System with user directed enrichment and import/export control

• US 7,133,862 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2001
• Issued: 11/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 6, LLC
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hubert, Laurence, Guerin, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woo, Isaac M.
• Application Number:
  US09/683,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20030061200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,798 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1.2, 707/3.4, 707/5.6, 715/500, 715/500.1, 715/501.1, 715/514, 715/515
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• 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 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A system for enriching document content using enrichment themes includes a directed search service and an import-export service. The directed search service allows users to author documents while querying information providers using the directed searches that are inserted as part of the authored documents. The import-export service enables meta-document exchanges between systems that provide document enrichment by binding imported meta-documents to identical or similar information providers.

Claims

1. A system for enriching a document, comprising:

a document editor for authoring the document;

a directed search service for (a) receiving input specifying a directed search while the document is authored with the document editor and (b) inserting the directed search in the document as a document service request;

the directed search including search criteria and result parameters;

the result parameters including information provider parameters, location parameters and form parameters;

the information provider parameters identifying one or more information providers to perform the directed search and provide search results;

the location parameters identifying where in the document the search results are to be inserted; and

the form parameters specifying a form in which the search results are to be inserted into the document; and

a meta-document server for (i) performing the directed search specified in the document service request by querying the information providers specified in the result parameters of the directed search with the search criteria specified in the directed search and (ii) inserting the search results in the document using the location parameters and form parameters that identity the location and the form to insert the search results in the document.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the form parameters are of a link, content, and metadata.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein one form parameter specifies how frequently the directed search is to be performed wherein the meta-document server further comprises a scheduler for selecting the document service request at the specified frequency and for initiating and managing communication with the information providers specified in the result parameters of the directed search.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the information provider parameters include language, quality, quantity, and cost.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the search criteria includes means for specifying information providers according to a user defined criteria.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the meta-document server performs the directed search using the search criteria and the information provider parameters by fetching, filtering and summarizing the search results.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the parameters of the directed search specified in the document service request are defined in the document using XML tags.

8. A system for enriching a document, comprising:

a processor a user interface for specifying a directed search while authoring a document, said user interface further comprising;

means for receiving input specifying search criteria of the directed search;

means for receiving input specifying result parameters;

the result parameters including information provider parameters, location parameters and form parameters;

the information provider parameters identifying one or more information providers to perform the directed search and provide search results;

the location parameters identifying where in the document the search results are to be inserted; and

the form parameters specifying a form in which the search results are to be inserted into the document; and

means for inserting the directed search in the document as a document service request; and

a meta-document server communicating with the user interface for carrying out the directed search specified in the document service by (i) querying the information providers specified in the result parameters of the directed search with the search criteria specified in the directed search and (ii) inserting the search results in the document using the location parameters and form parameters that identify the location and the form to insert the search results in the document.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the form parameters are one of a link, content, and metadata.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the directed search parameters of the directed search are defined in the document using XML tags.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the meta-document server performs the directed search by fetching, filtering, and summarizing the search results.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the information provider parameters include language, quality, quantity, and cost.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the form parameters specify how frequently the directed search is to be performed, and wherein the meta-document server further comprises a scheduler for selecting the document service request at the specified frequency and for initiating and managing communication with the information providers specified in the result parameters of the directed search.

14. The system according to claim 8, further comprising means for expecting the document for import at other meta-document servers.

15. The system according to claim 14, further comprising means for importing an expected meta-document, said importing means creating a new meta-document with:

first means for adding services in the new meta-document available at an importing meta-document serves with services that map exactly to a predefined categorization; and

for those services not added by said first adding means but specified in the exported meta-document, second means for adding services in the new meta-document available at the importing meta-document, server with services that map partially to a predefined categorization, and have at least one dictionary and key in common.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein dictionaries of two services are equivalent if they map to the predefined categorization.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein two keys of a service map if they both reduce to a common generic key.

18. A computer-implemented method for enriching a document, comprising:

authoring the document with a document editor;

receiving user input specifying a directed search while the document is authored with the document editor;

the directed search including search criteria and result parameters;

the result parameters including, location parameters and form parameters;

the information provider parameters identifying one or more information providers to perform the directed search and provide search results;

the location parameters identifying where in the document the search results are to be inserted; and

the form parameters specifying a form in which the search results are to be inserted into the document;

inserting the directed search in the document as a document service request;

performing the directed search by using the search criteria and the information provider parameters specified in the directed search to acquire search results; and

inserting the search results in the document using the location parameters and the form parameters.

19. A computer-implemented method according to claim 18, wherein said performing further comprises:

performing the directed search at a frequency specified in a form parameter; and

performing the directed search using the search criteria and the information provider parameters to fetch, filter and summarize the search results.

20. A computer-implemented method according to claim 19, wherein the directed search parameters of the directed search are defined in the document using XML tags.