System and method for creating and manipulating notes each containing multiple sub-notes, and linking the sub-notes to portions of data objects

• US 5,623,679 A
• Filed: 04/18/1995
• Issued: 04/22/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DataCloud Technologies, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Waverley Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Rappaport, Irving S., Rivette, Kevin G., Jackson, Adam, Ahn, Don, Kurata, Deborah, Florio, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jankus, Almis R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burwell, Joseph R.
• Application Number:
  US08/423,676
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 395/144-149, 395/155, 395/157, 395/160, 395/161, 395/773, 395/784, 395/788, 364/419.19
• US Class Current: 715/255
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4063 Device-to-bus coupling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/322 Trees
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for extracting, synchronizing, displaying, and manipulating text and image documents in electronic form for display. In the Preferred embodiment of the present invention, text and image files for documents, such as for example patent documents, are initially stored on separate magnetic tape media. These data files are extracted from the respective tapes and placed onto a faster medium, such as a hard disk drive. The text and image files are synchronized to produce Equivalent Files using heuristic algorithms to create an approximate equivalence relationship between the text and the image files. The Equivalent Files and image files residing on, for example, a hard disk drive or compact disk (CD), are coupled as a resource to a computer display system. The graphic user interface of the present invention permits the user to display, manipulate, and edit the Equivalent File created using the process of the present invention, and to simultaneously view the image file on the display. Using the graphic user interface of the present invention, a user may create libraries of patent Equivalent Files and image files or documents of another type, as well as open cases to include a plurality of different patents or other documents. The Equivalent File may be selectively viewed on the display in an equivalent window. Simultaneous with the viewing of the Equivalent File within the equivalent window, the user may view any portion of an image file within one or more image windows on the display. A variety of other features and functions are provided by the present invention for the manipulation and display of patent documents and other documents on the user interface.

Claims

1. A computer controlled display system, comprising:

(1) a central processing unit (CPU);

(2) a display unit;

(3) a storage device for storing at least one patent text document comprised of an equivalent text file and at least one patent image document comprised of a patent image file, said patent image document corresponding to said patent text document, said equivalent text file including linking information that links at least one portion of said equivalent text file to at least one portion of said patent image file, said equivalent text file also including equivalency information detailing an equivalency relationship between said patent image file and a corresponding patent text file, said equivalency information comprising at least one of

(A) special character information specifying at least one mapping of a group of characters in said patent text file to a special character in said patent image file, and

(B) graphical item location information specifying locations in said patent image file of graphical item referred to in said patent text file, said graphical items including any combination of figures, figure elements, equations, non-text tables, structures and diagrams,

said patent image file being a data file having stored therein one or more image pages from a patent, each of said image pages being an electronic image of a page of said patent or a page of a document related to said patent, wherein said image pages are stored in a compressed format, said patent text file being a data file having stored therein ASCII text data representing at least a portion of textual data in said patent, including patent bibliography information and patent text paragraphs;

(3) means for displaying said patent text document in a first window of said display unit and said patent image document in a second window of said display unit; and

(4) note creation means for enabling a user to create a note and to link said note to any patent text document stored in said storage device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said storage device also stores a note database, also comprising:

means for storing said note in said note database.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said note creation means comprises:

means for enabling said user to select a portion of text in a first patent text document; and

means for linking said note with said portion of text in said first patent text document.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said note creation means further comprises:

means for enabling said user to select a portion of text in a second patent text document; and

means for linking said note with said portion of text in said second patent text document, such that said note is linked with said portions of text in said first and second patent text documents.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said equivalency information comprises at least one of elements (3)(A), (3)(B), and (C) bibliographic formatting information specifying an approximate arrangement of bibliographic data contained in said patent text file as displayed in bibliographic page images in said patent image file.

6. A method for manipulating patent text and images displayed on a display unit, comprising the steps of:

(1) storing at least one patent text document comprised of an equivalent text file and at least one patent image document comprised of a patent image file, said equivalent text file including linking information that links at least one portion of said equivalent text file to at least one portion of said patent image file, said equivalent text file also including equivalency information detailing an equivalency relationship between said patent image file and a corresponding patent text file, said equivalency information comprising at least one of

(A) special character information specifying at least one mapping of a group of characters in said patent text file to a special character in said patent image file, and

(B) graphical item location information specifying locations in said patent image file of graphical items referred to in said patent text file, said graphical items including any combination of figures, figure elements, equations, non-text tables, structures and diagrams,

said patent image file being a data file having stored therein one or more image pages from a patent, each of said image pages being an electronic image of a page of said patent or a page of a document related to said patent, wherein said image pages are stored in a compressed format, said patent text file being a data file having stored therein ASCII text data representing at least a portion of textual data in said patent, including patent bibliography information and patent text paragraphs;

(2) displaying said patent text document in a first window of said display unit and said patent image document in a second window of said display unit; and

(3) enabling a user to create a note and to link said note to any stored patent text document.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

storing said note in a note database.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein step (3) comprises the steps of:

enabling said user to select a portion of text in a first patent text document; and

linking said note with said portion of text in said first patent text document.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein step (3) further comprises the steps of:

enabling said user to select a portion of text in a second patent text document; and

linking said note with said portion of text in said second patent text document, such that said note is linked with said portions of text in said first and second patent text documents.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said equivalency information comprises at least one of elements (1)(A), (1)(B), and (C) bibliographic formatting information specifying an approximate arrangement of bibliographic data contained in said patent text file as displayed in bibliographic page images in said patent image file.