Method for searching document objects on a network

US 7,158,971 B1
Filed: 04/10/2002
Issued: 01/02/2007
Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2001
Status: Expired due to Fees

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1. A computer-implemented method for searching established document object relationships, the method comprising:

selecting one or more first link reference attributes, wherein the one or more first link reference attributes describe one or more first link references that represent one or more particular document objects;

identifying one or more first link relationships that the one or more first link references participate in;

presenting one or more first link relationship attributes that describe the identified one or more first link relationships;

identifying one or more second link relationships having the one or more presented first link relationship attributes;

accumulating one or more second link references that participate in the one or more second link relationships; and

grouping the one or more accumulated second link references into sets by first link relationship attributes, wherein each set comprises only those one or more second link references that have been assigned one of the one or more presented first link relationship attributes.

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Abstract

Methods for searching relationships between and among documents are detailed. One method includes steps for selecting one or more initial search items from a group consisting of: (a) document objects, (b) link references to document objects, (c) link reference attributes, and (d) link relationship attributes. The method also includes steps for identifying one or more link relationships using the selected initial search items, and for presenting one or more link relationships attributes describing the identified link relationships. A user interface for presenting and searching relationships between document objects located on a network is also detailed. The user interface may include a first portion of a screen display for displaying one or more link relationship attributes and a second portion of the screen display for displaying one or more entries from a group consisting of: (a) link references that represent the document objects, (b) link relationship attributes describing the link relationships, (c) link reference attributes describing the link references, and (d) document objects. The displayed entries in the second portion of the user interface are related to the displayed one or more link relationship attributes in the first portion.

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38 Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for searching established document object relationships, the method comprising:
- selecting one or more first link reference attributes, wherein the one or more first link reference attributes describe one or more first link references that represent one or more particular document objects;
  
  identifying one or more first link relationships that the one or more first link references participate in;
  
  presenting one or more first link relationship attributes that describe the identified one or more first link relationships;
  
  identifying one or more second link relationships having the one or more presented first link relationship attributes;
  
  accumulating one or more second link references that participate in the one or more second link relationships; and
  
  grouping the one or more accumulated second link references into sets by first link relationship attributes, wherein each set comprises only those one or more second link references that have been assigned one of the one or more presented first link relationship attributes.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
- - 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
    - retrieving one or more link references that participate in one or more of the identified first link relationships; and
      
      displaying the retrieved link references.
  - 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
    - retrieving one or more link reference attributes that describe one or more link references that participate in one or more of the identified first link relationships; and
      
      displaying the retrieved link reference attributes.
  - 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
    - retrieving one or more document objects represented by the one or more link references that participate in one or more of the identified first link relationships; and
      
      displaying the retrieved document objects.
  - 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of selecting one or more user profiles and applying the user profiles to filter the accumulated one or more second link references.
  - 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of selecting a user profile comprises selecting one or more link directories storing link relationships and link references.
  - 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the link references comprise hyperlinks embedded in a document object.
  - 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step comprises:
    - retrieving the one or more first link references; and
      
      locating the one or more first link relationships that the one or more retrieved first link references participate in.
  - 9. The method of claim 8 further comprising displaying the one or more retrieved first link references having the selected one or more first link reference attributes.
  - 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
    - selecting one or more of the one or more presented first link relationship attributes;
      
      retrieving the one or more sets of second link references grouped by the selected one or more first link relationship attributes; and
      
      displaying the retrieved one or more second link references.
  - 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying one or more second link relationships comprises identifying only those one or more second link relationships that include one or more of the one or more first link references.
  - 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:
    - selecting one or more of the retrieved one or more second link references; and
      
      rendering for display the one or more document objects represented by the selected one or more second link references.
  - 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first link reference attributes are the results of a previous search.

14. A computer-implemented method for searching established document object relationships, the method comprising:
- selecting one or more first link relationship attributes, wherein the first link relationship attributes describe one or more first link relationships;
  
  identifying the one or more first link relationships;
  
  retrieving one or more second link relationship attributes, wherein the second link relationship attributes further describe the one or more first link relationships;
  
  presenting the one or more second link relationship attributes;
  
  identifying one or more second link relationships having the one or more presented second link relationship attributes;
  
  accumulating one or more second link references that participate in the one or more second link relationships; and
  
  grouping the one or more accumulated second link references into sets by second link relationship attributes, wherein each set comprises only those one or more second link references that have been assigned one of the one or more presented second link relationship attributes.
- View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
- - 15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
    - retrieving one or more second link reference attributes describing the one or more accumulated second link references; and
      
      displaying the one or more retrieved second link reference attributes.
  - 16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
    - selecting one or more of the one or more presented second link relationship attributes;
      
      retrieving one or more sets of accumulated second link references having the selected one or more second link relationship attributes; and
      
      displaying the retrieved one or more second link references.
  - 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
    - selecting one or more of the retrieved one or more second link references; and
      
      rendering for display the one or more document objects represented by the selected one or more second link references.
  - 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more first link relationship attributes are the results of a previous search.
  - 19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
    - retrieving one or more link references that participate in one or more of the identified first link relationships; and
      
      displaying the retrieved link references.
  - 20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
    - retrieving one or more link reference attributes that describe one or more link references that participate in one or more of the identified first link relationships; and
      
      displaying the retrieved link reference attributes.
  - 21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
    - retrieving one or more document objects represented by the one or more link references that participate in one or more of the identified first link relationships; and
      
      displaying the retrieved document objects.
  - 22. The method of claim 14, further comprising a step of selecting one or more user profiles and applying the user profiles to filter the accumulated one or more second link references.
  - 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of selecting a user profile comprises selecting one or more link directories storing link relationships and link references.
  - 24. The method of claim 14, wherein the link references comprise hyperlinks embedded in a document object.

25. A computer-implemented method for searching established document object relationships, the method comprising:
- selecting one or more first link references, wherein the first link references represent particular document objects;
  
  identifying one or more first link relationships that the selected one or more first link references participate in;
  
  presenting one or more first link relationship attributes that describe the identified one or more first link relationships;
  
  identifying one or more second link relationships having the one or more presented first link relationship attributes;
  
  accumulating one or more second link references that participate in the one or more second link relationships; and
  
  grouping the one or more accumulated second link references into sets by first link relationship attributes, wherein each set comprises only those one or more second link references that have been assigned one of the one or more presented first link relationship attributes.
- View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
- - 26. The method of claim 25 further comprising:
    - selecting one or more of the one or more presented first link relationship attributes;
      
      retrieving one or more sets of accumulated second link references having the selected one or more link relationship attributes; and
      
      displaying the retrieved one or more second link references.
  - 27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:
    - selecting one or more of the retrieved one or more second link references; and
      
      rendering for display the one or more document objects represented by the selected one or more second link references.
  - 28. The method of claim 25, wherein the step of identifying one or more second link relationships comprises identifying only those one or more second link relationships that include one or more of the one or more first link references.
  - 29. The method of claim 25, further comprising retrieving one or more first link reference attributes describing the selected one or more first link references.
  - 30. The method of claim 29 further comprising displaying the one or more retrieved first link reference attributes.
  - 31. The method of claim 25, wherein the selecting step comprises rendering for display the one or more document objects represented by the selected one or more first link references.
  - 32. The method of claim 25, wherein the one or more first link references are the results of a previous search.
  - 33. The method of claim 25, further comprising:
    - retrieving one or more link references that participate in one or more of the identified first link relationships; and
      
      displaying the retrieved link references.
  - 34. The method of claim 25, further comprising:
    - retrieving one or more link reference attributes that describe one or more link references that participate in one or more of the identified first link relationships; and
      
      displaying the retrieved link reference attributes.
  - 35. The method of claim 25, further comprising:
    - retrieving one or more document objects represented by the one or more link references that participate in one or more of the identified first link relationships; and
      
      displaying the retrieved document objects.
  - 36. The method of claim 25, further comprising a step of selecting one or more user profiles and applying the user profiles to filter the accumulated one or more second link references.
  - 37. The method of claim 36, wherein the step of selecting a user profile comprises selecting one or more link directories storing link relationships and link references.
  - 38. The method of claim 25, wherein the link references comprise hyperlinks embedded in a document object.

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Current Assignee
DSS Technology Management, Inc. (Document Security Systems, Inc.)
Original Assignee
Thomas L Bascom
Inventors
Bascom, Thomas Layne
Primary Examiner(s)
ALAM, SHAHID AL

Application Number

US10/118,918
Time in Patent Office

1,728 Days
Field of Search

707/3, 707/5, 707/10, 707/1, 707/103.R, 707/104.R, 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/530, 709/203, 709/205, 709/217, 709/219, 709/236, 709/245, 704/270
US Class Current

1/1
CPC Class Codes

G06F 16/20   of structured data, e.g. re...

G06F 16/40   of multimedia data, e.g. sl...

G06F 16/951   Indexing; Web crawling tech...

G06F 16/9566   URL specific, e.g. using al...

G06F 40/14   Tree-structured documents p...

Y10S 707/99933   Query processing, i.e. sear...

Y10S 707/99944   Object-oriented database st...

Method for searching document objects on a network

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Abstract

106 Citations

38 Claims

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Method for searching document objects on a network

First Claim

3 Assignments

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Litigations

0 Petitions

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Accused Products

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Abstract

106 Citations

38 Claims

Specification

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