Method of and a system for generating multiple-degreed database for images

• US 6,169,998 B1
• Filed: 07/07/1998
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Iwasaki, Masajiro, Huang, Yingjieh
• Primary Examiner(s): Amsbury, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRINH, WILLIAM B
• Application Number:
  US09/111,458
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104, 707/500, 707/502, 707/515, 707/530
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5846 using extracted text

Abstract

Ranked database is generated for referring to images. The database contains references or key text to images, and the references are ranked for predetermined degrees of relevance to the images.

Claims

1. A method of generating a database for images, comprising:

inputting input document data containing text data and image data, the image data further including images;

selecting relevant text portions of the text data according to predetermined degrees of hierarchical relevancy for each of the images, the predetermined degrees of the hierarchical relevancy each defining a level of relevance in reference to the images; and

storing the relevant text portions and the images in a predetermined hierarchical order based upon the predetermined degrees of the hierarchical relevancy.

2. The method of generating a database for images according to claim 1 wherein the images include a table, a picture, a diagram and a figure.

3. The method of generating a database for images according to claim 1 wherein the relevant text portions include a caption, a key sentence, a key paragraph and a key page.

4. The method of generating a database for images according to claim 1 further comprising searching one of the images based upon a search word.

5. The method of generating a database for images according to claim 4 wherein said searching further comprises:

inputting the search word;

comparing the search word to each of the relevant text portions for a match; and

outputting the match.

6. The method of generating a database for images according to claim 5 further comprising specifying a search limit in the relevant text portions.

7. The method of generating a database for images according to claim 6 further comprising determining a relevancy degree when there are multiple ones of the relevant text portions prior to outputting the match.

8. The method of generating a database for images according to claim 5 wherein outputting the match with corresponding ones of the images when there are multiple ones of the relevant text portions.

9. The method of generating a database for images according to claim 8 wherein the predetermined degrees of the hierarchical relevancy are outputted with the corresponding ones of the images.

10. The method of generating a database for images according to claim 5 wherein the predetermined degrees of the hierarchical relevancy are determined by a distance to the images.

11. A system for generating a database for images, comprising:

an input unit for inputting input document data containing text data and image data, the image data further including images;

a processing unit connected to said input unit for selecting relevant text portions of the text data according to predetermined degrees of hierarchical relevancy for each of the images, the predetermined degrees of the hierarchical relevancy each defining a level of relevance in reference to the images; and

a storage unit connected to said processing unit for storing the relevant text portions and the images in a predetermined hierarchical order based upon the predetermined degrees of the hierarchical relevancy.

12. The system for generating a database for images according to claim 11 wherein the images include a table, a picture, a diagram and a figure.

13. The system for generating a database for images according to claim 11 wherein said processing unit selects the relevant text portions including a caption, a key sentence, a key paragraph and a key page.

14. The system for generating a database for images according to claim 11 further comprising a search unit connected to said storage unit for searching one of the images based upon a search word.

15. The system for generating a database for images according to claim 14 wherein said search unit further comprises a search word input sub-unit for inputting the search word, a comparison sub-unit for comparing the search word to each of the relevant text portions for a match, and an output sub-unit connected to said comparison sub-unit for outputting the match.

16. The system for generating a database for images according to claim 15 wherein said search word input sub-unit specifies a search limit in the relevant text portions.

17. The system for generating a database for images according to claim 16 wherein said search unit further comprises a relevancy determination unit for determining a relevancy degree when there are multiple ones of the relevant text portions prior to outputting the match.

18. The system for generating a database for images according to claim 15 wherein said output sub-unit outputs the match with corresponding ones of the images when there are multiple ones of the relevant text portions.

19. The system for generating a database for images according to claim 18 wherein said output sub-unit outputs the predetermined hierarchical degrees of the relevancy with the corresponding ones of the images.

20. The system for generating a database for images according to claim 15 wherein said processing unit determines the predetermined hierarchical degrees of the relevancy based upon a distance to the images.

21. A recording medium containing a computer program for generating a database for images, the computer program comprising the steps of:

inputting input document data containing text data and image data, the image data further including images;

selecting relevant text portions of the text data according to predetermined degrees of hierarchical relevancy for each of the images, the predetermined degrees of the hierarchical relevancy each defining a level of relevance in reference to the images; and

storing the relevant text portions and the images in a predetermined hierarchical order based upon the predetermined degrees of hierarchical relevancy.