Data retrieval support apparatus, data retrieval support method and medium storing data retrieval support program

• US 6,009,439 A
• Filed: 07/18/1997
• Issued: 12/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Shiomi, Takakazu, Tokuda, Katsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RONES, CHARLES
• Application Number:
  US08/897,241
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/6, 707/7, 707/100, 707/104, 704/3, 341/51, 706/45, 379/93.23
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/355 Class or cluster creation or modification
• 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

Abstract

A data retrieval support apparatus is provided. The classifying unit classifies the plurality pieces of retrieval result data stored in the data storing unit into groups. The group title generating unit generates a group title for each group classified by the classifying unit. The displaying unit displays the group title of each group.

Claims

1. A data retrieval support apparatus, comprising:

data storing means for storing a plurality of pieces of retrieval result data;

classifying means for classifying the plurality of pieces of retrieval result data into at least one group, the classifying means including;

hierarchical data storing means for storing hierarchical data which indicates hierarchical relation and is used as a classification standard wherein

the hierarchical data storing means stores a table of contents which includes a plurality of titles which are arranged based on hierarchical relation, wherein

the data storing means stores a plurality of pieces of data related to the plurality of titles in the table of contents; and

hierarchical data classifying means for classifying the plurality of pieces of retrieval result data into at least one group based on the hierarchical data wherein the hierarchical data classifying means includes;

data selecting means for selecting a plurality of pieces of data among the plurality of pieces of data in the data storing means;

title extracting means for extracting from the table of contents at least one title which is related to the plurality of pieces of data selected by the data selecting means;

table of contents classifying means for classifying the plurality of pieces of data selected by the data selecting means into at least one group so that each group is composed of at least one piece of data including a common title;

higher level title extracting means for extracting from the table of contents at least one higher level title for the title related to the plurality of pieces of data selected by the data selecting means;

maximum item number storing means for storing a maximum number of items to be displayed on a screen;

maximum item number reading means for reading the maximum number of items to be displayed from the maximum item number storing means;

re-classification judging means for judging whether the number of groups exceeds the maximum number of items to be displayed; and

re-classification controlling means for, when the re-classification judging means judges that the number of groups exceeds the maximum number of items to be displayed, instructing the higher level title extracting means to extract from the table of contents at least one further higher level title for the title extracted by the higher level title extracting means, and instructing the table of contents classifying means to classify the plurality of pieces of data selected by the data selecting means into at least one higher group so that each higher group is composed of at least one piece of data including a common further higher level title, wherein

the group title generating means generates at least one group title by using the common title of the group, the group title respectively corresponding to the group classified by the table of contents classifying means;

group title generating means for generating a group title for each group classified by the classifying means; and

displaying means for displaying the group title generated by the group title generating means for each group classified by the classifying means.

2. A data retrieval support apparatus comprising:

data storing means for storing a plurality of pieces of retrieval result data;

classifying means for classifying the plurality of pieces of retrieval result data into at least one group, the classifying means including;

hierarchical data storing means for storing hierarchical data which indicates hierarchical relation and is used as a classification standard wherein

the hierarchical data storing means stores a geographical dictionary which includes a plurality of geographical names which are arranged based on hierarchical relation, wherein

the data storing means stores a plurality of pieces of data each of which includes at least one geographical name;

hierarchical data classifying means for classifying the plurality of pieces of retrieval result data into at least one group based on the hierarchical data wherein the hierarchical data classifying means includes;

data selecting means for selecting a plurality of pieces of data among the plurality of pieces of data in the data storing means;

geographical name extracting means for extracting from the geographical dictionary at least one geographical name which is included in the plurality of pieces of data selected by the data selecting means;

geographical data classifying means for classifying the plurality of pieces of data selected by the data selecting means into at least one group so that each group is composed of at least one piece of data including a common geographical name;

higher level geographical name extracting means for extracting from the geographical dictionary at least one higher level geographical name for the geographical name extracted by the geographical name extracting means;

maximum item number storing means for storing a maximum number of items to be displayed on a screen;

maximum item number reading means for reading the maximum number of items to be displayed from the maximum item number storing means;

re-classification judging means for judging whether the number of groups exceeds the maximum number of items to be displayed; and

re-classification controlling means for, when the re-classification judging means judges that the number of groups exceeds the maximum number of items to be displayed, instructing the higher level geographical name extracting means to extract from the geographical dictionary at least one further higher level geographical name for the higher level geographical name extracted by the higher level geographical name extracting means, and instructing the geographical name classifying means to classify the plurality of pieces of data selected by the data selecting means into at least one higher group so that each higher group is composed of at least one piece of data including a common further higher level geographical name, wherein

the group title generating means generates at least one group title by using the common geographical name of the group, the group title respectively corresponding to the group classified by the geographical name classifying means;

group title generating means for generating a group title for each group classified by the classifying means; and

displaying means for displaying the group title generated by the group title generating means for each group classified by the classifying means.

3. A data retrieval support apparatus, comprising:

data storing means for storing a plurality of pieces of retrieval result data;

classifying means for classifying the plurality of pieces of retrieval result data into at least one group, the classifying means including;

hierarchical data storing means for storing hierarchical data which indicates hierarchical relation and is used as a classification standard, the hierarchical data storing means storing a thesaurus which includes higher level words and lower level words and shows a relation between the higher level words and the lower level words; and

hierarchical data classifying means for classifying the plurality pieces of retrieval result data into at least one group based on the hierarchical data, the hierarchical data classifying means including;

higher level extracting means for extracting from the thesaurus at least one higher level word for at least one component word in each of the plurality pieces of retrieval result data in the data storing means, and

thesaurus classifying means for classifying the plurality of pieces of retrieval result data in the data storing means into at least one group so that each group is composed of at least one piece of retrieval result data including a common higher level word;

group title generating means for generating a group title for each group classified by the classifying means; and

displaying means for displaying the group title generated by the group title generating means for each group classified by the classifying means.

4. The data retrieval support apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the higher level extracting means includes:

maximum item number storing means for storing a maximum number of items to be displayed on a screen;

maximum item number reading means for reading the maximum number of items to be displayed from the maximum item number storing means;

re-classification judging means for judging whether the number of groups exceeds the maximum number of items to be displayed; and

re-classification controlling means for, when the re-classification judging means judges that the number of groups exceeds the maximum number of items to be displayed, instructing the higher level extracting means to extract from the thesaurus at least one further higher level word for the higher level word, and instructing the thesaurus classifying means to classify the plurality pieces of retrieval result data into at least one higher group so that each higher group is composed of at least one piece of retrieval result data including a common further higher level word.

5. The data retrieval support apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the higher level extracting means includes:

hierarchical level receiving means for receiving a hierarchical level in the thesaurus when the hierarchical level is specified; and

specified higher level extracting means for extracting from the thesaurus at least one higher level word for the plurality pieces of retrieval result data in the data storing means based on the hierarchical level received by the hierarchic level receiving means.

6. The data retrieval support apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the specified higher level extracting means extracts from the thesaurus at least one higher level word which is included in the hierarchical level received by the hierarchical level receiving means.

7. The data retrieval support apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the hierarchical data classifying means includes:

lower level extracting means for, when the hierarchic level receiving means receives a hierarchical level which is lower than the plurality pieces of retrieval result data in the data storing means, extracting from the thesaurus at least one lower level word for the plurality pieces of retrieval result data, the lower level word being included in the hierarchical level received by the hierarchic level receiving means, wherein

the thesaurus classifying means classifies the plurality pieces of retrieval result data in the data storing means into at least one group so that each group is composed of at least one piece of retrieval result data with one of a common higher level word and a common lower level word.

8. The data retrieval support apparatus of claim 7, wherein

the hierarchical data classifying means includes:

maximum item number storing means for storing a maximum number of items to be displayed on a screen;

maximum item number reading means for reading the maximum number of items to be displayed from the maximum item number storing means;

first re-classification judging means for judging whether the number of groups exceeds the maximum number of items to be displayed; and

second re-classification judging means for judging whether the number of groups is either of equal to and smaller than a certain value;

specified level changing means for changing the hierarchical level received by the hierarchic level receiving means either to a higher level and to a lower level by one level; and

re-classification controlling means for, when the first re-classification judging means judges that the number of groups exceeds the maximum number of items to be displayed, instructing the specified level changing means to change the hierarchical level received by the hierarchic level receiving means to a higher level by one level, instructing the higher level extracting means to extract from the thesaurus at least one higher level word which is included in the higher level changed by the specified level changing means for the plurality pieces of retrieval result data in the data storing means, and instructing the thesaurus classifying means to classify the plurality pieces of retrieval result data into at least one group so that each group is composed of at least one piece of retrieval result data including a common higher level word which is included in the higher level changed by the specified level changing means, and for,

when the second re-classification judging means judges that the number of groups is either of equal to and smaller than the certain value, instructing the lower level extracting means to extract from the thesaurus at least one lower level word which is included in the lower level changed by the specified level changing means for the plurality pieces of retrieval result data in the data storing means, and instructing the thesaurus classifying means to classify the plurality pieces of retrieval result data into at least one group so that each group is composed of at least one piece of retrieval result data including a common lower level word which is included in the lower level changed by the specified level changing means.

9. The data retrieval support apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the data storing means stores at least one attribute which indicates a type of data, wherein each attribute includes an attribute value, wherein

the classifying means includes:

specified attribute receiving means for receiving at least one attribute when the attribute is specified, wherein

the higher level extracting means extracts from the thesaurus at least one higher level word for attribute values included in attributes received by the specified attribute receiving means.

10. The data retrieval support apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the group title generating means generates at least one group title which respectively corresponds to groups classified by the thesaurus classifying means.