Methodology for displaying search results using character recognition

• US 6,363,179 B1
• Filed: 01/11/1999
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Claritech Corporation
• Inventors: Evans, David A., McInerny, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AZARIAN, SEYED H
• Application Number:
  US09/228,221
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 382/309, 382/310, 382/311, 382/312, 382/313, 707/526, 707/512, 707/527, 707/528, 707/529
• US Class Current: 382/309
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5846 using extracted text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Document texts are produced by recognizing characters in document images by an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) process. When such a document text matches one or more search terms of a query, the corresponding document image is displayed. Regions of the document image, corresponding to words of the document text that match the search terms, are displayed in a visually distinctive manner. The display of the document image may be augmented by displaying a region corresponding to a reference text within the document text in another visually distinctive manner.

Claims

1. A method of outputting search results, comprising the computer implemented steps of:

recognizing characters in a plurality of document images to produce respective document texts;

determining regions of the document images that correspond to words of the respective document texts;

receiving an input indicating one or more search terms;

retrieving a matching document text from among the document texts based on the one or more search terms, wherein the matching document text includes at least one matching word that matches one of the search terms;

displaying, in a first manner, a matching document image corresponding to the matching document text;

automatically determining a featured region based on the one or more search terms in the matching document image that includes a matching region in the matching document image corresponding to the matching word; and

automatically displaying the featured region in the matching document images in a second manner visually distinct from the first manner, wherein said second manner is not chosen by a user between said automatically determining step and said automatically displaying step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a featured region includes the step of determining the featured region to be the matching region.

3. An apparatus for outputting search results, comprising:

an OCR device for recognizing characters in a plurality of document images to produce respective document texts;

means for determining regions of the document images that correspond to words of the respective document texts;

an input device for receiving an input indicating one or more search terms;

a search engine for retrieving a matching document text from among the document texts based on the one or more search terms, wherein the matching document text includes at least one matching word that matches one of the search terms;

a display unit for displaying in a first manner, a matching document image corresponding to the matching document text; and

means for automatically determining a featured region based on the one or more search terms in the matching document image that includes a matching region in the matching document image corresponding to the matching word;

wherein said display unit is controllable to display the featured region in the matching document image in a second manner visually distinct from the first manner, wherein said second manner is not chosen by a user between automatically determining said featured region and automatically displaying said featured region.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the means for determining a featured region includes means for determining the featured region to be the matching region.

5. A computer readable medium bearing sequences of instructions for outputting search results and sequences of instruction comprising sequences of instructions for performing the steps of:

recognizing characters in a plurality of document images to produce respective documents texts;

determining regions of the document images that correspond to words of the respective document texts;

receiving an input indicating one or more search terms;

retrieving a matching document text from among the document texts based on the one or more search terms, wherein the matching document text includes at least one matching word that matches one of the search terms;

displaying, in a first manner, a matching document image corresponding to the matching document text;

automatically determining a featured region based on the one or more search terms in the matching document image that includes a matching region in the matching document image corresponding to the matching word; and

automatically displaying the featured region in the matching document image in a second manner visually distinct from the first manner, wherein said second manner is not chosen by a user between automatically determining the featured region and automatically displaying the featured region.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the step of displaying the featured region includes the step of highlighting the featured region.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the step of determining a featured region includes the step of determining the featured region to be the matching region.