Method for creating browsing data of an information searching apparatus and method for searching information

• US 6,691,130 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2001
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kawasaki, Kenji, Morimoto, Yoshiaki, Nitta, Kunihisa, Tanaka, Kimio, Tanaka, Tetsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Application Number:
  US09/968,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20020026454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/203, 709/219, 345/783, 345/746
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A browsing data creation system of an information searching apparatus includes a data storage for storing plural kinds of data that are to be searched for. Each of the data having a data format corresponding to the kind of data that is is. Instructions can be input into the information searching apparatus and browsing data can be created from the data stored in the data storage according to a data format input into the information searching apparatus. Data that is to be searched for has a time based access and is divided into page units. An instruction is input to the information searching apparatus to search in page units.

Claims

1. An information search apparatus to search required data from stored data to be searched for comprising:

a bus;

a storage device storing a program;

a processor coupled to said storage device through said bus and creating browsing data from the data to be searched for in accordance with the program;

a display coupled to the processor through said bus and displaying said created browsing data;

wherein said processor modifies the browsing data corresponding to the data to be searched for in accordance with the program when the data to be searched for is modified; and

wherein said processor compares the time of the last modification of data to be searched for with that of the browsing data corresponding to the modified data to be searched for and, as a result, when the time of the last modification of data to be searched for is more recent than that of the modified browsing data, the browsing data corresponding to the modified data to be searched for is modified.

2. An information search apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor modifies the browsing data by recreating browsing data from the data to be searched for.

3. An information search apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said processor reduces part of all of the data to be searched for and creates the browsing data.

4. An information search apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in case the data to be searched for is bitmap data, said processor reduces the bitmap data and the number of colors, and creates icons in accordance with the browsing data.

5. An information search apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in case the data to be searched for is video data, said processor reduces the first frame and the number of, and creates icons in accordance with the browsing data.

6. An information search apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage device saves a registration table defining data format of the browsing data, and said processor creates the browsing data in text data format or bitmap data format or graphic data format according to the registration table.

7. An information search apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said storage device saves a pallet defining a plurality of colors for the browsing data, and said processor selects a color close to that of the data to be searched for in the plurality of colors defined by said color pallet and creates the browsing data using the selected color.

8. An information search apparatus according to claim 6, wherein in case the data format of the browsing data registered in said registration table is bitmap data format, said processor creates objects from the data to be searched for and reduces the objects and creates icons in accordance with the browsing data.

9. An information search apparatus according to claim 6, wherein in case the data format of the browsing data defined by the registration table is graphic data format, said processor creates objects from the data to be searched for, and obtains graphic format data from the objects and creates the browsing data.

10. An information search apparatus according to claim 6, wherein in case data format of the browsing data defined by the registration table is text format, said processor creates objects from the data to be search for and obtains text format data from the objects and creates the browsing data.

12. A program product according to claim 1, wherein said modifying process modifies the browsing data by recreating browsing data from the data to be searched for.

11. A program product storable in a medium and readable by a computer and making computer search required data from the stored data to be searched for comprising:

a creating process for creating browsing data from the data to be searched for;

a displaying process for displaying the created browsing data;

a modifying process for modifying the browsing data corresponding to the data to be searched for when the data to be searched for is modified; and

wherein said modifying step compares the time of the last modification of the data to be searched for with that of the browsing data corresponding to the modified data to be searched for, and as a result, when the time of the last modification of the data to be searched for is more recent than latest of that of the modified browsing data, the browsing data corresponding to the modification data to be searched for is modified.

13. A program product according to claim 11, wherein part of all of the data to be searched for is reduced and the browsing data is created.

14. A program product according to claim 13, wherein in case the data to be searched for is bitmap data, the bitmap data and the number of are reduced, and icons in accordance with the browsing data is created.

15. A program product according to claim 13, wherein in case the data to be searched for is video data, the first frame and the number of colors are reduced, and icons in accordance with the browsing data is created.

16. A program product according to claim 11, wherein a registration table defining data format of the browsing data is saved, and the browsing data is created in text data format or bitmap data format or graphic data format according to the registration table.

17. A program product according to claim 16, wherein a pallet defining a plurality of colors for the browsing data is saved, and a color close to that of the data to be searched for is selected in the plurality colors defined by said color pallet and the browsing data is created using the selected color.

18. A program product according to claim 16, wherein in case the data format of the browsing data registered in said registration table is bitmap data format, objects are created from the data to be searched for and the objects are reduced and icons in accordance with the browsing data are created.

19. A program product according to claim 16, wherein in case the data format of the browsing data defined by the registration table is graphic data format, objects are created from the data to be searched for, and obtains graphic format data from the objects are obtained and the browsing data created.

20. A program product according to claim 16, wherein in case data format of the browsing data defined by the registration table is text format, objects are created from the data to be searched for and text format data is obtained from the objects and the browsing data is created.

21. An information search method to search required data from stored data to be searched for comprising steps of:

a creating step for creating browsing data from the data to be searched for;

a displaying step for displaying the created browsing data;

a modifying step for modifying the browsing data corresponding to the data to be searched for when the data to be searched for is modified; and

wherein said modifying step compares the latest update date time of the data to be searched for with that of the browsing data corresponding to the modified data to be searched for, and as a result, when latest update date time of the data to be searched for is more recent than the latest of that of the modified browsing data, the browsing data corresponding to the modification data to be searched for is modified.

22. An information search method according to claim 21, wherein the browsing data is modified by recreating browsing data from the data to be searched for.

23. An information search method according to claim 21, wherein part or all of the data to be searched for is reduced and the browsing data is created.

24. An information search method according to claim 23, wherein in case the data to be searched for is bitmap data, the bitmap data and the number of colors are reduced, and icons in accordance with the browsing data is created.

25. An information search method according to claim 23, wherein in case the data to be searched for is video data, the first frame and the number of colors are reduced, and icons in accordance with the browsing data is created.

26. An information search method according to claim 21, wherein a registration table defining data format of the browsing data is saved, and the browsing data is created in text data format or bitmap data format or graphic data format according to the registration table.

27. An information search method according to claim 26, wherein a pallet defining a plurality of colors for the browsing data is saved, and a color close to that of the data to be searched for is selected in the plurality colors defined by said color pallet and the browsing data is created using the selected color.

28. An information search method according to claim 26, wherein in case the data format of the browsing data registered in said registration table is bitmap data format, objects are created from the data to be searched for and the objects are reduced and icons in accordance with the browsing data are created.

29. An information search method according to claim 26, wherein in case the data format of the browsing data defined by the registration table is graphic data format, objects are created from the data to be searched for, and obtains graphic format data from the objects is obtained and the browsing data created.

30. An information search method according to claim 26, wherein in case data format of the browsing data defined by the registration table is text format, objects from the data to be searched for is created, and text format data from the objects is obtained and the browsing data is created.