Concordance searching systems and methods

• US 8,392,454 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2007
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Morgana, Stephen C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Cheryl
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERSHLEY, MARK E
• Application Number:
  US11/683,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20080222099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,189 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/776
• US Class Current: 707/776
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

Embodiments herein include a method of performing a computerized search of the electronic document based on a multi-term inclusive query supplied by the user. The process checks each search term match to determine if other terms in the query are in close enough proximity to allow the search term match to remain in the final search results that are eventually reported back to the user, even if such proximities span adjacent pages. More specifically, counts that span the adjacent pages comprise a count of items from a term on one page to a term on a second page adjacent to the first page so as to include a count of all terms between the terms in the counts that span adjacent pages of the printed publications.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing an electronic document via a computer comprising text and concordance data, wherein said concordance data identifies locations where said text appears on hyperlinked pages, such as web pages;

performing a computerized search of said electronic document via said computer based on a multi-term inclusive query to produce preliminary search results comprising search term matches, where each search term match only includes a single term, and wherein said search term matches identify page locations within said hyperlinked pages where individual terms within said multi-term inclusive query appear;

determining whether terms within said search term matches are within predetermined proximities of other terms in said multi-term inclusive query via said computer, wherein said predetermined proximities comprise said term within said search term match being within a predetermined number of hyperlink pages of at least one of said other terms in said multi-term inclusive query, wherein said predetermined number of hyperlink pages each have hyperlinks that directly link between each other;

eliminating said search term matches via said computer that do not comprise terms that appear within said predetermined proximities from said preliminary search results to produce final search results; and

reporting said final search results via said computer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said hyperlinked pages comprise a hyperlink comprising a graphical item a user activates with a single user input action to move between hyperlinked pages.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said hyperlink pages comprise network documents that are linked together.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said concordance data comprises said search term matches and the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) the search term match is found on.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said hyperlinked pages comprise a hyperlink comprising a graphical item a user activates with a single user input action to move between adjacent hyperlinked pages in one of network documents and web pages.

6. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing an electronic document via a computer comprising text and concordance data, wherein said concordance data identifies locations where said text appears on hyperlinked pages, such as web pages;

performing a computerized search of said electronic document via said computer based on a multi-term inclusive query to produce preliminary search results comprising search term matches, where each search term match only includes a single term, and wherein said search term matches identify page locations within said hyperlinked pages where individual terms within said multi-term inclusive query appear;

determining whether terms within said search term matches are within predetermined proximities of other terms in said multi-term inclusive query via said computer, wherein said predetermined proximities comprise said term within said search term match being within adjacent hyperlink pages of at least one of said other terms in said multi-term inclusive query, wherein said adjacent hyperlink pages each have hyperlinks that directly link to each other;

eliminating said search term matches via said computer that do not comprise terms that appear within said predetermined proximities from said preliminary search results to produce final search results; and

reporting said final search results via said computer.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said hyperlinked pages comprise a hyperlink comprising a graphical item a user activates with a single user input action to move between hyperlinked pages.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein said hyperlink pages comprise network documents that are linked together.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein said concordance data comprises said search term matches and the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) the search term match is found on.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein said hyperlinked pages comprise a hyperlink comprising a graphical item a user activates with a single user input action to move between adjacent hyperlinked pages in one of network documents and web pages.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing an electronic document via a computer comprising text and concordance data, wherein said concordance data identifies locations where said text appears on hyperlinked pages, such as web pages;

performing a computerized search of said electronic document via said computer based on a multi-term inclusive query to produce preliminary search results comprising search term matches, where each search term match only includes a single term, and wherein said search term matches identify page locations within said hyperlinked pages where individual terms within said multi-term inclusive query appear;

determining whether terms within said search term matches are within predetermined proximities of other terms in said multi-term inclusive query via said computer, wherein said predetermined proximities comprise said term within said search term match being within a predetermined number of hyperlink pages of at least one of said other terms in said multi-term inclusive query, wherein said predetermined number of hyperlink pages each have hyperlinks that directly link between each other;

eliminating said search term matches via said computer that do not comprise terms that appear within said predetermined proximities from said preliminary search results to produce final search results; and

reporting said final search results via said computer,

wherein said hyperlinked pages comprise a hyperlink comprising a graphical item a user activates with a single user input action to move between adjacent hyperlinked pages.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said hyperlink pages comprise one of network documents and web pages that are linked together.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein said concordance data comprises said search term matches and the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) the search term match is found on.