 wherein the word processing program is one of Microsoft Word, and Corel WordPerfect.

9. The method of claim 10 wherein accepting a user search request comprises identifying a highlighted portion of text within a document associated with the word processing program.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the set of referencing text results comprises case law.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the set of search results further comprises a primary set of case law results derived from an ISP case law database.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising combining the set of referencing text results and the primary set of case law results.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

(g) receiving from the ISP a set of computer program code at the client access device, the set of computer program code adapted to execute on the client access device to perform in whole or in part the steps of (a)-(f); and

(h) installing the set of computer program code on the client access device.

15. A client access device comprising:

a processor adapted to execute code;

a memory for storing executable code;

a word processing program executed by the processor;

means for establishing electronic communications with an information services provider system (ISP) having a first database having a primary set of documents;

a first set of computer program code for operatively connecting to the word processing program;

a second set of computer program code for operatively connecting to the information services provider system;

a third set of computer program code for accepting a user search request initiated by a user of the word processing program;

a fourth set of computer program code for transmitting data derived from the user search request to the information services provider system;

a fifth set of computer program code for receiving a set of search results, the set of search results comprising a set of referencing text results; and

a sixth set of computer program code for receiving for display within a user interface of the word processing program at least a portion of the set of referencing text results.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the third set of computer program code comprises code for identifying a highlighted portion of text within a document associated with the word processing program.

17. The device of claim 15 wherein the word processing program is one of Microsoft Word, and Corel WordPerfect.

18. The device of claim 15 wherein the set of referencing text results comprises case law.

19. The device of claim 15 wherein the set of search results further comprises a primary set of case law results obtained from the ISP first database.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the sixth set of computer program code further comprises computer program code for combining the set of referencing text results and the primary set of case law results.

21. The device of claim 15 further comprising:

a seventh set of computer program code for receiving from the ISP the first set of computer program code, the second set of computer program code, the third set of computer program code, the fourth set of computer program code, the fifth set of computer program code, and the sixth set of computer program code at the client access device; and

a eighth set of computer program code for installing the first set of computer program code, the second set of computer program code, the third set of computer program code, the fourth set of computer program code, the fifth set of computer program code, and the sixth set of computer program code on the client access device.

22. The device of claim 15 wherein the sixth set of computer program code includes computer program code for receiving for display within a user interface of the word processing program at least a subset of the primary set of documents and at least a portion of the set of referencing text results.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein the subset of the primary set of documents and at least a portion of the set of referencing text results is ranked with respect to relevancy to data associated with the user search request.

25. The device of claim 15 wherein the referencing text results comprise case law derived from case citations contained in non-case law referencing text documents identified in a database other than the first database.

24. The device of claim 24 wherein the sixth set of computer program code includes computer program code for receiving for display within a user interface of the word processing program ranked subsets of each of the primary set of documents and the set of referencing text results.

26. A network-based, computer-implemented information services provider system (ISP) having a set of executable code for enabling data exchange with a word processing program remotely operating on a client access device, the system comprising:

a processor adapted to execute code;

a memory for storing executable code;

a first database accessible by the processor and having stored therein a primary set of documents;

a first set of computer program code adapted to operatively connect to the word processing program;

a second set of computer program code adapted to receive search data associated with a user search request initiated by a user of the word processing program;

a third set of computer program code adapted to generate a set of search results, the set of search results comprising a set of primary search results from the first database and a set of referencing text results derived from a database other than the first database; and

a fourth set of computer program code adapted to transmit for display within a user interface of the word processing program at least a portion of the set of search results including at least a portion of the set of referencing text results.

28. The system of claim 28 further comprising a fifth set of computer program code adapted to combine the set of referencing text results and the set of primary search results.

27. The system of claim 28 wherein the word processing program is one of Microsoft Word, and Corel WordPerfect.

29. The system of claim 28 further comprising:

a sixth set of computer program code adapted to transmit the first set of computer program code, the second set of computer program code, the third set of computer program code, and the fourth set of computer program code to the client access device.

30. The system of claim 28 further comprising:

a seventh set of computer program code adapted to rank with respect to relevancy to data associated with the user search request at least a portion of one or both of the primary set of search results and the set of referencing text results.

31. The system of claim 32 wherein the seventh set of computer program code includes computer program code for transmitting for display within a user interface of the word processing program ranked subsets of each of the primary set of search results and the set of referencing text results.

32. The system of claim 28 further comprising:

an eight set of computer program code adapted to enable electronic communications with a secondary source of documents comprising referencing text documents;

a ninth set of computer program code adapted to cause a search of the secondary source of referencing text documents based on the user search request; and

a tenth set of computer program code adapted to receive from the secondary source a set of referencing text documents from which the set of referencing text results are derived.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the referencing text documents consist of documents other than case law and the referencing text results comprises case law derived from citations included in one or more of the set of referencing text documents.