Information search apparatus and method, and storage medium

• US 6,823,335 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2003
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ikeda, Kazuyo
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US10/386,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20030187836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/6, 707/102, 707/4, 707/5, 707/2, 715/526, 382/217, 382/218, 382/305
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/532 Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting

Abstract

An information search apparatus includes query condition input means for inputting a query condition, storage means for storing a plurality of image data which undergo a search, first similarity calculation means for calculating similarity values between the query condition and the individual image data by comparing the query condition with each image data stored in the storage means, first search result display means for displaying the search results on the basis of the similarity values calculated by the first similarity calculation means, image selection means for selecting a specific image from the image data displayed as the search results by the first search result display means, second similarity calculation means for calculating the similarity values between the specific image selected by the image selection means and the plurality of image data stored in the storage means, and second search result display means for displaying the search results on the basis of the similarity values calculated by the second similarity calculation means.

Claims

1. An information search apparatus for searching and displaying information, comprising:

matching level calculation means for calculating a matching level as a degree to which information satisfies a query condition;

scale mark determination means for determining to display a graduation interval of a scale mark, the scale mark indicating a change in the matching level;

scale mark display control means for displaying the scale mark;

display position determination means for determining a display position of information that satisfies the query condition on the basis of the displayed graduation interval of the scale mark determined by said scale mark determination means and the matching level calculated by said matching level calculation means; and

search result display control means for displaying the information on the basis of the display position determined by said display position determination means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

query condition input means for inputting the query condition; and

information storage means for storing a plurality of pieces of information which undergo a search,

wherein said matching level calculation means calculates matching levels as degrees to which the query condition is satisfied by comparing each information stored in said information storage means and the query condition input by said query condition input means, and

wherein said scale mark determination means determines display graduation intervals and display positions of the scale marks indicating a change in matching level.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said scale mark determination means individually determines the display graduation interval of each scale mark.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said scale mark determination means determines the display graduation interval of the scale mark on the basis of a number of pieces of information to be displayed between neighboring scale marks.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said search result display control means displays a plurality of pieces of information which satisfy the query condition in a radial pattern to have a point where the matching level indicates a perfect match as the center,

said scale mark determination means determines a radius of a scale mark on the basis of the number of pieces of information to be displayed between neighboring scale marks and a radius of the neighboring scale mark, and

said scale mark display control means displays, as the scale marks, circles having the point where the matching level indicates a perfect match as the center.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said scale mark determination means determines the display graduation interval of the scale mark on the basis of a minimum matching level of information displayed by said search result display control means and a size of an information display region.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising grouping means for grouping a plurality of pieces of information displayed by said search result display control means,

wherein said scale mark determination means determines the display graduation interval of the scale mark on the basis of the number of groups to be displayed between neighboring scale marks, and

wherein said display position determination means determines display positions to display a plurality of pieces of information belonging to a given group grouped by said grouping means at neighboring positions.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said search result display control means displays information that satisfies the query condition with reference to a straight line indicating a perfect matching level,

said scale mark determination means determines the display graduation interval of the scale mark on the basis of the number of pieces of information to be displayed between neighboring scale marks, and

said scale mark display control means displays the straight line indicating the perfect matching level as the scale mark.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus can be applied to search information such as an image, document, video, and audio.

10. An information search method applied to an information search apparatus for searching and displaying information, said method comprising:

a matching level calculation step, of calculating a matching level as a degree to which information satisfies a query condition;

a scale mark determination step, of determining display a graduation interval of a scale mark, the scale mark indicating a change in the matching level;

a scale mark display control step, of displaying the scale mark;

a display position determination step, of determining a display position of information that satisfies the query condition on the basis of the displayed graduation interval of the scale mark determined in said scale mark determination step and the matching level calculated in said matching level calculation step; and

a search result display control step, of displaying the information on the basis of the display position determined in said display position determination step.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising a query condition input step, of inputting the query condition,

wherein said matching level calculation step includes the step of calculating matching levels as degrees to which the query condition is satisfied by comparing each information stored in information storage means, which stores a plurality of pieces of information which undergo a search and the query condition input in said query condition input step, and

wherein said scale mark determination step includes the step of determining display graduation intervals and display positions of scale marks indicating a change in matching level to display the scale marks.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein said scale mark determination step includes the step of individually determining the display graduation interval of each scale mark.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said scale mark determination step includes the step of determining the display graduation interval of the scale mark on the basis of a number of pieces of information to be displayed between neighboring scale marks.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein

said search result display control step includes the step of displaying a plurality of pieces of information which satisfy the query condition in a radial pattern to have a point where the matching level indicates a perfect match as the center,

said scale mark determination step includes the step of determining a radius of a scale mark on the basis of the number of pieces of information to be displayed between neighboring scale marks and a radius of the neighboring scale mark, and

said scale mark display control step displays, as the scale marks, circles having the point where the matching level indicates a perfect match as the center.

15. A method according to claim 10, wherein said scale mark determination step includes the step of determining the display graduation interval of the scale mark on the basis of a minimum matching level of information displayed in the search result display control step and a size of an information display region.

16. A method according to claim 10, further comprising a grouping step, of grouping a plurality of pieces of information displayed in said search result display control step,

wherein said scale mark determination step includes the step of determining the display graduation interval of the scale mark on the basis of the number of groups to be displayed between neighboring scale marks, and

said display position determination step includes the step of determining display positions to display a plurality of pieces of information belonging to a given group grouped in said grouping step at neighboring positions.

17. A method according to claim 10, wherein

said search result display control step includes the step of displaying information that satisfies the query condition with reference to a straight line indicating a perfect matching level,

said scale mark determination step includes the step of determining the display graduation interval of the scale mark on the basis of a number of pieces of information to be displayed between neighboring scale marks, and

said scale mark display control step displays the straight line indicating the perfect matching level as the scale mark.

18. A method according to claim 10, wherein said method can be applied to search information such as an image, document, video, and audio.

19. A computer readable storage medium storing a program for searching and displaying information, said program comprising:

code for a matching level calculation step, of calculating a matching level as a degree to which information satisfies a query condition;

code for a scale mark determination step, of determining a display graduation interval of a scale mark, the scale mark indicating a change in the matching level;

code for a scale mark display control step, of displaying the scale mark;

code for a display position determination step, of determining a display position of information that satisfies the query condition on the basis of the displayed graduation interval of the scale mark determined in said scale mark determination step and the matching level calculated in said matching level calculation step; and

code for a search result display control step, of displaying the information on the basis of the display position determined in said display position determination step.

20. A medium according to claim 19, wherein said program further comprises code for a query condition input step, of inputting the query condition,

wherein said matching level calculation step includes the step of calculating matching levels as degrees to which the query condition is satisfied by comparing each information stored in information storage means, which stores a plurality of pieces of information which undergo a search and the query condition input in said query condition input step, and

wherein said scale mark determination step includes the step of determining display graduation intervals and display positions of scale marks indicating a change in matching level to display the scale marks.

21. A medium according to claim 19, wherein said scale mark determination step includes the step of individually determining the display graduation interval of each scale mark.

22. A medium according to claim 21, wherein said scale mark determination step includes the step of determining the display graduation interval of the scale mark on the basis of a number of pieces of information to be displayed between neighboring scale marks.

23. A medium according to claim 19, wherein:

said search result display control step includes the step of displaying a plurality of pieces of information which satisfy the query condition in a radial pattern to have a point where the matching level indicates a perfect match as the center,

said scale mark determination step includes the step of determining a radius of a scale mark on the basis of the number of pieces of information to be displayed between neighboring scale marks and a radius of the neighboring scale mark, and

said scale mark display control step displays, as the scale marks, circles having the point where the matching level indicates a perfect match as the center.

24. A medium according to claim 19, wherein said scale mark determination step includes the step of determining the display graduation interval of the scale mark on the basis of a minimum matching level of information displayed in the search result display control step and a size of an information display region.

25. A medium according to claim 19, wherein

said program further comprises code for a grouping step, of grouping a plurality of pieces of information displayed in the search result display control step,

said scale mark determination step includes the step of determining the display graduation interval of the scale mark on a basis of the number of groups to be displayed between neighboring scale marks, and

said display position determination step includes the step of determining display positions to display a plurality of pieces of information belonging to a given group grouped in said grouping step at neighboring positions.

26. A medium according to claim 19, wherein

said search result display control step includes the step of displaying information that satisfies the query condition with reference to a straight line indicating a perfect matching level,

said scale mark display determination step includes the step of determining the display graduation interval of the scale mark on the basis of the number of pieces of information to be displayed between neighboring scale marks, and

said scale mark display control step displays the straight line indicating the perfect matching level as the scale mark.

27. A medium according to claim 19, wherein said program can be applied to search information such as an image, document, video, and audio.