Patent Publication Number: US-2013246941-A1

Title: Method and System for Information Management

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE 
     This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/093,652 filed on Sep. 2, 2008, which claims the priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/098,317 filed on Apr. 4, 2008, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/828,969 filed on Jul. 26, 2007, which claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/820,363 filed on Jul. 26, 2006 and this application claims the priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/059,636 filed on Mar. 31, 2008, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/828,969; which claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/820,363 filed on Jul. 26, 2006. These applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to a method and system for managing information and more specifically, to tracking information in connection with litigation support services. 
     One application for the current invention is providing online litigation services, such as managing the designation of exhibits, deponents and other information for one or more cases. Currently, it is most common for these services to be provided by secretaries or paralegals via spreadsheets designed to calculate numbers and perform mathematical tasks rather than organizational tasks. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A system and method is described for managing litigation services, such as the designation of exhibits, deponents and other information for one or more cases. 
     A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features, properties and relationships of the invention will be obtained from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth an illustrative embodiment and which, are indicative of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following Figures, which further describe an embodiment of the present invention and which include drawings and exemplary screen shots therefor: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram depicting a computer network on which an embodiment of the invention may be operated. 
         FIG. 2  shows an exemplary login page for use in the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows an exemplary screen shot of a Login Problems window for use with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows an exemplary screen shot of a Trial Management window for use with a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  shows an exemplary screen shot of an Add/Edit A Case window for use with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  shows an exemplary screen shot of a Delete A Case window for use with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  shows an exemplary screen shot of a Current Designations window for use with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  shows an exemplary screen shot of an Add Exhibits window for use with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  shows an exemplary screen shot of an Add Deposition window for use with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  shows an exemplary screen shot of an Exchange Center window for use with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  shows an exemplary screen shot of an Exhibit Number window for use with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  shows an exemplary screen shot of a Deponent Name window for use with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  shows an exemplary screen shot of a PDF Center window for use with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  shows an exemplary screen shot of an Upload/Edit window for use with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  shows an exemplary screen shot of an Upload/Edit window for use with a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  shows an exemplary screen shot of a Plaintiff Designations window for use with the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  shows an exemplary screen shot of an All Deponents window for use with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  shows an exemplary screen shot of a Deposition window for use with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 19  shows an exemplary screen shot of an Exhibit window for use with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  shows a private network. 
         FIG. 21  shows a private network used in connection with multiple cloud computing architectures. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Turning now to the Figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, there is illustrated a system and method for managing trial information  60  and generating respective standardized reports  80  that can be used for efficiently tracking the status of the trial information  60 . Although not required, the system and the method will be described in the general context of a computer network  20 , as is well know in the industry, and computer executable instructions being executed by general purpose computing devices within the computer network  20 . In this regard, the general purpose computing devices may comprise one or more remote computers  22   a , and one or more server computers  22   b , hosting to a software application  30 . The server computer  22   b  can also include one or more databases  24  for storing trial information  60 . Trial information  60  can include exhibits, deponent names, deponent transcripts, case names or any other information that could be introduced at trial. 
     To allow each of the remote computers  22   a  to access and utilize the information management system  10  without storing copies of the software application  30  on each of those computers  22   a , the software application  30  may reside on the server computer  22   b . Further, it is preferable that users access the software application  30  via an internet browser  40 , which acts as an interface between the software application  30  and the operating system for the remote computer  22   a . Although the operating system for the server computer  22   b  is preferably Windows® based, it should be understood that the server computer  22   b  could employ any one of the currently existing operating systems, such as LINUX®, MAC OS®, Mozilla®, etc. In addition, it should be appreciated by those with skill in the art that other applications besides the browser may also be utilized to act as an interface between the software application  30  and the remote computers  22   a.    
     For editing, populating and maintaining the databases  24 , the browser  40  includes a graphical user interface  50 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the graphical user interface  50  is further comprised of various menu bars, drop-down menus, buttons and display windows. A detailed description of the graphical user interface  50 , the menu bars, drop-down menus, exemplary buttons and display windows, along with a brief description of the functionality associated with those menus, buttons and windows, is described below and in the accompanying Figures. 
     As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the computers  22   a ,  22   b  need not be limited to personal computers, but may include hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, personal digital assistants, cellular telephones or the like depending upon their intended end use within the system. For performing the procedures described hereinafter, the computer executable instructions may be written as routines, programs, objects, components, and/or data structures that perform particular tasks. Within the computer network  20 , the computer executable instructions may reside on a single computer  22   a , or server computer  22   b , or the tasks performed by the computer executable instructions may be distributed among a plurality of the computers  22   a ,  22   b . Therefore, while described in the context of a computer network, it should also be understood that the present invention may be embodied in a stand-alone, general purpose computing device that need not be connected to a network. 
     To efficiently provide users with access to the software application  30 , the server computers  22   b  and the underlying framework for the computer network  20  may be provided by the service company itself or by outsourcing the hosting of the software application  30  to an application service provider (“ASP”). ASP&#39;s are companies that provide server computers that store and run a software application for a third party entity, which is accessible to the third party entity&#39;s users via the Internet or similar means. Therefore, the server computer for operating the software application may be hosted on a computer that is owned and maintained by another party and users may then access and use software applications via the host computer without storing the software application on the remote computers. It should be understood, however, that ASP models are well-known in the industry and should not be viewed as a limitation with respect to the type of system architectures that are capable of providing a computer network  20  that can properly operate the software application discussed herein. 
     To perform the particular tasks in accordance with the computer executable instructions, the computers  22   a ,  22   b  may include, as needed, a video adapter, a processing unit, a system, memory, an a system bus that couples the system memory to the processing unit. The video adapter allows the computers  22   a ,  22   b  to support a display, such as a cathode ray tube (“CRT”), a liquid crystal display (“LCD”), a flat screen monitor, a touch screen monitor or similar means for displaying textual and graphical data to a user. The display allows a user to view information, such as, code, file directories, error logs, execution logs and graphical user interface tools. 
     The computers  22   a ,  22   b  may further include read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive for reading and writing to a hard disk, a magnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a magnetic disk, and/or an optical disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable optical disk or any other suitable data storage device. The hard disk drive, magnetic disk drive, and optical disk drive may be connected to the system bus by a hard disk drive disk interface, a magnetic disk drive interface, or an optical disk drive interface, respectively, or other suitable data interface. The drives and their associated computer-readable media provide a means of non-volatile storage for the computer executable instructions and any other data structures, program modules, databases, arrays, etc. utilized during the operation of the computers  22   a ,  22   b.    
     To connect the computers  22   a ,  22   b  within the computer network  20 , the computers  22   a ,  22   b  may include a network interface or adapter. When used in a wide area network, such as the Internet the computers  22   a ,  22   b  typically include a network interface, such as a router/modem or similar device. The modem, which may be internal or external, is connected to the system bus for the computer via a serial port interface or other communication port. It will be appreciated that the described network connections are exemplary and that other means of establishing a communications link between the computers  22   a ,  22   b  may be used. For example, the system may also include a wireless router/modem that receives and transmits information via a wireless communications medium, such as a cellular communications network, a satellite communications network, or another similar type of wireless network. It should also be appreciated that the network interface will be capable of employing TCP/IP, FTP, SFTP, Telnet SSH, HTTP, SHTTP, RSH, REXEC, etc. and other network connectivity protocols. 
     As mentioned above, in one embodiment, the software application  30  and databases  24  reside on the server computer  22   b  and are managed by the provider of the software application  30  or by a third-party. Those with skill in the art will understand, however, that the software application  30  and databases  24  may reside on the remote computer  22   a  and may be managed and maintained by a user. The software application  30  and databases  24  may also reside on different computers. The graphical user interface  50  may load web pages via HTTP or HTTPS or any other suitable format and displays those web pages on the browser  40 . 
     As seen below, system  30  may be employed to store and process electronically stored litigation data  6010 , which may include documents, emails, deposition transcripts, photographs, or other similar types of evidence that may be used during the litigation of a case. To alleviate the processing resources necessary to store and process the constantly and exponentially increasing amount of electronically stored litigation data  6010  being generated in the field of litigation, the system may utilize additional computational resources that are available via a cloud computing network  6000 . The term “cloud computing” refers to the use of computational resources that are available remotely over a public network, such as the internet, and that are generally provided at a low cost and on an hourly basis. Any virtual or physical computer that is in electronic communication with such a public network could potentially be available as a computational resource. To provide computational resources via the cloud network on a secure basis, computers that access the cloud network may employ standard security encryption protocols such as SSL and PGP, which are well known in the industry. 
     In this embodiment, the software application  30  and databases  24  may reside on a computer that is connected to a cloud computing network  6000  or the software application  30  and databases  24  may reside on a computer that forms part of cloud computing network  6000 . The cloud computing network  6000  may also be used to process electronically stored litigation data  6010  that may be required for a trial, litigation, eDiscovery or other evidence management applications as seen below. In some cases, electronically stored litigation data  6010  associated with discovery may comprise several million pages of documents, and can be as large as multiple terabytes of information. The ability to use low-cost alternatives to traditional computing needs, therefore, may have a significant impact on reducing the cost and resources necessary to conduct discovery and to conform to federal, state, and international legal requirements for maintaining and producing information and documents. 
     As described in detail below, electronically stored litigation data  6010  may be converted and/or processed in a variety of different manners. For example, the system may perform full-text and meta-data extraction, physical alteration of electronically stored litigation data  6010  (such as stamping or numbering), indexing of data to create searchable indexes, and maintain corresponding relational database structures. This processing is extremely demanding of computational resources such as computer memory, processing, bandwidth, and storage. Because this processing is a precursor to other eDiscovery and evidence management tasks, it is critical that it be performed as quickly as possible. However, due to the time constraints that are usually involved, the use of traditional computing resources is cost prohibitive in some instances. 
     Those with skill in the art will recognize that different forms of distributed processing exist and that other concepts related to distributed processing could also be applied to the present system. For example,  FIG. 20  depicts a private network  6050 , which may include a plurality of web applications  6051 , a plurality of primary database storage discs  6052  and a plurality of computers  6053 , which are linked together via an intranet or similar network. In the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 20 , the processing and storage of the various electronically stored litigation data  6010  all takes place on site, and is done via computers  6053  that are located on site and connected to the private network. Therefore, the only way to increase processing speed or storage space is to increase the number of physical computers  6053  that are connected to the private network. This is economically inefficient since the system provider must maintain a large number of computers that are not utilized on a regular basis. The use of a cloud computing network may help to alleviate the extreme demands placed on traditional computational resources, and dramatically decrease the cost associated with processing electronically stored litigation data  6010  as described above. 
     In the embodiment depicted, for example, in  FIG. 21 , such economic and physical restrictions are reduced greatly.  FIG. 21 , depicts a variation of cloud computing architecture  6000 , which may comprise private network, or web host,  6150 . Private network  6150  may comprise a plurality of web applications  6151 , a plurality of primary data base storage discs  6152 , and a computer or server  6153 . 
     As seen, cloud computing architecture  6000  leverages expandable virtual computing cloud  6200  to rapidly provision computational resources as needed, and release the resources when complete. Specifically, cloud computing architecture  6000  creates a plurality of virtual computers  6253  to process electronically stored litigation data  6010  as needed. This makes it possible to process extremely large amounts of electronically stored litigation data  6010  without the constant overhead of a private network architecture comprising several private computers. By way of example, and in no way limiting, three hypothetical scenarios are stated below to demonstrate the use of cloud computing architecture  6000 : 
     Scenario #1: As stated above, each virtual computer  6253  is comprised of computational resources that are connected to a public network, such as the internet, and are available. In this first scenario, a first service provider owns a first and a second physical server, each of which is similar to servers  6053  described above. The first and the second physical server are each being used by the service provider, but each is only being used at 60% capacity, leaving 40% of their respective capacities unused. Additionally, each physical server is connected to a public network. A second service provider, who employs a cloud computing architecture similar to cloud computing architecture  6000 , requires 60% of the capacity of a server similar to the first service provider&#39;s two physical servers, but the second service provider only needs those resources for an hour. Cloud computing architecture  6000  may leverage the unused 40% capacity of the first physical server, and combine it with ½ of the unused 40% capacity of the second physical server (or 20% of the total capacity) to create a virtual computer  6253  that is using the same 60% of the physical servers. In the alternative, cloud computing architecture  6000  may leverage and combine ¾ of the unused 40% capacity of each physical server (or 30% of the total capacity apiece) to provide a virtual computer  6253  that is using the same 60% of the physical servers. 
     Scenario #2: Cloud computing architecture  6000  may provision a plurality of virtual computers  6253  in expandable virtual computing cloud  6200  to process a first large number of documents as described in detail below. Depending on the type of processing required, the processing may be completed in about an hour. When completed, cloud computing architecture  6000  releases virtual computers  6253  and allows the computational resources to perform other tasks. 
     However, if a second customer requires a second large number of documents to be processed while the first large number of documents is still being processed, cloud computing architecture  6000  may provision an additional plurality of virtual computers  6253 . Such additional provision will take a brief amount of time to be manually initialized. In a second embodiment, such initialization may be actuated automatically, requiring no manual input. Regardless, in short amount of time, cloud computing architecture  6000  may begin to process the second large number of documents. To replicate this performance on a private network, such as network  6050  depicted in  FIG. 20 , a service provider would be required to purchase not only the initial plurality of servers, but would either be required to purchase the additional plurality of servers, or have the additional plurality of servers idling on site. Either scenario introduces an extraordinary cost to the service provider, which must be passed along to the customer. 
     Scenario #3: A user requests, through web application  6151 , that a large number of documents, which had previously been entered into the system, be Bates stamped. The manner in which the documents are uploaded or downloaded is well known, and may include uploading to a web server through a browser by way of SSL. Regardless of how the documents are uploaded, cloud computing architecture  6000  would provision the necessary number of virtual computers  6253 . In order to provision the necessary number of virtual computers  6253 , cloud computing architecture  6000  may proceed through the following steps: 
     1. The host computer sends out a request to a cloud computing network for additional computing resources. The additional computing resources are defined as either physical servers or virtual servers; each on having dedicated computational resources such as hard disk, memory, processor abilities, etc.
 
2. Cloud computing network  6000  replies and indicates the amount of available resources. Cloud computing network  6000  responds with the status of each virtual server. Once available, cloud computing network  6000  provides an IP address for each virtual server. Cloud computing network  6000  also provides an API for the service provider, in order to list the currently available servers, and each server&#39;s status and IP address.
 
3. The cloud computing network provides the necessary network protocols for allowing the secure exchange of data between the host computer and the cloud computing network.
 
4. Each virtual server communicates to the service provider&#39;s primary, physical servers by way of a secure web services API.
 
5. The host computer provides processing instructions to the cloud computing network. This may be done through a web services API, such as extensible markup language (XML) or other such language.
 
6. The cloud computing network receives the data and directs it to a plurality of virtual computers. In order to accomplish this, the host computer breaks down the electronically stored litigation data  6010  into its smallest block of information that may be processed at one time, which is determined by the type of processing required, then commands each virtual server to process the next available block of information. By way of example, if 1,000,000 pages of documents are to be Bates stamped, the smallest block of information is one page. In this manner, the host computer will tell each virtual computer to take the next available page and Bates stamp it. On a different occasion, the smallest block of information that may be processed is by document, rather than by page. In this instance, the host computer will tell each virtual server to process the next available document.
 
7. Once virtual computers  6253  process the large number of documents, they will store the original documents, along with the newly processed documents, in storage location  6260 . As stated below, storage location  6260  may comprise a plurality of physical servers, or may comprise a plurality of virtual servers. Virtual computers  6253  will then indicate on primary database discs  6152  where the newly processed documents are stored. The newly processed documents may be stored in the same file format as the original documents as well as a format compatible with the service provider&#39;s web interface.
 
8. The host computer makes the modified data available to the user.
 
     To process the electronically stored litigation data  6010 , each virtual computer  6253  would publish its application program interface (API) for securely receiving authenticated instructions via the internet, and request the storage location of the documents from primary database  6152 . The virtual computers  6253  would then retrieve the documents from storage location  6260 . In the depicted embodiment, storage location  6260  comprises a plurality of virtual servers  6262 , however, it will be appreciated by those in the art that storage location  6260  may comprise physical servers or a combination of physical servers and virtual servers. 
     It will be appreciated by those in the art that, due to the space limitations inherent under systems similar to those depicted in  FIG. 20 , service providers only process electronically stored litigation data  6010  when requested, and only do the processing that is required at the time. By way of example, a service provider may store a large number of documents for a customer and the customer may ask the service provide to make the documents keyword searchable by using Optical Character Recognition (“OCR”) software to convert the documents into a searchable format. When a customer requests OCR conversion, the service provider may convert the large number of documents and store both the original documents and the OCR documents in its computers  6053 . The process of converting a large number of documents to a searchable format requires significant processing bandwidth and a great deal of storage space to store both the original version of the documents and the OCR version of the documents. This type of request in addition to the outstanding requests for other customers may create a large spike in the demand for the service provider&#39;s computational resources, which requires more computers to be kept on to hand by the service provider or which increases the time required to complete the job request. A large spike in the demand for computational resources may also occur in connection with request to bates stamp documents or to change the document format of documents. 
     Under the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 21 , the service provider may provision the requisite number of virtual computers to process and store the documents on a real-time basis or within a predetermined amount of time. The amount of turnaround time necessary to process the documents is customizable and may be selected by the customer or the service provider. 
     For populating the databases  24 , data may be loaded directly from application end users or programmatically through command line tools or scripting. While the software application  30  may be programmed in any software language capable of producing the desired functionality, it is envisioned that the software application  30  will be programmed using Ruby on Rails (commonly referred to as “RoR,” or simply “Rails”). 
     To edit, populate and maintain the databases  24 , the graphical user interface  50  may allow the user to perform standard text editing functions, including, mouse placement of the cursor, click-and-drag text selection and standard Windows® key combinations for cutting, copying and pasting data. In addition, the graphical user interface  50  may allow users to access, copy, save, export or send data or files by using standard Windows® file transfer functions. It should be understood that these editing and file transfer functions may also be accomplished within other operating system environment such as LINUX®, MAC OS®, Mozilla®, etc. 
     For maintaining the security associated with the software application  30  and databases  24 , a unique login window  100  may be maintained for each company/user. The login window  100  may also be used to control the access privileges for various levels of users. As shown in  FIG. 2 , each login window  100  may also require a user name and password. For security purposes, the user names and passwords may be kept separately for each company that is accessing the software application  30 . To gain access to the software application  30 , the user must enter a proper user name in the user name field  206  and password in the password field  208  and press the submit button  204 . If the user has forgotten the user name  206 , the user may click on the Forgot User Name link  200  for assistance. If the user has forgotten the password  208 , the user may click on the Forgot Password link  202 . 
     A. Forgotten User Name or Password 
     To enable a user to gain access to software application  30  if the user has forgotten the User Name or Password, a Login Problems window  500  may be provided. To access the Login Problems window  500 , either the Forgot User Name link  200  or the Forgot Password link  202  may be selected.  FIG. 3  depicts Login Problems window  500 . As shown, Login Problems window  500  may include email space  502  and username space  504 . In the exemplary embodiment, the user will have submitted a valid email address prior to receiving permission to use software application  30 . In this way, if a user has forgotten the user name  206 , the user may enter the user&#39;s email address in email space  502  and press submit button  506 . Software application  30  will then send an email to the user&#39;s email address that includes the user name  206 . 
     If the user has forgotten the password  208 , the user may enter the user name  206  in username space  504  and press submit button  506 . Software application  30  will then search the database for the username, and send an email that includes the password  208  to the email address that is associated with the user name  206 . To aid a user who has forgotten both the user name  206  and the password  208 , an information panel  508  may also be provided in Login Problems window  500 . The information panel  508  may include contact information for a user support office or a link to additional information that could assist the user with the login procedure. 
     It should be appreciated that different login procedures may be employed, which are well know in the industry, on an as-needed basis, including login procedures that employ biometrics, such as fingerprints, retinal scans, etc. 
     II. All Active Cases/Trial Management (Home Page) 
     While the system  10  can be used for any application in which it would be desirable to manage information  60 , the following description discusses the system  10  in the context of providing litigation support services. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the system  10  may be used to manage more than one case  210  by allowing the user to access a Trial Management window  110 . The Trial Management window  110  may be accessed by entering a valid user name  206  and password  208  on the Login window  100  and selecting the Submit link  204  as described above. The cases  210  that are being managed by the system  10  are listed on the Trial Management window  110  in the Active Cases column  212 . 
     As seen in  FIG. 4 , for each of the cases  210  being managed by the system  10 , various information is also shown. For example, a Date Case Last Modified column  218  may be provided that includes information about when a specific case  210  was last modified. A Case ID# column  222  may also be provided that includes a case number  220  for each of the listed cases  210 . To edit cases  210 , each case  210  may include a corresponding Edit button  224 . The Edit buttons  224  are shown in  FIG. 4  under the Case Settings column  226 . 
     A. Adding a Case to the Trial Management Window 
     To aid the user in adding a case  210  to the system  10 , an Add/Edit A Case window  600  may be provided, which can be accessed by selecting add case link  214  provided in Trial Management window  110 . The Add/Edit A Case window  600  may include multiple areas to enter various data or information pertinent to a specific case  210 . In the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 5 , a user can enter a Case Name or Case Caption in case name area  602 . A user may also enter a description of the party&#39;s name in represented area  604 , and can identify whether the user is the plaintiff or defendant in plaintiff/defense area  606 . As some courts require different colored cover sheets to differentiate which party is submitting the documents, a plaintiff color area  608  and defendant color area  610  may also be provided in Add/Edit A Case window  600 . The Add/Edit A Case window  600  may also include email area  612  to enter the various emails of the attorneys associated with case  210 . Once all of the additions are entered, and the user is satisfied with the completeness and veracity of the information, the user may add the case  210  to information management system  10  by clicking on Submit button  616 . To return to the Trial Management window  110  without submitting any of the additions, an All Active Cases link  614  may be selected on the Add/Edit A Case window  600 . Clicking on the All Active Cases link  614  will return the user to the Trial Management window  110 . 
     B. Deleting a Case from the Trial Management Window 
     To aid a user in deleting a specific case  210  from the system  10 , a Delete A Case window  700  may be provided, which can be accessed by selecting delete case link  216  provided in Trial Management window  110 . The Delete A Case window  700  may include various information used to identify a specific case  210 . In the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 6 , Delete A Case window  700  includes a list of active cases  210 . Each active case  210  is a link that will direct the user to the respective trial information  60  as described below. Each case  210  has corresponding identification information  704 , such as a last modified identifier  710  and Case ID  712 . Each case  210  also has a corresponding delete box  702 . To delete a particular case  210  from information management system  10 , a user may check the delete box  702  that corresponds with the case  210 , and press the Submit button  706 . If a user wishes to return to the Trial Management window  110  without submitting any deletions, the All Active Cases link  708  may be selected. Clicking on the All Active Cases link  708  will return the user to the Trial Management window  110 . 
     III. Managing/Editing Specific Cases 
     To access a specific case  210 , the user may click on the case link  210  provided, for example, in the Trial Management window  110 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , clicking on a case link  210  allows the user to access various trial information  60 , such as exhibits  60   a  and deponents  60   b  and any other evidentiary material, court filings, transcripts or materials generated in the preparation for and participation in a trial. Exhibits  60   a  may include items such as court dockets, key dates, contact information and service lists, court information, or any other information needed to participate in a trial as would be known to a person familiar in the art. Deponents  60   b  may include fact witnesses, expert witnesses, third party witnesses, etc. Moreover, once the user accesses a specific case  210 , the browser  40  displays various information, links and columns, including the Case Name  242 , a Navigation bar  230  and links for various functions, such as Expand All link  244 , Collapse All link  246 , Send To Excel link  248 , Send To Printer link  250  and Send To PDF link  252 . It will be appreciated by those in the art that software application  30  is designed to allow for the delivery of data in any application that is necessary or desirable for the user. As such, navigation bar  230  may comprise any number of additional “send to” links not specifically detailed above, such as a Send to Email link, Send to Lotus 1-2-3 link, etc. In the depicted embodiment, selecting Expand All link  244  will reveal all data currently contained within the relevant fields. Selecting Collapse All link  246  simplifies the interface by hiding all data contained within the relevant fields except the top level of data. Selecting Send to Excel link  248  will export the data to a Microsoft® Excel spreadsheet. Selecting Send to Printer link  250  will send the data to the printer specified by the user&#39;s operating system. Selecting Send to PDF link  252  will create a pdf file comprised of the data. The .pdf file may display the data in a format that is easily read and/or understood by the user (such as graphs, tables, paragraphs or other report-like displays). 
     For allowing the user to access different functions of the system  10 , the Navigation bar  230  includes links to windows for All Active Cases  232 , Current Designations  234 , Exchange Center  236 , PDF Center  238  and Plaintiff Designations  240 , which will be discussed in a more detail below. 
     A. Current Designation 
       FIG. 7  depicts a Current Designations window  234 , which can be activated by selecting a Current Designations link  234   a . The status for each of the exhibits  60   a  and deponents  60   b  shown in activity window  60 X may also be shown. For example, in  FIG. 7  the status for each of the exhibits  60   a  and deponents  60   b  may be either “Exchanged” or “Not Exchanged.” In addition, specific deposition excerpts  300  may be identified for one or more of the deponents  60   b  that are listed and selected by the user. The Current Designations window  234  may also include links for various functions, such as Expand All link  244 , Collapse All link  246 , Send To Excel link  248 , Send To Printer link  250  and Send To PDF link  252 , each of which is described above. 
     1. Adding an Exhibit 
     To add an exhibit  60   a  to an existing case  210 , an Add Exhibits window  800  may be provided, which can be accessed by selecting an Exhibits (add) link  260   a  provided in the Current Designations window  234 , and is shown in  FIG. 7 . The Add Exhibits window  800  may include various information used to identify a specific exhibit that the user wishes to add to the system  10 . In the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 8 , the Add Exhibits window  800  includes prefix space  802  and number space  804 . By filling out prefix space  802 , exhibit  60   a  will be categorized with other similar types of exhibits. By filling out number space  804 , exhibit  60   a  will be listed in numerical order within its category. Add Exhibits  800  window may also include status information  806 , which depicts the exchange status of the particular exhibit  60   a . Add Exhibits  800  window may also comprise history box  808 , which includes information such as when and by whom exhibit  60   a  was added to information management system  10 . As users key in or modify data, the date and time of these modifications will be associated with the particular record. To access the record of these changes, history box  80  also comprises activity history link  812 , which allows users to view the past activity that has been logged by application  30 . Finally, the Add Exhibits window  800  comprises notes space  814 , which allows a user to add any additional information that may be pertinent to the exhibit  60   a . Once all of the desired information is entered by the user, he or she may save the information on system  10  by clicking the Save button  816 . If the user wishes to send the information to the Exchange Center window  236   b  (described below), he or she may click on Send to Exchange Center box  818  prior to clicking the Save button  816 . 
     2. Adding a Deposition 
     To add a deposition  60   b  to an existing case  210 , an Add Deposition window  900  may be provided, which can be accessed by selecting a Deponents (add) link  260   b  provided in the Current Designations window  234 . The Add Deposition window  900  may include various information used to identify a specific deposition that the user wishes to add to information management system  10 . In the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 9 , the Add Deposition window  900  includes a first name space  902 , middle initial space  904  and last name space  906 . These spaces  902 ,  904  and  906  allow the user to input the name of the deponent, and better identify a particular deposition  60   b . The Add Deposition window  900  may also include volume number box  908 , which provides the volume number associated with a particular deposition transcript, as well as date box  910 , which allows the user to input the date on which the deposition was taken. The Add Deposition window  900  may also include status information  912 , which depicts the exchange status of the particular deposition  60   b . The Add Deposition window  900  may also comprise history box  914 , which includes information such as when and by whom deposition  60   b  was added to information management system  10 . History box  914  may also comprise activity history link  920 , which, like history link  812 , allows users to view the past activity that has been logged by to application  30 . Finally, the Add Deponents window  900  comprises notes space  916 , which allows a user to add any additional information that may be pertinent to the deposition  60   b . Once all of the desired information is entered by the user, he or she may save the information on the system  10  by clicking on Save button  918 . 
     3. Exhibit and Deponent Records 
     As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 11 , each of the listed exhibits  60   a  or deponents  60   b  may also include an exhibit number  310  or a deponent name  312 . Moreover, the exhibit number  310  and deponent name  312  may also serve as links to additional information. For example,  FIGS. 12 and 13  show examples of the detailed information that may be associated with a particular link to an exhibit  60   a  or deponent  60   b , respectively. 
     More specifically,  FIG. 11  depicts an Exhibit Number window  320  associated with a specific exhibit record  322 . The Exhibit Number window  320  may be accessed by selecting the exhibit number  310  link. The Exhibit Number window  320  contains an exhibit record  322  for a specific exhibit  60   a  and may include information, such as the exhibit number, the status of the exhibit, i.e., “Exchanged” or “Not Exchanged”, when and by whom the record was last edited, and notes by the user. For allowing the user to track past activity for a particular exhibit  60   a , the Exhibit Number window  320  may also include a See Activity History  328  link. To save the recent changes to the Exhibit Number window  320  associated with a particular exhibit  60   a , the Exhibit Number window  320  may include a Save link  324 . For allowing the user to designate where the information for a particular exhibit  60   a  is saved or sent, the user may also select a Destination box  326 . The Destination box  326  may cause the exhibit record  322  to be sent to the Exchange Center  236  or other destinations that may be defined by the system  10 . 
       FIG. 12  depicts a Deponent Name window  330 . The Deponent Name window  330  may be accessed by selecting the Deponent Name link  312 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . The Deponent Name window  330  contains information related to a deponent record  332  for a specific deponent  60   b  and may include information, such as the deponent name, the volume corresponding to the deposition transcript that is being referenced and specific references to deposition excerpts from the respective deposition transcript. For designating specific deposition excerpts  344  of deposition transcripts, a Partial box  238  may be included. If the Partial box  338  is checked, a box opens and the last several words of the deposition excerpt  344  that is being designated may be included therein. To delete a deposition excerpt  344  that has been previously designated, a Delete box  342  may be included. If the user checks the Delete box  342 , the deposition excerpt  344  associated with that box will be deleted. To save the recent changes to the Deponent Name window  330  associated with a particular deponent  60   b , the Deponent Name window  330  may include a Save link  334 . For allowing the user to designate where the information for a particular deponent  60   b  is saved or sent, the user may also select a destination box  336 . The destination box may cause the deponent record  332  to be sent to the Exchange Center  236  or other destinations that may be defined by the system  10 . 
     B. Exchange Center 
     To track the exchange of exhibits  60   a  and deponents  60   b , an Exchange Center window  236   b  may be provided. To access the Exchange Center window  236   b , the Exchange Center link  236   a  may be selected.  FIG. 10  depicts the Exchange Center window  236   b . As shown in  FIG. 10 , the Exchange Center window  236   b  also includes sections  62  that list information related to exhibits  60   a , deponents  60   b  or other forms of trial information  60 . The section  62  that relates to exhibits  60   a  lists them by exhibit number and the status of the exhibits  60   a , i.e., “Exchanged” or “Not Exchanged.” In addition, various other information that may be pertinent to the relevant exhibit  60   a  may also be processed in the Exchange Center window  236   b . For example, specific deposition excerpts  300  may be identified for one or more of the deponents  60   b  that are listed and selected by the user. The section  62  that relates to deponents  60   b  lists them by name and may also include the status of the deponents  60   b , i.e., “Exchanged” or “Not Exchanged.” The deponents  60   b  that are listed may also be links that when selected, display the deposition excerpts  344  that are being designated for use at trial. 
     As will be apparent to those in the art, exchange center is an area where designations that are intended to be exchanged may be staged prior to their transfer to the opposing party. The exchange center may also integrate into an exchange center for opposing counsel, should both firms be using application  30 . This allows the user to complete its “current designations”, send the documents to the “exchange center” where the user can confirm that the designations are correct. Once confirmed, the user can then transfer the documents to the opposing party. On the inverse, if the user receives designations from the opposing party, the user may approve the incoming designations in the exchange center—essentially signing off on their receipt—and then the user may populate the users version of application  30 . 
     The Exchange Center  236  window may also include links for various functions, such as Expand All link  244 , Collapse All link  246 , Send To Excel link  248 , Send To Printer link  250  and Send To PDF link  252 . 
     C. PDF Center 
     To assist in the exchange of exhibits  60   a  and deponents  60   b , a PDF Center window  238  may be provided, which may be accessed by selecting the PDF Center link  238   a .  FIG. 13  depicts the PDF Center window  238 . As shown in  FIG. 13 , the PDF Center window  238  also includes status panel sections  62  that list information related to exhibits  60   a  and deponents  60   b . The status panel sections  62  may include information about the volume in which a particular deponent  60   b  is located and whether the deponent  60   b  is ASCII loaded. It will be appreciated by those in the art that there are other transcript delivery formats that may be proprietary to court reporters. Some of these are already “synched” with video time codes. For example, the transcript file does not have to be an ASCII file, it may also be a word file, html page or a number of other formats that are capable of being used with application  30 . 
     For storing deposition transcripts and editing the excerpts of those transcripts that may be designated for use at trial, the status panel sections  62  may also include an Upload/Edit link  250 . Selecting Upload/Edit link  250 , for example, may open a separate window, dialogue box or other mechanism by which the user would select the correct file on the user&#39;s hard drive, network location, or other storage location where the transcript exists. This window, dialogue box or other mechanism may then allow the user to edit the excerpt, and store the newly edited excerpt. The PDF Center window  238  may also include a link for generating PDF copies of the designated excerpts, which may be stored, exported for use by another system, e-mailed or printed by the user. It should also be understood by those with skill in the art that other functions may also be included in the PDF Center window  238  or that other data formats may be employed thereby requiring a different kind of document to be generated, such as MS Word files (*.doc), WordPerfect files (*.wpd), XML or HTML files, or any word or text processing format. The PDF Center window  238  may also include links for various functions, such as Expand All  244 , Collapse All  246 , Send To Excel  248 , Send To Printer  250  and Send To PDF  252 , as described above. 
     As mentioned above, to store or edit deposition transcripts, the Upload/Edit link  250  may be selected.  FIG. 14  depicts the Upload/Edit window  350 . As shown in  FIG. 14 , the Upload/Edit window  350  may include an Upload File link  352 , an Insert Page Break link  354  and links to various tools, such as Tool  1   356 , Tool  2   358 , Tool  3   360 , Tool  4   362  and Save  364 . Selecting the Upload File link  353  causes the transcript for a particular deponent to be uploaded and stored. As will be appreciated by those in the art, the uploaded transcript can be stored locally, on external storage devices or media, on remote third-party servers or, if available, on court-reporting servers. The uploaded transcript may be stored in any format compatible with or readable by application  30 . The Insert Page Break link  354  allows the user to format the transcript as loaded into application  30  such that the page breaks are consistent with the official transcript. Tool  2  link  358  may be provided to allow the user to make modifications to the underlying transcript file. Tool  3  link  360  may be provided to allow the user to change the line numbers within the transcript. Tool  4  link  362  may be provided to allow the user to change other formatting options, such as indentations, as necessary. It will be appreciated that the Tool  1 ,  2 ,  3  and  4  links can be modified by the user to accomplish most any task, and the above description is illustrative only. Moreover, it will further be appreciated that these tasks may be completed by software application  30  automatically, without input from the user. To save the edited version of a deposition transcript, the user may select the Save link  364 . If the Save link  364  is selected, the edited version of the deposition transcript will be stored either locally or at a remote server as described above. It should be understood that Upload/Edit window  350  may also include other links to various functions that may be required to store and edit the deposition transcripts for later use or designation by the user. 
     It will be appreciated by those in the art that deposition transcripts are originally stored as various types of file formats. Even if the transcripts are in the same type of file format, they may be arranged in a different layout. The file type, and the organization of the document, may be determined, for example, by the governing court, or the company that provided the reporting service. By way of example and as stated above, the deposition transcript of a first witness may be stored as an ASCII file, while the deposition transcript of a second witness may be stored as a .doc file, or a .txt file. 
     As a second example, the deposition of a first witness may be stored as an ASCII file, while the deposition transcript of a second witness is also be stored as an ASCII file. However, the organization of the two transcripts may be completely different. For example, the first page of the first transcript may include the name of the court, the caption of the relevant case and the person being deposed, while the first page of the second transcript may include the name of the court, the name of the relevant circuit, the presiding judge, the parties, the file number of the case and the date of the deposition. More likely than not, any information that is identical between these two transcripts will not be located at the same place on the front page. Additionally, the two transcripts may differ in whether the lines on the page are numbered, the number of lines per page, whether the pages are numbered, etc. 
     In order accommodate the multiple types of files and layouts in which transcripts may be stored, and to make electronic searching and display of the transcripts more efficient, the present invention includes parser  5000 . Generally, a user uploads a deposition transcript into system  30 , regardless of the file type or layout of the document in which the transcript is stored. Parser  5000  then parses the transcript and searches for the location of various identifying or descriptive metadata contained within the transcript. Once the type and location of this metadata is determined, parser  5000  stores the information in a relational database  5010 . Using this stored information, system  30  can easily search multiple transcripts, regardless of the type of file format or layout it was originally stored in, for various information. By way of example, if 30 deposition transcripts have been uploaded to system  30 , each transcript comprising the deposition of a different person, system  30  can use the information stored in relational database  5010  to search for each use of a specific phrase that is important to the case. Additionally, system  30  can use the information stored in relational database  5010  to manipulate the uploaded transcripts according to parameters provided by the user. By way of example, system  30  can display the transcript either in its native layout or in a layout that is uniform for all uploaded transcripts. System  30  could also display limited segments of the transcript, or any other display that is required by the user. 
     To accomplish this uniform parsing, the user first uploads a deposition transcript. It will be appreciated by those in the art that multiple transcripts may be uploaded simultaneously. Because parser  5000  requires no basic information about any deposition transcript to be manually inputted into system  30 , uploading multiple transcripts simultaneously greatly increases the efficiency of both the user and system  30 . 
     Once uploaded, the transcript is analyzed by parser  5000 , which extracts and stores various metadata for use in displaying, searching and further parsing of the transcript later. Where applicable, the various metadata may include, but not be limited to: the deponent&#39;s first name, the deponent&#39;s last name, the deponent&#39;s middle initial, the deponent&#39;s name suffix, the number of volumes into which the deposition was broken down, the date on which the deposition was taken, the maximum number of lines per page, the number of the start page, whether the transcript contains page breaks, whether the transcript has page numbers at the top, alternate page number location, page number alignment (i.e., where the are displayed on the page), line number location, line number alignment, timestamp location, timestamp alignment, etc. Detailed explanations of some of these steps follow. 
     Find page breaks—this is relatively self-explanatory. Parser  5000  reviews the metadata attached to each deposition transcript and determines if the transcript includes any page breaks, and if so, the position of those page breaks. 
     Find deponent name—again, this is relatively self-explanatory. Parser  5000  reviews the metadata, and searches several different patterns for name recognition on the cover page of the transcript. Patterns may differ for each meta-value, but, by way of example, for names, parser  5000  may employ various text parsers that may comb the first page for the words “name” or “deponent,” and find nearby text that match typical name patterns such as ‘John A. Doe’ or ‘Doe, John A.’. Multiple and various filters may be employed, each searching for common variances, such as ‘Von Der Ohe,’ ‘O&#39;Smith,’ etc. 
     Find date—again, parser  5000  searches the cover page and compares the information there with several patterns for date recognition that are programmed into parser  5000 , such as Jan. 1, 2008, 01/01/2008, 1 Jan. 2008, etc. 
     Find volume—often, transcripts are rather lengthy, and must be broken into multiple volumes. Parser  5000  may search the transcript, or just the first page, and compare the information found with several patterns for volume recognition that are programmed into parser  5000 . By way of example, parser  5000  may search for ‘volume’ and related number following multiple well known and often used patterns in transcript formats. 
     Analyze lines—in this step, parser  5000  will parse through a set number of lines in the beginning of the transcript, a set number of lines in the middle of the transcript and a set number of lines at the end of the transcript, searching for consistency or patterns in attribute locations and alignments. By way of example, parser  5000  may parse through the first 1,000 lines of text, the middle 1,000 lines of text and the last 1,000 lines of text in a transcript that contains over 5,000 lines of text. In this manner, parser  5000  will decipher the layout of a transcript and store the metadata accordingly. Understanding the layout of a transcript will for easy searching and manipulation by the user at a latter date. 
     By way of example, and in no way limiting, if the phrase “a man was standing on the corner of the intersection” was said during a deposition, a typical parsing program could not find that phrase if “a man was standing” was on one line, while “on the corner of the intersection” was the subsequent line. The reason for this is because a typical deposition transcript may look like this: 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
                 21 
                 12:04:32 
                 . . . text text text text a man was standing 
               
               
                   
                 22 
                 12:04:35 
                 on the corner of the intersection . . . 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Typically, traditional text parsing mechanisms begin at the first line of a document and continue line by line until the end of the file. As such, a typical parsing program will read line 21 to 22 as “a man was standing line break line number time stamp tab on the corner of the intersection.” As seen, a typical parsing program will not differentiate the important text “a man was standing” and “on the corner of the intersection” from the metadata present, “line break line number time stamp tab.” 
     By analyzing these same lines, parser  5000  will, in contrast, determine that “line break,” “line number” “date stamp” and “tab” are not textual characters but rather metadata used to determine the layout of the transcript, thus allowing system  30  to search the text of the documents for phrases that span multiple lines by ignoring or removing metadata information from the text. 
     It will be appreciated by those in the art that the scope of the present invention includes the use of multiple methods to analyze the lines. By way of example, in looking for consistency in attribute locations and alignments, parser  5000  may parse the first 1,000 lines, skip the next 500 lines, then parse 1,000 lines, then skip 500 lines, etc. 
     Determine page numbering scheme—using the line analysis from above, parser  5000  may parse the beginning of transcript and determine where and how the pages are numbered. 
     Find start page number—by determining the page numbering scheme, parser  5000  finds the beginning page number. As will be appreciated by those in the art, the beginning page number is often page 1. However, in transcripts that have multiple volumes, the volumes after volume 1 typically do not begin on page one. 
     Once parser  5000  analyzes the original transcript looking for any or all of the above metadata, or any other such identifying criteria that the user requires, the type of metadata found, and the location of the metadata, is stored in relational database  5010 . Because database  5010  contains all of the pertinent information from the original transcript, but now stores that information in an uniform and easily-read format, parser  5000  may now employ any traditional text parsing mechanism to extract the metadata and page/line data from database  5010 . 
     Because the pertinent information is stored in relational database  5010 , a user can input search criteria, and the relevant information and transcript text can be displayed, regardless of the file format, or layout, of the original transcript. 
     A second embodiment of software application  30  is seen in  FIG. 15 , in which an Upload/Edit window  350 A is provided to allow a user to easily select and transfer components of a transcript. As depicted, Upload/Edit window  350 A comprises transcript window  352 A, which depicts various portions of a transcript. Should the user require certain portions of the transcript to be copied, the user can highlight those portions, through transcript window  352 A. Once highlighted, the user can click the Add Designation button  370 A in order to copy and transfer the designated portions of the transcript. 
     The Upload/Edit window  350 A further comprises an Add Designation window  372 A. The Add Designation window  372 A comprises beginning page field  374 A, beginning line field  375 A, end page field  376 A and end line field  377 A. If the user knows the beginning and ending pages and lines that the user wishes to designate, the user may add the information in fields  374 A through  377 A, rather than highlighting the portions in window  352 A. Once the desired portions are designated, the user can click the Add Designation button  370 A in order to transfer the designated portions. 
     D. Plaintiff Designations 
     To assist in the designation of specific excerpts of a deposition transcript for use at trial by various parties to the litigation, a Plaintiff Designations window  240  may be provided, which can be accessed by selecting the Plaintiff Designations link  240   a .  FIG. 16  depicts the Plaintiff Designations window  240 . It should also be evident to those with skill in the art that similar windows may also be included for other parties, such as co-plaintiffs and co-defendants. As shown in  FIG. 16 , the Plaintiff Designations window  240  may also include status panel sections  62  that include information related to exhibits  60   a  and deponents  60   b . Similar to the Current Designations  234  window, the Plaintiff Designations  240  window may display the exhibits  60   a  by exhibit numbers and the deponents  60   b  by deponent name. The deponent name may also act as a link to the specific deposition excerpts  344  from the deponents transcript, which are being designated for trial. The Plaintiff Designations  240  window may also include links for various functions, such as Expand All  244 , Collapse All  246 , Send To Excel  248 , Send To Printer  250  and Send To PDF  252 , as described above. 
     E. Designations Management 
     A further embodiment of the present invention is depicted in Figures A to C. As seen in  FIG. 17 , to assist a user in uploading and preparing a deposition transcript for trial, an All Deponents window  1000 , a New Deponent window  1010  and a Current Labels window  1020  may be provided. To allow a user to create a new deponent, a First Name field  1012 , a Last Name field  1014  and a Middle Initial field  1016  may be provided within the New Deponent window  1010 . Once fields  1012 ,  1014  and  1016  are populated with the appropriate information, the user may click on a Create link  1018 , which will create a deponent, and add a new Deponent Name  1002  to the All Deponents window  1000 . 
     Like the previous embodiments discussed above, to allow a user to upload a deposition transcript associated with a Deponent Name  1002 , the Add Volume link  1004  may be provided for each Deponent Name  1002 . After clicking on the Add Volume link  1004 , an Upload/Edit window (not shown) will open that depicts one or more portions of a deposition transcript. Should the user require certain portions of the transcript to be uploaded, the user can highlight those portions. Once highlighted, the user can click the Add Designation button (not shown) in order to copy and transfer the designated portions to application  30 . 
     The Upload/Edit window (not shown) may further comprise an area for adding a designation. As an alternative to highlighting the desired portions of the deposition transcript, if the user knows the beginning and ending pages and lines that the user wishes to designate, the user may add the information in fields provided in the Upload/Edit window (not shown). Once the desired portions are designated, the user may upload the designated portions to the respective Deponent Name  1002 . 
     As is well known in the art, deposition transcripts may be stored in a variety of different document formats, such as: .doc files; .pdf files, ASCII files, etc. As also known in the art, there are a variety of ASCII file types that may be used to store deposition transcripts. As such, system  10  may be provided with a module that includes a parser program. When a deposition transcript is uploaded, the parser program compiles the deposition transcript and converts it to a standard format. In this manner, regardless of in which format, or which variety of ASCII file, the deposition transcript was originally stored, system  10  will display each deposition transcript associated with each Deponent Name  1002  uniformly, and allow the user to edit (as discussed below) the deposition transcript as needed. 
     Once a deposition transcript has been uploaded, Volume Indicators  1006  may appear under the respective Deponent Name  1002 . In this manner, the user will be able to upload, view and edit multiple deposition transcripts associated with each Deponent Name  1002 . 
     For allowing users to select, designate or otherwise set apart specific portions of a deposition transcript, system  10  allows the user to edit a deposition transcript as needed. For example, an edit link  1008  may be provided under each respective Volume Indicator  1006  that allows the user to designate, highlight or otherwise edit certain portions of a deposition transcript, as well as synchronize a video deposition with its written portion. Therefore, clicking on the edit link  1008  will open Deposition window  2000 , which includes links and buttons for performing the various functions mentioned above. 
     As stated above, system  10  allows a user to make multiple designations related to the same portion or portions of a deposition transcript. In order to easily determine which designations have been assigned to a portion of a deposition of a transcript, Current Labels window  1020  may be provided. As seen in  FIG. 17 , various color codes  1022  may be used. Each color code  1022  may be associated by the user with a various designation  1024 . 
     In order to delineate which color code  1022  is associated with which designation  1024 , and edit link  1026  may be provided in the Current Labels window  1020 . Once the user clicks the edit link  1026 , a Label Section window (not shown) will open. The Label Section window (not shown) may display a list of color codes, hatching symbols or other indicators  1022 , and associated blank fields. By populating each blank field with a designation or other various appropriate information, the user can associate each color code  1022  with a specific designation. As discussed in detail below, in this manner the user may designate a specific portion of deposition transcript in any manner, such as by party, by action, by topic, etc. 
     If a specific portion of a deposition transcript is somehow designated, a color code  1022  may appear next to the Volume Indicator  1006  in All Deponents window  1000 . In this manner, a user will quickly be able to determine whether a specific deposition transcript associated with a Volume Indicator  1006  has been designated, and if so, how the transcript has been designated and by whom, without having to open and review each transcript. 
     As is known in the art, depositions may be recorded, among other media, via video. If this is the case, the system  10  allows the user to synchronize the video recording of the deposition with the written transcript. 
     As seen in  FIG. 18 , and as discussed above, a Deposition window  2000  may be provided with system  10 . Deposition window  2000  may include an Add Designation window  2030 , which will allow a user to select and designate a specific portion of a deposition transcript. Once the specific portion is selected, the selected text portion may be displayed in Text window  2010 . In this way, the user can confirm that the correct deposition portion has been selected. 
     Once the user confirms that the correct deposition portion has been selected, the user may chose the specific designation to be associated with the selected portion via drop-down menu  2032 . Designations  2034  displayed in drop-down menu  2032 , from which the user can chose, may be the same as the designations with which the user populated blank fields in Label Section window as described above. Once the user has selected the appropriate designation  2034 , the user may click Add Designation link  2036  to associate the chosen designation  2034  with the selected deposition portion. 
     Deposition window  2000  may also include a Video window  2020 . Once a portion of the deposition is selected in Add Designation window  2030 , if a video deposition was taken, system  10  may display the video portion of the deposition in Video window  2020 , and may do so in addition to, or in lieu of, the written portion of the deposition displayed in Text window  2010 . As is known in the art, video depositions may be stored in any number of known formats, such as .wmv, .mp4, mpeg, .swf, etc. However, system  10  will display all video depositions in a uniform manner, regardless of the format in which the video deposition was originally stored. 
     As seen in  FIG. 19 , system  10  further allows a user to store, recall, manipulate and display various exhibits  3002 . As will be known in the art, these exhibits  3002  may be associated with a deposition transcript, but they need not be, and may stand alone or be otherwise associated with the trial. Window  3000  also includes an Exhibit Window link  3008 . If the user selects the Exhibit link, a list of Exhibits  3002  will be displayed. As seen in  FIG. 19 , selecting a specific exhibit  3002  will open Exhibit window  3000 , in which is displayed an exhibit  3002 . 
     As is well known in the art, certain portions of such exhibits  3002  may be more important than others. To help a user emphasize these more important sections, the user may mouse over exhibit  3002 , and box the important portions. When the important portions are selected, the portion will be displayed in enlargement box  3004 , which will appear embedded in Exhibit window  3000 . To allow a user to further emphasize specific portions of the important sections, enlargement box  3004  will allow a user to highlight specific portions of the text by clicking on the desired text with a mouse. It will be appreciated by those in the art that the scope of the present invention includes any known means of highlighting the specific portions of the text, including, but not limited to, underlining, italicizing, changing the color of the font, holding, etc. 
     While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. For example, the processes described with respect to computer executable instructions can be performed in hardware or software without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the order of all steps disclosed in the figures and discussed above has been provided for exemplary purposes only. Therefore, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these steps may be rearranged and altered without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, it is to be understood that all patents discussed in this document are to be incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Accordingly, the particular arrangement disclosed is meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.