Information extraction system, information processing apparatus, information collection apparatus, character string extraction method, and storage medium

• US 6,934,750 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Issued: 08/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Aoki, Yoshinori, Hijikata, Yoshinori, Nakajima, Amane
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANIWANG, JOSEPH R
• Application Number:
  US09/746,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20010016840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224, 715/501.1, 715/513
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

The present invention permits users to obtain detailed information concerning those portions of web contents in which they are most interested and provides an information extraction system. In an embodiment, the information extraction system comprises a server and a client, connected via a communication network, wherein the server provides a data file for a client to browse; and wherein the client includes a browser for displaying the contents of the data file that is received from the server via the communication network, an operation event detection analyzer for detecting a predetermined specific operation based on a user'"'"'s operation when the user reads the contents of the data file displayed by the browser, and a text extractor for extracting information that is displayed at a location whereat the specific operation that is detected by the operation event analyzer is performed on a display screen of the browser.

Claims

1. An information extraction system comprising a server and a client, connected via a communication network, wherein said server provides a data file for a client to browse;

and wherein said client includes;

browsing means for displaying the contents of said data file that is received from said server via said communication network,

operation detection means for detecting a predetermined specific operation based on a user'"'"'s operation when said user reads said contents of said data file displayed by said browsing means, including an operating event detector that monitors movement of a pointing device such as a mouse by a user on the displayed data file to detect an operating event, and an operating event analyzer that analyzes a string of operating events detected by the operating event detector to extract a specific operation performed by the user, and

means for extracting specific text of the displayed data file that is displayed at a location whereat said specific operation that is detected by said operation detection means is performed on a display screen of said browsing means, wherein the specific operation comprises an operation selected from all of the group of operations of selecting of text, pointing to a link, clicking on a link, tracing and reading in a transverse horizontal direction, tracing and reading in a vertical direction.

2. An information extraction system comprising:

a web server for storing web contents; and

a client for receiving said web contents from said web server, via a communication network, and for displaying said web contents, said client including an operating event detection function for detecting, as a manipulation event, an operation performed by a user on a display screen of said web contents,

wherein a program package, which is written in a function expansion program language for expanding the functions available to said client, is embedded in said web contents stored in said web server, said program package permitting said client to perform

a process for employing said operating event detection function of a client to detect an operating event by monitoring movement of a pointing device such as a mouse by a user on said display screen of said web contents,

a process for analyzing a string of operating events that are detected to extract a predetermined, specific operation performed by the user, and

a process for extracting from said web contents target information for said specific operation comprising designated specific text of said display screen for said specific operation, and for returning said target information comprising said designated specific text to said web server, wherein the specific operation comprises an operation selected from all of the group of operations of selecting of text, pointing to a link, clicking on a link, tracing and reading in a transverse horizontal direction, tracing and reading in a vertical direction.

3. An information extraction system comprising:

a web server, for storing web contents; and

a client, for receiving said web contents from said web server, via a communication network, and for displaying said web contents,

wherein said client includes an operating event detection function for detecting, as a manipulation event, an operation performed by a user on a display screen of said web contents,

wherein said web server embeds, in said web contents, a program package, which is written in a function expansion program language, that expands the functions available to said client and that permits said client to perform

a process for employing said operating event detection function belonging to said client to detect an operating event by monitoring movement of a pointing device such as a mouse by a user on said display screen of said web contents,

a process for analyzing a string of operating events that are detected to extract a predetermined specific operation performed by the user, and

a process for extracting target information for said specific operation comprising designated specific text of said display screen for said specific operation from said web contents and for returning said target information comprising said designated specific text to said web server, and

wherein said web server transmits said program package to said client, wherein the specific operation comprises an operation selected from all of the group of operations of selecting of text, pointing to a link, clicking on a link, tracing and reading in a transverse horizontal direction, tracing and reading in a vertical direction.

4. An information extraction system comprising:

a web server, for storing web contents;

a proxy server, for receiving said web contents from said web server via a communication network and for performing an additional process; and

a client, for displaying said web contents for which said proxy server has performed said additional process,

wherein said client includes an operating event detection function for detecting, as a manipulation event, an operation performed by a user on a display screen of said web contents,

wherein said proxy server embeds, in said web contents received from said web server, a program package, which is written in a function expansion program language, for expanding the functions available to said client, and that permits said client to perform

a process for employing said operating event detection function belonging to said client to detect an operating event by monitoring movement of a pointing device such as a mouse by a user on said display screen of said web contents,

a process for analyzing a string of operating events that are detected to extract a predetermined specific operation performed by the user, and

a process for extracting target information for said specific operation comprising designated specific text of said display screen for said specific operation from said web contents, and for returning said target information comprising said designated specific text to said proxy server, and

wherein said proxy server transmits said program package to said client, wherein the specific operation comprises an operation selected from all of the group of operations of selecting of text, pointing to a link, clicking on a link, tracing and reading in a transverse horizontal direction, tracing and reading in a vertical direction.

5. An information extraction system comprising:

a web site, for storing web contents;

an information processing apparatus that includes a web browser, for receiving said web contents from said web site, via a communication network, and for displaying said web contents; and

a portal site, for said processing apparatus,

wherein said portal site, upon being accessed by said information processing apparatus, transmits, to said information processing apparatus, a program file that serves as a local proxy for said information processing apparatus,

wherein said web browser of said information processing apparatus includes an operating event detection function for detecting, as an operating event, an operation performed by a user on a display screen on which said web contents are displayed,

wherein said local proxy, which is operated by said information processing apparatus, embeds in said web contents received from said web server a program package, which is written in a function expansion program language, for expanding the functions available with said web browser, said program package permitting said web browser to perform

a process for employing said operating event detection function belonging to a web browser to detect an operating event by monitoring movement of a pointing device such as a mouse by a user on said display screen of said web contents,

a process for analyzing a string of operating events that are detected to extract a predetermined, specific operation performed by the user, and

a process for extracting target information for said specific operation comprising designated specific text of said display screen for said specific operation from said web contents, and

wherein said web browser transmits, to said portal site, information extracted by said web browser comprising said designated specific text, wherein the specific operation comprises an operation selected from all of the group of operations of selecting of text, pointing to a link, clicking on a link, tracing and reading in a transverse horizontal direction, tracing and reading in a vertical direction.

6. An information extraction system comprising:

a web server, for storing web contents;

a proxy server, for receiving said web contents from said web server via a communication network and for performing an additional process; and

a client, for displaying said web contents for which said proxy server has performed said additional process,

wherein said client includes an operating event detection function for detecting, as a manipulation event, an operation performed by a user on a display screen of said web contents by monitoring movement of a pointing device such as a mouse by a user on said display;

screen of said web contents, and

wherein said proxy server includes

operating event acquisition means, for collecting operating events that are detected by said client,

operating event analyzation means, for analyzing a string of said operating events that are received from said client and for extracting a predetermined specific operation performed by the user, and

information extraction means, for extracting, from said web contents, target information for said predetermined specific operation comprising designated specific text of said display screen for said specific operation, wherein the specific operation comprises an operation selected from all of the group of operations of selecting of text, pointing to a link, clicking on a link, tracing and reading in a transverse horizontal direction, tracing and reading in a vertical direction.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said information extraction means extracts a sentence unit or a line unit that is displayed at said location whereat said specific operation is performed.

8. An information collection apparatus that is connected to an information processing apparatus, which includes a web browser that receives web contents from a web server and displays said web contents, and which collects information concerning said information processing apparatus, comprising:

storage means, for storing a program file for embedding, in said web contents received from said web server, a program package, which is written in a function expansion program language, that expands the functions of said web browser and that permits said web browser to perform

a process for employing an operating event detection function performed by said information processing apparatus to detect an operating event by monitoring movement of a pointing device such as a mouse by a user on said display screen of said web contents,

a process for analyzing a string of operating events that are detected to extract a predetermined specific operation performed by the user, and

a process for extracting target information for said specific operation from said web contents comprising designated specific text of said display screen for said specific operation;

transmission means, for reading said program file from said storage means and for transmitting said program file to said information processing apparatus; and

information collection means, for collecting said information extracted by said information processing apparatus comprising said designated specific text, wherein the specific operation comprises an operation selected from all of the group of operations of selecting of text, pointing to a link, clicking on a link, tracing and reading in a transverse horizontal direction, tracing and reading in a vertical direction.

9. An information collection apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said program file stored in said storage means of said information collection apparatus is prepared by a Java applet, and said program package, which is written in Java script, is embedded in said web contents.