Information retrieval apparatus

• US 20070255706A1
• Filed: 03/20/2007
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Client Solutions CO., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Okamoto, Masayuki, Tsuboi, Sogo, Cho, Kenta, Umeki, Hideo, Iketani, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 7,730,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data

Abstract

An information retrieval apparatus includes a display which displays document information, an input unit which adds additional information to the document information displayed the display, a first storage which stores mark symbol information specifying a particular symbol used for marking, a detector which detects an input from the input unit and decides whether or not the input additional information is identical to or similar to the mark symbol information stored in the first storage, a second storage which stores the mark symbol information and the additional information which is decided that it is similar to the mark symbol information by the detector, associating with the mark symbol information, and a retrieval unit which retrieves the mark symbol information and the additional information associated with the mark symbol information from the second storage, and a retrieval result by the retrieval unit is displayed on the display.

Claims

1. An information retrieval apparatus comprising:

a display configured to display document information;

an input unit configured to add additional information to the document information displayed the display;

a first storage configured to store mark symbol information specifying a particular symbol used for marking;

a detector configured to detect an input from the input unit and decide whether or not the input additional information is identical to or similar to the mark symbol information stored in the first storage;

a second storage configured to store the mark symbol information and the additional information which is decided that it is similar to the mark symbol information by the detector, associating with the mark symbol information; and

a retrieval unit configured to retrieve the mark symbol information and the additional information associated with the mark symbol information from the second storage,

wherein a retrieval result by the retrieval unit is displayed on the display.

2. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input unit includes at least one of a monitor of a tablet PC, which is integrally configured with the display, and an electronic white board.

3. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first storage holds the mark symbol information and a symbol code corresponding the mark symbol information by associating them.

4. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second input unit configured to, when a retrieval result of the retrieval unit is displayed on the display, display associated information with the mark symbol information selected from a retrieval result list displayed on the display as input data.

5. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a specification unit configured to, when there is a predetermined input form the input unit, specify a data range corresponding to the predetermined input and register the mark symbol information detected by the detector and the data range by associating them.

6. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the specification unit specifies a range by underlining the data range and by enclosing a desired range.

7. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a registration unit configured to register at least one of input data input from the input unit and a feature of the input data to the first storage.