Document processing system and method

• US 9,116,895 B1
• Filed: 12/15/2011
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iSqFt, Inc. (Roper Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InfoTech International, LLC
• Inventors: Eveland, Christopher K., Caven, John W. III, Menzel, Robert B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jalil, Neveen Abel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Biskeborn, Kristofer
• Application Number:
  US13/327,633
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/254 Extract, transform and load [ETL] procedures, e.g. ETL data flows in data warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/438 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/447 Temporal browsing, e.g. timeline
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 40/295 Named entity recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/08 Construction

Abstract

A computer-implemented method comprises storing a plurality of construction project specification documents in a data storage system. The method further comprises, for each of the plurality of construction project specification documents, extracting a plurality of blocks of text from the document, extracting formatting information for the document based on the extracted text blocks, generating a location descriptor for each of the text blocks based on the formatting information, the location descriptor indicating the location of the text block within the document, determining the type of text contained in each of the text blocks, and storing the location descriptor and the type of text contained in the text block for each of the text blocks.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing construction project specification documents in a data storage system, wherein the construction project specification documents have a uniform organizational structure that characterizes at least some common aspects of an organizational structure of the construction project specification documents, the uniform organizational structure defining the different parts of the construction project specification documents;

receiving a search query comprising search criteria from a user electronically via a graphical user interface;

analyzing information relating to the construction project specification documents to determine identified documents that satisfy the search criteria; and

responsive to the search query, generating one or more displays reflecting data regarding the identified documents that satisfy the search criteria, the one or more displays including a plurality of charts, each of the plurality of charts being interactive such that each of the plurality of charts is configured to receive a user selection of a portion of an individual one of the plurality of charts to provide a modified search criteria that causes the remaining of the plurality of charts to change in response to the modified search criteria, the plurality of charts including;

a geography chart including a plurality of geographic regions reflecting the data regarding the identified documents that satisfy the search criteria associated with each of the plurality of geographic regions, wherein the geography chart is configured to receive a user selection of at least one of the plurality of geographic regions via the geography chart to provide the modified search criteria,

a timeline reflecting the data regarding the identified documents that satisfy the search criteria as a function of time, wherein the timeline is configured to receive a user adjustment of the timeline to focus on a specific time range to provide the modified search criteria,

a project ownership chart that reflects the data regarding the identified documents that satisfy the search criteria as a function of a plurality of types of ownership entities, wherein the project ownership chart is configured to receive a user selection of a type of ownership entity via the project ownership chart to provide the modified search criteria, and

a document format chart that reflects the data regarding the identified documents that satisfy the search criteria as a function of different parts of the construction project specification documents, wherein the document format chart is configured to receive a user selection of a specific part of the construction project specification documents via the document format chart to provide the modified search criteria.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the modified search criteria from the user via one of the plurality of charts; and

updating the data shown in the remaining of the plurality of charts to reflect the modified search criteria.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein receiving the modified search criteria includes receiving, from the user via the one or more displays, a selection of a geographic region of the plurality of geographic regions.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the search criteria is first search criteria, wherein the identified documents are first identified documents, wherein the search query further comprises a second search criteria, and wherein the timeline further reflects data regarding second identified documents that satisfy the second search criteria as a function of time.

5. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein receiving the modified search criteria includes receiving modified search criteria from the user via the timeline, the modified search criteria comprising dates the construction project specification documents must satisfy in order to satisfy the search criteria.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the geography chart is a map, and wherein each geographic region of the plurality of geographic regions is color-coded to reflect data regarding the identified documents that satisfy the search criteria as a function of the plurality of geographic regions.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the search criteria is first search criteria, wherein the identified documents are first identified documents, wherein the search query further comprises second search criteria, and wherein the map further reflects data regarding second identified documents that satisfy the second search criteria as a function of geographic region.

8. A method as defined in claim 3,

wherein the selection comprises geographic constraints the construction project specification documents must satisfy in order to satisfy the search criteria.

9. A method as defined in claim 1,

wherein the search query comprises at least one search term;

and

wherein the document format chart reflects a number of times the search term is located in the different parts of the construction project specification documents.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the search term is a first search term, wherein the number of times is a first number of times, wherein the search query further comprises a second search term, and wherein the document format chart further reflects a second number of times the second search term is located in the different parts of the construction project specification documents.

11. A method as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

receiving modified search criteria from the user via the document format chart, wherein the modified search criteria comprising constraints on the different parts of the construction project specification documents that must contain the search term in order to satisfy the search.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of charts includes a chart reflecting data regarding the identified documents associated with construction projects that are at a specified stage of completion.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein the search criteria is first search criteria, wherein the identified documents are first identified documents, wherein the search query further comprises second search criteria, and wherein the chart further reflects data regarding second identified documents associated with construction projects that are at a specified stage of completion.

14. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising:

receiving modified search criteria from the user via the chart reflecting the data regarding identified documents associated with construction projects that are at the specified stage of completion, wherein the modified search criteria comprising constraints on stages of completion that projects associated with the construction project specification documents must satisfy in order for the construction project specification documents to satisfy the search criteria; and

updating the data shown in the remaining charts to reflect the modified search criteria.

15. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the search query is received from the user via a globally accessible public communication network.

16. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the documents have a uniform organizational structure that characterizes at least some common aspects of an organizational structure of the documents.

17. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of charts includes a chart reflecting the number of documents associated with different categories of construction projects.

22. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the uniform organization structure is a Construction Standards Institute (“

CSI”

) format, and wherein the document format chart is a CSI divisions chart.

18. A system comprising:

a data storage system having documents stored therein, wherein the documents have a uniform organizational structure that characterizes at least some common aspects of an organizational structure of the documents, the uniform organizational structure defining the different parts of the documents;

data analysis logic configured to analyze the documents and to identify documents that satisfy search criteria received from a user; and

user interface logic configured to generate a user interface, the user interface logic configured to generate a plurality of charts for display to the user, wherein each chart presents data relating to the identified documents that satisfy a search criteria received from the user, wherein each of the plurality of charts are interactive such that each of the plurality of charts is configured to receive a user selection of a portion of an individual one of the plurality of charts to specify modified search criteria, and wherein the user interface logic is configured to receive modified search criteria from the user via one of the charts and to update the remaining charts to reflect the modified search criteria;

wherein the plurality of charts includes;

a geography chart including a plurality of geographic regions reflecting the data regarding the identified documents that satisfy the search criteria associated with each of the plurality of geographic regions, wherein the geography chart is configured to receive a user selection of at least one of the plurality of geographic regions via the geography chart to provide the modified search criteria,

a timeline reflecting the data regarding the identified documents that satisfy the search criteria as a function of time, wherein the timeline is configured to receive a user adjustment of the timeline to focus on a specific time range to provide the modified search criteria,

a project ownership chart that reflects the data regarding the identified documents that satisfy the search criteria as a function of a plurality of types of ownership entities, wherein the project ownership chart is configured to receive a user selection of a type of ownership entity via the project ownership chart to provide the modified search criteria, and

a document format chart that reflects the data regarding the identified documents that satisfy the search criteria as a function of different parts of the construction project specification documents, wherein the document format chart is configured to receive a user selection of a specific part of the construction project specification documents via the document format chart to provide the modified search criteria.

19. A system as defined in claim 18, wherein the modified search criteria is received through a user selection of at least one of the plurality of geographic regions of the geography chart, and wherein the plurality of charts are updated based on the modified search criteria.

20. A system as defined in claim 18, wherein the plurality of charts include a chart reflecting portions of the documents that satisfy the search criteria.

21. A system as defined in claim 18, wherein the geography chart is a map, and wherein each geographic region of the plurality of geographic regions is color-coded to reflect a number of the identified documents that satisfy the search criteria as a function of the plurality of geographic regions.