Information search and collection system

• US 6,070,162 A
• Filed: 01/27/1999
• Issued: 05/30/2000
• 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: Tanaka, Toshio, Miyasaka, Hitoshi, Nagaishi, Michihiro, Miwa, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): HOMERE, JEAN RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US09/238,029
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 707/4, 707/3, 707/10, 707/103, 707/104, 395/200.43, 395/200.79, 395/200.73
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 wherein category classes which express information content categories 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 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 said 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 system, comprising:

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

an information collector that collects information relating to said request input on the basis of the request input format obtained by the request analyzer;

a content analyzer that analyzes collected information and extracts a necessary content based on the analyzed request input; and

,

an information compiler that compiles and outputs a content extracted by the content analyzer as comprehensive information in accordance with the request input of the user.

6. The information search and collection system of claim 1, wherein the information collector includes a predetermined algorithm using keywords input by the user.

7. The information search and collection system of claim 1, wherein the information collector yields information extracted as a single packet of information in accordance with the request input of the user.

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

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

an information collector that collects information relating to said request input on the basis of the request input format obtained by the request analyzer;

a content analyzer that analyzes collected results and extracts a necessary content; and

an information compiler that compiles and outputs a content extracted by the content analyzer 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.

3. The information search and collection system of claim 2, 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 is defined.

4. The information search and collection system of claim 3, 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.

5. The information search and collection system of claim 2, wherein the properties of said categories are displayed and an arbitrary property is selected from among those displayed properties.