Context sensitive searching front end

• US 7,765,157 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2006
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Enpulz LLC
• Inventors: Bennett, James D., Jarvis, Lawrence M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US11/559,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20070239689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,352 Days
• Field of Search: 705/50, 705/64, 705/72
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3334 Selection or weighting of terms from queries, including natural language queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]

Abstract

A context sensitive searching front-end is disclosed for use in a deposition or trial proceeding wherein a computer aided transcription terminal provides real-time transcribed text down-line to attorney terminals. The terminals may thereafter use the transcribed text and any other text currently being displayed to formulate searches with little or no typing interaction required. Other text which may be used as a basis for searching includes communications from other attorney terminals, from artificial intelligence objection messages, and personal notes. Searching may be conducted on natural language or boolean front-ends which provide virtually instant feed-back as to the value of a search formulation before and after any “searching” actually occurs. Graphing of search results, including individual search word contribution, is provided for modification and selection of the documents to be reviewed. Library selection for searching is provided by analyzing the context from which the search originated, and from the actual words selected for searching. A database structure is also disclosed for providing backward referencing into the actual locations of search words without having to search the text files.

Claims

1. A method for performing a search using at least one user interface of an electronic device, the method comprising:

presenting first text upon a display of the electronic device;

highlighting, on the display in response to a first interaction via the at least one user interface, a portion of the first text;

receiving, in response to a second interaction via the at least one user interface, a search request;

extracting, in response to the search request, search text from the highlighted portion of the first text;

identifying, in response to the search request and based upon the search text, search results; and

presenting via the display the search results.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, in response to a third interaction via the at least one user interface, a display request associated with at least a portion of the search results; and

presenting via the display second text associated with the display request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting the search text from the highlighted portion of the first text comprises omitting some words from the highlighted portion of the first text.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the omitted words comprise common words.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying, in response to the search request and based upon the search text, search results comprises performing a database search of at least one database using the search text to produce the search results.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein performing the database search of the at least one database using the search text comprises:

for each database searched, accessing a database indexing system corresponding to the database using the search text; and

producing, based upon the database indexing system access, a database reference as the search results.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying, in response to the search request and based upon the search text, search results comprises attributing greater significance to some words in the search text than other words in the search text.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying, in response to the search request and based upon the search text, search results comprises a natural language search using the search text.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising presenting via the display the search results in a list format with each entry in a presented list corresponding to a different one of a plurality of textual compositions.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying, in response to the search request and based upon the search text, search results comprises giving higher priority to words of low occurrence within the search text.

11. An electronic device for use by a user to search at least one database, the electronic device comprising:

one or more processing circuit that;

presents first text upon a display of the electronic device;

highlights, on the display in response to a first interaction via at least one user interface, a portion of the first text;

receives, in response to a second interaction via the at least one user interface, a search request;

extracts, in response to the search request, search text from the highlighted portion of the first text;

identifies, in response to the search request and based upon the search text, search results; and

presents via the display the search results.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processing circuit:

receives, in response to a third interaction via the at least one user interface, a display request associated with the search results; and

presents via the display second text associated with the display request.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processing circuit identifies, in response to the search request and based upon the search text, search results based upon interaction with a second computer via a communication interface.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the search request is formed by omitting some words from the highlighted portion of the first text.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the omitted words comprise common words.

16. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processing circuit identifies, in response to the search request and based upon the search text, search results based upon a database search of at least one database using the search text to produce the search results.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the database search of the at least one database using the search text includes:

for each database searched, accessing a database indexing system corresponding to the database using the search text; and

producing, based upon the database indexing system access, a database reference as the search results.

18. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the search results are identified by attributing greater significance to some words in the search text than other words in the search text.

19. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the search results are identified based upon a natural language search using the search text.

20. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processing circuit presents the search results in a list format with each entry in a presented list corresponding to a different one of a plurality of textual compositions.

21. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the search results are identified by giving higher priority to words of low occurrence within the search text.

22. A method for searching for information contained in at least one database based upon input received from a user via an electronic device, the method comprising:

presenting text to the user via at least one user interface of the electronic device;

receiving input from the user via the at least one user interface to highlight a portion of the text;

performing a database search of the at least one database using at least a portion of the highlighted portion of the text to produce search results; and

presenting the search results to the user via the at least one user interface.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving input from the user via the at least one user interface to initiate the database search; and

forming a search argument based upon the highlighted portion of the text; and

performing the database search using the search argument.

24. An electronic device for use by a user to search at least one database, the electronic device comprising:

one or more processing circuit, that;

presents text to the user via at least one user interface of the electronic device;

receives input from the user via the at least one user interface to highlight a portion of the text;

performs a database search of the at least one database using at least a portion of the highlighted portion of the text to produce search results; and

presents the search results to the user via the at least one user interface.

25. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the one or more processing circuit further:

receives input from the user via the at least one user interface to initiate the database search; and

forms a search argument based upon the highlighted portion of the text; and

performs the database search using the search argument.