Document quotation indexing system and method

A computerized method of identifying an item of text in a source document quoted in a quoting document, the method comprising:

• a) opening the quoting document that is stored on a tangible, non-transitory computer readable memory in a computer program operating on a computer;
• b) searching, using the computer program operating on the computer, the quoting document for a quotation and identifying the item of text as the quotation;
• c) determining the source document from text near the quotation in the quoting document;
• d) opening the source document on the computer;
• e) automatically locating the item of quoted text in the source document using the computer;
• f) storing, on a tangible, non-transitory computer readable memory, information in a data construct associated with the source document indicating the fact that the item of quoted text within the source document has been quoted by the quoting document as well as the location of the item of quoted text within the source document;
• g) when displaying the source document through a computer interface, recalling the stored location of the item of quoted text and highlighting the item of quoted text as different than other portions of the source document, wherein a technique for the highlighting is selected from a set comprising changing a color of a font for displayed text, creating a different colored background for displayed text, and otherwise visually emphasizing the importance of displayed text;
• h) receiving, through the computer interface, a user selection of one of the items of quoted text in the source document;
• and
• i) displaying, through the user interface, a list of quoting documents that quote the selected item of quoted text.

A computerized system for storing information about quotations comprising:

• a) a plurality of electronically stored text documents stored on a tangible, computer readable medium, including a source document that contains an item of text and a first quoting document that quotes the item of text as a quotation originating from the source document;
• b) a computer-readable memory storing a data record, the data record being associated with the source document, the data record storing:
• i) the fact that the item of quoted text has been quoted by the quoting document,
• ii) the location of the quoted text within the source document,
• iii) a first quotation identifier for uniquely identifying the item of quoted text in the source document, and
• iv) a first document identifier uniquely identifying the first quoting document;
• and
• c) a processor programmed to:
• i) recall the data record associated with the source document when displaying the source document without accessing the quoting document,
• ii) highlight the item of quoted text during the display of the source document through a computerized interface, wherein a technique for the highlight is selected from a set comprising changing a color of a font for displayed text, creating a different colored background for displayed text, and otherwise visually emphasizing the importance of displayed text;
• iii) receive a user selection of the item of quoted text;
• and
• iv) display a list of quoting documents that quote the selected item of quoted text.

A computerized method of searching documents comprising:

• a) identifying in a source document, using a computer system, at least one quoted text portion quoted by a quoting document, leaving a non-quoted text portion that was not quoted by any quoting document, wherein the quoting document indicates that the source document is the source of the quote;
• b) storing, on a tangible, non-transitory computer readable memory, information in a data construct independent from the quoting document indicating the fact that the quoted text portion has been quoted by the quoting document as well as the location of the quoted text portion within the source document;
• c) searching, using the computer system, a plurality of documents stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer readable memory, including the source document, in response to a search query;
• and
• d) sorting, using the computer system, the results of the searching step based in part on the information stored in the data construct indicating the fact that the quoted text portion has been quoted by the quoting document, wherein the sorting step further comprises
• i) counting the number of quoted text portions identified within the source document, and
• ii) using the count to sort the results of the searching step;
• e) displaying the source document through a computer interface while highlighting the quoted text portion, wherein a technique for the highlighting is selected from a set comprising changing a color of a font for displayed text, creating a different colored background for displayed text, and otherwise visually emphasizing the importance of displayed text;
• f) receiving, through the computer interface, a user selection of the quoted text portion;
• and
• g) displaying, through the computer interface, the quoting document in a list of quoting documents that quote the selected quoted text portion.

A computerized method comprising:

• a) first, on a computerized system operating under the direction of computer software, opening a source document;
• b) second, on the computerized system, retrieving from a non-transitory, computer-readable memory a data construct for that source document, the data construct selected from a plurality of data constructs based on the opened source document, the data construct further indicating
• i) the fact that a first quoted text portion in the source document has been quoted by a first quoting document,
• ii) the fact that a second quoted text portion has been quoted by the second quoting document, and
• iii) the location of the first and second quoted text portions within the source document;
• and
• c) third, using the data construct on the computerized system to:
• i) identify in the source document the first quoted text portion and the second quoted text portion;
• ii) identify the first quoting document for the first quoted text portion, and the second quoting document for the second quoted text portion, wherein the first and second quoting documents are different documents each stored on a tangible, non-transitory computer readable memory;
• iii) display the source document while highlighting the quoted text portions, wherein a technique for the highlighting is selected from a set comprising changing a color of a font for displayed text, creating a different colored background for displayed text, and otherwise visually emphasizing the importance of displayed text;
• and
• iv) receive a user selection of one of the quoted text portions and then display a list of quoting documents that quote the selected quoted text portion.