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Method and apparatus for synchronizing, displaying and manipulating text and image documents

  • US 5,623,681 A
  • Filed: 11/19/1993
  • Issued: 04/22/1997
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1993
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A computer controlled display system including at least one central processing unit (CPU), said CPU coupled to a display for displaying a patent document and a patent image on said display, comprising:

  • (1) storage means coupled to said CPU for storing at least one patent 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; and

    (2) a user interface generated by said CPU for display by display means, said user interface selectively displaying said equivalent text file and said patent image file on said display, such that said equivalent text file is displayed in a first window and said patent image file is displayed in a second window and both of said windows may be selectively viewed simultaneously on said display.

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