Computer readable electronic records automated classification system

• US 6,553,365 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2000
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Open Text Corporation
• Original Assignee: Documentum Records Management Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Stalters, Russell E., Shinkle, Timothy, Summerlin, Thomas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/592,778
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2
• US Class Current: 707/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/353 into predefined classes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• 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

Discloses a system for the automatic classification of electronic documents that are candidates to become an official record. A training data set of documents, each document having a pre-assigned records classification instance, is processed by a classification agent operating in training mode to establish a probabilistic relationship between each classification instance and the contents of a document. The training data set includes at least several documents per classification instance. A trained classification agent operating in evaluation or classification mode receives a candidate document and produces a result. A decision control table contains user specified contiguous result ranges to select one document processing action from a list of document processing actions based on the result produced by the trained classification agent. The list of document processing actions includes further automatic document processing to assign a classification or providing user input capability to enable human intervention and control to classify the candidate document and result in the candidate document being combined with appropriate metadata, and a file plan classification to become an official record.

Claims

1. A computer based system for automated classification of electronic document records comprising:

(a) an electronic document server operably connected to at least one electronic document database and including means to store an electronic document and means to receive user control input;

(b) a classification agent in communication with said electronic document server, said classification agent operable in a training mode and a classification mode and including;

i. means to receive an electronic document;

ii. means to receive a classification instance; and

iii. output means to provide a result;

(c) decision control means accommodating at least two processing actions selected from the following;

i. assigning a classification instance to an electronic document;

ii. listing a plurality of classification instances for an electronic document;

iii. assigning a review classification instance to an electronic document; and

iv. assigning a null classification instance to an electronic document;

wherein each said processing action has a user configurable activation criteria responsive to said classification agent output means result such that at least two of said processing actions are activateably configured.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the result of said classification output means comprises a number representative of a percentage.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein each said user configurable activation criteria comprises a numeric range of potential result of said classification output means.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein each said user configurable activation criteria range is contiguous to another user configurable activation criteria range.

5. The system of claim 1 further including a source of electronic records operably connected to said electronic document server.

6. A computer based system for automated classification of electronic document records comprising:

(a) an electronic document server operably connected to at least one electronic document database and including means to store an electronic document and means to receive user control input;

(b) a source of electronic records operably connected to said electronic document server;

(c) a classification agent in communication with said electronic document server, said classification agent operable in a training mode and a classification mode and including;

i. means to receive an electronic document;

ii. means to receive a classification instance; and

iii. output means to provide a result;

(d) decision control means accommodating at least two electronic document processes selected from the group comprising;

i. means to assign a classification instance to an electronic document;

ii. means to produce a list of at least two classification instances for an electronic document;

iii. means to assign a review classification instance to an electronic document; and

iv. means to assign a null classification instance to an electronic document.

7. The system of claim 6 further including a user configurable activation criteria responsive to said classification agent output means result.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the result of said classification output means comprises a number representative of a percentage.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein each said user configurable activation criteria comprises a numeric range of potential result of said classification output means.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein each said user configurable activation criteria range is contiguous to another user configurable activation criteria range.