Systems and methods for electronic document review

• US 9,344,390 B1
• Filed: 05/14/2015
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Consilio LLC
• Original Assignee: Consilio LLC
• Inventors: Chandrasekar, Rajkumar, Feinberg, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Jungwon
• Application Number:
  US14/711,997
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 709204-206, 715/205, 715/835, 707723-724, 707/741, 707/737
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/31 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3344 using natural language analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/355 Class or cluster creation or modification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/835 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

Systems and methods enable convenient and accurate searching, filtering, reviewing, and classification of electronic documents without the loss of metadata. A communication data source file is parsed into conversation-specific files that include message content and metadata. The message content and metadata are displayed on a computing device operated by a reviewer. To streamline the review process, the reviewer can filter display of the message content according to various metadata categories as well as search conversation-specific files using the metadata categories.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of electronic document review comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a discovery computing device;

(b) parsing by the discovery computing device, a source file into at least one conversation-specific file, the at least one conversation-specific file comprising message content and a first metadata category;

(c) transmitting from the discovery computing device to a reviewer computing device, the message content and the first metadata category for the at least one conversation-specific file;

(d) searching by the discovery computing device, the at least one conversation-specific file for message content according to the first metadata category;

(e) filtering by the discovery computing device, the message content by selecting or deselecting the message content for display by the reviewer computing device according to the first metadata category; and

(f) transmitting the filtered message content from the discovery computing device to the reviewer computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first metadata category is a participant identifier.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first metadata category is a participant-entity identifier.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

(a) the at least one conversation-specific file further comprises a second metadata category;

(b) the first metadata category is a participant-entered event, and the second metadata category is a participant-left event; and

(c) the message content is filtered by the discovery computing device according to the participant-entered and the participant-left events by selecting or deselecting message content for display by the reviewer computing device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one conversation-specific file message content comprises disclaimer text, and the method further comprises the steps of:

(a) filtering by the discovery computing device, the disclaimer text from the message content by selecting or deselecting the disclaimer text for display by the reviewer computing device; and

(b) transmitting the filtered message content from the discovery computing device to the reviewer computing device.

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

(a) searching by the discovery computing device, the at least one conversation-specific files according to the first metadata category and a first metadata category value; and

(b) transmitting the conversation-specific files that include the first metadata category and the first metadata category value from the discovery computing device to the reviewer computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first metadata category is selected from the group consisting of a session duration, a participant count, a participant identifier, and an entity identifier.

8. A computer-implemented method of electronic document review comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a reviewer computing device associated with a reviewer;

(b) providing a discovery computing device;

(c) receiving by the reviewer computing device, a conversation-specific file transmitted by the discovery computing device, the conversation-specific file comprising message content and a first metadata category;

(d) transmitting by the reviewer computing device, a filter request to the discovery computing device requesting that the message content for the conversation-specific file be filtered by selecting or deselecting the message content for display by the reviewer computing device according to the first metadata category;

(e) searching by the discovery computing device, the conversation-specific file for message content according to the first metadata category;

(f) filtering by the discovery computing device, the message content by selecting or deselecting the message content for display by the reviewer computing device according to the first metadata category; and

(g) receiving by the reviewer computing device, the filtered message content transmitted by the discovery computing device.

9. A system for electronic document review comprising:

a first processor associated with a reviewer;

a second processor associated with a discovery device; and

a data storage device including a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer readable code for instructing the processors, and when executed by the processors, the processors perform operations comprising;

(a) parsing by the second processor, a source file into at least one conversation-specific file, the conversation-specific file comprising message content and a first metadata category;

(b) transmitting from the second processor to the first processor the message content and the first metadata category for the at least one conversation-specific file;

(c) searching by the second processor, the at least one conversation-specific file for message content according to the first metadata category;

(d) filtering by the second processor, the message content by selecting or deselecting the message content for display by the first processor according to the first metadata category; and

(e) transmitting the filtered message content from the second processor to the first processor.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the first metadata category is a participant identifier.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the first metadata category is a participant-entity identifier.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein:

(a) the at least one conversation-specific file further comprises a second metadata category;

(b) the first metadata category is a participant-entered event, and the second metadata category is a participant-left event; and

(c) the message content is filtered according to the participant-entered and the participant-left events by selecting or deselecting message content for display by the first processor.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one conversation-specific file message content comprises disclaimer text and the processors are further configured to perform operations comprising:

(a) filtering by the second processor, the disclaimer text from the message content by selecting or deselecting the disclaimer text for display by the first processor; and

(b) transmitting the filtered message content from the second processor to the first processor.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the processors are further configured to perform operations comprising:

(a) searching by the second processor, the at least one conversation-specific file according to the first metadata category and a first metadata category value; and

(b) transmitting the conversation-specific file from the second processor to the first processor, if the conversation-specific file includes the first metadata category and the first metadata category value.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first metadata category is selected from the group consisting of a session duration, a participant count, a participant identifier, and an entity identifier.

16. A system for electronic document review comprising:

a processor associated with an electronic discovery system; and

a data storage device including a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer readable code for instructing the processor, and when executed by the processor, the processor performs operations comprising;

(a) parsing a source file into at least one conversation-specific file, the at least one conversation-specific file comprising message content and a first metadata category;

(b) displaying the message content and the first metadata category for the at least one conversation-specific file;

(c) searching the at least one conversation-specific file for message content according to the first metadata category;

(d) filtering the message content by selecting or deselecting the message content for display according to the first metadata category; and

(d) displaying the filtered message content.