Method for automatically linking index data with image data in a search system

• US 6,058,398 A
• Filed: 05/24/1999
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WIPS Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Daewoo Electronics Company Limited (Dayou Holdings Co.,Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Min-Jae
• Primary Examiner(s): Amsbury, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARDO, THUY N
• Application Number:
  US09/317,224
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 395/788, 707/2, 707/7, 707/104, 707/512, 707/3, 707/8, 706/59, 345/331, 386/124
• US Class Current: 707/713
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/917 Text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method for automatically linking index data with image data is disclosed. A first recording medium has both an index data base and first link data recorded thereon, and a second recording medium has both an image data base and second link data recorded thereon. The separate first link data which is not related to a search item, is added to each of record units of the index data base. The second link data is a label or a key chord which is connectively operated with the first link data. Accordingly, in the search system, the index list which is obtained by the search operation, is linked at a high rate with the image data which is recorded on the majority of recording media. Therefore, the minority of the first recording media having the index data base recorded thereon is linked automatically by the first and second link data with the majority of the second recording media having the image data base or a different form of data base recorded thereon so that the search operation is performed at a high rate. Also, when the search system is introduced into a network system, a separate linking software is not required.

Claims

1. A method for automatically linking text data with image data in a computer-based search system, said method comprising the steps of:

(i) inputting a search data such as a keyword;

(ii) searching on the basis of the search data inputted in step (i) in a text-data memory;

(iii) outputting a result of the search performed in step (ii);

(iv) determining whether or not an image display command has been input;

(v) loading an image-data memory when it is determined in step (iv) that the image display command has been input;

(vi) determining whether or not a first link data of the text-data memory is connected with a second link data of the image-data memory; and

(vii) outputting one or more images, stored in the image-data memory, linked with one or more searched data when it is determined in step (vi) that the first link data is connected with the second link data,

wherein the text-data memory has both an index database and the first link data recorded thereon, where said first link data is a separate link data which is added to each of records of the index database, and the image-data memory has both an image database and the second link data recorded thereon.

2. A method for automatically linking text data with image data in a computer-based search system, said method comprising the steps of:

(i) inputting a search data using a display monitor;

(ii) searching a text database for one or more records relevant to the search data input in step (i);

(iii) displaying located records on the display monitor;

(iv) checking whether or not a command to display image data, which are stored in an image database, linked with one or more records selected from the located records has been input;

(v) in response to the command, searching the image database for the image data on the basis of linkage information between the text database and the image database; and

(vii) displaying the image data linked with the selected records and located in step (v) on the display monitor,

wherein the linkage information is a separate link data from the text and image databases and has data by which text records of the text database are connected with image data of the image database.