Determining trends using text mining

• US 6,532,469 B1
• Filed: 09/20/1999
• Issued: 03/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Refinitiv US Organization, LLC (Refinitiv US Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ClearForest Corporation (The Woodbridge Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ben-Yehuda, Yaron, Aumann, Yehonatan, Feldman, Ronen, Landau, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mofiz, Apu M
• Application Number:
  US09/399,618
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/5, 707/6, 707/10, 707/103.R, 707/104.1, 707/102, 709/219
• US Class Current: 707/750
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/358 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/03 Data mining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/917 Text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method for visualizing variations in a corpus of information. The corpus includes a plurality of information entries, which are divided into a plurality of sub-groups according to a differentiating parameter of the entries. For each of the entries, characteristics of information contained therein are extracted and pairs of different characteristics that appear together in at least one of the entries are found. An occurrence value is determined for each of the pairs of characteristics in each sub-group in which both of the characteristics appear. The occurrence values of at least some of the pairs of characteristics for at least two of the sub-groups are compared, and an indication of the comparative occurrence values of the pairs is provided.

Claims

1. A method for visualizing variations in a corpus of information, including a plurality of information entries which are divided into a plurality of sub-groups according to a differentiating parameter of the entries, comprising:

for each of the entries, extracting characteristics of information contained therein;

finding pairs of different characteristics that appear together in at least one of the entries;

determining an occurrence value for each of the pairs of characteristics in each sub-group in which both of the characteristics appear;

comparing the occurrence values of at least some of the pairs of characteristics for at least two of the sub-groups; and

providing an indication of the comparative occurrence values of the pairs;

wherein the differentiating parameter defines an order, and wherein comparing the occurrence values comprises comparing the occurrence values in a first sub-group with the occurrence values in one or more previous sub-groups in the order.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein comparing the occurrence values comprises comparing the occurrence values in the first sub-group with the occurrence values in a closest previous sub-group.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein comparing the occurrence values comprises comparing the occurrence values in the first sub-group with an average of the occurrence values in the one or more previous sub-groups.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein providing indication comprises displaying a symbol which indicates a measure of evolution in the occurrence value in the first sub-group relative to the occurrence values in the one or more previous sub-groups in the order.

5. A method for visualizing variations in a corpus of information, including a plurality of information entries which are divided into a plurality of sub-groups according to a differentiating parameter of the entries, comprising:

for each of the entries, extracting characteristics of information contained therein;

finding pairs of different characteristics that appear together in at least one of the entries;

determining an occurrence value for each of the pairs of characteristics in each sub-group in which both of the characteristics appear;

comparing the occurrence values of at least some of the pairs of characteristics for at least two of the sub-groups; and

providing an indication of the comparative occurrence values of the pairs;

wherein providing the indication comprises displaying a graph, wherein displaying the graph comprises displaying a graph in which each term is represented by a node, the pairs of characteristics that are found are represented by edges, and substantially each edge is associated with the indication of the comparative appearance of the respective pair.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein displaying the graph comprises displaying with substantially each edge a weight of the edge, which equals the occurrence value of the respective pair in a first sub-group.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein displaying the graph comprises displaying the graph such that the lengths of the edges represent the occurrence value of the respective pair in a first sub-group.

8. A method for visualizing variations in a corpus of information, including a plurality of information entries which are divided into a plurality of sub-groups according to a differentiating parameter of the entries, comprising:

for each of the entries, extracting characteristics of information contained therein;

finding pairs of different characteristics that appear together in at least one of the entries;

determining an occurrence value for each of the pairs of characteristics in each sub-group in which both of the characteristics appear;

comparing the occurrence values of at least some of the pairs of characteristics for at least two of the sub-groups; and

providing an indication of the comparative occurrence values of the pairs;

wherein providing the indication comprises displaying a graph, wherein displaying the graph comprises displaying for each two-sub-groups a graph which compares the occurrence values in the two sub-groups, wherein the graphs of each two sub-groups are displayed as an animation sequence.

9. A method for visualizing variations in a corpus of information, including a plurality of information entries which are divided into a plurality of sub-groups according to a differentiating parameter of the entries, comprising:

for each of the entries, extracting characteristics of information contained therein;

finding pairs of different characteristics that appear together in at least one of the entries;

determining an occurrence value for each of the pairs of characteristics in each sub-group in which both of the characteristics appear;

comparing the occurrence values of at least some of the pairs of characteristics for at least two of the sub-groups; and

providing an indication of the comparative occurrence values of the pairs;

wherein providing the indication comprises displaying a graph, wherein displaying the graph comprises displaying a plurality of superimposed graphs, each of which represents the appearance of the pairs in a different sub-group.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein displaying the plurality of superimposed graphs comprises displaying each of the graphs in a different color.

11. Apparatus for visualizing variations in a corpus of information including a plurality of information entries which are divided into a plurality of sub-groups according to a differentiating parameter of the entries, comprising:

a processor which finds pairs of characteristics which appear together in at least one of the documents, determines an occurrence value for each of the pairs of characteristics in each sub-group in which both of the characteristics appear, and compares the occurrence values of at least some of the pairs of characteristics for at least two of the sub-groups; and

a display which displays an indication of the comparative occurrence values of the pairs;

wherein the differentiating parameter defines an order, and wherein the processor compares the occurrence values in a first sub-group with the occurrence values in one or more previous sub-groups in the order.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor compares the occurrence values in the first sub-group with the occurrence values in a closest previous sub-group.

13. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor compares the occurrence values in the first sub-group with an average of the occurrence values in the one or more previous sub-groups.

14. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the display displays a symbol which indicates a measure of evolution in the occurrence values in the first sub-group relative to the occurrence values in the one or more previous sub-groups in the order.

15. Apparatus for visualizing variations in a corpus of information including a plurality of information entries which are divided into a plurality of sub-groups according to a differentiating parameter of the entries, comprising:

a processor which finds pairs of characteristics which appear together in at least one of the documents, determines an occurrence value for each of the pairs of characteristics in each sub-group in which both of the characteristics appear, and compares the occurrence values of at least some of the pairs of characteristics for at least two of the sub-groups; and

a display which displays an indication of the comparative occurrence values of the pairs;

wherein the display displays a graph, wherein each node in the graph represents a term and each edge represents a found pair of characteristics, and substantially each edge is associated with the indication of the comparative appearance of the respective pair.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the graph comprises with substantially each edge a weight of the edge which equals the occurrence value of the respective pair in a first sub-group.

17. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the graph comprises a graph in which the lengths of the edges represent the occurrence values of the respective pairs in a first sub-group.

18. Apparatus for visualizing variations in a corpus of information including a plurality of information entries which are divided into a plurality of sub-groups according to a differentiating parameter of the entries, comprising:

a processor which finds pairs of characteristics which appear together in at least one of the documents, determines an occurrence value for each of the pairs of characteristics in each sub-group in which both of the characteristics appear, and compares the occurrence values of at least some of the pairs of characteristics for at least two of the sub-groups; and

a display which displays an indication of the comparative occurrence values of the pairs;

wherein the display displays a graph;

said graph comprises a plurality of graphs each of which compares the occurrence values of the pairs in two sub-groups, wherein the plurality of graphs are displayed as an animation sequence.

19. Apparatus for visualizing variations in a corpus of information including a plurality of information entries which are divided into a plurality of sub-groups according to a differentiating parameter of the entries, comprising:

a processor which finds pairs of characteristics which appear together in at least one of the documents, determines an occurrence value for each of the pairs of characteristics in each sub-group in which both of the characteristics appear, and compares the occurrence values of at least some of the pairs of characteristics for at least two of the sub-groups; and

a display which displays an indication of the comparative occurrence values of the pairs;

wherein the display displays a graph, the graph comprises a plurality of superimposed graphs each of which represents the occurrence values of the pairs in a different sub-group.

20. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the plurality of superimposed graphs comprise a plurality of superimposed graphs in which each of the graphs is displayed in a different color.

21. A method for selecting a range of values of a variable, comprising:

providing a graphic user interface on a display, including a slide-piece that has an initial dimension and is translatable along an axis representing the variable such that each position of the slide-piece along the axis corresponds to a given value of the variable;

positioning the slide-piece at a first position on the axis, so as to indicate a first value of the variable; and

changing the dimension of the slide-piece so as to indicate a second value of the variable, whereby the first and second values of the variable define the selected range.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein changing the dimension of the slide-piece comprises changing a length of the slide-piece along the axis.

23. A method according to claim 21, wherein the first and second values of the variable comprise the extrema of the range.

24. A computer program product for selecting a range of values of a variable, the program having computer-readable program instructions embodied therein, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to:

provide a graphic user interface on a display, including a slide-piece that has an initial dimension and is translatable along an axis representing the variable such that each position of the slide-piece along the axis corresponds to a given value of the variable;

position the slide-piece at a first position on the axis, so as to indicate a first value of the variable; and

change the dimension of the slide-piece so as to indicate a second value of the variable, whereby the first and second values of the variable define the selected range.