Efficiently displaying and researching information about the interrelationships between documents

• US 7,302,638 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2003
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Northbrook Digital LLC (Northbrook Digital)
• Inventors: Wolfe, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hutton, Doug
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CHAU T
• Application Number:
  US10/652,670
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 715/526, 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/514, 715/500, 707/3, 358/1.15
• US Class Current: 715/273
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/295 Named entity recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system for displaying, on a computer screen, information concerning the interrelationships of documents. A system employing the present invention also allows for the efficient research of documents that cite a document shown on the computer screen. In one embodiment, the present invention involves displaying at least a portion of a first document and simultaneously displaying a representation of one or more citing documents. The citing documents cite some portion of the displayed document. In another embodiment, the invention involves displaying at least a portion of a first document, and displaying a representation of one or more citing documents, wherein the displayed citing documents cite the displayed portion of the first document.

Claims

1. A system for providing information, where the system is configured to be capable of carrying out the operations of:

making a first document available on a network so that the first document can be viewed over the network using a document viewing program executing on a client computer operated by a user, and so that the first document is widely available to client computers having access to the network, and where included within the first document are a plurality of content portions, including a first content portion and a second content portion, each created by a first author;

detecting that a second document includes a reference to the first content portion created by the first author, where the second document is widely available to client computers having access to the network, and is an independent document that is not part of the first document, and where content included within the second document is created by a second author after the first content portion created by the first author is created by the first author;

detecting that a third document includes a reference to the second content portion created by the first author, where the third document is widely available to client computers having access to the network, and is an independent document that is not part of the first document, and where content included within the third document is created by a third author after the second content portion is created by the first author, and

after detecting that the second document includes a reference to the first content portion, and after detecting that the third document includes a reference to the second content portion, receiving a request for the first document from the client computer operated by the user;

responding to the request for the first document by transferring the first document over the network to the client computer operated by the user, and including within the first document the first content portion and the second content portion; and

displaying the first document in the document viewing program executing at the client computer, where displayed within the document viewing program are (a) the first content portion, (b) a representation of the second document, (c) the second content portion, and (d) a representation of the third document,

where the representation of the second document is automatically displayed within the document viewing program, meaning that the representation of the second document is displayed without requiring the user operating the client computer to be previously aware of the second document, and without requiring the first author to search for the second document,

where the representation of the third document is automatically displayed within the document viewing program, meaning that the representation of the third document is displayed without requiring the user operating the client computer to be previously aware of the third document, and without requiring the first author to search for the third document,

where the first document is displayed so that the representation of the second document can be selected by the user with an input device associated with the client computer while the first content portion is within the document viewing program, and so that the representation of the third document can be selected by the user with the input device while the second content portion is within the document viewing program.

2. The system of claim 1, where the second document is displayed when the user selects the representation of the second document.

3. The system of claim 2, where after the second document is displayed, the representation of the second document continues to be displayed.

4. The system of claim 2, where after the second document is displayed, the representation of the third document continues to be displayed.

5. The system of claim 1, where the system is further configured to be capable of carrying out the operations of:

detecting that a fourth document includes a reference to the first content portion; and

after detecting that a fourth document includes a reference to the first content portion, responding to requests for the first document by transferring the first document over the network, and including within the first document (a) the first content portion, (b) at least one representation corresponding to the second document and the fourth document, (c) the second content portion, and (d) a representation of the third document.

6. The system of claim 5, where the at least one representation corresponding to the second document and the fourth document includes a link to the second document and a link to the fourth document.

7. The system of claim 5, where the at least one representation indicates how many documents it corresponds to.

8. The system of claim 5, where a representation of the second document and a representation of the fourth document are displayed when the user selects the at least one representation.

9. The system of claim 1, where the first content portion is displayed within a first area within the document viewing program, and the representation of the second document is displayed within a second area within the document viewing program, and where the first area and the second area are separated within the document viewing program.

10. The system of claim 1, where the first document includes a judicial opinion.

11. A method of providing information, the method comprising the acts of:

making a first document available on a network so that the first document can be viewed over the network using a document viewing program executing on a client computer operated by a user, and so that the first document is widely available to client computers having access to the network, and where included within the first document are a plurality of content portions, including a first content portion and a second content portion, each created by a first author;

enabling a second document to include a reference to the first content portion created by the first author, where the second document is widely available to client computers having access to the network, where the second document is not part of the first document and is available on the network independently of the first document, and where content included within the second document is created by a second author after the first content portion created by the first author is created by the first author;

enabling a third document to include a reference to the second content portion created by the first author, where the third document is widely available to client computers having access to the network, where the third document is not part of the first document and is available on the network independently of the first document, and where content included within the third document is created by a third author after the second content portion is created by the first author;

after enabling the second document to include a reference to the first content portion, and after enabling the third document to include a reference to the second content portion, receiving a request for the first document from the client computer operated by the user;

responding to the request for the first document by transferring the first document over the network to the client computer operated by the user, and including within the first document (a) the first content portion, (b) a representation of the second document, (c) the second content portion, and (d) a representation of the third document,

where the representation of the second document is automatically included within the first document, meaning that the representation of the second document is included without requiring the user operating the client computer to be previously aware of the second document, and without requiring the first author to search for the second document, and

where the representation of the third document is automatically included within the first document, meaning that the representation of the third document is included without requiring the user operating the client computer to be previously aware of the third document, and without requiring the first author to search for the third document; and

enabling the display of the first document in the document viewing program executing at the client computer, where the first document is displayed so that the representation of the second document can be selected by the user while the first document is within the document viewing program, and so that the representation of the third document can be selected by the user while the first document is within the document viewing program.

12. The method of claim 11, where the second document is displayed when the user selects the representation of the second document.

13. The method of claim 11, where a fourth document includes a reference to the first content portion, and where the act of responding to the request for the first document includes the act of including within the first document a representation of the fourth document.

14. The method of claim 11, where a fourth document includes a reference to the first content portion, and where the representation of the second document also serves as a representation of the fourth document.

15. The method of claim 11, where the reference to the first content portion is used to support an argument made by the second author in the content included within the second document.

16. A system for providing information on a network, where the system is configured to be capable of carrying out the operations of:

making first author content available on the network to client computers having access to the network, where the first author content is created by a first author, and includes a plurality of content portions, including a first content portion and a second content portion, and where the first content portion is made available on the network in a first web page, and the second content portion is made available on the network in a second web page;

enabling a third web page to include a reference to the first web page, where the third web page is available on the network independently of the first web page, where the third web page includes second author content created by a second author, where the reference to the first web page is included within the second author content as part of commentary written by the second author, and where the second author content is created after the first content portion is created so that the first author is not aware of the second author content when the first content portion is created by the first author;

enabling a fourth web page to include a reference to the second web page, where the fourth web page is available on the network independently of the second web page, where the fourth web page includes third author content created by a third author, where the reference to the second web page is included within the third author content as part of commentary written by the third author, and where the third author content is created after the second content portion is created so that the first author is not aware of the third author content when the second content portion is created by the first author;

after enabling the third web page to include a reference to the first web page, receiving a request for the first web page from a client computer operated by a user;

responding to the request for the first web page by transferring the first web page over the network to the client computer operated by the user, and including within the first web page the first content portion created by the first author and a representation of the third web page,

where the representation of the third web page is automatically included within the first web page, so that the representation of the third web page is included without requiring the user to be aware of the third web page when requesting the first web page, and without requiring the first author to search for the third web page after creating the first content portion; and

enabling the display of the first web page in a web browser window associated with a web browser application executing at the client computer, where displayed within the web browser window are the first content portion and the representation of the third web page, thereby enabling the user to select the representation of the third web page while the first content portion is within in the web browser window.

17. The system of claim 16, further configured to be capable of carrying out the operations of:

after enabling the fourth web page to include a reference to the second web page, receiving a request for the second web page; and

responding to the request for the second web page by transferring the second web page over the network, and including within the second web page the second content portion created by the first author and a representation of the fourth web page,

where the representation of the fourth web page is automatically included within the second web page, meaning that the representation of the fourth web page is included without requiring knowledge of the fourth web page when requesting the second web page, and without requiring the first author to search for the fourth web page after creating the second content portion.

18. The system of claim 16, where the third web page is displayed when the user selects the representation of the third web page.

19. The system of claim 16, where a fifth web page includes a reference to the first web page, and where the operation of responding to the request for the first web page includes the operation of:

including within the first web page at least one representation corresponding to the third web page and the fifth web page.

20. The system of claim 16, where the representation of the third web page is displayed within the first web page below the first content portion.

21. A method of providing information on a network, the method comprising the acts of:

making first author content available on the network to client computers having access to the network, where the first author content is created by a first author, and includes a plurality of content portions, including a first content portion and a second content portion, and where the first content portion is made available on the network in a first web page, and the second content portion is made available on the network in a second web page;

enabling a third web page to include a reference to the first web page, where the third web page is accessible on the network independently of the first web page, where the third web page includes second author content created by a second author, where the reference to the first web page is included within the second author content, and is used to support commentary in the second author content, and where the second author content is created after the first content portion is created so that the first author is not aware of the second author content when the first content portion is created by the first author;

enabling a fourth web page to include a reference to the second web page, where the fourth web page is accessible on the network independently of the second web page, where the fourth web page includes third author content created by a third author, where the reference to the second web page is included within the third author content, and where the third author content is created after the second content portion is created so that the first author is not aware of the third author content when the second content portion is created by the first author;

after enabling the third web page to include a reference to the first web page, receiving a request for the first web page from a client computer requesting the first web page;

responding to the request for the first web page by transferring the first web page over the network to the client computer requesting the first web page, and including within the first web page the first content portion created by the first author and a representation of the third web page,

where the representation of the third web page is automatically included within the first web page, meaning that the representation of the third web page is included without receiving a specific request for the third web page from the client computer requesting the first web page, and without requiring the first author to search for the third web page after creating the first author content;

enabling the display of the first web page in a web browser window associated with a web browser application, where displayed within the first web page are the first content portion and the representation of the third web page, thereby enabling selection of the representation of the third web page from within the first web page in the web browser window;

after enabling the fourth web page to include a reference to the second web page, receiving a request for the second web page from a client computer requesting the second web page;

responding to the request for the second web page by transferring the second web page over the network to the client computer requesting the second web page, and including within the second web page the second content portion created by the first author and a representation of the fourth web page,

where the representation of the fourth web page is automatically included within the second web page, meaning that the representation of the fourth web page is included without receiving a specific request for the fourth web page from the client computer requesting the second web page, and without requiring the first author to search for the fourth web page after creating the first author content; and

enabling the display of the second web page in a web browser window associated with a web browser application, where displayed within the second web page are the second content portion and the representation of the fourth web page, thereby enabling selection of the representation of the fourth web page from within the second web page.

22. The method of claim 21, where the third web page is displayed when the representation of the third web page is selected.

23. The method of claim 21, where a fifth web page includes a reference to the first web page, and where the representation of the third web page also serves as a representation of the fifth web page, and where a hyperlink to the third web page and a hyperlink to the fifth web page are displayed when representation of the third web page is selected.

24. A system for providing information on a network, where the system is configured to be capable of carrying out the operations of:

making first author content available on the network to client computers having access to the network, where the first author content is created by a first author, and includes a plurality of content portions, including a first content portion created by the first author, and a second content portion created by the first author, and where the first content portion is made available on the network in a first web page, and where the second content portion is made available on the network in a second web page;

enabling a second author to express an opinion about the first content portion created by the first author, where the second author'"'"'s opinion is expressed in commentary created by the second author and included within a third web page that is widely available to client computers having access to the network, and where the second author'"'"'s commentary is directed to the first content portion but is not directed to the second content portion, and is created by the second author after the first content portion is created by the first author so that the second author'"'"'s commentary is not available to the first author when the first content portion is created by the first author;

enabling a third author to express an opinion about the second content portion created by the first author, where the third author'"'"'s opinion is expressed in commentary created by the third author and included within a fourth web page that is widely available to client computers having access to the network, and where the third author'"'"'s commentary is directed to the second content portion but is not directed to the first content portion, and is created by the third author after the second content portion is created by the first author so that the third author'"'"'s commentary is not available to the first author when the second content portion is created by the first author;

after enabling the second author to express an opinion about the first content portion created by the first author, receiving a request for the first web page from a client computer operated by a user;

responding to the request for the first web page by transferring the first web page over the network to the client computer that requested the first web page, and including within the transferred first web page the first content portion created by the first author and a representation of the third web page, and

where the representation of the third web page is automatically included within the transferred first web page without receiving a specific request for the third web page from the client computer that requested the first web page;

enabling the display of the first web page in a web browser window associated with a web browser application executing at the client computer that requested the first web page, where included within the displayed first web page are the first content portion and the representation of the third web page, and

where the representation of the third web page comprises a selectable hyperlink to the third web page that is positioned below the first content portion within the first web page to thereby enable convenient access, from within the first web page, to the second author'"'"'s commentary directed to the first content portion;

receiving a request for the third web page from the client computer that requested the first web page, where the request for the third web page is initiated by the user'"'"'s selection, from within the first web page displayed in the web browser window, of the selectable hyperlink to the third web page;

responding to the request for the third web page by transferring the third web page over the network to the client computer, and including within the transferred third web page the second author'"'"'s commentary directed to the first content portion created by the first author;

enabling the display of the third web page by the web browser application executing at the client computer, where displayed within the third web page is the second author'"'"'s commentary directed to the first content portion created by the first author;

after enabling the third author to express an opinion about the second content portion created by the first author, receiving a request for the second web page from a client computer operated by a user;

responding to the request for the second web page by transferring the second web page over the network to the client computer that requested the second web page, and including within the transferred second web page the second content portion created by the first author and a representation of the fourth web page, and

where the representation of the fourth web page is automatically included within the transferred second web page without receiving a specific request for the fourth web page from the client computer that requested the second web page;

enabling the display of the second web page in a web browser window associated with a web browser application executing at the client computer that requested the second web page, where included within the displayed second web page are the second content portion and the representation of the fourth web page, and

where the representation of the fourth web page comprises a selectable hyperlink to the fourth web page that is positioned below the second content portion within the second web page to thereby enable convenient access, from within the second web page, to the third author'"'"'s commentary directed to the second content portion;

receiving a request for the fourth web page from the client computer that requested the second web page, where the request for the fourth web page is initiated by the user'"'"'s selection, from within the second web page, of the selectable hyperlink to the fourth web page;

responding to the request for the fourth web page by transferring the fourth web page over the network to the client computer that requested the fourth web page, and including within the transferred fourth web page the third author'"'"'s commentary directed to the second content portion created by the first author; and

enabling the display of the fourth web page by the web browser application executing at the client computer that requested the fourth web page, where displayed within the fourth web page is the third author'"'"'s commentary directed to the second content portion created by the first author.

25. The system of claim 24, where the first author content further includes a third content portion that is made available in the second web page, where a fourth author expresses an opinion about the third content portion in commentary created by the fourth author and included within a fifth web page, and where the operation of enabling the display of the second web page includes enabling the display of a representation of the fifth web page below the third content portion.

26. The system of claim 24, where the operation of enabling the display of the third web page includes automatically scrolling to the position in the third web page where the second author'"'"'s commentary occurs.

27. The system of claim 24, where the representation of the third web page is labeled to indicate the number of instances of commentary the representation corresponds to.

28. The system of claim 24, where third web page further includes commentary by more than one author.

29. The system of claim 24, where the commentary created by the second author is included in a judicial opinion, and where the commentary created by the third author is included in a judicial opinion.