SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING A UNIFORM INDEXING SCHEME FOR ORDERING AND RETRIEVING PROPERTY INFORMATION

Abstract

One embodiment of the invention provides a method of generating a document index using a document description including receiving a document description including a county identifier, a state identifier, a document identifier and a document type, searching a plurality of databases for a database identified by the county identifier and the state identifier, determining an indexing format for the database, and generating a document index in the indexing format using the document description.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a screen view of a graphical user interface (“GUI”) that allows a user to input a user name and a password prior to performing a search on a property according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a screen view of a GUI that allows a user to search for a property by inputting an address according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a screen view of the GUI of FIG. 2 that shows an example of an address that has been input into the street address field, the city field and the state field according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a screen view of a GUI that displays a list of documents that can be ordered for the searched property and allows a user to order and retrieve these documents according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a screen view of a GUI that allows a user to search for a property by inputting an owner name according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a screen view of a GUI that allows a user to search for a property by inputting an assessors' parcel number according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a screen view of a GUI that allows a user to search for a property by inputting a document identification code according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of an exemplary method of converting a document number to match the format of a predetermined indexing scheme according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of an exemplary method of submitting multiple searches for a property and receiving various documents in response to the search according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a screen view of a GUI that allows a user to download a template for processing multiple searches for a property and upload a customer file to process multiple document requests according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a screen view of a GUI that allows a user to order and download documents revealed from a search for a property according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 13-15 are screen views of GUIs that allow a user to request abstractor services and help according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a system for implementing the methods for generating a uniform indexing scheme for automating the ordering and retrieval of recorded land documents and images and providing property ownership and sales information according to various embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. A computer-based method of generating a document index using a document description comprising: receiving a document description including a county identifier, a state identifier, a document identifier and a document type;searching a plurality of databases for a database including the county identifier and the state identifier;determining an indexing format for the database; andgenerating a document index in the indexing format using the document description.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the document description corresponds to the document.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving a property identifier;performing a search for a property identified by the property identifier; andreceiving a document related to the property.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the property identifier is selected from a group consisting of an address, an owner name, an assessors parcel number and a document identification code.

5. A computer-based method of generating a document index for each property document comprising: searching for a property document using a property identifier;obtaining a document description related to the property document;obtaining a county code from the document description or a database;determining a document format for a database corresponding to the county code; andmodifying the document description to comply with the document format to produce an index code.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the property identifier is selected from a group consisting of an address, an owner name, an assessors parcel number and a document identification code.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the document description is selected from a group consisting of a county name, a state name, a document type, a recording date, a document description, a fips code, a book number, and a page number.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the county code is a fips code.

9. The method of claim 5 further comprising retrieving a list of documents associated with the property identifier.

10. A computer-based method of receiving property information comprising: receiving a property identifier for a subject property;retrieving a list of documents associated with the subject property;receiving a request for a document from the list of documents, the request including a document type; andtransmitting the document to a requestor.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the property identifier is selected from a group consisting of an address, an owner name, an assessors parcel number and a document identification code.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the list of documents include recorded documents and property reports.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the recorded documents include a last transfer document, a last finance document, an assessor map and a detailed transaction history.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the property reports include property information, sales comparables and a legal and vesting title with transaction history.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the document type is selected from a group consisting of an assessment map, an assessor map, a book page, a year document identification, a parcel map, a record map and a tract map.

16. An apparatus for generating a document index using a document description, the apparatus configured to: receive a document description including a county identifier, a state identifier, a document identifier and a document type;search a plurality of databases for a database including the county identifier and the state identifier;determine an indexing format for the database; andgenerate a document index in the indexing format using the document description.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the document description corresponds to the document.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 further configured to: receive a property identifier;perform a search for a property identified by the property identifier; andreceive a document related to the property.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the property identifier is selected from a group consisting of an address, an owner name, an assessors parcel number and a document identification code.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the document index includes a CMT (county, method, type) index and a formatted document description.