Document searching system for multilingual documents

• US 5,956,740 A
• Filed: 10/23/1996
• Issued: 09/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: ITI Limited (Government of India)
• Inventors: Nosohara, Makifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kindred, Alford W.
• Application Number:
  US08/740,044
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 707/536, 707/501, 707/513, 707/512, 707/202, 707/100, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 704/2, 704/8, 704/4, 704/277, 704/10, 704/5
• US Class Current: 715/264
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3337 Translation of the query language, e.g. Chinese to English
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/55 Rule-based translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

The present invention provides a system which enables searching documents at one time, even if they may be written in plural languages, according to key words written in the searcher'"'"'s language. The system also enables translation of the search results into the searcher'"'"'s language prior to being displayed. In the document searching system for multilingual documents of the present invention, the translation control means translates the key words written by the searcher'"'"'s language is provided. Another translation control means for the search results that translates the whole text of the selected documents is provided independently. As for the key word translation means, a simple translation system is applied because the objects of the translation are words such as nouns, verbs and so forth. On the other hand, for the search result translation means, a high-level translation system may be applied because the objects of the translation are common sentences and the appropriate translation is deduced from the context of the document. Therefore, in the processing steps of the free key word translation means, where the search formula may be changed, added, modified or deleted frequently to improve the exactness of the search result, the processing speed in these steps is not decreased so that the whole system response may speed up.

Claims

1. A document searching system for multilingual documents comprising:

an input means to input a search command including a search key word designated by the searcher;

a key word translation control means for translating the key word input by the searcher into other languages used in the documents to be searched;

a search formula generating means to generate a search formula from the key words transferred from said key word translation control means for the key word;

a search means to search a document storage means to store documents according to said search formula transferred from said search formula generating means;

a search result storage means to store the selected documents;

a search result translation control means for translating said search result stored in said search result storage means to the language designated in the input of the search condition;

a display means to display the result of the translation; and

wherein said key word translation control means and said search result translation control means are independent from each other so that said key word translation control means translates key words and said search result translation control means translates at least sentences of the selected documents.

2. A document searching system for multilingual documents as claimed in claim 1, wherein said documents are documents with links.

3. A document searching system for multilingual documents as claimed in claim 1, wherein said system additionally comprises a synonym search means to output synonyms of the search key word inputted by the searcher.

4. A document searching system for multilingual documents as claimed in claim 3, wherein said synonym search means additionally comprises a synonym storage means and a writing means to rewrite said synonym storage means.

5. A document searching system for multilingual documents as claimed in claim 1, wherein said search formula generating means is provided with a synonym modification means which enables changing the selected synonyms.

6. A document searching system for multilingual documents as claimed in claim 1, wherein said search result translation control means is provided with a translation area designating means to designate an area to be translated.

7. A document searching system for multilingual documents as claimed in claim 1, wherein said search result storage means is provided with a primary storage means to store bibliographic information of the search result and a secondary storage means to store the whole text of the documents.

8. A document searching system for multilingual documents as claimed in claim 2, wherein said document with link includes links in HTML.