Database System and Method for Data Acquisition and Perusal

• US 20110106813A1
• Filed: 11/12/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Indacon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Indacon Incorporated
• Inventors: Jensen, Robert Leland, Smith, Daniel Victor
• Granted Patent: US 8,396,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/741
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A data acquisition and perusal system and method including a database selection module, a database index generator module and a search module. The database selection module enables selection of a plurality of files for inclusion into at least one selectable database. The database index generator module enables generation of a searchable index of the data contained in the selectable database. The search module enables a search to be performed of the searchable index according to search criteria. The system allows for the capture of HTML data which is automatically indexed without human intervention and has the ability to automatically and accurately locate or “pinpoint,” and highlight specific text or groups of text designated by the user within the resulting database.

Claims

1. A data indexing and perusal system comprising:

an index module that enables generation of an index of a plurality of selected source files;

a custom link module that enables a user to create links between two of the plurality of selected source files; and

a search module that enables a search to be performed according to a search criterion to locate words and phrases in the plurality of selected source files.

2. The data indexing and perusal system of claim 1, wherein the searchable index comprises a plurality of complementary index files.

3. The data indexing and perusal system of claim 1, wherein the index module is operable to store any custom links within the index.

4. The data indexing and perusal system of claim 1, wherein the link module enables creation of valid custom links only.

5. The data indexing and perusal system of claim 1, wherein the link module enables designation of a link term and designation of one of the plurality of selected source files to be linked to the designated link term;

the link module being operable to automatically link multiple instances of the designated link term in the plurality of selected source files with the designated file.

6. The data indexing and perusal system of claim 1, wherein the selected source files include HTML files, the system further comprising a browser for displaying the HTML files that meet the

search criterion and which utilizes word locations retrieved from an index of word locations to visually distinguish the searched words and phrases from any surrounding text in the displayed HTML files.

7. A data indexing and perusal system comprising:

an index module that enables generation of a searchable index of a plurality of HTML files;

a search module that enables a search to be performed of the index according to a search criterion to locate words and phrases in the plurality of HTML files; and

a display utility means for displaying the HTML files that meet the search criterion and visually distinguishing the searched words and phrases from any surrounding text in the displayed HTML files.

8. A data indexing and perusal system comprising:

a display module operable to display a web page comprising a plurality of links to displayable web elements from the group consisting of web pages, text, images, and graphics, wherein the web page and web elements have original source internet addresses;

a selection module that enables saving of the web page and selective saving of the linked elements to a local computer data storage device, thereby providing the selectively saved linked elements with local addresses;

the selection module being configured to automatically modify the web page'"'"'s links to the selectively saved linked elements so that they point to the selectively saved linked elements'"'"' local addresses;

an index module that enables generation of a searchable index of the saved web page and the selectively saved linked elements; and

a search module that enables a search to be performed of the index-according to a search criterion.

9. The data indexing and perusal system of claim 8, wherein the selection module is operable to save the original source internet addresses of the selectively saved linked elements when modifying the saved web page'"'"'s links to point to the selectively saved linked elements'"'"' local addresses.

10. A method of annotating, indexing, searching, and displaying a plurality of selected source files, the method comprising:

enabling users to generate custom annotations of the plurality of selected source files;

generating a searchable index of the plurality of selected source files;

incorporating any user-generated custom annotations into the index;

searching the searchable index according to a search criterion to locate words and phrases in the plurality of selected source files; and

displaying at least portions of files in the plurality of selected source files that meet the search criterion.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of generating a searchable index creates a searchable index comprising a plurality of complementary index files.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the enablement step also enables a user to designate a link term and designate one of the plurality of selected source files to be linked to the designated link term.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of verifying the validity of any designated links, wherein the incorporating step incorporates links only if the links are valid.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of automatically generating links between all instances of a designated link term within the plurality of selected source files and the designated file.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the automatic link generation step generates only valid links.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the index generating step generates an index operable to be searched according to negative searching principles using conflation logic.