Context Sensitive Searching Front End
A context sensitive searching front-end is disclosed for use in a deposition or trial proceeding wherein a computer aided transcription terminal provides real-time transcribed text down-line to attorney terminals. The terminals may thereafter use the transcribed text and any other text currently being displayed to formulate searches with little or no typing interaction required. Other text which may be used as a basis for searching includes communications from other attorney terminals, from artificial intelligence objection messages, and personal notes. Searching may be conducted on natural language or boolean front-ends which provide virtually instant feed-back as to the value of a search formulation before and after any “searching” actually occurs. Graphing of search results, including individual search word contribution, is provided for modification and selection of the documents to be reviewed. Library selection for searching is provided by analyzing the context from which the search originated, and from the actual words selected for searching. A database structure is also disclosed for providing backward referencing into the actual locations of search words without having to search the text files.
1 - 4 . (canceled)
5 . A method for searching for information contained in at least one database based upon input received from a user via an electronic device, the method comprising:
receiving a search request, the search request including at least one search word;
performing a spell check operation on the at least one search word;
determining at least one suggested search word substitute based upon the spell check operation; and
presenting the at least one suggested search word substitute to the user.
6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
receiving a selection of an alternate search word from the at least one suggested search word substitute;
performing a database search of the at least one database using the alternate search word to produce search results; and
presenting the search results to the user.
7 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
performing a database search of the at least one database using the at least one search word to produce initial search results; and
presenting the initial search results to the user concurrently with presenting the at least one suggested search word substitute.
8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein performing the database search of the at least one database using the alternate search word comprises:
for each database searched, accessing a database indexing system corresponding to the database using the alternate search word; and
producing, based upon the database indexing system access, a plurality of database references as the search results.
9 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising providing an indication to the user of an approximate number of search results produced.
10 . The method of claim 6 , wherein performing the database search of the at least one database using the alternate search word includes searching at least one local database and at least one remote database.
11 . An electronic device for use by a user to search at least one database, the electronic device comprising:
one or more processing circuit, that:
receives a search request via at least one user interface of the electronic device, the search request including at least one search word;
forwards the at least one search word to another electronic device via a communication interface of the electronic device;
receives at least one suggested search word substitute from the another electronic device via the communication interface; and
presents the at least one suggested search word substitute via the at least one user interface.
12 . The electronic device of claim 11 , the one or more processing circuit further:
receives an alternate search word selection via the at least one user interface, the alternate search word selection from the at least one suggested search word substitute;
forwards the alternate search word selection to the another electronic device via the communication interface;
receives alternate search results from the another electronic device via the communication interface; and
presents the alternate search results via the at least one user interface.
13 . The electronic device of claim 11 , the one or more processing circuit further:
receives search results based upon the at least one search word; and
presents search results via the at least one user interface while presenting the at least one suggested search word substitute.
14 . The electronic device of claim 11 , the one or more processing circuit further provides an indication via the at least one user interface of an approximate number of search results produced.
15 . A method for searching for information contained in at least one database based upon input received from a user via an electronic device, the method comprising:
receiving a search request, the search request including at least one search word;
performing a thesaurus search operation on the at least one search word;
determining at least one suggested search word substitute based upon the thesaurus search operation; and
presenting the at least one suggested search word substitute to the user.
16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
receiving a selection of an alternate search word from the at least one suggested search word substitute;
performing a database search of the at least one database using the alternate search word to produce search results; and
presenting the search results to the user.
17 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
performing a database search of the at least one database using the at least one search word to produce initial search results; and
presenting the initial search results to the user concurrently with presenting the at least one suggested search word substitute.
18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein performing the database search of the at least one database using the alternate search word comprises:
for each database searched, accessing a database indexing system corresponding to the database using the at least one alternate search word; and
producing, based upon the database indexing system access, a plurality of database references as the search results.
19 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising providing an indication to the user of an approximate number of search results produced.
20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein performing the database search of the at least one database using the alternate search word includes searching at least one local database and at least one remote database.
21 . A electronic device for use by a user to search at least one database, the electronic device comprising
one or more processing circuit, that:
receives a search request via at least one user interface of the electronic device, the search request including at least one search word;
performs a spell check operation on the at least one search word;
determines at least one suggested search word substitute based upon the spell check operation; and
presents the at least one suggested search word substitute to the user via the at least one user interface.
22 . The electronic device of claim 21 , the one or more processing circuit further:
receives a selection of an alternate search word from the at least one suggested alternate search word via the at least one user interface;
forwards the at least one alternate search word to another electronic device via a communication interface of the electronic device;
receives search results based upon the at least one alternate search word from the another electronic device via the communication interface; and
presents the search results via the at least one user interface.
23 . The electronic device of claim 21 , the one or more processing circuit further:
forwards the at least one search word to another electronic device via the communication interface;
receives initial search results based upon the at least one search word from the another electronic device via the communication interface; and
presents the initial search results along with the at least one suggested search word substitute to the user via the at least one user interface.
24 . The electronic device of claim 21 , the one or more processing circuit further:
receives search results based upon the at least one search word; and
presents search results to the user via the at least one user interface while presenting the at least one suggested search word substitute.
25 . A method for searching for information contained in at least one database based upon input received from a user via an electronic device, the method comprising:
receiving a search request, the search request including at least one search word;
performing a conjugate search operation on the at least one search word;
determining at least one suggested search word substitute based upon the conjugate search operation; and
presenting the at least one suggested search word substitute to the user.
26 . The method of claim 25 , further comprising:
receiving a selection of an alternate search word from the at least one suggested search word substitute;
performing a database search of the at least one database using the alternate search word to produce search results; and
presenting the search results to the user.
27 . The method of claim 25 , further comprising:
performing a database search of the at least one database using the at least one search word to produce initial search results; and
presenting the initial search results to the user concurrently with presenting the at least one suggested search word substitute.
28 . The method of claim 26 , wherein performing the database search of the at least one database using the alternate search word comprises:
for each database searched, accessing a database indexing system corresponding to the database using the at least one alternate search word; and
producing, based upon the database indexing system access, a plurality of database references as the search results.
29 . The method of claim 26 , wherein performing the database search of the at least one database using the alternate search word includes searching at least one local database and at least one remote database.