Patent ID: 8219385

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of conducting a search of electronically stored information, comprising: (a) providing a user with an interactive targeting rule editor to enable the user to formulate a targeting rule to identify desired search results, the targeting rule comprising a natural language text string, the interactive targeting rule editor allowing the user to change one or more designated editable portions of the natural language text string to one of a set of specified alternate portions to form a syntactically valid targeting rule in accordance with a targeting rule grammar, wherein at least one of the specified alternate portions includes one or more further designated editable portions that are changeable by the user to one of a further set of specified alternate portions to form the syntactically valid targeting rule; (b) receiving the text string or a representation thereof from the user; (c) translating the text string or a representation thereof into an executable query; and (d) executing the executable query against the electronically stored information to generate search results.