Document retrieval apparatus

• US 20060282415A1
• Filed: 01/26/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Hitoshi, Yoshioka, Takeshi, Shibata, Hirohito, Yamada, Toshiya, Fukui, Motofumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,473 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A document retrieval apparatus for retrieving documents from a document database in which documents are registered, and displaying the retrieved documents, the document retrieval apparatus includes: a keyword input unit for accepting input of a retrieval keyword for retrieving the documents; a document retrieval unit for retrieving the documents from the document database on the basis of the retrieval keyword; a keyword weight calculation unit for calculating those weights of the retrieval keyword which feature contents of the retrieved documents, as keyword weights; and a display process unit for displaying the retrieved documents in a state where the retrieval keyword contained in the retrieved documents is presented in display aspects conforming to the keyword weights.

Claims

1. A document retrieval apparatus for retrieving documents from a document database in which documents are registered, and displaying the retrieved documents, the document retrieval apparatus comprising:

a keyword input unit for accepting input of a retrieval keyword for retrieving the documents;

a document retrieval unit for retrieving the documents from the document database on the basis of the retrieval keyword;

a keyword weight calculation unit for calculating those weights of the retrieval keyword which feature contents of the retrieved documents, as keyword weights; and

a display process unit for displaying the retrieved documents in a state where the retrieval keyword contained in the retrieved documents is presented in display aspects conforming to the keyword weights.

2. The document retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the display process unit displays the retrieved documents in a state where the display aspects of the retrieval keyword contained in the retrieved documents are made different on the basis of reference values which prescribe the display aspects conforming to the keyword weights.

3. A document retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a document ranking unit for calculating a summation of the keyword weights every retrieved document, so as to rank the retrieved documents in accordance with summation values.

4. The document retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

such retrieval keywords are endowed with initial weights beforehand; and

the keyword weight calculation unit calculates the keyword weights in consideration of the initial weights.

5. The document retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a thesaurus/dictionary unit for holding relevant words which are relevant to words, and degrees of relevance as indicate degrees of the relevance, wherein:

the document retrieval unit retrieves documents from the document database on the basis of the retrieval keywords, and the relevant words of the retrieval keywords as are held in the thesaurus/dictionary unit;

the keyword weight calculation unit calculates keyword weights of the relevant words of the retrieval keywords in consideration of the corresponding degrees of relevance of the relevant words; and

the display process unit displays the retrieved documents in a state where the relevant words of the retrieval keywords as are contained in the retrieved documents are presented in display aspects conforming to the keyword weights.

6. The document retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

a document is retrieved with the retrieval keywords being feature words which feature contents of an inputted document, and the retrieved document is displayed; and

the display process unit displays the input document in a state where the retrieval keywords contained in the input document are presented in display aspects conforming to keyword weights in the retrieved document.

7. The document retrieval apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising

a keyword selection input unit for accepting selection of the retrieval keyword from either of the input document and the retrieved document, wherein

the display process unit displays the documents in a state where words corresponding to the selected retrieval keyword, in the other document, are presented in identifiable display aspects.

8. The document retrieval apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising

a candidate document selection input unit for accepting selection of a retrieved document from among a plurality of displayed retrieved document candidates, wherein

the display process unit displays the input document in a state where the retrieval keywords contained in the input document are presented in the display aspects conforming to the keyword weights in the selected retrieved document.

9. A document retrieval program product for enabling a computer to retrieve documents from a document database where documents are registered, and to the retrieved documents, the document retrieval program comprising:

accepting input of a retrieval keyword for retrieving the documents;

retrieving the documents from the document database on the basis of the retrieval keyword;

calculating those weights of the retrieval keyword which feature contents of the retrieved documents, as keyword weights; and

displaying the retrieved documents in a state where the retrieval keyword contained in the retrieved documents is presented in display aspects conforming to the keyword weights.

10. A document retrieval method for retrieving documents from a document database in which documents are registered, and displaying the retrieved documents, the document retrieval method comprising:

inputting of a retrieval keyword for retrieving the documents;

retrieving the documents from the document database on the basis of the retrieval keyword;

calculating those weights of the retrieval keyword at which contents of the retrieved documents are featured, as keyword weights; and

displaying the retrieved documents in a state where the retrieval keyword contained in the retrieved documents is presented in display aspects conforming to the keyword weights.