Method for retrieving documents

• US 20040111678A1
• Filed: 08/25/2003
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hara, Masaaki, Noda, Jugo
• Application Number:
  US10/646,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20040111678A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/526
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/374 Thesaurus

Abstract

In a concept search, the user cannot easily create an effective seed document own his/her own. Further, the concept search trainer automatically changes the weights assigned to characteristic terms; however, such changes may not always increase the retrieval accuracy. The document retrieval method of the present invention uses thesaurus data to support the user'"'"'s seed document creation in a first search cycle and presents newly extracted characteristic terms to the user in second and subsequent search cycles. The retrieval accuracy increases because the present invention provides a user interface that permits seed document adjustment.

Claims

1. A computer-based document retrieval method, comprising the steps of:

receiving a seed document entered by a user;

memorizing first characteristic terms extracted from said seed document;

memorizing second characteristic terms extracted from the result of a document search process performed on said seed document; and

displaying the difference between said first characteristic terms and said second characteristic terms on screen.

2. A program for executing a method for electronic document retrieval, wherein said method comprises the steps of:

receiving a seed document entered by a user;

memorizing first characteristic terms extracted from said seed document;

memorizing second characteristic terms extracted from the result of a document search process performed on said seed document; and

displaying the difference between said first characteristic terms and said second characteristic terms on screen.

3. An electronic document retrieval system, comprising:

means for receiving a seed document entered by a user;

means for memorizing first characteristic terms extracted from said seed document and second characteristic terms extracted from the result of a document search process; and

means for displaying the difference between said first characteristic terms and said second characteristic terms on screen.

4. A computer-based document retrieval method, comprising the steps of:

memorizing first characteristic terms extracted from the result of a first search process;

memorizing second characteristic terms extracted from the result of a second search process which is performed on the result of said first search process;

comparing said first characteristic terms and said second characteristic terms; and

displaying the result of said comparison on screen.

5. A computer-based document retrieval method, comprising the steps of:

displaying characteristic terms extracted from the result of a document search process on screen;

receiving a user'"'"'s instruction for selecting said displayed characteristic terms; and

memorizing the received instruction for selecting said characteristic terms.

6. A computer-based document retrieval method, comprising the steps of:

causing thesaurus category information, which is stored in a storage device beforehand, to appear on screen;

receiving a user'"'"'s instruction for selecting said displayed thesaurus category information; and

performing a document search process in accordance with the received instruction for selecting said thesaurus category information.

7. A computer-based document retrieval method, comprising the steps of:

receiving first characteristic terms from a user;

performing a search process on said first characteristic terms and displaying the result of said search process on screen;

receiving second characteristic terms which are entered by the user in accordance with the result of said search process;

comparing said first characteristic terms and said second characteristic terms; and

displaying the result of said comparison on screen.

8. A document retrieval support method according to claim 7, wherein displayed characteristic terms classified solely as said second characteristic terms are differentiated from the other characteristic terms when said first characteristic terms and said second characteristic terms are compared.

9. The document retrieval support method according to claim 7, wherein characteristic terms classified solely as said second characteristic terms are assigned an increased weight setting when said first characteristic terms and said second characteristic terms are compared.

10. A computer-based document retrieval method, comprising the steps of:

receiving first characteristic terms entered by a user;

performing a first search process on said first characteristic terms and displaying the result of said first search process on screen;

receiving second characteristic terms which are entered by the user in accordance with the displayed result of said first search process;

comparing said first characteristic terms and said second characteristic terms; and

performing a second search process in accordance with the result of said comparison.

11. The document retrieval method according to claim 10, wherein said second search process performed in accordance with the result of said comparison comprises the steps of:

memorizing, as third characteristic terms, the characteristic terms that are not listed as said first characteristic terms but are listed as said second characteristic terms;

assigning relatively great weights to said third characteristic terms; and

performing said second search process in accordance with said second characteristic terms and said third characteristic terms.

12. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for executing a computer-based document retrieval method, wherein said method comprises the steps of:

receiving a seed document entered by a user;

memorizing first characteristic terms extracted from said seed document;

memorizing second characteristic terms extracted from the result of a document search process performed on said seed document; and

displaying the difference between said first characteristic terms and said second characteristic terms on screen.