Systems and methods for data indexing and processing

• US 8,112,441 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2006
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Indxit Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Indxit Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Morvant, Matthew Joseph, Ebaugh, Michael John
• Primary Examiner(s): PULLIAM, CHRISTYANN R
• Application Number:
  US11/486,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20070013967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,034 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/780
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/31 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/313 Selection or weighting of terms for indexing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3331 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/414 Extracting the geometrical structure, e.g. layout tree; Block segmentation, e.g. bounding boxes for graphics or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/418 Document matching, e.g. of document images
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed that allow for indexing, processing, or both of information from physical media or electronic media, which may be received from a plurality of sources. In embodiments, a document file may be matched using pattern matching methods and may include comparisons with a comparison reference database to improve or accelerate the indexing process. In embodiments, information may be presented to a user as potential matches thereby improving manual indexing processes. In embodiments, one or more additional actions may occur as part of the processing, including without limitation, association additional data with a document file, making observations from the document file, notifying individuals, creating composite messages, and billing events. In an embodiment, data from a document file may be associated with a key word, key phrase, or word frequency value that enables adaptive learning so that unindexed data may be automatically indexed based on user interaction history.

Claims

1. A method for associating a document file with a record in a reference database, the method comprising:

receiving the document file, the document file comprising unstructured data related to a record in the reference database;

organizing data extracted from the unstructured data in the document file into an array of strings;

obtaining a first set of strings by filtering at least a portion of the array of strings using at least one of;

string position, position of a portion of a string, string value, value of a portion of a string, string format, format of a portion of a string, a property of one or more characters within a string, and string length;

comparing the first set of strings from the array of strings against a comparison reference database comprising a plurality of records from the database, wherein a record comprises at least one data field element;

dynamically generating a match pattern by selecting, from results of comparing the first set of strings from the array of strings against the comparison reference database, a set of matches to one or more data field elements within a record from the plurality of records in the comparison reference database to form the match pattern;

determining a number of occurrences of the match pattern within records from the plurality of records in the comparison reference database; and

responsive to the number of occurrences of the match pattern within records from the plurality of records in the comparison reference database being below a threshold number, associating the document file with the record corresponding with the set of matches from which the match pattern was formed.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first set of strings is the array of strings.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the filtering of at least a portion of the array of strings comprises a set of filtering operations.

4. The method claim 1 further comprises the step of:

obtaining the comparison reference database from the reference database by applying one or more filtering operations to the reference database to obtain the comparison reference database.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the at least one of the one of more filtering operations uses at least a portion of the array of strings to filter the reference database.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

associating additional data with the document file that is matched to a record wherein the additional data associated with the document file is identified by information associated with the matched record.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

responsive to receiving information from a user related to the document file, storing the information for use with a subsequent matching operation.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of associating the document file with the record further comprises:

entering the document file into an indexed file system.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

responsive to the number of occurrences of the match pattern within records from the plurality of records in the comparison reference database not being below a threshold number, providing at least a portion of the plurality of records that possess a match pattern to a user to facilitate the user'"'"'s selection of a record to associate with the document file.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of:

providing to the user match information with the at least a portion of the plurality of records to help facilitate the user'"'"'s selection of a record to associate with the document file.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

receiving at least a portion of the reference database from a client.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first set of strings comprises one or more sets of strings comprising one or more characters.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising

initiating an action based upon an observation made within a document file.

14. A system for associating a document file with a record in a reference database, the system comprising:

one or more processors communicatively coupled to at least one computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to associate a document file by performing the steps comprising;

receiving the document file, the document file comprising unstructured data related to a record in the reference database;

organizing data extracted from the unstructured data in the document file into an array of strings;

obtaining a first set of strings by filtering at least a portion of the array of strings using at least one of;

string position, position of a portion of a string, string value, value of a portion of a string, string format, format of a portion of a string, a property of one or more characters within a string, and string length;

comparing the first set of strings from the array of strings against a comparison reference database comprising a plurality of records wherein a record comprises at least one data field element;

dynamically generating a match pattern by selecting, from results of comparing the first set of strings from the array of strings against the comparison reference database, a set of matches to one or more data field elements within a record from the plurality of records in the comparison reference database to form the match pattern;

determining a number of occurrences of the match pattern within records from the plurality of records in the comparison reference database; and

responsive to the number of occurrences of the match pattern within records from the plurality of records in the comparison database being below a threshold number, associating the document file with the record corresponding with the set of matches from which the match pattern was formed.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising the step of:

obtaining the comparison reference database from the reference database stored in a data storage by applying one or more filtering operations to the reference database, wherein at least one of the one or more filtering operations uses at least a portion of the array of strings to filter the reference database.

16. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

initiating an action based upon an observation made within a document file.

17. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

responsive to the number of occurrences of the match pattern within records from the plurality of records in the comparison reference database not being below a threshold number, providing at least a portion of the plurality of records that possess a match pattern to a user to facilitate the user'"'"'s selection of a record to associate with the document file.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the document file is associated with the record by a structured file and the structured file is transmitted to a user.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the first set of strings comprises one or more characters.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more sets of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform a method for associating a document file with a record in a reference database, the method comprising:

receiving the document file, the document file comprising unstructured data related to a record in the reference database;

organizing data extracted from the unstructured data in the document file into an array of strings;

obtaining a first set of strings by filtering at least a portion of the array of strings using at least one of;

string position, position of a portion of a string, string value, value of a portion of a string, string format, format of a portion of a string, a property of one or more characters within a string, and string length;

comparing the first set of strings from the array of strings against a comparison reference database comprising a plurality of records from the database, wherein a record comprises at least one data field element;

dynamically generating a match pattern by selecting, from results of comparing the first set of strings from the array of strings against the comparison reference database, a set of matches to one or more data field elements within a record from the plurality of records in the comparison reference database to form the match pattern;

determining a number of occurrences of the match pattern within records from the plurality of records in the comparison reference database; and

responsive to the number of occurrences of the match pattern within records from the plurality of records in the comparison reference database being below a threshold number, associating the document file with the record corresponding with the set of matches from which the match pattern was formed.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the first set of strings is the array of strings.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the filtering of at least a portion of the array of strings comprises a set of filtering operations.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining the comparison reference database from the reference database by applying one or more filtering operations to the reference database to obtain the comparison reference database.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 wherein the at least one of the one or more filtering operations uses at least a portion of the array of strings to filter the reference database.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the method further comprises:

associating additional data with the document file that is matched to a record wherein the additional data associated with the document file is identified by information associated with the matched record.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the step of associating the document file with the record further comprises:

entering the document file into an indexed file system.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to the number of occurrences of the match pattern within records from the plurality of records in the comparison reference database not being below a threshold number, providing at least a portion of the plurality of records that possess a match pattern to a user to facilitate the user'"'"'s selection of a record to associate with the document file.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27 wherein the method further comprises:

providing to the user match information with the at least a portion of the plurality of records to help facilitate the user'"'"'s selection of a record to associate with the document file.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to receiving information from a user related to the document file, store the information for use with a subsequent matching operation.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving at least a portion of the reference database from a client.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the first set of strings comprises one or more characters.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the method further comprises:

initiating an action based upon an observation made within a document file.