Extensible database framework for management of unstructured and semi-structured documents

US6968338B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration · US

Inventors

• Yuri O. Gawdiak · Silver Spring, US
• Tracy T. La · Sunnyvale, US
• Shu-Chun Lin · Fremont, US
• David A. Maluf · Mountain View, US
• Khai Peter B. Tran · Alameda, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 29, 2002
• Grant date: Nov 22, 2005
• Expiry date: Jul 18, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S707/99939
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Method and system for querying a collection of Unstructured or semi-structured documents to identify presence of, and provide context and/or content for, keywords and/or keyphrases. The documents are analyzed and assigned a node structure, including an ordered sequence of mutually exclusive node segments or strings. Each node has an associated set of at least four, five or six attributes with node information and can represent a format marker or text, with the last node in any node segment usually being a text node. A keyword (or keyphrase) is specified, and the last node in each node segment is searched for a match with the keyword. When a match is found at a query node, or at a node determined with reference to a query node, the system displays the context and/or the content of the query node.