Patent ID: 7302426

Claim:
A computer-controlled method, said method comprising steps of: receiving a plurality of possible list elements; determining a first document space size responsive to a first query that incorporates said plurality of possible list elements and defines a first document space; determining a plurality of sizes of second document spaces using a second query set containing a plurality of separate queries each of which incorporates a different proper subset of a plurality of candidate phrases and wherein each of said different proper subset has the same cardinality and defines one of said plurality of second document spaces, and wherein each of said second document spaces excludes one or more of said plurality of candidate phrases different than the one or more of said plurality of candidate phrases excluded in the remaining of said second document spaces; ranking said first document space and said plurality of said second document spaces; identifying a plurality of identified documents responsive to the step of ranking; extracting a plurality of list elements from at least one of said plurality of identified documents, wherein said at least one of said plurality of identified documents contains data and the step of extracting further comprises: parsing said data into a plurality of tokens comprising a plurality of container tokens and a plurality of textual tokens; determining a context for some of the plurality of textual tokens responsive to some of the plurality of container tokens; determining a separator pattern between one of said plurality of textual tokens and an adjacent textual token where both the one of said plurality of textual tokens and said adjacent textual token have said context; and identifying at least one of the plurality of textual tokens responsive to the separator pattern, wherein said at least one of the plurality of textual tokens is one of said plurality of list elements extracted by the step of extracting; and presenting one or more of said plurality of list elements.