Patent ID: 7761427

Claim:
A computer implemented method of processing and converting electronically-stored data for electronic discovery in support of litigation, the method comprising: physically loading and copying data and associated meta-data into a processor-based device by a user at a user-site from one or more data storage devices located at the user-site, said processor-based device being located at said user-site; inputting from the user on-site user input to said processor-based device for subsequent processing at the user-site of a working copy of the data and associated meta-data, said subsequent processing including storing in a local storage device said data and associated meta-data as the working copy for file processing, while maintaining a document context with respect to other documents, said working copy of the data including a plurality of files; said file processing of the plurality of files in the working copy of the data including: identifying a duplication of one or more files within the working copy of the data, including identifying a duplication by a hash algorithm, checking a duplicate file for file corruption, and exporting a duplicated file, and converting a selected file to an output file in a user-specified format with said processor-based device if said selected file is convertible to the user-specified format, said step of converting including extracting and saving file meta-data associated with said selected file, extracting text from said selected file, and creating an image of said selected file, and said file processing further including checking for a virus and removing the virus from one or more files, and checking for encryption of one or more files, and decrypting said one or more files if encrypted; and outputting the output file in the user-specified export format for at least one of exporting, reviewing and searching the output file in an external system, wherein said steps of physically loading and copying, inputting, processing and converting of the file processing, and outputting being performed by said processor-based device at said user-site.