Document retrieval method and system and computer readable storage medium

• US 6,865,571 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2001
• Issued: 03/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Akihiko, Matsubayashi, Tadataka, Tada, Katsumi, Tokunaga, Mikihiko, Sugaya, Natsuko, Inaba, Yasuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MERILYN P
• Application Number:
  US09/952,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20020073065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/6, 707/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A document retrieval method using a computer program includes retrieving a first set of documents using a first query expression generated by the computer program. The first set of documents is provided to a user. An evaluation of the first set of documents is received from the user. The first query expression is changed to a second query expression generated by the computer program based on the evaluation.

Claims

1. A document retrieval method using a computer program, wherein the computer program is run to initiate a first search session, the method comprising:

receiving a document provided by a first user;

generating first search criteria using the computer program based on the document provided by the user, the first search criteria having one or more search expressions and one or more weights for the search terms;

retrieving a first set of documents using the first search criteria for user review;

receiving from the first user an evaluation of a document included within the first set of documents, the evaluation indicating whether the document is useful or not;

generating second search criteria using the computer program by altering the search term weight of the first search criteria if the document is indicated to be not useful by the user, wherein the search term weight may increase or decrease according to the evaluation;

retrieving a second set of documents using the second search criteria; and

storing as a search history record in a search history storage file, an identifier of a document evaluated as being useful by the user and an identifier of the first user.

2. The document retrieval method of claim 1, wherein the search history record includes final query criteria used before terminating the search session.

3. The document retrieval method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching the search history file using at least one document identifier as a key; and

displaying a search history record from the search history file that includes a document identifier that matches the at least one document identifier.

4. The document retrieval method of claim 2, further comprising:

searching the search history file using input search criteria; and

displaying a search history record from the search history file that includes search criteria that is similar to the input search criteria.

5. The document retrieval method of claim 1, wherein the computer program is run to initiate a second search session, the method further comprising:

receiving from a second user an evaluation for a document retrieved with a third search criteria using the computer program;

generating fourth search criteria using the program based on the evaluation by the second user; and

searching the search history storage file using the fourth search criteria to retrieve a record that is deemed to be relevant to the second search session.

6. The document retrieval method of claim 5, wherein the record that is deemed to be relevant to the second user includes an identification of a past user who had conducted a search for similar information.

7. The document retrieval method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving from a second user an evaluation for a document retrieved with third search criteria using the computer program;

generating fourth search criteria using the program based on the evaluation by the second user; and

searching the search history storage file using the fourth search criteria to retrieve a record that is deemed to be relevant to the second user,

wherein the record that is deemed to be relevant to the second user includes search criteria used in a previous search session that are similar to the fourth search criteria.