IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,481,824
Granted Patent B2
US 12,481,824 · App. 17/657,191 · Granted Nov 25, 2025

Content association in file editing

Inventors: Melita Saville (Winchester, GB); Timothy Andrew Moran (Southampton, GB); Clive Harris (Nr. Alersford, GB); Caroline Sarah Courtenay McNamara (Hants, GB); Natasha Katherine Mckenzie-Kelly (Salisbury, GB); Abigail Rose Bettle-Shaffer (Andover, GB)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
G06F40/194G06F40/103G06F40/197G06F40/205
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,481,824
App. No.
17/657,191
Granted
Nov 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Computer technology for content association in file editing. The method includes providing one or more files including a first element currently being edited and including at least one other element of a different format to the first element. The method analyzes changes to the first element to obtain information relating to the changes and analyzing the contents of at least one other element. The method identifies any of the other elements that are correlated elements to the first element by determining an association between the contents of the other element and the changes of the first element and instigates a corresponding change to the contents of any correlated elements.

Claims (42)

1 . A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing a set of files including one or more files, with the set of files including a first element currently being edited and including second elements, with the first element being an alphanumeric text based element and the second elements being audiovisual elements;

establishing content of the first element and the second elements by analyzing the first element and the second elements using natural language understanding and parsing resultant text;

receiving a change to the first element, wherein the change to the first element comprises a change of text included in the first element;

analyzing the change to the first element using a model that classifies the change to the first element and generates keywords;

identifying a respective one of the second elements by determining a correlation between the change to the first element and the respective one of the second elements using the keywords, and a modification required to the respective one of the second elements to be consistent with a substance of the change to the first element; and

responsive to the identification of the modification, saving a version of the set of files that incorporates the change to the first element and the modification to the respective one of the second elements,

wherein the providing, the establishing, the receiving, the analyzing, the identifying, and the saving are performed by a file editing tool on a computing system.

2 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the model analyzes and classifies the change to the first element using semantic analysis and natural language classification.

3 . The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the semantic analysis and natural language classification include:

keyword extraction;

establishing relationships between objects;

parsing for lexical elements including verbs, nouns, sentences, paragraphs, and headings;

establishing subject-verb-object relationships;

establishing sequences;

associating significance with predefined words;

establishing a domain of information based on relationship between objects in input; and

identifying significant typography in the domain.

4 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising issuing an alert to a user that the respective one of the second elements is correlated with the first element.

5 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically making the modification to the respective one of the second elements.

6 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a scope of a search for the identifying the respective one of the second elements in the set of files is customizable as a file in the set of files that is open for editing and contains the first element.

7 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a scope of a search for the identifying the respective one of the second elements in the set of files is customizable as a collection of files in the set of files.

8 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a scope of a search for the identifying the respective one of the second elements in the set of files is customizable as one of (i) a file in the set of files that is open for editing and contains the first element or (ii) a collection of files in the set of files.

9 . The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein:

the file editing tool comprises a customizable setting that defines a scope of a search for the identifying the respective one of the second elements in the set of files, and

the file editing tool comprises a proximity component for defining a proximity to the first element in which the respective one of the second elements is located.

10 . A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing a set of files including one or more files, with the set of files including a first element currently being edited and including second elements, with the first element being an alphanumeric text based element and the second elements being still image elements;

establishing content of the second elements by analyzing the second elements using optical character recognition and parsing resultant text;

receiving a change to the first element, wherein the change to the first element comprises a change of text included in the first element;

analyzing the change to the first element using a model that classifies the change to the first element and generates keywords;

identifying a respective one of the second elements by determining a correlation between the change to the first element and the respective one of the second elements using the keywords, and a modification required to the respective one of the second elements to be consistent with a substance of the change to the first element; and

responsive to the identification of the modification, saving a version of the set of files that incorporates the change to the first element and the modification to the respective one of the second elements,

wherein the providing, the establishing, the receiving, the analyzing, the identifying, and the saving are performed by a file editing tool on a computing system.

11 . A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing a set of files including one or more files, with the set of files including a first element currently being edited and including second elements, with the first element being an alphanumeric text based element and the second elements being audio elements;

establishing content of the second elements by analyzing the second elements using voice recognition and parsing resultant text;

receiving a change to the first element, wherein the change to the first element comprises a change of text included in the first element;

analyzing the change to the first element using a model that classifies the change to the first element and generates keywords;

identifying a respective one of the second elements by determining a correlation between the change to the first element and the respective one of the second elements using the keywords, and a modification required to the respective one of the second elements to be consistent with a substance of the change to the first element; and

responsive to the identification of the modification, saving a version of the set of files that incorporates the change to the first element and the modification to the respective one of the second elements,

wherein the providing, the establishing, the receiving, the analyzing, the identifying, and the saving are performed by a file editing tool on a computing system.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 30, 2022
From: SAVILLE, MELITA; MORAN, TIMOTHY ANDREW; HARRIS, CLIVE; MCNAMARA, CAROLINE SARAH COURTENAY; MCKENZIE-KELLY, NATASHA KATHERINE; BETTLE-SHAFFER, ABIGAIL ROSE
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 059442/0464 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230315980A1 · Oct 5, 2023
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