Method, device and system for processing, browsing and searching an electronic documents

• US 8,788,494 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2009
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Shi Xia, Yang, Li Ping
• Primary Examiner(s): Mahmoudi, Tony
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, TUANKHANH D
• Application Number:
  US12/543,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20090307217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,798 Days
• Field of Search: 707705-789, 370/252
• US Class Current: 707/736
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/313 Selection or weighting of terms for indexing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for processing electronic document and its corresponding device, a method for browsing electronic document and its corresponding browser, as well as a method for searching electronic document and its corresponding searching system are disclosed in the present invention. The method comprises at least the following steps of: generating one or more query according to the content of said document when an author is composing the electronic document; and correspondingly storing information about said one or more query with said electronic document. Wherein the query comprises keywords, keyword string or questions, and the query has passed the verification in order to ensure its reliability.

Claims

1. An electronic document browsing method, the method comprising steps of:

creating, while the author is composing the electronic document, one or more queries according to content of the electronic document, and storing, in a computer, the created one or more queries with the electronic document, the created one or more queries including one or more of;

keywords, keyword strings and questions, related to the content to the electronic document, the creating the queries including;

calculating relevance degree of a term vector of a previous text segment and a term vector of a current text segment, the term vector of the previous text segment including a weight of each word included in the previous text segment, the term vector of the current text segment including a weight of each word included in the current text segment;

if the relevance degree is higher than a threshold,

decreasing the term vector of the previous text segment by values of multiplications of every weight of the each word of the previous text segment and an attenuation factor;

merging the term vector of the previous text segment and the term vector of the current text segment;

replacing the term vector of the previous text segment with the merged term vector;

merging the previous text segment with the current text segment; and

replacing the current text segment with the merged text segment;

if the relevance degree is less than or equal to the threshold,

replacing the term vector of the previous text segment with the term vector of the current text segment; and

replacing the current text segment with the previous text segment;

receiving, at the computer, a second query from a user;

searching, by the computer, the created one or more queries which are same or related to the second query;

presenting, by the computer, the user with the one or more searched queries which are same or related to the second query;

reading, by the user, the one or more presented queries;

selecting, by the user, one of the one or more presented queries; and

presenting, by the computer, the user with the content of said electronic document corresponding to the selected query.

8. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium, the computer usable medium excluding a propagating signal, the computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing electronic document browsing, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the steps of claim 1.

12. The electronic document browsing method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

generating a text stream of the electronic document being composed

extracting one or more features from the generated text stream,

wherein the one or more queries are automatically created according to the content of the electronic document being composed and according to the extracted features.

13. The electronic document browsing method according to claim 12, wherein the generating the text stream comprises:

identifying every text segment in the electronic document being composed;

calculating a weight of each of the every text segment;

calculating, based on the weight of the each text segment, a similarity degree of a current text segment to a plurality of previous text segments;

comparing the calculated similarity degree against a threshold;

determining that the current text segment is similar to a corresponding previous text segment if the similarity degree is larger than the threshold; and

replacing the current text stream with a combination of the current text stream and the corresponding previous text segment.

14. The electronic document browsing method according to claim 13, the method further comprising:

receiving a new text segment entered into the electronic document being composed;

repeating the calculating the weight, the calculating the similarity degree, the comparing, the determining, the replacing upon the receipt of the new text segment.

2. A computer-implemented system for improving searchability of an electronic document, the system comprising:

a computer,

wherein the computer is configured to;

analyze contents of electronic documents, while authors are composing electronic documents;

create one or more queries corresponding to contents of electronic documents, while authors are composing the electronic documents, in order to create the queries, the computer is further configured to;

calculate relevance degree of a term vector of a previous text segment and a term vector of a current text segment, the term vector of the previous text segment including a weight of each word included in the previous text segment, the term vector of the current text segment including a weight of each word included in the current text segment;

if the relevance degree is higher than a threshold,

decrease the term vector of the previous text segment by values of multiplications of every weight of the each word of the previous text segment and an attenuation factor;

merge the term vector of the previous text segment and the term vector of the current text segment;

replace the term vector of the previous text segment with the merged term vector;

merge the previous text segment with the current text segment; and

replace the current text segment with the merged text segment;

if the relevance degree is less than or equal to the threshold,

replace the term vector of the previous text segment with the term vector of the current text segment; and

replace the current text segment with the previous text segment;

store the one or more created queries with the electronic documents;

receive a second query from a user;

search the created one or more queries, which are same or related to the second query;

present the user with one or more searched queries which are same or related to the second query;

enable the user to select one or more of the presented queries; and

present content of an electronic document corresponding the selected one or more queries.

3. The computer-implemented system according to claim 2, wherein the computer is further configured to:

present the user with the one or more selected queries.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium, the computer usable medium excluding a propagating signal, the computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing functions of a computer-implemented system for improving searchability of an electronic document, the computer readable program code means in said computer program product comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the functions of claim 2.

4. An electronic document retrieving method, the method comprising steps of:

extracting, by a computer, one or more queries stored with electronic documents, wherein each of the one or more extracted queries including one or more of;

keywords, keyword string and questions, related to contents of the electronic documents, the extracting the queries including;

calculating relevance degree of a term vector of a previous text segment and a term vector of a current text segment, the term vector of the previous text segment including a weight of each word included in the previous text segment, the term vector of the current text segment including a weight of each word included in the current text segment;

if the relevance degree is higher than a threshold,

decreasing the term vector of the previous text segment by values of multiplications of every weight of the each word of the previous text segment and an attenuation factor;

merging the term vector of the previous text segment and the term vector of the current text segment;

replacing the term vector of the previous text segment with the merged term vector;

merging the previous text segment with the current text segment; and

replacing the current text segment with the merged text segment;

if the relevance degree is less than or equal to the threshold,

replacing the term vector of the previous text segment with the term vector of the current text segment; and

replacing the current text segment with the previous text segment;

generating indices for the extracted one or more queries;

receiving, at the computer, a second query from a user;

in response to receiving the second query, searching, by the computer, the one or more extracted queries, which are same or related to the second query;

presenting the user with said same or related queries;

enabling the user to select one or more of said same or related queries; and

providing the user with an electronic document corresponding to the selected one or more queries.

5. The electronic document retrieving method according to claim 4, wherein the step of searching further comprises:

calculating relevance degree between the second query and each of the one or more extracted queries;

selecting one of the extracted one or more queries, the selected query having a largest relevance degree or having a relevance degree larger than a given value.

9. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium, the computer usable medium excluding a propagating signal, the computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing electronic document retrieving, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the steps of claim 4.

6. A computer-implemented electronic document retrieving system, the system comprising:

a computer,

wherein the computer is configured to;

extract one or more queries stored with electronic documents, wherein each of said one or more extracted queries including one or more of;

keywords, keyword string and questions, related to contents of the electronic documents, in order to extract the queries, the computer is further configured to;

calculate relevance degree of a term vector of a previous text segment and a term vector of a current text segment, the term vector of the previous text segment including a weight of each word included in the previous text segment, the term vector of the current text segment including a weight of each word included in the current text segment;

if the relevance degree is higher than a threshold,

decrease the term vector of the previous text segment by values of multiplications of every weight of the each word of the previous text segment and an attenuation factor;

merge the term vector of the previous text segment and the term vector of the current text segment;

replace the term vector of the previous text segment with the merged term vector;

merge the previous text segment with the current text segment; and

replace the current text segment with the merged text segment;

if the relevance degree is less than or equal to the threshold,

replace the term vector of the previous text segment with the term vector of the current text segment; and

replace the current text segment with the previous text segment;

generate indices for the one or more extracted queries, and store the generated indices;

receive a second query from a user;

search the one or more extracted queries, which are same with or related to the second query;

present the user with the same or related queries;

enable the user to select one or more of the same or related queries; and

provide the user with an electronic document corresponding to the selected one or more queries.

7. The computer-implemented electronic document retrieving system according to claim 6, wherein the computer is further configured to:

calculate the relevance degree between the second query and each of the one or more extracted queries; and

select a query among the one or more extracted queries, the selected query having a largest relevance degree or having a relevance degree larger than a given value.

10. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium, the computer usable medium excluding a propagating signal, the computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing functions of an electronic document retrieving system, the computer readable program code means in said computer program product comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the functions of claim 6.