Retrieval method using image information

• US 6,032,157 A
• Filed: 06/24/1998
• Issued: 02/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kagaya, Noritugu, Hirose, Tadashi, Okuda, Hiroyuki, Yajima, Hiroshi, Tamano, Maki
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CORRIELUS, JEAN M
• Application Number:
  US09/103,506
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/501, 707/104, 707/505, 707/541, 707/529, 707/531, 707/539, 345/335, 345/968
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/968 interface for database querying and retrieval

Abstract

For retrieving attribute information through image information which is not linked with the attribute information: displaying on a display screen the first image information corresponding with attribute information and second image information that has a common attribute with the first image information; and storing a correspondence between the first image information and the second image information in response to an input of an instruction to confirm the correspondence between the first image information and the second image information, and retrieving and displaying the attribute information on the basis of the stored correspondence between the first image information and the second image information as well as correspondence information between the first image information and the attribute information, in response to an input for object choice indicated by the second image information.

Claims

1. A data retrieval method, performed by a data storing, inputting, outputting and handling system, including the steps of:

storing attribute information;

displaying on a display screen first image information corresponding to and linked to the attribute information;

displaying, on the display screen, second image information to overlie said first image information;

inputting from a user and storing a positional linkage correspondence between said first image information and said second image information, and storing the positional linkage correspondence in response to a user input;

indicating a part of the second image information; and

in response to said indicating step, retrieving from data storage and outputting the attribute information corresponding to and linked to a part of said first image information having positional linkage correspondence to said indicated part of said second image information.

2. A retrieval method employing image information according to claim 1, further including the step of erasing said first image information from said display screen in response to said inputting step.

3. A data retrieval method for retrieving attribute information by designating an object in a displayed image, including the steps of:

displaying on a display screen first image information having a prestored correspondence to stored attribute information;

displaying, on said display screen, second image information to overlie said first image information; and

retrieving and displaying at least some of said attribute information by designating at least one object of said second image information.

4. A data retrieval method according to claim 3, wherein the second image information has no prestored correspondence to the stored attribute information.

5. A program stored on a computer-readable storage medium and executed for retrieving attribute information by designating an object in a displayed image, including the steps of:

displaying on a display screen first image information having a prestored correspondence to stored attribute information;

displaying, on said display screen, second image information to overlie said first image information; and

retrieving and displaying at least some of said attribute information by designating at least one object of said second image information.

6. A program according to claim 5, wherein the second image information has no prestored correspondence to the stored attribute information.

7. A retrieval program stored on a computer-readable storage medium and executed for retrieving attribute information by designating an object in a displayed image, including the steps of:

displaying on a display screen first image information corresponding to stored attribute information;

displaying, on said display screen, second image information to overlie said first image information; and

retrieving and displaying at least some of said attribute information by designating at least one object of said second image information.

8. A retrieval program according to claim 7, wherein the second image information has no prestored correspondence to the stored attribute information.

9. A data retrieval method for retrieving attribute information by designating an object in a displayed image, including the steps of:

displaying on a display screen first image information corresponding to stored attribute information;

displaying, on said display screen, second image information to overlie a part of said first image information; and

retrieving and displaying at least some of said attribute information by designating at least one object of said second image information.

10. A data retrieval method according to claim 9, wherein the second image information has no prestored correspondence to the stored attribute information.

11. Linkage correspondence information linking together a plurality of image information, said linkage correspondence information being grouped into records, each record comprising:

a first pair of a first image identification and coordinate values of an object included in first image information; and

a second pair of a second image identification and coordinate values of another object included in second image information, said second pair being stored with a correspondence to said first pair.

12. Linkage correspondence information linking together image information and attribute information, said linkage correspondence information being grouped into records, each record comprising:

an identification of each of said attribute information of an object included in said image information; and

a pair of image identification and coordinate values of said object, said pair being stored with a correspondence to said identification.