System and method for displaying and entering interactively modified stream data into a structured form

• US 5,999,939 A
• Filed: 02/06/1998
• Issued: 12/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kenexa Technology, LLC (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Interactive Search
• Inventors: Reese, John, de Hilster, David Scott, Porter, Alan George
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/019,948
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 707/104, 705/28
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/313 Selection or weighting of terms for indexing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/328 Management therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1053 Employment or hiring
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating the accurate entry of information into a highly structured database by initially extracting information from a plurality of nonuniformly formatted source data streams, e.g., documents/files, and subsequent interactions with users before storing the accepted and/or modified information into the database. Embodiments of the present invention provide an interactive path for each user (e.g., the author of the source document/file) to interactively modify the extracted data, e.g., according to the source document/file. Preferably, this interactive path is provided via the Internet and the extracted information can be modified by editing and/or selectively copying portions of the source documents/files to supplement and/or modify the extracted information.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating the accurate transfer of information from each of a plurality of nonuniformly formatted source data streams into a structured database, said method comprising the steps of:

supplying digital data representing each of a plurality of source data streams from a plurality of users, each said source data stream containing data corresponding to multiple discernible source data strings;

processing said digital data for extracting selected ones of said source data strings and generating related target data strings;

displaying a structured form comprised of multiple fields, each field being capable of accommodating a data string and wherein one or more of said fields have said target data strings inserted within;

enabling each user to modify and/or accept said target data strings inserted within said displayed form corresponding to said source data stream originating from said user; and

storing data corresponding to said data strings from said form fields into a database.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said supplying and displaying steps use a remote communication interface.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said remote communication interface uses the Internet.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said displaying step additionally includes displaying said source data stream and said enabling step includes enabling said user to copy selected portions of said source data stream into selected fields of said form.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more of said target strings are essentially equivalent to said extracted source data strings.

6. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising the step of:

supplying one or more supplemental data strings in response to a supplemental inquiry form; and

wherein

said displayed structured form additionally displays fields having said supplemental data strings inserted within.

7. A system for facilitating the accurate transfer of information from each of a plurality of nonuniformly formatted source data streams into a structured database, said system comprising:

means for supplying digital data representing each of a plurality of source data streams from a plurality of users, each said source data stream containing data corresponding to multiple discernible source data strings;

data extraction means for extracting selected ones of said source data strings and generating related target data strings;

means for displaying a structured form comprised of multiple fields, each field capable of accommodating a data string and wherein one or more of said fields have said target data strings inserted within;

means for enabling each user to modify said target data strings inserted within said displayed form corresponding to said source data stream originating from said user before accepting said form; and

means for storing data corresponding to said data strings from said form fields into said database.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said means for supplying said digital data to said data extraction means comprises each said user submitting said digital data via a remote communication interface.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said remote communication interface uses the Internet.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein said data extraction means additionally comprises means for returning said form via a remote communication interface.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said remote communication interface uses the Internet.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein said means for enabling includes enabling each said user to copy selected portions of said source data stream into selected fields of said form.

13. The system of claim 7 wherein one or more of said target strings are essentially equivalent to said extracted source data strings.

14. The system of claim 7 additionally comprising:

means for supplying one or more supplemental data strings in response to a supplemental inquiry form; and

wherein

said displayed structured form additionally displays fields having said supplemental data strings inserted within.

15. A system for facilitating the accurate transfer of information from each of a plurality of nonuniformly formatted source data streams into a structured database, said system comprising:

a communication interface for supplying from each of a plurality of user sites a source data stream containing data corresponding to multiple discernible source data strings;

a data extractor for extracting selected ones of said source data strings from said source data streams and generating related target data strings and for returning said target data strings to said user sites;

display apparatus for displaying a structured form comprised of multiple fields, each field capable of accommodating a data string and wherein one or more of said fields have said target data strings inserted within;

data entry apparatus for enabling each user to alter said fields of said form corresponding to said source data stream originating from said user before accepting said form; and

a database for storing data corresponding to said data strings from said form fields.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said communication interface uses the Internet.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein said display apparatus additionally displays said source data stream and said data entry apparatus enables said users to copy selected portions of said source data stream into selected fields of said form.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said data extraction apparatus additionally returns said source data stream to its corresponding user.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein one or more of said target data strings are essentially equivalent to said extracted source data strings.

20. The system of claim 15 additionally comprising:

means for supplying one or more supplemental data strings in response to a supplemental inquiry form; and

wherein

said displayed structured form additionally displays fields having said supplemental data strings inserted within.