System and method for displaying a graphically enhanced view of a region of a document image in which the enhanced view is correlated with text derived from the document image

• US 5,960,448 A
• Filed: 12/15/1995
• Issued: 09/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Legal Video Services, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Legal Video Services, Inc.
• Inventors: Reichek, Joshua A. S., McMurray, David B., Stackenfeld, Avi J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burwell, Joseph R.
• Application Number:
  US08/573,523
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• Field of Search: 395/788-791, 395/615, 345/433, 345/435, 345/439, 707/526-529, 707/512
• US Class Current: 715/236
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

A method of displaying information in a computer system is described. The computer system includes a plurality of document images, a plurality of text files, and a plurality of positions files. A first text file of the plurality of text files represents optical character recognized text of a corresponding first document image of the plurality of document images. A first positions file of the plurality of positions files relates character information in the first text file to a position in the first document image. The computer system searches the plurality of text files using a search term to generate a set of found text files. Each found text file of the set of found text files includes at least a first matching text string to the search term; the set of found text files includes the first text file. The system accesses the first positions file to determine a first region in the first document image corresponding to the first matching text string. The system displays the first document image including displaying a first enhanced view of the first region, the first enhanced view being enhanced relative to a display of the first document image, the first enhanced view being determined from a previously stored visual enhancement definition.

Claims

1. A method of displaying information in a computer system, said computer system including a plurality of document images, a plurality of text files, a plurality of positions files, a first text file of said plurality of text files representing optical character recognized text of a corresponding first document image of said plurality of document images, a first positions file of said plurality of positions files for relating character information in said first text file to a position in said first document image, said method comprising the steps of:

said computer system searching said plurality of text files using a search term to generate a set of found text files, each found text file of said set of found text files including at least a first matching text string to said search term, said set of found text files including said first text file;

accessing said first positions file and said text file, wherein said first positions file being derived from said first document image using optical character recognition, to determine a first region in said first document image corresponding to said first matching text string;

displaying said first document image including displaying a first enhanced view of said first region, said first enhanced view being enhanced relative to a display of said first document image, said first enhanced view being determined from a previously stored visual enhancement definition.

2. The method of claim 1 further including, prior to said accessing said first positions file, said computer system detecting a selection of said first text file.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said displaying said first document image including displaying said first enhanced view of said first region includes:

displaying a highlighted view of said first region.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said displaying said first document image including displaying said first enhanced view of said first region includes:

displaying an enlarged view of said first region relative to said displaying said first document image.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said displaying said enlarged view of said first region includes:

displaying said enlarged view of said first region relative to said displaying of said first document image with a torn edge effect.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said first text file includes a second matching text string, said method further comprising:

accessing said first positions file to determine a second region in said first document image corresponding to said second matching text string; and

wherein said displaying said first document image includes displaying a second enhanced view of said second region.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said displaying said second enhanced view of said second region includes displaying an enlarged view of said second region.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said displaying said first enhanced view of said first region includes:

displaying said first matching text string in a region also displaying said first document image.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said displaying said first enhanced view of said first region includes:

displaying a corrected version of said first matching text string in a region also displaying said first document image.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said displaying said first enhanced view of said first region includes:

displaying a user inputted text string in a region also displaying said first document image.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein prior to determining said first region, accessing an amount of text indicator, said amount of text indicator indicating which of a word, a sentence and a paragraph if said first matching text string correspond to.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said displaying said first enhanced view of said first region includes:

displaying a moving version of said first matching text string.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said displaying said first document image including said first enhanced view includes accessing and using a general display set of characteristics for said displaying said first document image.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said general display set of characteristics includes a characteristic indicating whether a drop shadow should be displayed when displaying said first document image.

15. The method of claim 1 further including:

displaying a second enhanced view of said first region, said second enhanced view being enhanced relative to said first enhanced view of said first region.

16. A computer implemented method of displaying an enhanced view of an image on a computer system, said computer system including a processor, a memory and a display, said processor being coupled to said memory and said display, said computer implemented method comprising the steps of:

said computer system accessing a first enhanced view record, said enhanced view record identifying a first document image, a region of interest, and a set of visual enhancement characteristics, said region of interest defining a region on said first document image, said first document image having been used to generate a positions file and a text file through optical character recognition, the first document image being related to said positions file and said text file by a set of regions, said set of regions being created as part of creating said positions file and said text file, said region corresponding to a region in said set of regions;

said computer system displaying a portion of said first document image; and

said computer system displaying an enhanced view of said region of interest, said enhanced view being determined by said set of visual enhancement characteristics.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 16 wherein said computer system accessing said first enhanced view record is in response to a field search of a plurality of fields data for a plurality of fields, said plurality of fields data corresponding to a plurality of documents.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 17 further including generating a document date data of said plurality of fields data, said method further including the steps of:

accessing a text file corresponding to said first document image, said text file including a text string included in said first document image;

accessing a positions file, said positions file spatially relating a first character in said text file to a first coordinate on said first document image;

searching said text file for a date text string using said text file and said positions file;

generating said document date data from said date text string; and

wherein said field search includes searching a date field using a date search term corresponding to said document date data.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 17 further including generating a Bates number data of said plurality of fields data, said method further including the steps of:

accessing a text file corresponding to said first document image, said text file including a text string included in said first document image;

accessing a positions file, said positions file spatially relating a first character in said text file to a first coordinate on said first document image;

searching said text file for a Bates number text string using said text file and said positions file;

generating said Bates number data from said Bates number text string; and

wherein

said field search includes searching a Bates number field using a Bates number search term corresponding to said Bates number data.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 17 wherein said plurality of documents includes a set of documents corresponding to a presentation.

21. The computer implemented method of claim 16 wherein said computer system accessing said first enhanced view record is in response to a full text search of a plurality of text files corresponding to a plurality of document images that identified said first enhanced view record.

22. The computer implemented method of claim 16 wherein said computer system accessing said first enhanced view record is in response to a record being identified by a bar-code reader.

23. A computer system comprising:

a display device;

a memory;

a plurality of images being stored by said memory, said plurality of images including a first image;

a plurality of text files being stored by said memory, said plurality of images including a first text file corresponding to optical character recognized text of said first image;

a plurality of positions files being stored by said memory, said plurality of positions files derived from optical character recognized text of said plurality of images, said plurality of positions files including a first positions file;

a plurality of visual enhancement definitions being stored by said memory, said plurality of visual enhancement definitions including a first treatment, said first treatment including a type of image enhancement indicator;

a plurality of regions being stored by said memory, said plurality of regions including a first region, said first region defining a region in said first image corresponding to a portion of said first text file and said first positions file, said first region being defined as a result of optical character recognizing said first image;

a plurality of presentation records being stored by said memory, said plurality of presentation records including a first record, said first record identifying said first image, said first treatment, and said first region;

a processor, said processor being coupled to said memory and to said display, said processor for, in response to accessing said first record, causing said display to display at first treatment.

24. The computer system of claim 23 wherein first region is defined by at least two sets of coordinates on said first image.

25. The computer system of claim 23 wherein said first region is defined by a bottom left coordinate, a top left coordinate, a top right coordinate, and a bottom right coordinate.

26. The computer system of claim 23 wherein said first text file includes a first positions file, said first positions file spatially relating an optical character recognized text in said first text file to a set of coordinates in said first image.

27. A method of displaying information in a computer system, the computer system including a plurality of document images, the method comprising:

searching a plurality of text files using a search term to generate a set of found files, the plurality of text files being derived from the plurality of document images using optical character recognition, the plurality of document images including a first document image, the plurality of text files including a first text file, the set of found files including the first text file, the first text file representing optical character recognized text of the first document image, the first text file including a text string matching the search term;

accessing positions information for relating text in the first text file to corresponding positions in the first document image;

using the positions information to define a first region, the first region defining a region in the first image corresponding to the location of the text string in the first document image;

displaying the first document image including displaying a first enhanced view of the first region, the first enhanced view being enhanced relative to a display of the first document image, said first enhanced view being determined from a previously stored visual enhancement definition.