Method and Apparatus for Enhancing Electronic Reading by Identifying Relationships Between Sections of Electronic Text

US 20090248683A1
Filed: 04/13/2009
Published: 10/01/2009
Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1997
Status: Active Grant

First Claim

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1. A method for using a computer system, in response to a reader'"'"'s request for display of electronic text, to automatically identify and provide additional reading material related to concepts referred to within said electronic text comprising, in sequence, the steps of:

a) on a server system, via a network, accepting a request for electronic text from a client system;

b) using at least one text section of said electronic text to formulate a search request for additional reading material related to at least one concept in said electronic text section, wherein said search request includes at least one term that was not provided to said server system by said client system; and

c) via a network, along with said electronic text, providing instructions to said client system that when executed, cause said search request to be transmitted via a computer network, resulting in identification of related material, and provision to said client system of an indicator of said related material to be presented on the same page as the requested electronic text.

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Abstract

An apparatus, method and article of manufacture of the present invention detects the presence of references to the same concept in separate sections of text, and, with no input required from the reader, presents the reader with information concerning the detected references to the concept. The information provided may comprise information related to the location of the reference to the concept in other sections of text, and the reader also is provided the ability to move from one reference to a concept directly to another reference to the same concept.

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30 Claims

1. A method for using a computer system, in response to a reader'"'"'s request for display of electronic text, to automatically identify and provide additional reading material related to concepts referred to within said electronic text comprising, in sequence, the steps of:
- a) on a server system, via a network, accepting a request for electronic text from a client system;
  
  b) using at least one text section of said electronic text to formulate a search request for additional reading material related to at least one concept in said electronic text section, wherein said search request includes at least one term that was not provided to said server system by said client system; and
  
  c) via a network, along with said electronic text, providing instructions to said client system that when executed, cause said search request to be transmitted via a computer network, resulting in identification of related material, and provision to said client system of an indicator of said related material to be presented on the same page as the requested electronic text.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
- - 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request of step 1a is signaled by a user of the client system by selecting a link on a web page.
  - 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request of step 1a is signaled by a user of the client system by typing information into said client system.
  - 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request of step 1a is signaled by a user of the client system by initiating an internet search.
  - 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request of step 1a is in the form of a hypertext transfer protocol.
  - 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the search request of step 1b is formulated on said server system.
  - 7. The method of claim 1, wherein:
    - a) at least a portion of said text section of step 1b is provided via a network from said server system to an additional computer system;
      
      b) the search request of step 1b is formulated on said additional computer system; and
      
      c) information sufficient to initiate said search request of step 1b is provided via a network to said server system by said additional computer system.
  - 8. The method of claim 1, wherein said search request of step 1b is formulated by a method that comprises analyzing said text section for the presence of the combination of certain words in a specific order and within a specified proximity of one another.
  - 9. The method of claim 1, wherein said search request of step 1b is formulated by a method that comprises analyzing the frequency with which at least one word appears in said text section relative to at least one other word.
  - 10. The method of claim 1, wherein said search request of step 1b is formulated by a method that comprises analyzing said text section for citation of references.
  - 11. The method of claim 1, wherein said search request of step 1b is formulated by a method that comprises analyzing said text section for embedded commands.
  - 12. The method of claim 1, wherein said search request of step 1b comprises at least one term that is contained in a list of potential search terms.
  - 13. The method of claim 1, wherein said search request of step 1b comprises a synonym of at least one word in said text section of step 1b.
  - 14. The method of claim 1, wherein said search request of step 1b comprises additional information from said client computer.
  - 15. The method of claim 1, wherein said additional reading material of step 1c is identified by searching an index, wherein:
    - a) said index contains a plurality of terms by which it may be searched;
      
      b) substantially all terms in said index are associated with at least one pointer to a text section; and
      
      c) at least one term in said index is associated with a plurality of pointers, at least two of said plurality of pointers pointing to different text sections.
  - 16. The method of claim 1, wherein said additional reading material of step 1c is related to said section of text of step 1b by discussion of identical concepts.
  - 17. The method of claim 1, wherein said additional reading material of step 1c is related to said section of text of step 1b by discussion of concepts that are related to one another.
  - 18. The method of claim 17, wherein two said concepts are considered related to one another when both are related to a third concept.
  - 19. The method of claim 17, wherein said concepts are considered related to one another when one is included within the other.
  - 20. The method of claim 15, wherein said index is generated by a computer system.
  - 21. The method of claim 15, wherein said index is a component of a search engine.
  - 22. The method of claim 1, wherein said instructions of step 1c cause said display to occur in a browser window on said client system.
  - 24. The method of claim 1, wherein said indicator of additional reading material of step 1c comprises at least one link to a source of said additional reading material.
  - 25. The method of claim 1, wherein said indicator of additional reading material of step 1c comprises an excerpt of said additional reading material.
  - 26. A method for using a computer system, in response to a reader'"'"'s request for display of electronic text, to automatically identify and provide additional reading material related to concepts referred to within said electronic text, comprising providing computer instructions to the operator of a server system, via a network, that when executed, implement the method of claim 1.
  - 27. The method of claim 26, wherein an additional computer system is provided that formulates said search request of step 1b.
  - 28. The method of claim 26, wherein an additional computer system is provided that identifies said additional reading material of step 1c.
  - 29. The method of claim 26, wherein an additional computer system is provided that searches an index to identify said additional reading material of step 1c, wherein:
    - a) said index contains a plurality of terms by which it may be searched;
      
      b) substantially all terms in said index are associated with at least one pointer to a text section; and
      
      c) at least one term in said index is associated with a plurality of pointers, at least two of said plurality of pointers pointing to different text sections.

30. A computer system encoded with at least one computer program that, in response to a reader'"'"'s request for display of electronic text, automatically identifies and provides additional reading material related to concepts referred to within said electronic text comprising:
- a) means for, on a server system, via a network, accepting a request for electronic text from a client system;
  
  b) means for, using at least one text section of said electronic text to formulate a search request for additional reading material related to at least one concept in said electronic text section, wherein said search request includes at least one term that was not provided to said server system by said client system; and
  
  c) means for, via a network, along with said electronic text, providing instructions to said client system that when executed, cause said search request to be transmitted via a computer network, resulting in identification of related material, and provision to said client system of an indicator of said related material to be presented on the same page as the requested electronic text.

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Current Assignee
Red River Innovations LLC
Original Assignee
Philip R. Krause
Inventors
Krause, Philip R.

Granted Patent

US 7,958,138 B2
Time in Patent Office

Days
Field of Search
US Class Current

1/1
CPC Class Codes

G06F 3/0219   Special purpose keyboards

G06F 3/0485   Scrolling or panning

G06F 40/166   Editing, e.g. inserting or ...

G09B 17/04   for increasing the rate of ...

Y10S 707/99931   Database or file accessing

Y10S 707/99932   Access augmentation or opti...

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

Y10S 707/99934   Query formulation, input pr...

Y10S 707/99935   Query augmenting and refini...

Y10S 707/99936   Pattern matching access

Y10S 707/99943   Generating database or data...

Method and Apparatus for Enhancing Electronic Reading by Identifying Relationships Between Sections of Electronic Text

First Claim

1 Assignment

0 Petitions

Accused Products

Abstract

16 Citations

30 Claims

Specification

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Method and Apparatus for Enhancing Electronic Reading by Identifying Relationships Between Sections of Electronic Text

First Claim

1 Assignment

Subscription Required

Subscription Required

0 Petitions

Subscription Required

Accused Products

Subscription Required

Abstract

16 Citations

30 Claims

Specification

Subscription Required

Solutions

Use Cases

Quick Links