Method and apparatus for synchronizing, displaying and manipulating text and image documents

Claims

We claim:

1. A computer controlled display system including at least one central processing unit (CPU), said CPU coupled to a display for displaying a patent document and a patent image on said display, comprising:

(1) storage means coupled to said CPU for storing at least one patent document comprised of an equivalent text file, and at least one patent image document comprised of a patent image file, said equivalent text file including linking information that links at least one portion of said equivalent text file to at least one portion of said patent image file, said equivalent text file also including equivalency information detailing an equivalency relationship between said patent image file and a corresponding patent text file, said equivalency information comprising at least one of

(A) special character information specifying at least one mapping of a group of characters in said patent text file to a special character in said patent image file, and

(B) graphical item location information specifying locations in said patent image file of graphical items referred to in said patent text file, said graphical items including any combination of figures, figure elements, equations, non-text tables, structures and diagrams,

said patent image file being a data file having stored therein one or more image pages from a patent, each of said image pages being an electronic image of a page of said patent or a page of a document related to said patent, wherein said image pages are stored in a compressed format, said patent text file being a data file having stored therein ASCII text data representing at least a portion of textual data in said patent, including patent bibliography information and patent text paragraphs; and

(2) a user interface generated by said CPU for display by display means, said user interface selectively displaying said equivalent text file and said patent image file on said display, such that said equivalent text file is displayed in a first window and said patent image file is displayed in a second window and both of said windows may be selectively viewed simultaneously on said display.

2. The display system as defined by claim 1 wherein said first window is an equivalent text window, and said second window is an image window.

3. The display system as defined by claim 2 further including text toolbox means coupled to said CPU and to said user interface for providing a first plurality of functions for operating on said equivalent text file of said patent document.

4. The display system as defined by claim 3 further including image toolbox means coupled to said CPU and to said user interface for providing a second plurality of functions for operating on said patent image file in said image window.

5. The display system as defined by claim 4 further including synchronization means coupled to said CPU for selectively viewing said equivalent text file of said patent document and said patent image file in a synchronized display.

6. The display system as defined by claim 5 wherein said storage means stores multiple equivalent text files and multiple patent image files.

7. The display system as defined by claim 6 wherein a user may define a case including a plurality of said multiple equivalent text files and corresponding multiple patent image files.

8. The display system as defined by claim 6 wherein upon selection by said user, said user interface displays multiple equivalent text files in multiple equivalent text windows simultaneously on said display.

9. The display system as defined by claim 8 wherein upon selection by said user, said user interface selectively displays multiple patent image files in multiple image windows simultaneously, on said display.

10. The display system as defined by claim 5 wherein said synchronization means includes column information to synchronize said equivalent text file to said patent image file.

11. The display system as defined by claim 10 wherein said equivalent text window includes column increment/decrement means for selectively incrementing and decrementing columns of said equivalent text file displayed on said display.

12. The display system as defined by claim 11 wherein said user interface display a Patent Text Toolbox window, said Patent Text Toolbox window including:

highlight selection means for selecting one of a plurality of highlight colors;

patent section navigation means for selecting a section of said equivalent text file, said selection of said section resulting in said CPU displaying said section of said equivalent text file in said equivalent text window.

13. The display system as defined by claim 4 wherein said image toolbox means includes a rotation function for rotating said patent image file displayed in said image window.

14. The display system as defined by claim 13 wherein said image toolbox means include a select element number function or displaying a portion of an equivalent text file associated with a select element number.

15. The display system as defined by claim 14 wherein said select element number function includes activating an icon for displaying an select element number window, inputting said select element number, activating a find-in-text icon and displaying said portion of said equivalent text file beginning at a first occurrence of said select element number.

16. The display system as defined by claim 4 further including image enlargement means for enlarging a portion of said patent image file displayed in said image window.

17. The display system as defined by claim 16 wherein said image enlargement means include outlining a box around a portion of said patent image file displayed in said image window, enlarging said portion of said patent image file disposed within said box, and displaying said enlarged image of said portion of said patent image file in said image window.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said equivalency information comprises at least one of elements (1)(A), (1)(B), and (C) bibliographic formatting information specifying an approximate arrangement of bibliographic data contained in said patent text file as displayed in bibliographic page images in said patent image file.

19. A display method for displaying a patent document and a patent image, comprising the steps of:

(1) storing at least one patent document comprised of an equivalent text file, and at least one patent image document comprised of a patent image file, said equivalent text file including linking information that links at least one portion of said equivalent text file to at least one portion of said patent image file, said equivalent text file also including equivalency information detailing an equivalency relationship between said patent image file and a corresponding patent text file, said equivalency information comprising at least one of

(A) special character information specifying at least one mapping of a group of characters in said patent text file to a special character in said patent image file, and

(B) graphical item location information specifying locations in said patent image file of graphical items referred to in said patent text file, said graphical items including any combination of figures, figure elements, equations, non-text tables, structures and diagrams,

said patent image file being a data file having stored therein one or more image pages from a patent, each of said image pages being an electronic image of a page of said patent or a page of a document related to said patent, wherein said image pages are stored in a compressed format, said patent text file being a data file having stored therein ASCII text data representing at least a portion of textual data in said patent, including patent bibliography information and patent text paragraphs;

(2) generating a user interlace for display on a display; and

(3) selectively displaying said equivalent text file and said patent image file on said display, such that said equivalent text file is displayed in a first window and said patent image file is displayed in a second window and both of said windows may be selectively viewed simultaneously on said display.

20. The display method as defined by claim 19 wherein said first window is an equivalent text window, and said second window is an image window.

21. The display method as defined by claim 20 further including the step of providing a first plurality of functions for operating on said equivalent text file of said patent document.

22. The display method as defined by claim 21 further including the step of providing a second plurality of functions for operating on said patent image file in said image window using image toolbox means.

23. The display method as defined by claim 22 further including the step of synchronizing and selectively viewing said equivalent text file of said patent document and said patent image file in a synchronized display, such that said equivalent text file is synchronized to said patent image file.

24. The display method as defined by claim 23 wherein multiple equivalent text files and multiple patent image files are stored.

25. The display method as defined by claim 24 wherein a user may define case including a plurality of said multiple equivalent text files and corresponding multiple patent image files.

26. The display method as defined by claim 24 wherein upon selection by said user, said user interface displays multiple equivalent text files in multiple equivalent text windows simultaneously on said display.

27. The display method as defined by claim 26 wherein upon selection by said user, said user interface selectively displays multiple patent image files in multiple image windows simultaneously on said display.

28. The display method as defined by claim 23 wherein said synchronizing step provides column information to synchronize said equivalent text file to said patent image file.

29. The display method as defined by claim 28 further including the step of selectively incrementing and decrementing columns of said equivalent text file display on said display.

30. The display method as defined by claim 29 further including the step of said user interface displaying a Patent Text Toolbox window, said Patent Text Toolbox window including:

highlight selection means for selecting one of a plurality of highlight colors;

patent section navigation means for selecting a section of said equivalent text file, said selection of said section resulting in said CPU displaying said section of said equivalent text file in said equivalent text window.

31. The display metho