Methods and systems for visualizing topic location in a document redundancy graph

• US 8,458,187 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.), Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Harrington, Steven J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIAO, JASON G
• Application Number:
  US12/627,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20110131211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,282 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/741
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3323 using document space presentation or visualization, e.g. category, hierarchy or range presentation and selection

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products can visualize topic location in a document redundancy graph. Document subcomponents such as, for example, document paragraphs of a document or document set can be searched for user interface specified search data and a determination can be made as to which document subcomponents contain information relating to the search data. Based on the redundancy graph data, a determination can then be made as to which particular user selectable node(s) of the graph contain the particular document subcomponent(s). Data for identifying the determined particular user selectable node(s) on a user interface can be generated and rendered to allow a user to quickly locate the particular user selectable node(s) on the redundancy graph. The particular user selectable nodes themselves can for example be visually highlighted on the graph. Keyword indexing can be used to assure chosen keywords are keywords relating to particular topics contained in the document set.

Claims

1. A method for visualizing topic location in a document redundancy graph, said method comprising:

constructing a document redundancy graph by representing at least one paragraph associated with a document set as a node among a plurality of nodes, wherein each node among said plurality of nodes represents a unique duster of information, analyzing said plurality of nodes for redundant information by comparing paragraph identifiers for each of said at least one paragraph to obtain a probability value for each pair of paragraphs, and merging certain of said plurality of nodes based on said probability value;

providing data representing said document redundancy graph for a document or document set;

determining user interface specified search data;

searching for said search data in document subcomponents of said document or document set;

determining at least one of said document subcomponents containing data related to search data;

determining, from said redundancy graph data, user selectable node(s) containing said determined document subcomponent(s); and

generating data for identifying said determined user selectable node(s) on a user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering on a user interface the generated data such that said determined user selectable node(s) are identified.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating data for identifying said determined user selectable node(s) on a user interface comprises generating data for visually highlighting said determined user selectable nodes on said user interface.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising rendering said redundancy graph on said user interface;

and

rendering said generated data on said user interface such that the user selectable nodes of rendered redundancy graph are visually highlighted by displaying thickened border lines around said user selectable nodes.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an index of keywords present in said document set;

rendering said keyword index on said user interface; and

determining user interface specified search data comprises;

receiving a user interface entered selection of at least one keyword from said keyword index.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating data for identifying said determined user selectable node(s) on a user interface comprises:

generating data for visually highlighting said determined user selectable nodes on said user interface;

rendering said redundancy graph on said user interface; and

rendering said generated data on said user interface such that said determined user selectable node(s) of said rendered redundancy graph are visually highlighted.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

generating, based on said at least one determined document subcomponent, at least one navigation document subcomponent reference to information relating to selected keyword(s); and

rendering said generated at least one navigation document subcomponent reference on said user interface.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising, in response to receiving a user interface entered selection of a particular visually highlighted user selectable node, navigating or linking to information contained in said selected visually highlighted node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said document subcomponents comprise document paragraphs.

10. A system for visualizing a topic location in a document redundancy graph, said system comprising:

a processor;

a data bus coupled to said processor; and

a computer-usable medium embodying computer code, said computer-usable medium being coupled to said data bus, said computer program code comprising instructions executable by said processor and configured to;

construct a document redundancy graph by representing at least one paragraph associated with a document set as a node among a plurality of nodes, wherein each node among said plurality of nodes represents a unique duster of information, analyzing said plurality of nodes for redundant information by comparing paragraph identifiers for each of said at least one paragraph to obtain a probability value for each pair of paragraphs, and merging certain of said plurality of nodes based on said probability value;

provide data representing a document redundancy graph for a document or document set;

determine a user interface specified search data;

search for said search data in document subcomponents of said document or document set;

determine at least one of said document subcomponents containing data related to search data;

determine, from said redundancy graph, data user selectable node(s) containing said determined document subcomponent(s); and

generate data for identifying said determined user selectable node(s) on a user interface.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said computer program code further comprises instructions executable by said processor and configured to:

generate data for visual highlighting said determined user selectable nodes on said user interface;

render said redundancy graph on said user interface; and

render said generated data on said user interface such that the user selectable nodes of said rendered redundancy graph are visually highlighted.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said computer program code further comprises instruction executable by said processor and configured to:

determine a keyword from said specified search data; and

use said keyword to generate said data for identifying said determined user selectable node(s) on a user interface.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said computer program code further comprises instructions executable by said processor and configured to:

generate an index of keywords present in said document set;

render said keyword index on said user interface; and

determine a user interface entered selection of at least one keyword from said keyword index, wherein said user interface specified search data comprises said selected keyword(s).

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said computer program code further comprises instructions executable by said processor and configured to:

search for said selected keyword(s) in document subcomponent(s) of said document or document set;

determine at least one document subcomponent containing said selected keyword(s);

generate based on said at least one determined document subcomponent at least one document subcomponent reference to information relating to selected keyword(s); and

render said generated at least one document subcomponent reference on said user interface.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein said computer program code further comprises instructions executable by said processor and configured to:

in response to receiving a user interface entered selection of a particular visually highlighted user selectable node, navigating or linking to information contained in said selected visually highlighted node.

16. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-usable data carrier storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for visualizing topic location on a redundancy graph, the method comprising;

constructing a document redundancy graph by representing at least one paragraph associated with a document set as a node among a plurality of nodes, wherein each node among said plurality of nodes represents a unique cluster of information, analyzing said plurality of nodes for redundant information by comparing paragraph identifiers for each of said at least one paragraph to obtain a probability value for each pair of paragraphs, and merging certain of said plurality of nodes based on said probability value;

providing data representing a document redundancy graph for a document or document set;

determining user interface specified search data;

searching for said search data in document subcomponents of said document or document set;

determining at least one of said document subcomponents containing data related to search data;

determining, from said redundancy graph, data user selectable node(s) containing said determined document subcomponent(s); and

generating data for identifying said determined user selectable node(s) on a user interface.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein generating data for identifying said determined user selectable node(s) on a user interface comprises generating data for visually highlighting said determined user selectable nodes on said user interface, wherein the method further comprises:

rendering said redundancy graph on said user interface; and

rendering said generated data on said user interface such that the user selectable nodes of rendered redundancy graph are visually highlighted.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, the method comprising determining a keyword from said specified search data;

and

using said keyword to generate said data for identifying said determined user selectable node(s) on a user interface.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

generating an index of keywords present in said document set;

rendering said keyword index on said user interface; and

wherein receiving a user interface specified search data comprises;

receiving a user interface entered selection of at least one keyword from said keyword index.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, the method further comprising:

generating based on said at least one determined document subcomponent at least one navigation document subcomponent reference to information relating to selected keyword(s);

rendering said generated at least one navigation document subcomponent reference on said user interface; and

in response to receiving a user interface entered selection of a particular visually highlighted user selectable node navigating or linking to information contained in said selected visually highlighted node.