Information retrieval apparatus and information retrieval method

• US 20020184204A1
• Filed: 07/08/2002
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kinoshita, Satoshi, Sako, Takayuki
• Granted Patent: US 6,662,152 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3334 Selection or weighting of terms from queries, including natural language queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/268 Morphological analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/289 Phrasal analysis, e.g. finite state techniques or chunking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

Character data of a word or phrase in a document is designated. Desired data is retrieved from a predetermined database on the basis of the designated character data. One sentence including at least the designated character data is cut out and subjected to sentence analysis. On the basis of a sentence analysis result, specific data is selected from the retrieval result acquired from the database. In addition, character data of a word or phrase in a document is designated. One sentence including at least the designated character data is cut out and subjected to sentence analysis to extract a keyword. A retrieval condition is prepared on the basis of the extracted keyword, and desired data is retrieved from a predetermined database on the basis of the retrieved conditional expression.

Claims

1. An information retrieval apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting a document;

designation means for designating a desired character sequence in the document input by the input means;

retrieval means for searching a database on the basis of the character sequence designated by the designation means and acquiring a plurality of retrieval results;

sentence cutting-out means for cutting out a sentence associated with the character sequence designated by the designation means, from the document input by the input means;

sentence analysis means for analyzing the sentence cut out by the sentence cutting-out means;

keyword generating means for generating a keyword from a sentence analysis result acquired by the sentence analysis means;

calculation means for calculating an evaluation value of each of the retrieval results obtained by the retrieval means, with use of the keyword generated by the keyword generating means; and

selection means for selecting a predetermined one of the retrieval results on the basis of the evaluation values calculated by the calculation means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said calculation means calculates, with respect to each of the retrieval results acquired by the retrieval means, the number of occurrence of the keyword generated by the keyword generating means as said evaluation value, and

said selection means selects one of the retrieval results, which has a highest one of the evaluation values calculated by the calculation means.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sentence cutting-out means cuts out one sentence including the character sequence designated by the designation means, from the document input by the input means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sentence cutting-out means cuts out one sentence including the character sequence designated by the designation means and a plurality of sentences associated with said one sentence, from the document input by the input means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sentence analysis means comprises means for making a morphological analysis of the sentence cut out by the sentence cutting-out means.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sentence analysis means comprises means for carrying out parsing of the sentence cut out by the sentence cutting-out means.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said keyword generating means sets a scope of the sentence analysis results acquired by the sentence analysis means, and generates a predetermined word in the scope as the keyword.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising second keyword generating means for searching thesaurus data representing conceptual relationships of words with use of the keyword generated by said keyword generating means, and generating a searched retrieval result as a second keyword,

wherein said calculation means uses the second keyword generated by the second keyword generating means.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising second keyword generating means for searching, with use of the keyword generated by said keyword generating means, a database of a language different from the language of the keyword, and generating a searched retrieval result as a second keyword,

wherein said calculation means uses the second keyword generated by the second keyword generating means.

10. An information retrieval apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting a document;

designation means for designating a desired character sequence in the document input by the input means;

sentence cutting-out means for cutting out a sentence associated with the character sequence designated by the designation means, from the document input by the input means;

sentence analysis means for analyzing the sentence cut out by the sentence cutting-out means;

keyword generating means for generating a keyword from a sentence analysis result acquired by the sentence analysis means;

retrieval formula generating means for generating a predetermined retrieval formula by using one of the keyword generated by the keyword generating means and the character sequence designated by the designation means; and

retrieval means for searching a database on the basis of the retrieval formula generated by the retrieval formula generating means.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said sentence cutting-out means cuts out one sentence including the character sequence designated by the designation means, from the document input by the input means.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said sentence cutting-out means cuts out one sentence including the character sequence designated by the designation means and a plurality of sentences associated with said one sentence, from the document input by the input means.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said sentence analysis means comprises means for making a morphological analysis of the sentence cut out by the sentence cutting-out means.

14. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said sentence analysis means comprises means for carrying out parsing of the sentence cut out by the sentence cutting-out means.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said keyword generating means sets a scope of the sentence analysis results acquired by the sentence analysis means, and generates a predetermined word in the scope as the keyword.

16. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising second keyword generating means for searching thesaurus data representing conceptual relationships of words with use of the keyword generated by said keyword generating means, and generating a searched retrieval result as a second keyword,

wherein said calculation means uses the second keyword generated by the second keyword generating means.

17. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising second keyword generating means for searching, with use of the keyword generated by said keyword generating means, a database of a language different from the language of the keyword, and generating a searched retrieval result as a second keyword,

wherein said calculation means uses the second keyword generated by the second keyword generating means.

18. An information retrieval method comprising the steps of:

inputting a document;

designating a desired character sequence in the document input in the inputting step;

searching a database on the basis of the character sequence designated in the designation step and acquiring a plurality of retrieval results;

cutting out a sentence associated with the character sequence designated in the designation step, from the document input in the inputting step;

analyzing the sentence cut out in the sentence cutting-out step;

generating a keyword from a sentence analysis result acquired in the sentence analysis step;

calculating an evaluation value of each of the retrieval results obtained in the searching step, with use of the keyword generated in the keyword generating step; and

selecting a predetermined one of the retrieval results on the basis of the evaluation values calculated in the calculation step.

19. An information retrieval method comprising the steps of:

inputting a document;

designating a desired character sequence in the document input in the inputting step;

cutting out a sentence associated with the character sequence designated in the designation step, from the document input in the inputting step;

analyzing the sentence cut out in the sentence cutting-out step;

generating a keyword from a sentence analysis result acquired in the sentence analysis step;

generating a predetermined retrieval formula by using one of the keyword generated in the keyword generating step and the character sequence designated in the designation step; and

searching a database on the basis of the retrieval formula generated in the retrieval formula generating step.

20. A computer-readable memory comprising:

first instruction means for causing a computer to input a document;

second instruction means for causing a computer to designate a desired character sequence in the document input by the first instruction means;

third instruction means for causing a computer to search a database on the basis of the character sequence designated by the second instruction means and acquire a plurality of retrieval results;

fourth instruction means for causing a computer to cut out a sentence associated with the character sequence designated by the second instruction means, from the document input by the first instruction means;

fifth instruction means for causing a computer to analyze the sentence cut out by the fourth instruction means;

sixth instruction means for causing a computer to generate a keyword from a sentence analysis result acquired by the fifth instruction means;

seventh instruction means for causing a computer to calculate an evaluation value of each of the retrieval results obtained by the third instruction means, with use of the keyword generated by the sixth instruction means; and

eighth instruction means for causing a computer to select a predetermined one of the retrieval results on the basis of the evaluation values calculated by the seventh instruction means.

21. A computer-readable memory comprising:

first instruction means for causing a computer to input a document;

second instruction means for causing a computer to designate a desired character sequence in the document input by the first instruction means;

third instruction means for causing a computer to cut out a sentence associated with the character sequence designated by the second instruction means, from the document input by the first instruction means;

fourth instruction means for causing a computer to analyze the sentence cut out by the third instruction means;

fifth instruction means for causing a computer to generate a keyword from a sentence analysis result acquired by the fourth instruction means;

sixth instruction means for causing a computer to generate a predetermined retrieval formula by using one of the keyword generated by the fifth instruction means and the character sequence designated by the second instruction means; and

seventh instruction means for causing a computer to search a database on the basis of the retrieval formula generated by the sixth instruction means.