Patent ID: 7707206

Claim:
A computerized search system comprising a processor and a storage device including instructions that are configured to run on the processor for accessing digitally stored data, comprising: a document interface configured to access a plurality of digitally stored documents that each includes content that relates to one or more subject matter topics, a topic model interface configured to access one or more digitally stored topic models that each classify information about one of the subject matter topics that can occur in the content, wherein the topic model interface is configured to access topic models that include hierarchical concept maps that map each of one or more ancestor concepts to a plurality of descendent concepts, document fingerprinting logic embodied in the computerized search system and responsive to the digitally stored topic models through the topic model interface and to the digitally stored documents through the document interface, and configured to create document fingerprints that each include a set of identifiers that each identify one of the topics from the digitally stored topic models in the content of the digitally stored documents, a query interface configured to receive user-specified queries, query fingerprinting logic embodied in the computerized search system and responsive to the digitally stored topic models through the topic model interface and to queries through the query interface, and configured to create query fingerprints that identify topics from the stored topic models in the queries, and search logic embodied in the computerized search system and configured to identify one or more of the digitally stored documents that are relevant to the queries, based on the query fingerprints and the document fingerprints.