Document retrieval method and system and computer readable storage medium

• US 20020073065A1
• Filed: 09/13/2001
• Published: 06/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Akihiko, Matsubayashi, Tadataka, Tada, Katsumi, Tokunaga, Mikihiko, Sugaya, Natsuko, Inaba, Yasuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 6,865,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A document retrieval method using a computer program includes retrieving a first set of documents using a first query expression generated by the computer program. The first set of documents is provided to a user. An evaluation of the first set of documents is received from the user. The first query expression is changed to a second query expression generated by the computer program based on the evaluation.

Claims

1. A document retrieval method using a computer program, comprising:

retrieving a first set of documents using a first query expression generated by the computer program;

providing the first set of documents to a user;

receiving from the user an evaluation of the first set of documents; and

changing the first query expression to a second query expression generated by the computer program based on the evaluation.

2. The document retrieval method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving a second set of documents using the second query expression.

3. The document retrieval method of claim 2, wherein the first and second sets of documents are different.

4. The document retrieval method of claim 2, wherein the first set of documents includes only a plurality of documents.

5. The document retrieval method of claim 2, wherein the first set of documents includes only one document.

6. The document retrieval method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing as a search history in a search history file, an identifier of at least one document evaluated by the user and an identifier of the user.

7. The document retrieval method of claim 6, further comprising:

storing a final query expression in the search history file, the final query expression being a search query last used before terminating use of the computer program to end a document retrieval effort.

8. The document retrieval method of claim 6, further comprising:

storing a final query expression in the search history file, the final query expression being a search query last used before terminating use of the computer program to end a document retrieval effort.

9. The document retrieval method of claim 2, further comprising:

searching the search history file using an input query expression; and

displaying a record from the search history file that includes a query expression that is similar to the input query expression.

10. A document retrieval method using a computer program, wherein the computer program is run to initiate a first search session, the method comprising:

receiving a document provided by a first user;

generating first search criteria using the computer program based on the document provided by the user, the first search criteria having one or more search expressions and one or more weights for the search terms;

retrieving a first set of documents using the first search criteria for user review;

receiving from the first user an evaluation of a document included within the first set of documents, the evaluation indicating whether the document is useful or not;

generating second search criteria using the computer program by altering the search term weight of the first search criteria if the document is indicated to be not useful by the user;

retrieving a second set of documents using the second search criteria; and

storing as a search history record in a search history storage file, an identifier of a document evaluated as being useful by the user and an identifier of the first user.

11. The document retrieval method of claim 10, wherein the search history record includes final query criteria used before terminating the search session.

12. The document retrieval method of claim 10, further comprising:

searching the search history file using at least one document identifier as a key; and

displaying a search history record from the search history file that includes a document identifier that matches the at least one document identifier.

13. The document retrieval method of claim 11, further comprising:

searching the search history file using input search criteria; and

displaying a search history record from the search history file that includes search criteria that is similar to the input search criteria.

14. The document retrieval method of claim 10, wherein the computer program is run to initiate a second search session, the method further comprising:

receiving from a second user an evaluation for a document retrieved with a third search criteria using the computer program;

generating fourth search criteria using the program based on the evaluation by the second user; and

searching the search history storage file using the fourth search criteria to retrieve a record that is deemed to be relevant to the second search session.

15. The document retrieval method of claim 14, wherein the record that is deemed to be relevant to the second user includes an identification of a past user who had conducted a search for similar information.

16. The document retrieval method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving from a second user an evaluation for a document retrieved with third search criteria using the computer program;

generating fourth search criteria using the program based on the evaluation by the second user; and

searching the search history storage file using the fourth search criteria to retrieve a record that is deemed to be relevant to the second user,

wherein the record that is deemed to be relevant to the second user includes search criteria used in a previous search session that are similar to the fourth search criteria.

18. The document retrieval system of claim 11, further comprising:

a second storage device to store a search history record including a final query expression and an identification of a document evaluated by the user and an identification of the user; and

a history retrieval program operable to retrieve the stored search history record of a previous search session based on at least one of the following;

document identification information and a search expression.

19. The document retrieval system of claim 11, wherein the first search expression includes at least one search term and at least one weight for the search term, where the search program generates the second search expression by altering the weight of the search term in the first search expression.

17. A document retrieval system, comprising:

an input device to input information by a user;

a first storage device having a search program that is operable to receive a user evaluation of a document retrieved using a first search expression and generate a second search expression different from the first search expression;

a data processing device coupled to the input device and storage device to access the search program; and

a database coupled to the data processing device, wherein the data processing device uses the search program to retrieve desired documents from the database.

20. A computer-readable medium storing a document retrieval program, said document retrieval program comprising:

code for retrieving a first set of documents using a first query expression generated by the computer program;

code for providing the first set of documents to a user;

code for receiving from the user an evaluation of the first set of documents; and

code for changing the first query expression to a second query expression generated by the computer program based on the evaluation.