User interface for displaying document comparison information

• US 6,658,626 B1
• Filed: 09/03/1999
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Aiken, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bieneman, Charles A.
• Application Number:
  US09/390,624
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 707/511, 707/526, 707/530, 715/511, 715/526, 715/530, 345/837, 345/840
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90344 by using string matching techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/194 Calculation of difference between files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/289 Phrasal analysis, e.g. finite state techniques or chunking

Abstract

A user interface for use with a document comparison program that allows a user to efficiently and effectively examine results from the document comparison is described. The user interface has at least one frame for displaying one or more overview bars. Each overview bar represents a document. An overview bar includes sub-bands or segments where each segment represents a passage in the document that matches a passage in at least one other document. Each sub-band is assigned a color and the same color is used to highlight text or content in the passage that matches another passage. By activating the sub-band, e.g. a point-and-click operation using a mouse, the user can pull up the corresponding passage in another frame displaying content from the document. This activation is implemented through an internal link, such as an HTML hypertext link. The user can also activate the text portion in the document and bring up the matching passage in another document in another frame in the user interface. The two passages are displayed in a manner such that they can be easily compared. The two passages are also internally linked so that activating one passage will display the other passage.

Claims

1. A user interface for displaying results of a document comparison program, the user interface comprising:

an overview frame containing two or more graphical representations of two or more documents that are being compared, wherein a graphical representation contains comparison information related to first passages in a first document that correspond to second passages in a second document, wherein the comparison information is enabled to allow direct access to the first passages in the first document thereby facilitating examination of similar passages found between documents,

wherein the graphical representation is in the form of an overview bar representing length and content of a document, and

wherein the overview bar contains one or more bands, a band representing a first common passage from the first passages that corresponds to a second common passage from the second passages.

2. A user interface as recited in claim 1 wherein the band is distinguishable based on color.

3. A user interface as recited in claim 2 wherein the color assigned to the band is the same color assigned to the first common passage from the first passages thereby creating a visual association between the band and the first common passage.

4. A user interface as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

a link between the band in the overview bar and the first common passage from the first passages that allows direct access from the band to the first common passage.

5. A user interface as recited in claim 4 wherein the link is an HTML hypertext link.

6. A user interface as recited in claim 1 wherein the band has a length proportional to the length of the first common passage.

7. A method of interacting with a user interface for displaying results of a document comparison program, the user interface having one or more overview bars including one or more sub-bands, a sub-band representing a first matching passage in a first document that matches a second matching passage in a second document, the method comprising:

selecting a sub-band in an overview bar thereby activating a link between the sub-band and the first matching passage such that the first matching passage is displayed to the user; and

upon being displayed to the user, selecting the first matching passage thereby activating a link between the first matching passage and a second matching passage in a second document such that the second matching passage is displayed to the user;

whereby the display of the first matching passage and the second matching passage and the one or more sub-bands in the one or more overview bars facilitate comparison data by a user.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein the sub-band is assigned an identifying color and the first matching passage linked to the sub-band is assigned the identifying color.

9. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprising:

selecting a third matching passage in the first document thereby displaying a fourth matching passage in the second document in a manner that allows visual comparison of the third matching passage and the fourth matching passage.