Method for database address specification

• US 6,516,321 B1
• Filed: 08/13/1999
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hyperphrase Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Hyperphrase Technologies LLC
• Inventors: De La Huerga, Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US09/374,568
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• Field of Search: 707/513, 707/501, 707/102, 707/1, 707/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/12 Use of codes for handling textual entities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/221 Parsing markup language streams streaming G06F40/149
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method for use with a processor which automatically creates hyperlinks between references to records in a record set which appear in a second record and the records in the record set, the method for eliminating ambiguity when record references overlap and including steps whereby resolution rules are applied which recognize references to a subset of records which are referenced by overlapping references and also a method for recognizing specific record information as a particular type and inserting tags which can be used by certain applications to identify the specific information within the record.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a referenced record referenced in a referencing record wherein the referenced record is referenced in the referencing record by at least a combination including a data reference (DR) and a modifier reference (MR), the method comprising the steps of:

(i) receiving the referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify a DR, when a DR is identified;

(a) identifying an MR rule set (MRRS) specifying the relationship between an MR and the DR;

(b) analyzing the referencing record in accordance with the MRRS to identify the existence of the MR and, when the MR is identified;

(c) identifying the referenced record associated with the DR/MR combination.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a specifying reference SR includes one of a DR/MR pair and a DR, at least one short SR consists of a portion of a long SR and, when a record segment which constitutes the short SR also constitutes a portion of the long SR, the step of identifying the DR includes identifying the DR corresponding to the long SR and, where the long SR includes an MR, the step of identifying the MR includes identifying the MR corresponding to the long SR.

3. The method of claim 1 for use with a database (DB) including at least one address format specifying an address format of the referenced record address, the method further including the step of using the address format to form an address for the DR/MR combination.

4. The method of claim 3 further including the step of using information from the referencing record to form the address of the referenced record as specified by the address format.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing includes searching the referencing record using natural language processing.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the MRRS specifies a search range of data about the DR which is to be searched for an MR and the step of analyzing in accordance with the MRRS includes searching the range to identify the MR.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein at least the referencing record is a text document and the search range is a range of terms which precede and follow the DR.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the range is selected from a list including a text fragment, a sentence segment in which the DR appears, the sentence in which the DR appears, the paragraph in which the DR appears, a document and a table cell.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein there are at least first and second referenced records referenced in the referencing record which correspond to first and second DR/MR combinations and first and second MRRSs, respectively, and, wherein, when either of the DR or MR in the first combination is within the second MRRS search range, the second MRRS search range is modified.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the search range is modified by restricting the second search range such that the modified range is limited by the DR or MR from the first combination which is within the second MRRS search range.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein there are at least first and second DRs which may form first and second DR/MR combinations with a single MR, the MRRS includes at least first and second MRRSs corresponding to the first and second DR/MR combinations, respectively and the step of analyzing to identify an MR includes the steps of:

when one of the first or second DR/MR combinations is identified, determining if the MR is within a search range of the DR in the other of the DR/MR combinations; and

if the MR is within the search range of the DR in the other of the combinations, selecting one of the DR/MR combinations for identifying the referenced record.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of selecting includes determining which of the first and second DRs is closest to the MR and selecting the corresponding DR/MR combination.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of analyzing includes searching the referencing record using natural language processing.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein DRs may overlap and, when first and second DRs overlap, the method includes the step of identifying one of the first and second overlapping DRs.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of identifying one of the first and second includes identifying the longest DR.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of identifying one of the first and second includes identifying the first.

17. The method of claim 1 including at least first and second DR/MR combinations including the same DR, the first and second DR/MR combinations corresponding to first and second MRRSs, the MRRSs specifying search ranges of MRs with respect to DRs, the step of analyzing to identify an MR including the steps of:

when one of the first or second DR/MR combinations is identified, determining if the MR in the other of the DR/MR combinations is within the search range of the DR specified by the corresponding MRRS; and

if the MR in the other of the combinations is within the search range of the DR, selecting one of the DR/MR combinations for identifying the referenced record.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the MRRSs include resolution rules for resolving which of two DR/MR combinations to select and the step of selecting includes applying the resolution rules.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein MRs include text and at least one long MR includes a short MR and additional text and wherein, when the long MR appears in the text, the step of identifying the MR includes identifying the long MR.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein DRs include text and at least one long DR includes a short DR and additional text and wherein, when the long DR appears in the text, the step of identifying the DR includes identifying the long DR.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein MRs include text and at least one long MR includes a short MR and additional text and wherein, when the long MR appears in the text, the step of identifying the MR includes identifying the long MR.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein there are at least first and second MR levels, the first level including MR1s which modify the DR and the second level including MR2s which modify MR1s, the MRRSs including rules specifying relationships between DRs and MR1s and between MR1s and MR2s, some records referenceable by a combination of a DR and an MR1 and other records referenceable by a combination of a DR, an MR1 and an MR2 wherein the step of analyzing to identify an MR includes:

analyzing to identify an MR1 and where an MR1 is identified;

analyzing to identify an MR2 and, when an MR2 is identified, identifying the record associated with the DR/MR1/MR2 combination;

else identifying the record associated with the DR/MR1 combination.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving includes receiving the record as the record is created and the step of analyzing includes analyzing the record as the record is created.

24. The method of claim 1 further including the step of linking the record reference to the referenced record.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of linking includes automatic retrieval of the linked record.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of linking including modifying the appearance of the DR/MR combination and linking the DR/MR combination to the address of the referenced record such that, when the DR/MR combination is selected, the referenced record is provided.

27. A method to be used with a rule set including subject matter specific tag pairs and corresponding search rules, a separate tag pair for each of a plurality of different information types and a separate search rule for each pair, each pair including a begin tag and an end tag, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a record;

(b) examining the record according to the search rules to identify record segments including information of each of the information types;

(c) when a record segment is identified which is of a particular information type;

accessing the tag pair associated with the information type;

inserting the begin tag before the identified segment and inserting the end tag after the identified segment.

28. The method of claim 27 further including the step of performing a function on the record after tag insertion.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the step of performing a function includes the step of storing the record for subsequent use.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the step of performing a function includes retrieving at least one record segment by identifying a specific tag pair.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein the rule set is a first rule set and the method is to be used with a plurality of rule sets and wherein the method further includes the steps of, prior to examining, determining which rule set to use for the exam.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the record includes information which can be used to determine which of the plurality of rule sets to use for the exam and wherein the step of determining which rule set to use includes examining the record information.

33. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of receiving includes receiving the record as the record is created and the step of analyzing includes analyzing the record as the record is created.

34. The method of claim 27 wherein the tags are mark-up language tags.

35. The method of claim 27 further including the step of, after receiving the record and prior to examining the record, determining if any tag pairs exist in the record and, if tag pairs exist in the record, stripping the tag pairs from the record.

36. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of receiving includes receiving the record as the record is created and wherein, after a tag pair has been inserted, if the segment corresponding to the tag pair is altered, the tag pair corresponding thereto is modified.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the step of modifying includes deleting the tag pair.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the step of modifying, after deleting, further includes repeating steps (a) through (d) to determine if another tag pair should be inserted in the record and, if so, to insert the tag pair in the record.

39. A method to be used with a rule set including subject matter specific tag pairs and corresponding search rules, a separate tag pair for each of a plurality of different information types and a separate search rule for each pair, each pair including a begin tag and an end tag, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a record;

(b) examining the record according to the search rules to identify record segments including information of each of the information types;

(c) when a record segment is identified which is of a particular information type;

accessing the tag pair associated with the information type;

inserting the begin tag before the identified segment and inserting the end tag after the identified segment wherein information of a first type corresponds to a first level pair, a segment corresponding to the first type is a first segment and the rule set includes at least one second level pair and a second level search rule, the second level pair and rule corresponding to a second level sub-set of the first type subject matter, the method further including the steps of, after identifying a first segment and prior to the step of performing;

examining the first segment according to the second level search rule to identify a second segment corresponding to the second level sub-set;

when a second segment is identified, inserting the second level begin tag before the second segment and after the first level begin tag; and

inserting the second level end tag after the second segment and before the first level end tag.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the rule set includes at least one third level pair and a third level search rule, the third level pair and rule corresponding to a third level sub-set which is s sub-set of the second level sub-set, the method further including the steps of, after identifying a second segment and prior to the step of performing:

examining the second segment according to the third level search rule to identify a third segment corresponding to the third level sub-set;

when a third segment is identified, inserting the third level begin tag before the third segment and after the second level begin tag; and

inserting the third level end tag after the third segment;

inserting the second level end tag after the second segment and before the second level end tag.

41. A method to be used with a processor capable of allowing access to at least a first record, displaying at least the first record on a screen for viewing, facilitating at least a sub-set of possible record modifications including copying, moving, altering and deleting, at least a first record segment having a first characteristic set which distinguishes the segment from other record segments, the first record including information tags which can be used by the processor and other processors to distinguish the first segment from other record segments, the method for limiting record modifications when any of the possible record modifications are performed on the first record, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring modifications to the record;

identifying record modifications which modify the characteristics of the first record segment;

when a first record segment characteristic is modified, limiting first record segment modification.

42. The method of claim 41 wherein the step of limiting includes prohibiting the modification.

43. The method of claim 41 wherein the step of limiting includes determining if the modification distinguishes the segment from the first characteristic set and, if the modification distinguishes the segment, eliminating the information tags.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein there are additional characteristic sets which correspond to additional information tags and, wherein the step of limiting further includes the steps of, if the information tags corresponding to the first characteristic set are eliminated, after eliminating the tags, determining if the characteristics of any segment of the document match one of the characteristic sets and, if a segment matches one of the characteristic sets, inserting information tags corresponding to the matching characteristic set into the record to distinguish the matching segment from other record segments.

45. The method of claim 41 wherein the processor is a word processor and the records includes at least some text and wherein the step of monitoring includes monitoring modifications to text segments.

46. The method of claim 41 wherein the information tags are XML tags.

47. A method for identifying a referenced record referenced in a referencing record wherein the referenced record is referenced in the referencing record by at least a data reference (DR), the method comprising the steps of:

as the referencing record is created;

(i) receiving the referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify a DR; and

(iii) when a DR is identified, associating the DR and the referenced record.

48. The method of claim 47 wherein the step of associating includes determining the address of the referenced record and forming a link between the DR and the referenced record.

49. The method of claim 48 for use with a database including a table of DRs and associated record addresses and wherein the step of determining the address includes the steps of locating a DR in the table and correlating an address with the DR.

50. The method of claim 47 wherein the step of associating includes linking the DR to the referenced record.

51. The method of claim 50 wherein the step of associating includes modifying the appearance of the DR and linking the DR to the address of the referenced record such that when the DR is selected, the referenced record is accessed.

52. The method of claim 47 wherein DRs include text and at least one long DR includes a short DR and additional text and wherein, when the long DR appears in the text, the step of analyzing to identify the DR includes identifying the long DR.

53. The method of claim 47 wherein a modifier reference (MR) can be used in conjunction with a DR to reference a record and at least one record is referenced by a DR/MR combination and the method further includes the steps of:

after identifying the DR and prior to associating the DR, examining the record for an MR and, when an MR is identified, associating the DR/MR combination with the referenced record.

54. The method of claim 47 further including the steps of, after the step of associating, monitoring changes to the record and when an associated DR is modified, changing the association.

55. The method of claim 54 wherein the step of changing the association includes eliminating the association.

56. A method for identifying referenced records referenced in a referencing record wherein the referenced records are each referenced in the referencing record by data references (DRs) and where at least a first DR includes a portion of a second DR, the method comprising the steps of:

(i) receiving the referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify DRs, when two overlapping DRs are identified;

(a) selecting one of the DRs; and

(b) identifying the referenced record associated with the selected DR.

57. The method of claim 56 wherein the step of selecting includes selecting the first DR.

58. The method of claim 56 wherein a resolution rule set (RRS) exists for determining which of two overlapping DRs to select and the step of selecting includes applying the RRS to the overlapping DRs.

59. The method of claim 56 wherein at least one long DR includes a short DR and additional text and wherein the step of selecting includes selecting the longest DR.

60. The method of claim 56 wherein the step of analyzing includes using natural language processing to identify DRs.

61. A method for searching for a plurality of data references in a record which includes terms which form record phrases, each data reference characterized by a number of terms and a number of characters, the data references arranged in a table, each data reference in the table beginning with a first character construct, the data references organized such that their first character constructs are alphabetically ordered, each set of data references which begin with the same character construct forming a data reference sub-set, the method comprising the steps of:

a) identifying a first term in the record as a current term;

b) identifying a first character construct in the current term;

c) identifying a data reference sub-set which begins with the current term first character construct;

d) identifying a data reference from the sub-set as a current data reference;

e) identifying the number of terms T in the current data reference;

f) identifying the current term and the following (T-1) terms in the record as a current segment;

g) determining if the current segment forms a single phrase;

I) if the current segment forms a single phrase;

1) identifying the number of characters in the current data reference;

2) determining if the current segment includes the same number of characters as the current data reference;

a) if the current segment includes the same number of characters as the current data reference;

i) comparing the text of the current segment to the current data reference text to determine if the texts are identical;

 

if the texts are identical, performing a function and then determining if there is at least one record term which follows the last current segment term and, if there is at least one record term which follows the last current segment term, selecting the term which follows the current segment as the current term and repeating steps (b) through (g);

 

else, skip to step (g)(II)(1);

II) else;

1) determining if all of the sub-set data references have been compared to a segment beginning with the current term, and, if all of the sub-set data references have been compared to a segment beginning with the current term, skipping to step (h), else, selecting another sub-set data reference as the current data reference and repeating steps (e) through (g);

h) selecting the term following the current term as a new current term and repeating steps (b) through (g).

62. The method of claim 61 wherein the first character construct is the first character of the first term.

63. The method of claim 61 wherein the first character construct includes the characters of the first term.

64. A method for searching for at least one data reference in a record which includes terms which form record phrases wherein the data reference is characterized by at least a first quantifiable data reference length characteristic, the method comprising the steps of:

a) identifying a data reference as a current data reference;

b) identifying a first value which is the value of the current data reference first length characteristic;

c) identifying a record phrase to be searched; and

d) comparing the record phrase first length characteristic and the first value; and

1) if the record phrase first length characteristic and first value are identical, comparing phrase text to current data reference text to determine if the phrase text and current data reference text are identical and, if identical, performing a function;

2) else, concluding that the record phrase and the current data reference are different.

65. The method of claim 64 wherein the data reference is a first data reference and there are a plurality of additional data references, each additional reference having a reference specific first length characteristic value and, wherein, the method further includes the steps of:

(e) when it is concluded that the current data reference and the phrase are different, repeating steps (b) through (d) with another of the data references as the current data reference; and

(f) repeating step (e) for each of at least a sub-set of the additional data references.

66. The method of claim 65 wherein the first length characteristic is a data reference term count.

67. The method of claim 66 wherein the data references and term counts are correlated in a lookup table and wherein the step of identifying a current value includes the step of identifying the term count in the table.

68. The method of claim 67 wherein each data reference in the table begins with a data reference specific first character construct, the data references are organized such that their constructs are alphabetically ordered, each set of data references which begin with the same character construct forms a data reference sub-set and the method further includes the steps of, prior to identifying a data reference, identifying a term in a record which will form the first term in the record phrase, identifying the first character construct in the identified term, identifying the data reference sub-set which includes data references which begin with the first character construct in the term and limiting the search to the identified data reference sub-set.

69. The method of claim 68 wherein the first character construct is the first character of the identified term.

70. The method of claim 68 wherein the first character construct includes the characters in the identified term.

71. The method of claim 68 wherein data references within a sub-set are searched in an order which is a function of the relative data reference term counts.

72. The method of claim 71 wherein data references with relatively larger term counts are searched prior to data references with relatively shorter term counts.

73. The method of claim 72 wherein each data reference is also characterized by a second length characteristic and the table also correlates each data reference with a second value which is a second length characteristic value and, wherein, the method further includes the steps of, after determining that the record phrase first length characteristic and the first value are identical and prior to comparing the phrase and data reference texts, identifying the second value corresponding to the current data reference, comparing the record phrase second length characteristic and the second value, if the second record phrase characteristic and the second value are identical, comparing the text, else concluding that the record phrase and the current data reference are different.

74. The method of claim 73 wherein the second value indicates the data reference character count.

75. The method of claim 74 wherein the method is for searching for all data references within a record and wherein the method is repeated for at least a sub-set of all record phrases within a record.

76. The method of claim 75 wherein record phrases are searched consecutively beginning with the first record phrase and ending with the last record phrase and, wherein, when a data reference and a specific record phrase are identical, the next phrase to be searched begins with the term immediately following the specific record phrase.

77. The method of claim 76 wherein the record includes a plurality of terms, the step of identifying a record phrase including the steps of, after identifying the number of terms in a data reference, selecting a record segment as a segment beginning with a record term and including the number of terms in the data reference, the step of comparing the record phrase first length characteristic and the data reference first length characteristic value including the steps of determining the number of terms in a record phrase by determining if the terms in the record segment constitute a single phrase, where the terms in the record segment constitute a single phrase, determining that the record phrase first length characteristic is identical to the data reference first length characteristic, else concluding that the record phrase and the current data reference are different.

78. The method of claim 64 wherein the first length characteristic is a data reference term count.

79. The method of claim 78 wherein the data reference is also characterized by a second length characteristic and, wherein, the method further includes the steps of identifying a second data reference length characteristic value which is a second value and, after determining that the record phrase first length characteristic and the first value are identical and prior to comparing the phrase and data reference texts, comparing the record phrase second length characteristic and the second value, if the second record phrase characteristic and the second value are identical, comparing the text, else concluding that the record phrase and the data reference are different.

80. The method of claim 79 wherein the second length characteristic is a data reference character count.

81. The method of claim 80 for use with a look-up table which correlates the data reference and the first and second values and wherein the steps of identifying the data reference first and second values include the steps of identifying the values in the look-up table, respectively.

82. The method of claim 64 wherein the first length characteristic is a data reference character count.

83. A method for use with a system capable of recognizing specifying references (SRs) in a record which reference another record and forming links between the SRs and the referenced records, the method for eliminating ambiguity when SRs overlap and comprising the steps of:

(i) receiving a referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify SRs;

(iii) when two or more SRs overlap, enabling an operator to select at least one of the SRs;

(iv) identifying the referenced records associated with the selected SRs; and

(v) linking the selected SRs to corresponding records.

84. The method of claim 83 wherein the step of enabling includes providing an SR list indicating possible SRs and providing a tool for selecting a sub-set of the SRs.

85. The method of claim 84 wherein the step of linking includes presenting the selected SRs in a selectable format and linking the SRs to corresponding records such that when an SR is selected, the corresponding record is provided.

86. A method for use with an application wherein specifying references (SRs) in one record to other records which are selectable to access the other records are visually distinguished from other record information so as to indicate selectability, the method also for use with a system which enables a user to designate and also select SRs where designation comprises pointing to an SR without selection and, wherein a seemingly general SR is modified by other record information which renders the SR relatively specific, the method for indicating the specific nature of an SR prior to selection and comprising the steps of:

when an SR is designated, indicating the specific nature of the SR.

87. The method of claim 86 wherein the step of indicating includes opening a description window and indicating the specific nature within the window.

88. The method of claim 86 wherein SRs may overlap and, wherein, when SRs overlap and any portion of an overlapping SR is designated, the method further includes the step of indicating each of the overlapping SRs and enabling a user to select any one of the overlapping SRs for linking purposes.

89. A method for use with an application wherein specifying references (SRs) in one record to other records which are selectable to access the other records are visually distinguished from other record information so as to indicate selectability, the method also for use with a system which enables a user to designate and also select SRs where designation comprises pointing to an SR without selection and, wherein some SRs may overlap, the method for eliminating ambiguity when SRs overlap and comprising the steps of:

when SRs overlap and any portion of an overlapping SR is designated, indicating each of the overlapping SRs and enabling a user to select any one of the overlapping SRs for linking purposes.

90. The method of claim 89 wherein the step of indicating includes opening a description window and indicating each of the overlapping SRs.

91. An apparatus for identifying a referenced record referenced in a referencing record wherein the referenced record is referenced in the referencing record by at least a combination including a data reference (DR) and a modifier reference (MR), the apparatus comprising:

a processor running a pulse sequencing program to perform the steps of;

(i) receiving the referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify a DR, when a DR is identified;

(a) identifying an MR rule set (MRRS) specifying the relationship between an MR and the DR;

(b) analyzing the referencing record in accordance with the MRRS to identify the existence of the MR and, when the MR is identified;

(c) identifying the referenced record associated with the DR/MR combination.

92. The apparatus of claim 91 wherein a specifying reference SR includes one of a DR/MR pair and a DR, at least one short SR consists of a portion of a long SR and, when a record segment which constitutes the short SR also constitutes a portion of the long SR, the processor identifies the DR by identifying the DR corresponding to the long SR and, where the long SR includes an MR, the processor identifies the MR by identifying the MR corresponding to the long SR.

93. The apparatus of claim 91 for use with a database (DB) including at least one address format specifying an address format of the referenced record address, the processor further using the address format to form an address for the DR/MR combination.

94. The apparatus of claim 93 wherein the processor further uses information from the referencing record to form the address of the referenced record as specified by the address format.

95. The apparatus of claim 91 wherein the processor analyzes by searching the referencing record using natural language processing.

96. The apparatus of claim 91 wherein the MRRS specifies a search range of data about the DR which is to be searched for an MR and the processor analyzes in accordance with the MRRS by searching the range to identify the MR.

97. The apparatus of claim 96 wherein at least the referencing record is a text document and the search range is a range of terms which precede and follow the DR.

98. The apparatus of claim 97 wherein the range is selected from a list including a text fragment, a sentence segment in which the DR appears, the sentence in which the DR appears, the paragraph in which the DR appears, a document and a table cell.

99. The apparatus of claim 96 wherein there are at least first and second referenced records referenced in the referencing record which correspond to first and second DR/MR combinations and first and second MRRSs, respectively, and, wherein, when either of the DR or MR in the first combination is within the second MRRS search range, the processor modifies the second MRRS search range.

100. The apparatus of claim 99 wherein the processor modifies the search range by restricting the second search range such that the modified range is limited by the DR or MR from the first combination which is within the second MRRS search range.

101. The apparatus of claim 96 wherein there are at least first and second DRs which may form first and second DR/MR combinations with a single MR, the MRRS includes at least first and second MRRSs corresponding to the first and second DR/MR combinations, respectively and the processor analyzes to identify an MR by:

when one of the first or second DR/MR combinations is identified, determining if the MR is within a search range of the DR in the other of the DR/MR combinations; and

if the MR is within the search range of the DR in the other of the combinations, selecting one of the DR/MR combinations for identifying the referenced record.

102. The apparatus of claim 101 wherein the processor selects by determining which of the first and second DRs is closest to the MR and selecting the corresponding DR/MR combination.

103. The apparatus of claim 101 wherein the processor analyzes by searching the referencing record using natural language processing.

104. The apparatus of claim 91 wherein DRs may overlap and, when first and second DRs overlap, the processor identifies one of the first and second overlapping DRs.

105. The apparatus of claim 104 wherein the processor identifies one of the first and second by identifying the longest DR.

106. The apparatus of claim 104 wherein the processor identifies one of the first and second by identifying the first.

107. The apparatus of claim 91 including at least first and second DR/MR combinations including the same DR, the first and second DR/MR combinations corresponding to first and second MRRSs, the MRRSs specifying search ranges of MRs with respect to DRs, the processor analyzes to identify an MR by:

when one of the first or second DR/MR combinations is identified, determining if the MR in the other of the DR/MR combinations is within the search range of the DR specified by the corresponding MRRS; and

if the MR in the other of the combinations is within the search range of the DR, selecting one of the DR/MR combinations for identifying the referenced record.

108. The apparatus of claim 107 wherein the MRRSs include resolution rules for resolving which of two DR/MR combinations to select and the processor selects by applying the resolution rules.

109. The apparatus of claim 91 wherein MRs include text and at least one long MR includes a short MR and additional text and wherein, when the long MR appears in the text, the processor identifies the MR by identifying the long MR.

110. The apparatus of claim 91 wherein DRs include text and at least one long DR includes a short DR and additional text and wherein, when the long DR appears in the text, the processor identifies the DR by identifying the long DR.

111. The apparatus of claim 110 wherein MRs include text and at least one long MR includes a short MR and additional text and wherein, when the long MR appears in the text, the processor identifies the MR by identifying the long MR.

112. The apparatus of claim 91 wherein there are at least first and second MR levels, the first level including MR1s which modify the DR and the second level including MR2s which modify MR1s, the MRRSs including rules specifying relationships between DRs and MR1s and between MR1s and MR2s, some records referenceable by a combination of a DR and an MR1 and other records referenceable by a combination of a DR, an MR1 and an MR2 wherein the processor analyzes to identify an MR by:

analyzing to identify an MR1 and where an MR1 is identified;

analyzing to identify an MR2 and, when an MR2 is identified, identifying the record associated with the DR/MR1/MR2 combination.

else identifying the record associated with the DR/MR1 combination.

113. The apparatus of claim 91 wherein the processor receives by receiving the record as the record is created and the processor analyzes by analyzing the record as the record is created.

114. The apparatus of claim 113 wherein the rule set includes at least one third level pair and a third level search rule, the third level pair and rule corresponding to a third level sub-set which is s sub-set of the second level sub-set, the apparatus further performing the steps of, after identifying a second segment and prior to the step of performing:

examining the second segment according to the third level search rule to identify a third segment corresponding to the third level sub-set;

when a third segment is identified, inserting the third level begin tag before the third segment and after the second level begin tag; and

inserting the third level end tag after the third segment;

inserting the second level end tag after the second segment and before the second level end tag.

115. The apparatus of claim 91 wherein the processor further links the record reference to the referenced record.

116. The apparatus of claim 115 wherein the processor links by automatic retrieval of the linked record.

117. The apparatus of claim 115 wherein the processor links by modifying the appearance of the DR/MR combination and linking the DR/MR combination to the address of the referenced record such that, when the DR/MR combination is selected, the referenced record is provided.

126. The apparatus of claim 117 wherein the tags are mark-up language tags.

127. The apparatus of claim 117 wherein the processor further performs the steps of, after receiving the record and prior to examining the record, determining if any tag pairs exist in the record and, if tag pairs exist in the record, stripping the tag pairs from the record.

128. The apparatus of claim 117 wherein the processor receives by receiving the record as the record is created and wherein, after a tag pair has been inserted, if the segment corresponding to the tag pair is altered, the processor modifies the corresponding tag pair.

129. The apparatus of claim 128 wherein the processor modifies by deleting the tag pair.

130. The apparatus of claim 129 wherein the processor modifies by, after deleting, further repeating steps (a) through (d) to determine if another tag pair should be inserted in the record and, if so, to insert the tag pair in the record.

118. An apparatus to be used with a rule set including subject matter specific tag pairs and corresponding search rules, a separate tag pair for each of a plurality of different information types and a separate search rule for each pair, each pair including a begin tag and an end tag, the apparatus:

a processor running a pulse sequencing program to perform the steps of;

(a) receiving a record;

(b) examining the record according to the search rules to identify record segments including information of each of the information types;

(c) when a record segment is identified which is of a particular information type;

accessing the tag pair associated with the information type;

inserting the begin tag before the identified segment and inserting the end tag after the identified segment.

119. The apparatus of claim 118 wherein the processor further performs the step of performing a function on the record after tag insertion.

120. The apparatus of claim 119 wherein the processor performs a function by storing the record for subsequent use.

121. The apparatus of claim 119 wherein the processor performs a function by retrieving at least one record segment by identifying a specific tag pair.

122. The apparatus of claim 118 wherein the rule set is a first rule set and the apparatus is to be used with a plurality of rule sets and wherein the processor further, prior to examining, determines which rule set to use for the exam.

123. The apparatus of claim 122 wherein the record includes information which can be used to determine which of the plurality of rule sets to use for the exam and wherein the processor determines which rule set to use by examining the record information.

124. The apparatus of claim 118 wherein the processor receives by receiving the record as the record is created and the processor analyzes by analyzing the record as the record is created.

125. The apparatus of claim 118 wherein information of a first type corresponds to a first level pair, a segment corresponding to the first type is a first segment and the rule set includes at least one second level pair and a second level search rule, the second level pair and rule corresponding to a second level sub-set of the first type subject matter, the apparatus further performing the steps of, after identifying a first segment and prior to the step of performing:

examining the first segment according to the second level search rule to identify a second segment corresponding to the second level sub-set;

when a second segment is identified, inserting the second level begin tag before the second segment and after the first level begin tag; and

inserting the second level end tag after the second segment and before the first level end tag.

131. An apparatus to be used with a processor capable of allowing access to at least a first record, displaying at least the first record on a screen for viewing, facilitating at least a sub-set of possible record modifications including copying, moving, altering and deleting, at least a first record segment having a first characteristic set which distinguishes the segment from other record segments, the first record including information tags which can be used by the processor and other processors to distinguish the first segment from other record segments, the apparatus for limiting record modifications when any of the possible record modifications are performed on the first record, the apparatus comprising:

a processor running a pulse sequencing program to perform the steps of;

monitoring modifications to the record;

identifying record modifications which modify the characteristics of the first record segment;

when a first record segment characteristic is modified, limiting first record segment modification.

132. The apparatus of claim 131 wherein the processor limits by prohibiting the modification.

133. The apparatus of claim 131 wherein the processor limits by determining if the modification distinguishes the segment from the first characteristic set and, if the modification distinguishes the segment, eliminating the information tags.

134. The apparatus of claim 133 wherein there are additional characteristic sets which correspond to additional information tags and, wherein the processor limits further by, if the information tags corresponding to the first characteristic set are eliminated, after eliminating the tags, determining if the characteristics of any segment of the document match one of the characteristic sets and, if a segment matches one of the characteristic sets, inserting information tags corresponding to the matching characteristic set into the record to distinguish the matching segment from other record segments.

135. The apparatus of claim 131 wherein the processor is a word processor and the records includes at least some text and wherein the processor monitor by monitoring modifications to text segments.

136. The apparatus of claim 131 wherein the information tags are XML tags.

137. An apparatus for identifying a referenced record referenced in a referencing record wherein the referenced record is referenced in the referencing record by at least a data reference (DR), the apparatus comprising:

a processor running a pulse sequencing program to perform the steps of, as a referencing record is created;

(i) receiving the referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify a DR; and

(iii) when a DR is identified, associating the DR and the referenced record.

138. The apparatus of claim 137 wherein the processor associates by determining the address of the referenced record and forming a link between the DR and the referenced record.

139. The apparatus of claim 138 for use with a database including a table of DRs and associated record addresses and wherein the processor determines the address by locating a DR in the table and correlating an address with the DR.

140. The apparatus of claim 137 wherein the processor associates by linking the DR to the referenced record.

141. The apparatus of claim 140 wherein the processor associates by modifying the appearance of the DR and linking the DR to the address of the referenced record such that when the DR is selected, the referenced record is accessed.

142. The apparatus of claim 137 wherein DRs include text and at least one long DR includes a short DR and additional text and wherein, when the long DR appears in the text, the processor analyzes to identify the DR by identifying the long DR.

143. The apparatus of claim 137 wherein a modifier reference (MR) can be used in conjunction with a DR to reference a record and at least one record is referenced by a DR/MR combination and the processor further performs the steps of:

after identifying the DR and prior to associating the DR, examining the record for an MR and, when an MR is identified, associating the DR/MR combination with the referenced record.

144. The apparatus of claim 137 wherein the processor further performs the steps of, after the step of associating, monitoring changes to the record and when an associated DR is modified, changing the association.

145. The apparatus of claim 144 wherein the processor changes the association by eliminating the association.

146. A apparatus for identifying referenced records referenced in a referencing record wherein the referenced records are each referenced in the referencing record by data references (DRs) and where at least a first DR includes a portion of a second DR, the apparatus comprising:

a processor running a pulse sequencing program to perform the steps of;

(i) receiving the referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify DRs, when two overlapping DRs are identified;

(a) selecting one of the DRs; and

(b) identifying the referenced record associated with the selected DR.

147. The apparatus of claim 146 wherein the processor selects by selecting the first DR.

148. The apparatus of claim 146 wherein a resolution rule set (RRS) exists for determining which of two overlapping DRs to select and the processor selects by applying the RRS to the overlapping DRs.

149. The apparatus of claim 146 wherein at least one long DR includes a short DR and additional text and wherein the processor selects by selecting the longest DR.

150. The apparatus of claim 146 wherein the processor analyzes by using natural language processing to identify DRs.

151. An apparatus for searching for a plurality of data references in a record which includes terms which form record phrases, each data reference characterized by a number of terms and a number of characters, the data references arranged in a table, each data reference in the table beginning with a first character construct, the data references organized such that their first character constructs are alphabetically ordered, each set of data references which begin with the same character construct forming a data reference sub-set, the apparatus comprising:

a processor running pulse sequencing program to perform the steps of;

a) identifying a first term in the record as a current term;

b) identifying a first character construct in the current term;

c) identifying a data reference sub-set which begins with the current term first character construct;

d) identifying a data reference from the sub-set as a current data reference;

e) identifying the number of terms T in the current data reference;

f) identifying the current term and the following (T-1) terms in the record as a current segment;

g) determining if the current segment forms a single phrase;

I) if the current segment forms a single phrase;

1) identifying the number of characters in the current data reference;

2) determining if the current segment includes the same number of characters as the current data reference;

a) if the current segment includes the same number of characters as the current data reference;

 

i) comparing the text of the current segment to the current data reference text to determine if the texts are identical;

 

if the texts are identical, performing a function and then determining if there is at least one record term which follows the last current segment term and, if there is at least one record term which follows the last current segment term, selecting the term which follows the current segment as the current term and repeating steps (b) through (g);

 

else, skip to step (g)(II)(1);

II) else;

1) determining if all of the sub-set data references have been compared to a segment beginning with the current term, and, if all of the sub-set data references have been compared to a segment beginning with the current term, skipping to step (h), else, selecting another sub-set data reference as the current data reference and repeating steps (e) through (g);

h) selecting the term following the current term as a new current term and repeating steps (b) through (g).

152. The apparatus of claim 151 wherein the first character construct is the first character of the first term.

153. The apparatus of claim 151 wherein the first character construct includes the characters of the first term.

154. A apparatus for searching for at least one data reference in a record which includes terms which form record phrases wherein the data reference is characterized by at least a first quantifiable data reference length characteristic, the apparatus comprising:

a processor running a pulse sequencing program to perform the steps of;

a) identifying a data reference as a current data reference;

b) identifying a first value which is the value of the current data reference first length characteristic;

c) identifying a record phrase to be searched; and

d) comparing the record phrase first length characteristic and the first value; and

1) if the record phrase first length characteristic and first value are identical, comparing phrase text to current data reference text to determine if the phrase text and current data reference text are identical and, if identical, performing a function;

2) else, concluding that the record phrase and the current data reference are different.

155. The apparatus of claim 154 wherein the data reference is a first data reference and there are a plurality of additional data references, each additional reference having a reference specific first length characteristic value and, wherein, the processor further performs the steps of:

(e) when it is concluded that the current data reference and the phrase are different, repeating steps (b) through (d) with another of the data references as the current data reference; and

(f) repeating step (e) for each of at least a sub-set of the additional data references.

156. The apparatus of claim 155 wherein the first length characteristic is a data reference term count.

157. The apparatus of claim 156 wherein the data references and term counts are correlated in a lookup table and wherein the processor identifies a current value by identifying the term count in the table.

158. The apparatus of claim 157 wherein each data reference in the table begins with a data reference specific first character construct, the data references are organized such that their constructs are alphabetically ordered, each set of data references which begin with the same character construct forms a data reference sub-set and the processor further performs the steps of, prior to identifying a data reference, identifying a term in a record which will form the first term in the record phrase, identifying the first character construct in the identified term, identifying the data reference sub-set which includes data references which begin with the first character construct in the term and limiting the search to the identified data reference sub-set.

159. The apparatus of claim 158 wherein the first character construct is the first character of the identified term.

160. The apparatus of claim 158 wherein the first character construct includes the characters in the identified term.

161. The apparatus of claim 158 wherein data references within a sub-set are searched in an order which is a function of the relative data reference term counts.

162. The apparatus of claim 161 wherein data references with relatively larger term counts are searched prior to data references with relatively shorter term counts.

163. The apparatus of claim 162 wherein each data reference is also characterized by a second length characteristic and the table also correlates each data reference with a second value which is a second length characteristic value and, wherein, the processor further performs the steps of, after determining that the record phrase first length characteristic and the first value are identical and prior to comparing the phrase and data reference texts, identifying the second value corresponding to the current data reference, comparing the record phrase second length characteristic and the second value, if the second record phrase characteristic and the second value are identical, comparing the text, else concluding that the record phrase and the current data reference are different.

164. The apparatus of claim 163 wherein the second value indicates the data reference character count.

165. The apparatus of claim 164 wherein the apparatus is for searching for all data references within a record and wherein the processor repeats the steps for at least a sub-set of all record phrases within a record.

166. The apparatus of claim 165 wherein record phrases are searched consecutively beginning with the first record phrase and ending with the last record phrase and, wherein, when a data reference and a specific record phrase are identical, the next phrase to be searched begins with the term immediately following the specific record phrase.

167. The apparatus of claim 166 wherein the record includes a plurality of terms, the step of identifying a record phrase including the steps of, after identifying the number of terms in a data reference, selecting a record segment as a segment beginning with a record term and including the number of terms in the data reference, the processor comparing the record phrase first length characteristic and the data reference first length characteristic value by determining the number of terms in a record phrase by determining if the terms in the record segment constitute a single phrase, where the terms in the record segment constitute a single phrase, determining that the record phrase first length characteristic is identical to the data reference first length characteristic, else concluding that the record phrase and the current data reference are different.

168. The apparatus of claim 154 wherein the first length characteristic is a data reference term count.

169. The apparatus of claim 168 wherein the data reference is also characterized by a second length characteristic and, wherein, the processor further performs the steps of identifying a second data reference length characteristic value which is a second value and, after determining that the record phrase first length characteristic and the first value are identical and prior to comparing the phrase and data reference texts, comparing the record phrase second length characteristic and the second value, if the second record phrase characteristic and the second value are identical, comparing the text, else concluding that the record phrase and the data reference are different.

170. The apparatus of claim 169 wherein the second length characteristic is a data reference character count.

171. The apparatus of claim 170 for use with a look-up table which correlates the data reference and the first and second values and wherein the processor identifies the data reference first and second values by identifying the values in the look-up table, respectively.

172. The apparatus of claim 154 wherein the first length characteristic is a data reference character count.

173. A apparatus for use with a system capable of recognizing specifying references (SRs) in a record which reference another record and forming links between the SRs and the referenced records, the apparatus for eliminating ambiguity when SRs overlap and comprising:

a processor running a pulse sequencing program to perform the steps of;

(i) receiving a referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify SRs;

(iii) when two or more SRs overlap, enabling an operator to select at least one of the SRs;

(iv) identifying the referenced records associated with the selected SRs; and

(v) linking the selected SRs to corresponding records.

174. The apparatus of claim 173 wherein the processor enables by providing an SR list indicating possible SRs and providing a tool for selecting a sub-set of the SRs.

175. The apparatus of claim 174 wherein the processor links by presenting the selected SRs in a selectable format and linking the SRs to corresponding records such that when an SR is selected, the corresponding record is provided.

176. A apparatus for use with an application wherein specifying references (SRs) in one record to other records which are selectable to access the other records are visually distinguished from other record information so as to indicate selectability, the apparatus also for use with a system which enables a user to designate and also select SRs where designation comprises pointing to an SR without selection and, wherein a seemingly general SR is modified by other record information which renders the SR relatively specific, the apparatus for indicating the specific nature of an SR prior to selection and comprising:

a processor running a pulse sequencing program to perform the steps of;

when an SR is designated, indicating the specific nature of the SR.

177. The apparatus of claim 176 wherein the processor indicates by opening a description window and indicating the specific nature within the window.

178. The apparatus of claim 176 wherein SRs may overlap and, wherein, when SRs overlap and any portion of an overlapping SR is designated, the processor further performing the steps of indicating each of the overlapping SRs and enabling a user to select any one of the overlapping SRs for linking purposes.

179. A apparatus for use with an application wherein specifying references (SRs) in one record to other records which are selectable to access the other records are visually distinguished from other record information so as to indicate selectability, the apparatus also for use with a system which enables a user to designate and also select SRs where designation comprises pointing to an SR without selection and, wherein some SRs may overlap, the apparatus for eliminating ambiguity when SRs overlap and comprising:

a processor running a pulse sequencing program to perform the steps of;

when SRs overlap and any portion of an overlapping SR is designated, indicating each of the overlapping SRs and enabling a user to select any one of the overlapping SRs for linking purposes.

180. The apparatus of claim 179 wherein the processor indicates by opening a description window and indicating each of the overlapping SRs.

181. An apparatus for identifying a referenced record referenced in a referencing record wherein the referenced record is referenced in the referencing record by at least a data reference (DR), the apparatus comprising:

a processor running a pulse sequencing program to perform the steps of;

(i) receiving the referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify a DR;

(iii) when a DR is identified, associating the DR and the referenced record;

wherein DRs include text and at least one long DR includes a short DR and additional text and wherein, when the long DR appears in the text, the processor analyzes to identify the DR by identifying the long DR.

182. An apparatus for identifying a referenced record referenced in a referencing record wherein the referenced record is referenced in the referencing record by at least a data reference (DR), the apparatus comprising:

a processor running a pulse sequencing program to perform the steps of;

(i) receiving the referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify a DR;

(iii) when a DR is identified, associating the DR and the referenced record;

wherein a modifier reference (MR) can be used in conjunction with a DR to reference a record and at least one record is referenced by a DR/MR combination and the processor further performs the steps of;

after identifying the DR and prior to associating the DR, examining the record for an MR and, when an MR is identified, associating the DR/MR combination with the referenced record.

183. An apparatus for identifying a referenced record referenced in a referencing record wherein the referenced record is referenced in the referencing record by at least a data reference (DR), the apparatus comprising:

a processor running a pulse sequencing program to perform the steps of;

(i) receiving the referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify a DR; and

(iii) when a DR is identified, associating the DR and the referenced record;

wherein the processor further performs the steps of, after the step of associating, monitoring changes to the record and when an associated DR is modified, changing the association.

184. The apparatus of claim 183 wherein the processor changes the association by eliminating the association.

185. A method for identifying a referenced record referenced in a referencing record wherein the referenced record is referenced in the referencing record by at least a data reference (DR), the method comprising the steps of:

(i) receiving the referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify a DR;

(iii) when a DR is identified, associating the DR and the referenced record; and

(iv) wherein DRs include text and at least one long DR includes a short DR and additional text and wherein, when the long DR appears in the text, the step of analyzing to identify the DR includes identifying the long DR.

186. The method of claim 185 wherein the step of analyzing includes analyzing the record as the record is created.

187. The method of claim 186 wherein the step of identifying includes displaying the DR in an alternate format.

188. The method of claim 186 wherein the step of associating includes one of creating a hyperlink between the DR and the referenced record and accessing the referenced record.

189. The method of claim 185 further including monitoring changes to the referencing record and when text proximate or within the DR is modified, repeating steps (ii) through (iv).

190. A method for identifying a referenced record referenced in a referencing record wherein the referenced record is referenced in the referencing record by at least a data reference (DR), the method comprising the steps of:

(i) receiving the referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify a DR;

(iii) when a DR is identified, associating the DR and the referenced record; and

(iv) wherein a modifier reference (MR) can be used in conjunction with a DR to reference a record and at least one record is referenced by a DR/MR combination and the method further includes the steps of;

after identifying the DR and prior to associating the DR, examining the record for an MR and, when an MR is identified, associating the DR/MR combination with the referenced record.

191. The method of claim 190 wherein the DR and MR of a DR/MR combination are adjacent.

192. The method of claim 190 wherein the DR and MR of a DR/MR combination are separated by at least one other word.

193. A method for identifying a referenced record referenced in a referencing record wherein the referenced record is referenced in the referencing record by at least a data reference (DR), the method comprising the steps of:

(i) receiving the referencing record;

(ii) analyzing the referencing record to identify a DR;

(iii) when a DR is identified, associating the DR and the referenced record;

the method further including the steps of, after the step of associating, monitoring changes to the record and when an associated DR is modified, changing the association.

194. The method of claim 193 wherein the step of changing the association includes eliminating the association.