Information searching apparatus for searching text to retrieve character streams agreeing with a key word

• US 5,715,446 A
• Filed: 05/21/1996
• Issued: 02/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Enomoto, Noriyuki, Kinoshita, Tetsuya, Oyama, Takamasa, Kikuchi, Chuichi, Shinoki, Hirobumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOMERE, JEAN RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US08/651,014
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 395/605, 395/613, 395/606, 395/760, 395/778, 395/794
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90344 by using string matching techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A plurality of characters arranged in a text are numbered in order of occurrence for each character type, and an occurrence number table in which one or more occurrence numbers are listed for each character type is prepared in an occurrence number preparing unit. Also, a set of two character types is defined as a character pattern, and a set of two occurrence numbers of two adjacent characters of which types correspond to one character pattern is defined as an occurrence number pattern. One or more occurrence number patterns respectively corresponding to one character pattern are arranged for each character pattern, and a list of occurrence number patterns is prepared as an index file in an index file preparing unit. Thereafter, a series of specified character patterns indicated by a key word is prepared, and a series of particular occurrence number patterns corresponding to the series of specified character patterns is selected on condition that a series of particular characters indicated by the series of particular occurrence number patterns agrees with the particular character stream. Therefore, because the characters of the text is converted to the occurrence number patterns and all occurrence number patterns are not searched, a searching operation can be performed at a high speed.

Claims

1. An information searching apparatus, comprising:

occurrence number table preparing means for preparing an occurrence number table in which one or more occurrence numbers obtained by numbering one or more characters belonging to a character type in a retrieval text in order of occurrence are listed for each character type;

index file preparing means for reconstituting the occurrence numbers listed in the occurrence number table prepared by the occurrence number table preparing means to a plurality of occurrence number patterns which each indicate a set of two occurrence numbers of two adjacent characters in the retrieval text, classifying the occurrence number patterns into a plurality of groups of occurrence number patterns which each corresponds to a character pattern indicating a set of two character types, and preparing an index file in which the groups of occurrence number patterns respectively corresponding to one character pattern are listed, particular types of two adjacent characters indicated by each of the occurrence number patterns agreeing with two character types indicated by a corresponding character pattern; and

index file searching means for searching the index file and retrieving a particular character stream agreeing with a key word by producing a series of specified character patterns from a specified character stream indicated by the key word, and selecting a series of particular occurrence number patterns corresponding to the series of specified character patterns on condition that a series of particular characters indicated by the series of particular occurrence number patterns agrees with the particular character stream.

2. An information searching apparatus according to claim 1 in which a plurality of occurrence number patterns in each group of occurrence number patterns are arranged in the order of increasing or decreasing the occurrence numbers of the occurrence number patterns by the index file searching means.

3. An information searching apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

index file storing means for storing the groups of occurrence number patterns obtained by the index file preparing means as the index file, the index file storing means comprising:

a plurality of recording regions for storing a plurality of occurrence number patterns from a top occurrence number pattern to a final occurrence number pattern for each group of occurrence number patterns; and

an extended region following the recording regions for again storing the final occurrence number pattern in succession to the final occurrence number pattern stored in a final recording region, and

a searching operation for each group of occurrence number patterns performed by the index file searching means being stopped in cases where the final occurrence number pattern recorded in the extended region is again checked by the index file searching means.

4. An information searching apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

index file storing means for storing the groups of occurrence number patterns obtained by the index file preparing means as the index file, the index file storing means comprising:

a plurality of recording regions for storing a plurality of occurrence number patterns from a top occurrence number pattern to a final occurrence number pattern for each group of occurrence number patterns; and

an extended region, arranged for each group of occurrence number patterns, for storing an additional occurrence number pattern obtained by the index file preparing means in a text revising operation.

5. An information searching apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

index file storing means for storing the groups of occurrence number patterns obtained by the index file preparing means as the index file, the index file storing means comprising:

a plurality of recording regions for storing a plurality of occurrence number patterns from a top occurrence number pattern to a final occurrence number pattern for each group of occurrence number patterns;

a first extended region following the recording regions for again storing the final occurrence number pattern in succession to the final occurrence number pattern stored in a final recording region; and

a second extended region following the first extended region for storing an additional occurrence number pattern obtained by the index file preparing means in a text revising operation, and

a searching operation for each group of occurrence number patterns performed by the index file searching means being stopped in cases Where the final occurrence number pattern recorded in the first extended region is again checked by the index file searching means.

6. An information searching apparatus, comprising:

retrieval object storing means for storing one or more retrieval objects;

real time processing data receiving means for receiving one or more pieces of real time processing data respectively corresponding to one of the retrieval objects stored in the retrieval object storing means;

retrieval information receiving means for receiving a piece of retrieval information and a searching request;

real time processing data storing means for storing the pieces of real time processing data received by the real time processing data receiving means;

real time processing means for performing a real time processing for each of the pieces of real time processing data stored in the real time processing data storing means to renew the retrieval objects stored in the retrieval object storing means;

retrieval object searching means for searching each of the retrieval objects stored in the retrieval object storing means to retrieve one or more pieces of first information agreeing with the retrieval information received by the retrieval information receiving means from each of the retrieval objects and outputting a retrieval result indicating the first information;

real time processing data searching means for searching each of one or more pieces of particular real time processing data, which each are not processed by the real time processing means and are stored in the real time processing data storing means, to retrieve one or more pieces of second information agreeing with the retrieval information received by the retrieval information receiving means from each of the pieces of particular real time processing data;

retrieval result revising means for revising the retrieval result output from the retrieval object searching means according to the second information retrieved by the real time processing data searching means to reflect the pieces of particular real time processing data in the retrieval result; and

retrieval result outputting means for outputting the retrieval result revised by the retrieval result revising means.

7. An information searching apparatus according to claim 6 in which each of the retrieval objects stored in the retrieval object storing means is a character stream which is expressed by one or more character patterns respectively indicated by a first character and a second character adjacent to each other and one or more character information patterns which each correspond to one of the character patterns and are indicated by a position of the first character in the character stream and a data number identifying the character stream.

8. An information searching apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

duplicate real time processing avoiding means for changing a piece of real time processing data, which corresponds to a particular retrieval object and is stored in the real time processing data storing means, to a piece of revised real time processing data corresponding to the same particular retrieval object in cases where a piece of duplicate real time processing data corresponding to the same particular retrieval object is received by the real time processing data receiving means and abandoning the duplicate real time processing data.

9. An information searching apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

existence judging table preparing means for preparing an existence judging table in which all components of a piece of specified real time processing data stored in the real time processing data storing means exist; and

retrieving operation control means for judging whether or not all components of the retrieval information exist in the existence judging table prepared by the existence judging table preparing means and controlling the real time processing data searching means to stop searching the specified real time processing data in cases where all components of the retrieval information do not exist in the existence judging table.

10. An information searching apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

duplicate retrieving operation avoiding means for selecting a piece of latest real time processing data Corresponding to a particular retrieval object from a plurality of pieces of real time processing data corresponding to the same particular retrieval object stored in the real time processing data storing means, controlling the real time processing data searching means to retrieve the second information agreeing with the retrieval information from the latest real time processing data, and controlling the real time processing data searching means not to perform a searching operation for the other pieces of real time processing data corresponding to the same particular retrieval information.

11. An information searching apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

finishing request receiving means for receiving a finishing request;

forced finishing operation requesting means for requesting the real time processing means to forcibly finish a real time processing in cases where the finishing request is received by the finishing request receiving means to remain one or more pieces of specified real time processing data not processed by the real time processing means in the real time processing data storing means; and

finishing condition storing means for storing the pieces of specified real time processing data remained by the forced finishing operation requesting means.

12. An information searching apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

starting request receiving means for receiving a starting request; and

starting operation requesting means for requesting the real time processing means to restart the real time processing forcibly finished by the forced finishing operation requesting means in cases where the starting request is received by the starting request receiving means.

13. An information searching apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

retrieval time measuring means for measuring a retrieval time at which a particular retrieval object stored in the retrieval object storing means is searched by the retrieval object searching means or a pieces of particular real time processing data for a particular retrieval object stored in the real time processing data storing means is searched by the real time processing data searching means;

renewing time measuring means for measuring a renewing time at which the particular retrieval object stored in the retrieval object storing means is renewed by the real time processing means;

renewing operation informing means for judging whether or not the retrieval time measured by the retrieval time measuring means is later than the renewing time measured by the renewing time measuring means and preparing a piece of renewing information indicating that a renewing operation for the particular retrieval object is performed after the particular retrieval object is searched by the retrieval object searching means or the real time processing data searching means in cases where the renewing time is later than the retrieval time; and

renewing information outputting means for outputting an identifying number of the particular retrieval object and the renewing information obtained by the renewing operation informing means in cases where the renewing time is later than the retrieval time.