Patent ID: 6311198
Filing Date: 2001-10-30
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for threading n chronologically ordered documents, said method comprising the steps of:(1) calculating a similarity only between pairs of said n documents which satisfy a time constraint, said time constraint being that the documents of a pair are chronologically separated from each other by no more than a predetermined extent;(2) creating a similarity matrix from said calculated similarities; and(3) converting said similarity matrix into an adjacency matrix for identifying a relationship existing among said n documents,whereby a set V of said n chronologically ordered documents is represented asV={d.sub.1, d.sub.2, . . . , d.sub.n },a set A consisting of pairs of said n documents being represented asA={(d.sub.i, d.sub.j).vertline.d.sub.i.epsilon.V, d.sub.j.epsilon.V, i<j}, andsaid time constraint being represented as.A-inverted.(d.sub.i, d.sub.j).epsilon.A, j-(k+1)<i<j,where k is a constant.