Abstract:
The present inventor devised, among other things, a citation formatting system, method, and software. The exemplary system provides the citation formatting function in a client-server architecture, receiving citations from a user&#39;s client access device over a computer network and communicating citation format suggestions back to the client access device for possible insertion into a document on the access device.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 60/842,058, which was filed on Sep. 1, 2006, and which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     COPYRIGHT NOTICE AND PERMISSION  
       [0002]     One or more portions of this patent document contain material subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever. The following notice applies to this document: Copyright©2005, Thomson Global Resources.  
       TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0003]     Various embodiments of the present invention concern document-processing applications, particularly those tailored to assist in the authoring and production of legal documents.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0004]     The American legal system relies heavily on both written laws (statutes) and judicial opinions that apply these laws to resolve particular legal disputes. In resolving these disputes, lawyers arguing for their clients produce written documents, such as motions, briefs, and so forth arguing for their clients. These written documents commonly cite, or reference, relevant opinions, statutes, and scholarly articles, collectively known as legal authority, supporting the arguments they make.  
         [0005]     The courts that receive these documents generally require that the legal authority be cited using very specific formatting rules or citation standards. One common set of citation standards is A Uniform of System of Citation, widely known as the Bluebook. Many U.S. law schools have now standardized on the ALWD Citation Manual, published by Aspen Law &amp; Business. The complexity of the rules is fairly high and it is generally a time-consuming task not only to initially format the cites according to the standards, but also to verify compliance with the standards during proofing of the document prior to filing with a court. Moreover, various courts or jurisdictions have their own specific rules, which means that lawyers frequently need to be familiar with more than one set.  
         [0006]     In recent years, computer tools have emerged to save some time in the citation process. For example, a software application, called “Shepard&#39;s StyleCheck™” marketed by Reed Elsevier plc, checks word processing documents for Bluebook stylistic errors. The program, which operates as a separate stand-alone application on a desktop or laptop computer, receives a word-processing document as input and automatically generates a written report that lists potential errors in the citation formats found in the document. Users manually review the report and edit the legal document to correct any citation errors. Another stand-alone program, “CiteIt™” by Sidebar Software, Inc., allows users to capture excerpts of case law during online research into a notes file and stores these excerpts in combination with various full and short citation formats. A user can then select the excerpts and the appropriate citation form for insertion into a word-processing document.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0007]     To address this and/or other needs, the present inventor devised, among other things, a citation formatting system, method, and software. The exemplary system includes a citation finder module and a cite formatter module. The finder module “plugs into” a document-processing application, such as a word processor and finds one or more citations within an active document, and sends them via a network communications link, such an the Internet, to the citation formatter. The citation formatter receives the found citations, formats them according to a selected citation format, and returns the formatted citations to the document-processing application for selective insertion into the document. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary online document processing and information-retrieval system  100  corresponding to one or more embodiments of the present invention.  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart of an exemplary method of operating system  100  and thus corresponds to one or more embodiments of the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a facsimile of a graphical user interface  300  which may be incorporated into system  100  and which corresponds to one or more embodiments of the invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a facsimile of a graphical user interface  400  which may be incorporated into system  100  and which corresponds to one or more embodiments of the invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a facsimile of a graphical user interface  500  which may be incorporated into system  100  and which corresponds to one or more embodiments of the invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is a facsimile of a graphical user interface  600  which may be incorporated into system  100  and which corresponds to one or more embodiments of the invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 7  is a facsimile of a graphical user interface  700  which may be incorporated into system  100  and which corresponds to one or more embodiments of the invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 8  is a facsimile of a graphical user interface  800  which may be incorporated into system  100  and which corresponds to one or more embodiments of the invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 9  is a facsimile of a graphical user interface  900  which may be incorporated into system  100  and which corresponds to one or more embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
       [0017]     This description, which references and incorporates the above-identified Figures, describes one or more specific embodiments of an invention. These embodiments, offered not to limit but only to exemplify and teach the invention, are shown and described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to implement or practice the invention. Thus, where appropriate to avoid obscuring the invention, the description may omit certain information known to those of skill in the art.  
         [0018]     Exemplary Document-Processing and Information-Retrieval System  
         [0019]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary document-processing and information-retrieval system  100 , which may be adapted to incorporate the capabilities or functions described above. System  100  includes one or more databases  110 , one or more servers  120 , and one or more access devices  130 .  
       Exemplary Databases  
       [0020]     Databases  110  includes a set of legal research databases. In the exemplary embodiment, these include a caselaw database  111 , a statutes databases  112 , an administrative reports and decisions database  113 , a regulations database  114 , and a law review and periodicals database  115 . Caselaw database  111  includes judicial opinion documents from one or more local, state, federal, and/or international jurisdictions. Statutes database  112  includes statute documents, including legislative history, from one or more local, state, federal, and/or international jurisdictions. Administrative reports and decisions database  113  includes administrative reports and decisions from one or more local, state, federal, and/or international administrative agencies. Regulations database  114  includes administrative regulations, rules, or codes for one or more local, state, federal, and/or international administrative agencies. And, the law review and periodicals database  115  includes law review and other legal periodical documents.  
         [0021]     Additionally, each of the documents within database  110  is associated with an indexed citation data structure, of which a citation data structure  1111  is generally representative. Citation data structure  1111  includes a document identifier  1111 A, which is logically associated with a first citation  1111 B, a second citation  1111 C, and a third citation  1111 D. Document identifier  1111 A uniquely identifies its corresponding document within a universe of documents. First citation  1111 B represents one or more citations of the corresponding document according to a first citation standard, such as the Bluebook. Second citation  1111 C represents one or more citation of the corresponding document according a second citation standard such as ALWD, and third citation represents one or more citations of the corresponding document according a third citation standard. In some embodiments, the citations for the corresponding data includes parallel citations and/or normalized citations that are readily convertible to any other citation format. Some embodiments include fewer or greater numbers of citation data sets. Also, in some embodiments, each of documents is associated with one or more status indicators indicating whether the document itself or one or more cases within the document has a compromised legal authority. In some embodiments, the documents are also associated with historically related legal cases.  
         [0022]     Databases  110 , which take the exemplary form of one or more electronic, magnetic, or optical data-storage devices, include or are otherwise associated with respective indices (not shown). Each of the indices includes terms and phrases in association with corresponding document addresses, identifiers, and other conventional information. Databases  110  are coupled or couplable via a wireless or wireline communications network, such as a local-, wide-, private-, or virtual-private network, to server  120 .  
       Exemplary Server  
       [0023]     Server  120 , which is generally representative of one or more servers for serving data in the form of webpages or other markup language forms with associated applets, ActiveX controls, remote-invocation objects, or other related software and data structures to service clients of various “thicknesses.” More particularly, server  120  includes a processor module  121 , a memory module  122 , a subscriber database  123 , a search module  124 , and a citation-tools module  125 .  
         [0024]     Processor module  121  includes one or more local or distributed processors, controllers, or virtual machines. In the exemplary embodiment, processor module  121  assumes any convenient or desirable form.  
         [0025]     Memory module  122 , which takes the exemplary form of one or more electronic, magnetic, or optical data-storage devices, stores subscriber database  123 , search module  124 , secondary search module  125 , and information-integration-tools module  126 . (Also, in some embodiments, one or more citation data structures resembling data structure  1111  may be stored in memory  122 .)  
         [0026]     Subscriber database  123  includes subscriber-related data for controlling, administering, and managing pay-as-you-go or subscription-based access of databases  110 . In the exemplary embodiment, subscriber database  123  includes one or more preference data structures, of which data structure  1231  is representative. Data structure  1221  includes a customer or user identifier portion  123   1 A, which is logically associated with one or more operational, configuration, or usage preferences or related data for citation-tools module  125 , such as preferences  1231 B,  1231 C, and  1231 D.  
         [0027]     Preferences  1231 B includes one or more default values governing whether citation-tools module  125  (described below) is accessible by the associated user or customer and/or one or more citation format preferences, such as the Bluebook or ALWD standards. Preferences  1231 C includes one or more default values governing one or more table-of-authority formatting preferences for the associated user or customer. For example, the exemplary embodiment includes user preferences for use of one- or two-line table formats or use of italics and pin-point pagination information. Pricing preferences  1231 D includes default values governing one or more other aspects of pricing for usage of citation-tools module  125 , such as a whether pricing is per cite or per document, and what the per-cite or per-document price is. (In the absence of a temporary user override, for example, an override during a particular query or session, the default value governs.) In some embodiments, preference data may be stored locally on a user&#39;s access device in a local copy of one or more information-integration tools.  
         [0028]     Search module  124  includes one or more search engines and related user-interface components, for receiving and processing user queries against one or more of databases  110 . In the exemplary embodiment, one or more search engines associated with search module  124  provide Boolean, tf-idf, natural-language search capabilities.  
         [0029]     Citation-tools module  125  includes coded machine readable and/or executable instruction sets for wholly or partly defining software and related user interfaces having one or more portions thereof that integrate or cooperate with one or more document-processing applications. Exemplary document-processing (or document-authoring or -editing) applications include word-processing applications, such as Microsoft Word and Corel WordPerfect applications. In addition to integration into a document-processing application, the exemplary citation-tools module also supports access to its functionality via a direct web interface or through a tab or link in an online-legal-research service, such as the Westlaw system.  
         [0030]     More particularly, module  125  includes a cite-identifier module  1251 , a citation formatting module  1252 , a table-of-authority module  1253 , and a billing module  1254 .  
         [0031]     Cite-identifier module  1251  includes coded instructions for, among other things, parsing documents and identifying one or more cites and portions thereof within the document and communicating the cites or portions thereof individually or in a batch to citation formatter  1252 . In the exemplary embodiment, the cite-identifier module includes document-processing integrating structures for allowing the cite-identifier to integrate or plug-in to a document-processing application, such as word-processing application, hosted by an access device, such as access device  130 .  
         [0032]     Citation-formatting module  1252  includes coded machine-readable and/or executable instructions for, among other things, retrieving citation data from documents corresponding to one or more set of cite data received from cite-identifier module  1251 , which as noted may be communicated from an access device or from a copy of a document stored on the server. In some embodiments, citation-formatting module  1252  includes one or more conversion programs (instruction sets) or tables that are used to convert the citation data from a given format, such as stored in association with a corresponding document in database  110 , into one or more other formats contingent on the user selected citation standard. Those formats will include The Bluebook, A Uniform System of Citation (Bluebook), the ALWD Citation Manual, A Professional System of Citation (ALWD) and the formats required by all local Jurisdictions (States and Territories). Exemplary state jurisdictions include California, New York, Illinois, Texas and Florida.  
         [0033]     Table-of-authorities module  1253  includes coded machine-readable and/or executable instructions for processing a document having citations and building a table of authorities according stored user preferences or session-specific user selections and inserting the table into a document on the server or within a document on an access device, such as access device  130 . Exemplary formatting aspects which are controllable include format of party names and titles, use of Italics and underlining, removal of pinpoint page references from table entries.  
         [0034]     Billing module  1254  includes coded machine-readable and/or executable instructions for updating billing data  1231  in subscriber database  123  (or other separate billing system) based on pricing data  1231 D associated with a user. To support the pricing or billing model, the billing module also tracks and records usage statistics in the billing data, such as time and date of usage, number of documents, filenames of documents, number of citations processed, and so forth.  
       Exemplary Access Device  
       [0035]     Access device  130  is generally representative of one or more access devices. In the exemplary embodiment, access device  130  takes the form of a personal computer, workstation, personal digital assistant, mobile telephone, or any other device capable of providing an effective user interface with a server or database. Specifically, access device  130  includes a processor module  131  one or more processors (or processing circuits)  131 , a memory  132 , a display  133 , a keyboard  134 , and a graphical pointer or selector  135 .  
         [0036]     Processor module  131  includes one or more processors, processing circuits, or controllers. In the exemplary embodiment, processor module  131  takes any convenient or desirable form. Coupled to processor module  131  is memory  132 .  
         [0037]     Memory  132  stores code (machine-readable or executable instructions) for an operating system  136 , a browser  137 , document-processing software  138  In the exemplary embodiment, operating system  136  takes the form of a version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, and browser  137  takes the form of a version of Microsoft Internet Explorer. Operating system  136  and browser  137  not only receive inputs from keyboard  134  and selector  135 , but also support rendering of graphical user interfaces on display  133 . In the exemplary embodiment, document processing software  138  includes Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect word-processing software. Document processing software is shown integrated with one or more portions  1381  of citation-tools modules  125 , which are downloaded from server  120  via a wired or wireless communication link. In one embodiment, launching of document-processing software  138  or launching and pointing of browser  137  results in defining in memory and rendering one or more portions of graphical-user interface  139  on display  133 .  
         [0038]     Graphical user interface  139  presents data in association with one or more interactive control features (or user-interface elements). In the exemplary embodiment, each of these control features takes the form of a hyperlink or other browser-compatible command input. In the exemplary embodiment, interface  139  includes a word-processing application interface region  1391 , an online legal-research interface region  1392 , and a browser interface region  1393 , which provide three access points for the functionality of citation-tools module  125  as further described below. Although  FIG. 1  shows regions  1391 - 1393  as being simultaneously displayed, some embodiments present them at separate times.  
         [0039]     More particularly, word-processing application interface region  1391  includes document-processing tool bar region  1391 A, a citation and/or table-of-authorities function control element  1391 B, a document edit region  1391 C, and an option and prompt region  1391 D.  
       Exemplary Method(s) of Operation  
       [0040]      FIG. 2  shows a flow chart  200  of one or more exemplary methods of operating a system, such as system  100 . Flow chart  200  includes blocks  210 - 250 , which are arranged and described in a serial execution sequence in the exemplary embodiment. However, other embodiments execute two or more blocks in parallel using multiple processors or processor-like devices or a single processor organized as two or more virtual machines or sub processors. Other embodiments also alter the process sequence or provide different functional partitions to achieve analogous results. For example, some embodiments may alter the client-server allocation of functions, such that functions shown and described on the server side are implemented in whole or in part on the client side, and vice versa. Moreover, still other embodiments implement the blocks as two or more interconnected hardware modules with related control and data signals communicated between and through the modules. Thus, the exemplary process flow applies to software, hardware, and firmware implementations.  
         [0041]     Block  210  entails identifying one or more citations in a document. In one word-processing-oriented embodiment, this entails a user directing a browser in a client access device, such as access device  130 , to internet-protocol (IP) address for an online information-retrieval (legal research) system, such as the Westlaw system, and then logging onto the system using a username and/or password. Successful login results in a web-based interface being output from server  120 , stored in memory  132 , and displayed by client access device  130 .  
         [0042]     The interface includes an option for initiating download and installation of one or portions of citation-tools module  125  with corresponding toolbar plug-ins for a word-processing application. Next, this embodiment entails the user launching the word-processing application and creating or opening a document containing one or more legal citations within a document editing window or region of the word-processing application, as shown for example in interface  1391  in  FIG. 1 . Interface  1391  includes a tool-bar button  1391 B for launching or initiating a check citations function and a tool-bar button  1391 C for launching or initiating a table of authorities building function.  FIG. 3  shows a facsimile of another interface  300 , which also includes similarly numbered buttons  3391 B and  3391 C.  
         [0043]     At this point, selection or activation of the check citations function causes a processor within client access device  130  to perform according to a locally stored version of citation identification module  1251  and thereby parse and identify one or more citations within the document editing window. In the exemplary embodiment, this identification entails identifying the beginning and end points of each of the one or more citations and the text between these beginning and end points. Execution then continues at block  220 .  
         [0044]     Block  220  entails communicating one or more of the identified legal citations to server  120 . In the exemplary embodiment, this entails communicating the one or more legal citations over an Internet or other type of wired or wireless network connection to server  120 .  
         [0045]     Block  230  entails formatting the identified legal citations according to one or more selected citation standards. In the exemplary embodiment, this formatting is performed based on a predefined user preference stored in association with user data for an online legal research system. However, in other embodiments, the citation standards are defined on a session-specific basis at the time of service request via an interface, described below relative to  FIG. 5 .  
         [0046]     The specific processing performed by the server—or more precisely citation formatting module  1252  in  FIG. 1 . After the server processes the citation text string, it returns a formatted version of the citation to the word processing program, which presents the user an option to replace the original citation with the formatted version.  
         [0047]     More particularly, citation text is parsed into constituent components such as volume, reporter, page, etc. and the components are passed to a case control system or component within or without citations-tools module  125  to determine if there is a match to an existing case, statute, regulation, administrative decision, or article exists. In some embodiments, the citation (or normalized version thereof) is classified to one of these types of documents prior to seeking a match. If a match is found, citation data stored in or otherwise associated with the matching case data is obtained and formatted according to the desired case citation standard using specific conversion tables. In some embodiments, the citation data associated with the case is preformatted according one or more citation standards, meaning that one can automatically selected without additional processing once a matching case is identified.  
         [0048]     If a citation cannot be matched to a existing document, an error message may be displayed indicating that no corresponding citation could be found using the supplied data. Absence of a corresponding citation may be due to an error in the citation as originally presented in the user&#39;s document, or to a lag in adding the cited document to database  110 . Some embodiments may request and use additional information from the user&#39;s document, for example, subject matter or concept data or co-occurrence statistics with other citations, to determine a set of one or more candidate citations if the citation dates for example suggest that failure to match is not a database update problem, but rather an error in the citation itself. Execution proceeds to block  240 .  
         [0049]     Block  240  entails communicating one or more of the formatted citations from server  120  to access device  130 . In the exemplary embodiment, this entails server  120  communicating the one or more formatted citations to the word processing application via the client-side portion  1381  of citation-tools module  1381 .  
         [0050]     Block  250  entails presenting the one or more formatted citations to the user. In the exemplary embodiment, this presentation entails presenting a citation format suggestion dialog box to the user, with the dialog box including a display of the original extracted citation and the corresponding formatted citation provided by server  120 .  FIG. 4  shows an exemplary version of such an interface  400 , which can substituted for that interface  1391  in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0051]     Interface  400  includes an original citation display region  410 , a suggested formatted citation region  420 , an ignore-next command feature  430 , a change-next command feature  440 , and a change-all command feature  450 . Original citation display region  410  displays the text of the original found citation and suggested formatted citation region  420  displays the text of the server-provided suggestion citation format, based on the selected or preferred citation standard, in this case the Bluebook format.  
         [0052]     Ignore-next command feature  430  enables a user to reject the suggested citation format and simultaneously automatically command the system to display the next found cite in the document and its suggested formatted version within respective regions  410  and  420 . Change-next command feature  440  similarly allows the user to accept the suggested citation, which causes replacement of the original citation text with the suggested citation, while advancing display to the next original citation and suggested citation pair. Change-all command feature  450  cause automatic replacement of all found citations with their suggested replacements citations.  
         [0053]      FIG. 5  shows an exemplary interface  500  which may be incorporated into interface  139  of System  100  and which allows a user to define certain aspects of how the citation-tools module  125  functions, particular in regards to the citation standard and actual textual format of the suggested citations.  
         [0054]      FIGS. 6, 7 , and  8  respectively show exemplary interfaces  600 ,  700 , and  800  that provide alternative access points to the functionality of citation-tools module  125 . Interface  600 , a portion of an interface for an online legal research system, includes a variety of link lists, with a list  610  including links that are selectable to initiate one or more portions of citation-tools module  125 . In  FIG. 7 , interface  700  provides access to the citation-tools module via a tab-style interface  710 .  
         [0055]      FIG. 8  shows interface  800 , which allows direct-web access to the citations-tools functionality via a browser. In this interface, the user simply identifies the filename of a client side document using a filename entry field  810  and/or a browse selection feature  820  to select from a file directory stored on or accessible via access device  130 . The user provides her personal access credentials (or credit card information) at input regions  830  and initiate citation checking or the building of table of authorities using command feature  840 . Notable, in these cases, the users has the option of submitting an entire copy of document to server  120  and have the server returned a newly named modified version of the document with all suggested citations changes as well as a table of authorities.  
         [0056]      FIG. 9  shows an interface  900  which may be incorporated into interface  139  and which allows a user to specify formatting options, such as options  910 - 980 , for building a table of authorities. Option  910  allows a uses to select the location of the table. Option  920  allows the user to select the citation standard to use in the table. Option  930  allows the user to select the citation style, such as legal brief or legal memorandum. Option  940  allows the user to specify what types of citations to include in the table, such as only cases; only cases, statutes, and administrative codes; or all materials, which would include cases, statutes, administrative codes, law reviews, and bar journals and other cited material.  
         [0057]     Option  950  allows the uses to select case-name font options, such as underlining, italicizing, bolding, and small caps. Option  960  allows uses to define whether the table combines or separates state and federal categories. Option  970  allows a user to define theftable entries as one-line or two-line entries, with two-line entries automatically placing the case name on a separate line from the remainder of the citation (which may take more the one line), and one-line entries running the case name and remainder of the citation on the same line. Option  980  allows a user to define whether to include document numbers in the citations. And option  990  allows the user to save the selected options, for example to a preference storage area on the server. In some embodiments, the user may name the selected options for reuse later, enabling the user to in essence having a profile of multiple table of authority formats which can be selected by name from another table-of-authority menu.  
       CONCLUSION  
       [0058]     The embodiments described above are intended only to illustrate and teach one or more ways of practicing or implementing the present invention, not to restrict its breadth or scope. The actual scope of the invention, which embraces all ways of practicing or implementing the teachings of the invention, is defined only by the issued claims and their equivalents.