Method and automatic organization of data

• US 6,741,994 B1
• Filed: 07/27/1998
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Kang, Beng Hong Alex, Leong, Jin Fye
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Colbert, Ella
• Application Number:
  US09/122,981
• Time in Patent Office: 2,129 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-10, 707/100-104, 707/200-206, 707/104.1, 709/201, 709/107, 709/101, 709/106, 709/102, 705/39
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/355 Class or cluster creation or modification
• 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

Abstract

A data organization application allowing the automatic organization of input data into fields of a record of a database is provided. The database is maintained by a separate application. To organize data, a user inputs data in a free form manner onto an input screen provided by the application. When the data entry is completed, the user invokes an organize function in the application to process the input data. The application breaks the input data into logical groups that belong together and assigns tokens to these logical groups. From the assigned tokens, the application is able to identify single tokens or groups of tokens that belong to a unique field or a number of unique fields in the record of the data store. The application goes on to identify other logical groups of data in the input data which belong to other fields in the record. The application next displays the logical groups of data in their respective fields in a confirmation screen and requests the user for a confirmation to allow it to proceed with a storage transaction where the application stores the logical groups of data as displayed on the screen to the database. The user is allowed to make modifications to the data displayed on the confirmation screen before confirming the storage transaction. Upon confirmation, the application stores the data as displayed on the screen to the fields in the record of the database. The user is able to access the stored record using the separate application.

Claims

1. A method for organizing input data into appropriate fields of a record in a data store of a computing device with a display, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving free form input data for organization;

identifying in the input data a logical group of data belonging to the record, including

separating characters in the input data into tokenizable logical sub-groups to which tokens are assigned,

using the tokens to identify the logical group of data in the input data,

using the tokens to also identify a record in the data store to which the logical group of data can be stored,

wherein the steps of using the tokens to identify the logical group of data in the input data and using the tokens to also identify a record in the data store to further include identifying tokens as belonging to a unique field of a record leaving ambiguous tokens unclassified, and

separating the tokenized logical sub-groups into the appropriate fields of the record; and

storing the logical group of data into the appropriate fields of the record in the data store.

2. A method for organizing input data into appropriate fields of a record in one of a plurality of data stores containing different types of records in a computing device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving free form input data for organization;

identifying in the input data a logical group of data belonging to a record of a data store in the plurality of data stores, including

separating characters in the input data into tokenizable logical sub-groups to which tokens are assigned,

using the tokens to identify the logical group of data in the input data,

using the tokens to also identify a record in one of the plurality of data stores to which the logical group of data can be stored,

wherein the steps of using the tokens to identify the logical group of data in the input data and using the tokens to also identify a record in one of the plurality of data stores further include identifying tokens as belonging to a unique field of a record leaving ambiguous tokens unclassified, and

separating the tokenized logical sub-groups into fields of the record in the one of the plurality of data stores; and

storing the logical group of data into the appropriate fields in the record of the data store.

3. A method for organizing input data into appropriate fields of a record in one of a plurality of data stores containing different types of records in a computing device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving free form input data for organization;

identifying in the input data a logical group of data belonging to a record of a data store in the plurality of data stores, including

separating characters in the input data into tokenizable logical sub-groups to which tokens are assigned,

using the tokens to identify the logical group of data in the input data,

using the tokens to also identify a record in one of the plurality of data stores from the unique field,

wherein the steps of using the tokens to identify the logical group of data in the input data and using the tokens to also identify a record in one of the plurality of data stores further include the steps of;

identifying tokens as belonging to a unique field of a record leaving ambiguous tokens unclassified,

identifying the record in one of the plurality of data stores from the unique field and

processing the unclassified tokens to classify them as belonging to other fields of the record, and

separating the tokenized logical sub-groups into fields of the record in the one of the plurality of data stores; and

storing the logical group of data into the appropriate fields in the record of the data store.