Apparatus and methodology for submitting search queries

• US 6,226,631 B1
• Filed: 09/03/1999
• Issued: 05/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Claritech Corporation
• Inventors: Evans, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLEURANTIN, JEAN B
• Application Number:
  US09/390,247
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3-5, 707/104, 707/530-531, 382/306, 382/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/332 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5846 using extracted text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/917 Text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

An document image that is the source of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) output is displayed so that a user can select a region of the displayed document image. When the region is selected, text of the OCR output corresponding to the selected region is submitted as an input to a search engine.

Claims

1. A computer readable media bearing sequences of computer executable instructions for retrieving documents from a database, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

creating a plurality of document images from a plurality of documents;

recognizing characters in said document images to produce a document text;

determining regions of the document images that correspond to words of the document text;

correlating said regions with said text;

searching said text in response to a query;

retrieving document text in response to said search;

displaying the corresponding document image;

receiving an input that selects a portion of the document image;

determining a selected text from the document text that corresponds to the portion of the document image;

generating an updated query from said selected text; and

searching said text in response to said updated query.

2. The computer readable media of claim 1, wherein:

the step of receiving an input that selects a portion of the document image includes the step of receiving a first co-ordinate and a second co-ordinate in the document image; and

the step of determining a selected text from the document text that corresponds to the portion of the document image includes the step of determining a first offset into the document text and a second offset into the document text based on the first co-ordinate and the second co-ordinate, respectively.

3. An input processing apparatus for a search engine, comprising:

an OCR device for recognizing characters in a document image to produce a document text;

a computer for reading said document text;

computer readable media bearing sequences of computer executable instructions for determining regions of the document image that correspond to words of the document text;

a display unit for displaying the document image;

a cursor control mechanism for receiving an input that selects a portion of the document image;

computer readable media bearing sequences of computer executable instructions for determining a selected text from the document text that corresponds to the portion of the document image; and

computer readable media bearing sequences of computer executable instructions for updating a query based on said selected text.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

the cursor control mechanism is configured to receive a first co-ordinate and a second co-ordinate in the document image; and

said means for determining the selected text includes means for determining a first offset into the document text and a second offset into the document text based on the first co-ordinate and the second co-ordinate, respectively.

5. A method of retrieving documents from a database, comprising:

generating a carrier wave containing sequences of computer executable instructions for performing the steps of;

recognizing characters in document images to produce a document text;

determining regions of said document images that correspond to words of the document text;

correlating said regions with said text;

searching said text in response to a query;

retrieving document text in response to said search;

displaying the corresponding document image;

receiving an input that selects a portion of the document image;

determining a selected text from the document text that corresponds to the portion of the document image;

generating an updated query from said selected text; and

searching said text in response to said updated query; and

transmitting said carrier wave to a computer which executes said instructions contained in said carrier wave.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the step of receiving an input that selects a portion of the document image includes the step of receiving a first co-ordinate and a second co-ordinate in the document image; and

the step of determining a selected text from the document text that corresponds to the portion of the document image includes the step of determining a first offset into the document text and a second offset into the document text based on the first co-ordinate and the second co-ordinate, respectively.