Document Analysis, Commenting and Reporting System

Abstract

A document analysis, commenting, and reporting system provides tools that automate quality assurance analysis tailored to specific document types. As one example, the system may implement state machines that evaluate document structure instances to determine whether the document structure instances conform to pre-defined syntaxes. The state machines may include error states and final states, and messages may be associated with the error states for display when a state machine reaches the error state.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A document analysis system comprising:
 a memory comprising:   a document structure instance for analysis; and   state machines configured to evaluate the document structure instance; and   
       processing circuitry in communication with the memory, the processing circuitry configured to:
 identify a syntax of the document structure instance; 
 
       select a state machine from among the state machines for analysis of the document structure instance, the state machine selected in response to identification of the syntax of the document structure instance;
 determine phrases in the document structure instance; and 
 parse contents of the document structure instance phrases and responsively move through states of the selected state machine, to determine, using the selected state machine, conformance of the document structure instance to a controlled document structure instance syntax associated with the selected state machine. 
 
     
     
         3 . The document analysis system of  claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to identify the syntax of the document structure instance based on a phrase among the determined phrases within the document structure instance. 
     
     
         4 . The document analysis system of  claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is further operable to identify the syntax of the document structure instance based on a syntax identifier associated with the document structure instance. 
     
     
         5 . The document analysis system of  claim 2 , wherein the selected state machine comprises a transition state, an error state, and a final state. 
     
     
         6 . The document analysis system of  claim 5 , wherein the final state represents conformance of the document structure instance to the controlled document structure instance syntax. 
     
     
         7 . The document analysis system of  claim 5 , wherein the error state represents non-conformance of the document structure instance to the controlled document structure instance syntax. 
     
     
         8 . The document analysis system of  claim 7 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
 output a message to be displayed in response to the selected state machine moving to the error state, wherein the message comprises a suggestion to correct the non-conformance.   
     
     
         9 . The document analysis system of  claim 5 , wherein the transition state represents identification of an expected constituent within the contents of the document structure instance as the contents are parsed. 
     
     
         10 . The document analysis system of  claim 2 , wherein the selected state machine is associated with more than one controlled document structure instance syntax. 
     
     
         11 . A method comprising:
 identifying a document structure instance within the document;   identifying a syntax of the document structure instance;   selecting a state machine from a plurality of state machines based on the syntax of the document structure instance, the state machine associated with a controlled document structure instance syntax; and   determining, using the selected state machine, conformance of the document structure instance to the controlled document structure instance syntax by parsing contents of the document structure instance and moving through states of the selected state machine corresponding to the parsed contents.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein determining the conformance of the document structure instance comprises:
 moving through a transition state, an error state, and a final state based on parsed content of the document structure instance.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the document structure instance is determined to conform to the controlled document structure instance syntax in response to the selected state machine moving to the final state. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the document structure instance is determined to be non-conformant to the controlled document structure instance syntax in response to the selected state machine moving to the error state. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 displaying a message in response to the selected state machine moving to the error state, the message comprising a suggestion to correct the non-conformance.   
     
     
         16 . A product comprising:
 a machine readable storage medium other than a transitory signal; and   instructions stored on the medium, the instructions configured to cause circuitry to:   receive a document structure instance within the document;   identify a syntax of the document structure instance;   identify a state machine to analyze the document structure instance, the state machine being selected from a plurality of state machines based on the syntax of the document structure instance;   parse contents of the document structure instance;   
       move from one state of the state machine to another state of the state machine in response to the parsed content; and
 evaluate whether the document structure instance conforms to a controlled document structure instance syntax corresponding to the state machine based on a last state within the state machine corresponding to a last constituent of the parsed content of the document structure instance. 
 
     
     
         17 . The product of  claim 16 , wherein the controlled document structure instance syntax is a first controlled syntax, the medium further comprising instructions to cause the circuitry to:
 identify a modal phrase in the document structure instance;   identify a second controlled syntax for the document structure instance to comply with;   identify a second state machine corresponding to the second controlled syntax; and   evaluate whether the document structure instance conforms to the second controlled syntax by transitioning through states of the second state machine according to the parsed content of the document structure instance.   
     
     
         18 . The product of  claim 16 , wherein conformance of the document structure instance to the controlled document structure instance syntax corresponding to the state machine is based on the last state of the state machine being a final non-error state. 
     
     
         19 . The product of  claim 18 , wherein the state machine comprises a start state, a transitory state, an error state, and a final state. 
     
     
         20 . The product of  claim 19 , wherein the state machine by default begins at the start state, and to move from one state of the state machine to another state of the state machine in response to the parsed content, the medium further comprising instructions to cause the circuitry to:
 identify a constituent in the parsed content of the document structure instance; and   determine a next state corresponding to the constituent based on a current state of the state machine.   
     
     
         21 . The product of  claim 19 , wherein the error state identifies, in the document structure instance, at least one of a non-agent entity error, a missing agent error, an unknown agent error, an unknown action error, or a missing action error.