Information search and collection method and system

• US 5,907,838 A
• Filed: 12/02/1997
• Issued: 05/25/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nagaishi, Michihiro, Tanaka, Toshio, Miwa, Shinji, Miyasaka, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kulik, Paul V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOMERE, JEAN RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US08/982,366
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/4, 707/10, 707/104, 707/103, 395/200.31, 395/200.43, 395/200.79
• US Class Current: 707/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3332 Query translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method and apparatus in which category classes express information content categories that are defined based on object-oriented programming. The information items that are to be collected for each category are set as properties, and an information acquisition method or information process and treatment method is described for each property. After a request input from a user has been converted into a request input format that the system can understand, the request input is classified into category classes, searching is performed, and the information items the system outputs are displayed using the properties of the classes to which the request input belongs. Information searching and collection is accomplished on the basis of the contents described by the methods, and the information is output as comprehensive information in accordance with the request input of the user.

Claims

1. An information search and collection method for searching and collecting information based on request inputs from a user, comprising the steps of:

converting a request input from the user into a request input format that a system can understand;

collecting information relating to said request input based on the request input format;

analyzing the results of the collection;

extracting a necessary information content; and

outputting the extracted content as comprehensive information in accordance with the request input of the user.

2. The information search and collection method of claim 1, wherein the collecting information step includes following a predetermined algorithm using keywords input by the user.

3. The information search and collection method of claim 1, wherein the extracting information step extracts the information as a single packet of information in accordance with the request input of the user.

4. An information search and collection method for searching and collecting information based on request inputs from a user, comprising the steps of:

defining category classes which express content categories on the basis of object-oriented programming;

setting each category class with information items that are to be collected for each category as properties; and

describing an information acquisition method or information process and treatment method for each property;

wherein after a request input from the user is converted into a request input format a system can understand, the request input is classified into said category classes, the information relating to said information items that are to be collected are searched and collected for the request input based on the properties corresponding to the classes into which the request input is classified and based on the corresponding acquisition method, information process or treatment method, and the collection results are output as comprehensive information in accordance with the request input of the user.

5. The information search and collection method defined in claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

defining information items that are to be collected as title classes;

setting a content of the information of each information item as properties; and

describing a data acquisition method and data processing and treatment method for each of the contents of the information.

6. The information search and collection method of claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

defining information items that are to be collected as information format classes;

setting a manner of displaying the information of each information content as a property, and describing a data acquisition method and a data processing and treatment method for each way of displaying the information.

7. The information search and collection method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

displaying properties of said categories, and selecting an arbitrary property from among the displayed properties.

9. The information search and collection system of claim 6, wherein the information collecting means includes a predetermined algorithm using keywords input by the user.

8. An information search and collection system comprising:

a request analyzing means for converting a request input from a user into a request input format that the system can understand;

an information collecting means for collecting information relating to said request input on the basis of the request input format obtained by the request analyzing means;

a content analyzing and collecting means for analyzing collected information and extracting a necessary content based on the analyzed request input; and

,

an information compiling and output means for compiling and outputting a content extracted by the content analyzing and collecting means as comprehensive information in accordance with the request input of the user.

10. The information search and collection system of claim 8, wherein the information collecting means yields information extracted as a single packet of information in accordance with the request input of the user.

11. An information search and collection system for searching and collecting information on the basis of request inputs from a user, comprising:

a request analyzing means for converting the request input from the user into a request input format that the system can understand;

an information collecting means for collecting information relating to said request input on the basis of the request input format obtained by the request analyzing means;

a content analyzing and collecting means for analyzing collected results and extracting a necessary content; and

an information compiling and output means for compiling and outputting a content extracted by the content analyzing and collecting means as comprehensive information in accordance with the request input of the user;

wherein category classes are defined which express content categories based on object-oriented programming, each category class is set with information items that are to be collected for each category as properties, and an information acquisition method or information process and treatment method is described for each property, and wherein after the request input from the user has been made into a request input format the system can understand, the request input is classified into said category classes, the information relating to said information items that are to be collected are searched and collected for the request input based on the properties of the classes to which that request input belongs and based on the corresponding acquisition method or information process and treatment method, and collection results are output as comprehensive information in accordance with the request input of the user.

12. The information search and collection system of claim 11, wherein information items that are to be collected are defined as title classes, and the title classes are such that for each information item, a content of the information of each information item is set as a property, and a method describing a data acquisition method and data processing and treatment method for each of the contents of the information.

13. The information search and collection system of claim 12, wherein information items that are to be collected are defined as information format classes, and these information format classes are such that for each information item, a method of displaying the information of each information content is set as a property, and wherein a method describing a data acquisition method and a data processing and treatment method for each way of displaying the information is defined.

14. The information search and collection system of claim 12, wherein the properties of said categories are displayed and an arbitrary property is selected from among those displayed properties.