Method of information reference for hypermedia

• US 5,537,132 A
• Filed: 05/17/1993
• Issued: 07/16/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kato, Makoto, Teraoka, Tadahiro, Miyaoka, Shinichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stoll, Kara Farnandez
• Application Number:
  US08/063,122
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 340/723, 340/721, 340/706, 340/712, 395/157, 395/158, 395/156, 395/155, 395/160, 395/133, 345/115, 345/120, 345/173, 345/146, 345/119, 345/145, 345/156, 345/179, 345/133
• US Class Current: 345/642
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134

Abstract

An information reference method includes a computer, a storage unit for storing display information to be processed by the computer, a display unit for displaying display information stored in the storage unit, and an indication unit for indicating any desired point on the screen of the display unit. The information reference method comprises a step for displaying a portion of display information stored in the storage unit, a step for indicating any desired point of a display image on the screen by the indication unit, and a step for selecting one of a plurality of display information linked in advance to a displayed image. The information retrieval method further comprises a step for providing, within display information, link information for showing the degree of relevancy between a displayed image and the plurality of display information, and a step for mutually comparing link information at an indicated point to decide display information to be selected.

Claims

1. An information retrieval method which includes a computer, a memory storage for storing display information to be processed by said computer and information to be retrieved, a display for displaying the display information stored in said storage, output means for outputting the retrieval information, and an indicator for indicating a desired point on a screen of said display comprising:

displaying display information stored in said storage on said display;

pointing to a desired point of a displayed graphical image on the screen by said indicator;

providing link information containing a plurality of degree of relevancy values relative to the displayed graphical image, said degree of relevancy values being screen location dependent and having correlation between the desired point and information that can be fetched by retrieving, wherein said degree of relevancy values are calculated by applying coordinates of the desired point and link information parameters to a distribution function;

comparing said degree of relevancy values contained in said information relative to the desired point and choosing for output selected retrieved information in accordance with the comparison; and

outputting the chosen information to said output means.

2. An information retrieval method, in a system which includes:

a computer;

a storage device for storing display information to be processed by said computer;

a display for displaying the display information stored in said storage device;

an indicator for indicating any desired point on a screen of said display, the method comprising the steps of;

pointing to any desired point of a displayed graphical image on the screen by said indication means;

providing link information for calculating degree of relevance values;

calculating the degree of relevance values of said display information with respect to the desired point by applying coordinates of the desired point and necessary link information parameters of said display information to a distribution function, said degree of relevancy values being screen location dependent and having correlation between the desired point and information that can be fetched;

comparing the calculated degree of relevance values and deciding what information stored in said storage device is to be selected in accordance with the comparison; and

selecting and displaying the decided information stored in said storage device in said display.

3. An information retrieval method comprising the steps of:

displaying a graphical image on a screen of a display device comprising selected display information stored in a storage device;

pointing to any desired point of the displayed graphical image on the screen by an indicator for indicating a relevant portion of the display information;

selecting the relevant portion of the display information linked in advance to the displayed graphical image;

providing link information within said display information for calculating degree of relevance values of image elements within the relevant portion;

calculating the degree of relevance values of the image elements with respect to the indicated point based on said link information by applying coordinates of the desired point and necessary link information parameters to a distribution function, said degree of relevance values being screen location dependent and having correlation between the desired point and information that can be fetched; and

comparing the calculated degree of relevance values and deciding what information stored in said storage device is to be selected in accordance with the comparison.

4. A method of selecting one of a plurality of stored reference files linked to a point indicated by a user on a display screen comprising:

accessing the plurality of stored reference files from an associated memory;

generating a degree of relevancy signal for each of the plurality of stored reference files by applying coordinates of the indicated point and necessary link information parameters to a distribution function, the degree of relevancy signals being screen location dependent and having correlation between the indicated point and the stored reference files;

comparing the degree of relevancy signal of each of the plurality of stored reference files and generating a comparison signal as a result of the comparing;

selecting a stored reference file with a highest degree of relevancy signal in accordance with the comparison signal.

5. A method of selecting one of a plurality of stored reference files linked to a point indicated by a user on a display screen comprising:

accessing the plurality of stored reference files from an associated memory;

generating a degree of relevancy signal for each of the plurality of stored reference files, the degree of relevancy signals being screen location dependent and having correlation between the indicated point and the stored reference files, the degree of relevancy signal for each of the plurality of stored reference files being generated from relations L=M-M(γ

/γ

₀) and γ

=((x-xc)² +(y-yc)²)^1/2, where x and y are rectangular coordinates of the display point indicated, xc and yc are rectangular coordinates of a reference point on the display, γ

₀ is a radial coordinate extending from xc and yc and M is a degree of relevancy value for each of the plurality of stored files when the rectangular coordinates of the display point indicated coincide with the rectangular coordinates of the reference point;

comparing the degree of relevancy signal of each of the plurality of stored reference files and generating a comparison signal as a result of the comparing; and

selecting a stored reference file with a highest degree of relevancy signal in accordance with the comparison signal.