System and method for comparing and reviewing documents
A document processing system for accurately and efficiently analyzing documents and methods for making and using same. Each incoming document includes at least one section of textual content and is provided in an electronic form or as a paper-based document that is converted into an electronic form. Since many categories of documents, such as legal and accounting documents, often include one or more common text sections with similar textual content, the document processing system compares the documents to identify and classify the common text sections. The document comparison can be further enhanced by dividing the document into document segments and comparing the document segments; whereas, the conversion of paper-based documents likewise can be improved by comparing the resultant electronic document with a library of standard phrases, sentences, and paragraphs. The document processing system thereby enables an image of the document to be manipulated, as desired, to facilitate its review.
1. A computer program product for facilitating accurate review of a document, the computer program product being encoded on one or more machine-readable storage media and comprising:
instruction for manipulating by a computer a scanned image of the document,
instruction for indicating to a reader portions of the document which have been already reviewed in a previous or master document, and
instruction for manipulating the image of the document while preserving its fidelity,
wherein said instruction for manipulating the image includes instruction for highlighting or de-emphasizing portions of the image such that a colored or textured background is disposed behind the image in three-dimensional space.
2. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the portions of the document which have been already reviewed include text, one or more diagrams, or one or more pictures.
3. The computer program product of claim 2 , further comprising instruction for storing the previous or master document in a master library.
4. The computer program product of claim 3 , wherein the master library includes approved variations text.
5. The computer program product of claim 4 , wherein the portions of the document which have been already reviewed include text that corresponds to a predetermined category.
6. The computer program product of claim 5 , wherein the categories include risky, benign or expected.
7. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein said instruction for highlighting or de-emphasizing portions of the image includes instruction for greying-out portions of the image by reducing the contrast on those portions.
8. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein said instruction for highlighting or de-emphasizing portions of the image includes instruction for changing or enhancing the colors of the non-blank portions of the image.
9. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein said instruction for highlighting or de-emphasizing portions of the image includes instruction for moving portions of the image forward or backward in three-dimensional space.
10. A computer program product for facilitating accurate review of a document, the computer program product being encoded on one or more machine-readable storage media and comprising:
instruction for manipulating by a computer a scanned image of the document,
instruction for indicating to a reader portions of the document which have been already reviewed in a previous or master document, wherein the document comprises two or more documents,
instruction for indicating to the reader the similarities and/or differences between the two or more documents, and
instruction for re-ordering of the two or more documents by moving documents which have a large set of same or similar changes together so as to facilitate their review consecutively allowing more text, diagrams, and photos to be marked as the same.
11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein said instruction for manipulating the image includes instruction for highlighting or de-emphasizing portions of the image.
12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein said instruction for highlighting or de-emphasizing portions of the image includes instruction for laying a colored and/or textured background behind the portions of the image.
13. The computer program product of claim 10 , further comprising instruction for graying-out portions of the two or more documents which match each other or master documents.
14. The computer program product of claim 10 , further comprising instruction for highlighting unexpected or key differences between the two or more documents.
15. The computer program product of claim 10 , further comprising instruction for hyperlinking corresponding sections of the two or more documents to each other.
16. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein said instruction for hyperlinking includes enabling quick call up of similar or different paragraphs or sentences or phases of the two or more documents.