Document generator
First Claim
1. A computer-based method of producing a customized package of interrelated documents comprising:
- simultaneously displaying a hierarchy of document structure questions at a computer terminal;
in response to the displayed document structure questions, iteratively receiving user input data and dynamically altering the displayed hierarchy based on the received user input data;
processing the user input data using a document script to identify a collection of available modifiable text segments that will be used to form the package of interrelated documents;
by interaction with a user, identifying customization data needed to complete the modifiable text segments; and
automatically assembling the customized package of interrelated documents based on computer processing of the document script, said processing comprising incorporating the customization data into the identified collection of modifiable text segments.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention features computer-based methods and apparatuses to automate document generation. The methods include user interaction to identify a collection of available modifiable text segments and user interaction to identify customization data. The identified text segments are used to form the package of interrelated documents and the customization data can be used to complete the identified text segments. The customized package of interrelated documents is automatically assembling based on the identified collection and customization data. The method may also include identifying a collection of information element questions that will be used to request information element data from a user. Interacting with a user to identify associations being between the collection of information element questions and a collection of available modifiable text segments. Interacting with a user to identifying a collection of document structure questions that will be used to request document structure data from a user, and identifying associations between the collection of document structure questions and ones of the collection of available modifiable text segments. The invention also features a computer-based apparatus for generating documentation. The apparatus includes means for identifying a collection of available modifiable text segments. The identified text segments can be used to form a package of customized interrelated documents. The apparatus also includes means for identifying customization data needed to complete the modifiable text segments, and means for automatically assembling the customized package of interrelated documents based on the identified collection and customization data.
265 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A computer-based method of producing a customized package of interrelated documents comprising:
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simultaneously displaying a hierarchy of document structure questions at a computer terminal;
in response to the displayed document structure questions, iteratively receiving user input data and dynamically altering the displayed hierarchy based on the received user input data;
processing the user input data using a document script to identify a collection of available modifiable text segments that will be used to form the package of interrelated documents;
by interaction with a user, identifying customization data needed to complete the modifiable text segments; and
automatically assembling the customized package of interrelated documents based on computer processing of the document script, said processing comprising incorporating the customization data into the identified collection of modifiable text segments. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
presenting information element questions to a user in accordance with the document script; and
receiving customization data from the user.
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4. The method of claim 2 wherein dynamically altering the displayed hierarchy comprises expanding a hierarchical relationship associated with a first one of the displayed document structure questions to display an additional document structure question.
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5. A computer-based method of generating a document modeling script that is computer-processable to produce a customized package of interrelated documents, the method comprising:
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by interaction with a user, receiving at a graphical user interface data identifying a collection of information element questions that will be used to request information element data from a user;
by interaction with a user, receiving at a graphical user interface data identifying first associations, the first associations being between the collection of information element questions and a collection of available modifiable text segments;
by interaction with a user, receiving at a graphical user interface data identifying a collection of document structure questions that will be used to request document structure data from a user;
by interaction with a user, receiving at a graphical user interface data identifying second associations, the second associations being between the collection of document structure questions and ones of the collection of available modifiable text segments; and
storing data representing the first associations and the second associations in a knowledge base. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
by interaction with a user, identifying first modified associations between the collection of information element questions and the collection of available modifiable text segment; and
storing data representing the first modified associations in the knowledge base.
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7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:
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by interaction with a user, identifying second modified associations between the collection of document structure questions and the collection of available modifiable text segments; and
storing data representing the second modified associations in the knowledge base.
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8. The method of claim 5 further comprising:
by interaction with a user, receiving a modifiable text segment and storing the received text segment as a member of the collection of available modifiable text segments.
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9. A computer-based method of producing a customized interrelated collection of documents from a body of available document text segments, the method comprising:
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simultaneously displaying a hierarchy of selectable document structure elements, each structure element associated with information content of the collection of documents;
receiving response data selecting ones of the document structure elements;
displaying document information element requests, the information element requests being associated with the selected document structure elements;
receiving user selection data selecting ones of the document information element requests and, for each of said selected information element requests, receiving information element data from a user;
identifying a collection of document text segments by traversing a knowledge representation structure, the knowledge representation structure associating the collection of document text segments with the selected document structure elements;
assembling the collection of the document text segments in response to the selected plurality of documents structure elements; and
producing a customized collection of interrelated document text segments by including the received information element data at predetermined locations in the collection of the document text segments. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A computer-based method of producing a customized interrelated collection of documents from a body of available document text segments, the method comprising:
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displaying selectable document structure elements, each structure element associated with information content of the collection of documents, and each document structure elements comprising parent structure elements and child structure elements, each child structure element being a logical subordinate of a parent structure element;
receiving response data selecting ones of the document structure elements wherein, when the response data identifies a parent structure elements as being selected, display of its child structure elements is enabled and when the response data does not identify the parent structure elements as being selected, display of its child structure elements is inhibited;
displaying document information element requests, the information element requests being associated with the selected document structure elements;
receiving user selection data selecting ones of the document information element requests and, for each of said selected information element requests, receiving information element data from a user;
identifying a collection of document text segments by traversing a knowledge representation structure, the knowledge representation structure associating the collection of document text segments with the selected document structure elements;
assembling the collection of the document text segments in response to the selected plurality of documents structure elements; and
producing a customized collection of interrelated document text segments by including the received information element data at predetermined locations in the collection of the document text segments.
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18. A computer-based method of customizing a document generation script to computer-enable interrelating of document text segments, the method comprising:
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providing a question editor interface;
receiving document structure questions at the question editor interface;
storing the received document structure questions in database records;
providing an interface to receive interrelationship data, the interrelationship data defining interrelationships among selected document structure questions and defining associations between selected document structure questions and selected document text segments;
storing the interrelationship data in database records;
providing an interface to receive information element associations, each information element association defining a data item to be received from a user and designating a document text segments associated with the data item to be received; and
storing the information element associations in document generation script database records. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
each document structure question comprises a text string and storing document structure questions comprises storing the text string as a question record in the first database; and
storing interrelationship data comprises storing a plurality of structure records in the second database, wherein each structure record comprises pointer data to a question record, and wherein selected ones of the structure records further comprising pointer data to other selected other ones of the structure records.
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20. The method of claim 18 wherein the database records storing the received structure questions are stored in a first database and the database records storing the interrelationship data are stored in a second database separate from the first database.
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21. A computer-based apparatus for generating documentation, the apparatus comprising:
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means for identifying a collection of available modifiable text segments that will be used to form a package of customized interrelated documents;
means for identifying customization data needed to complete the modifiable text segments; and
means for automatically assembling the customized package of interrelated documents based on the identified collection and customization data.
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22. A computer based apparatus for generating a document generation script, the apparatus comprising
means for identifying a collection of information element questions used to request information element data from a user; -
means for identifying associations between the collection of information element questions and a collection of available modifiable text segments;
means for identifying a collection of document structure questions used to request document structure data from a user; and
means for identifying associations between the collection of document structure questions and the collection of available modifiable text segments.
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23. A computer program residing on a computer-readable medium, comprising instructions for causing a computer to:
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simultaneously display a hierarchy of document structure Questions at a computer terminal;
in response to the displayed document structure questions, iteratively receive user input data and dynamically alter the displayed hierarchy based on the received user input data;
process the user input data to identify a collection of available modifiable text segments;
interact with the user to identify customization data needed to complete the modifiable text segments; and
automatically assemble the customized package of interrelated documents based on computer processing of a document script, said processing comprising incorporating the customization data into the identified collection of modifiable text segments.
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24. A computer program residing on a computer-readable medium, comprising instructions for causing a computer to:
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interact with a user to identify a collection of information element questions that will be used to request information element data from a user;
interact with a user to identify first associations being between the collection of information element questions and a collection of available modifiable text segments;
interact with a user to identify a collection of document structure questions that will be used to request document structure data from a user; and
interact with a user to identify second associations between the collection of document structure questions and ones of the collection of available modifiable text segments; and
store the first associations and the second associations in a database.
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Specification