Similarity-based search method by relevance feedback

• US 7,130,849 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2003
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hamakawa, Masayuki, Ogawa, Yuichi, Yamamoto, Shinya, Matsubayashi, Tadataka, Yayoi, Takaaki, Inaba, Yasuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US10/353,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20030149704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,372 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/5, 707/6, 707/10, 707/100, 707/200, 707/4, 707/102, 707/104.1, 709/229, 709/201, 709/217, 704/7, 704/10
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3326 using relevance feedback from the user, e.g. relevance feedback on documents, documents sets, document terms or passages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3347 using vector based model
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method for retrieving information from a computer system including a user terminal and a storage area, includes retrieving first information from the storage area using a first search query, the first search query having a first element and a first weight that is associated with the first element. The first search query has been formulated to retrieve target information. The first information includes at least a first data block. Second information is retrieved from the storage area using a second search query. The second search query has the first element, and a second weight that is associated with the first element. The second search query is derived from a relevance feedback provided on the first data block of the first information. An end-search criterion is provided to the user terminal. The end-search criterion provides information as to whether or not to end a first retrieval procedure for the target information. The first retrieval procedure being associated with a search query set, the search query set including a plurality of search queries, each having the first element.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving information from a computer system including a user terminal and a storage area, the method comprising:

retrieving first information from the storage area using a first search query, the first search query having a first element and a first weight that is associated with the first element, the first search query having been formulated to retrieve target information, the first information including at least a first data block;

retrieving second information from the storage area using a second search query, the second search query having the first element and a second weight that is associated with the first element, the second search query being derived from a relevance feedback provided on the first data block of the first information; and

providing an end-search criterion to the user terminal, the end-search criterion providing information as to whether or not to end a first retrieval procedure for the target information, the first retrieval procedure being a retrieval procedure using a search query having the first element,

wherein the end-search criterion is derived by comparing first relevancy information relating to the first information and second relevancy information relating to the second information,

wherein the first information includes the first data block and a second data block, each data block being provided with a first relevancy rank, wherein the second information includes the first data block and the second data block, each being provided with a second relevancy rank, the end-of-search criterion being derived based on an amount of change between the first relevancy rank and the second relevancy rank.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the relevance feedback is provided by a user of the user terminal, the second search query being derived using the relevance feedback provided by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

terminating the first retrieval procedure based on information provided by the end-search criterion; and

initiating a second retrieval procedure using a third search query having a second element that is not included in the first or second search query.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the end-search criterion is derived by comparing the first search query and the second search query.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information includes the first data block and a second data block, the method further comprising:

generating a plurality of relevancy patterns for the first and second data blocks; and

providing a plurality of end-search criterion values for the plurality of relevancy patterns, thereby providing predicted end-search criterion values for the user to review.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the target information includes one selected from a group consisting of:

text data, image data, or audio data, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second search queries are vector queries having a plurality of elements and weights thereof.

8. A method for retrieving information from a computer system including a user terminal and a storage area, the method comprising:

retrieving first information from the storage area using a first search query, the first search query having a first element and a first weight that is associated with the first element, the first search query having been formulated to retrieve target information, the first information including at least a first data block;

retrieving second information from the storage area using a second search query, the second search query having the first element and a second weight that is associated with the first element, the second search query being derived from a relevance feedback provided on the first data block of the first information; and

providing an end-search criterion to the user terminal, the end-search criterion providing information as to whether or not to end a first retrieval procedure for the target information, the first retrieval procedure being a retrieval procedure using a search query having the first element,

wherein the end-search criterion is derived by comparing first relevancy information relating to the first information and second relevancy information relating to the second information,

wherein the end-search criterion is derived from;

$\mathrm{Quit}<br><br><br><br>\mathrm{criterion}=\underset{D}{\overset{M}{\sum <br><br>}}<br><br>\frac{R<br><br>\left(D\right)-R^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(D\right)}{R^{\mathrm{\prime <br><br>}}<br><br>\left(D\right)}$

where M is a number of the data blocks, R(D) is a rank of a data block D in a previously retrieved result, and R′

(D) is a rank of the data block D in the second information.

9. A method for retrieving information provided within a computer system, the computer system including a user terminal and a storage system including a storage area, the method comprising:

retrieving first information from the storage area using a first query vector, the first query vector having first and second characteristics and first and second weights, the first and second characteristics being associated with the first and second weights. respectively, the first query vector having been formulated to retrieve target information, the first information including at least a first block;

providing the first information to the user terminal;

receiving a relevance feedback on the first data block of the first information from the user terminal;

retrieving second information from the storage area using a second query vector, the second query vector having the first characteristic being associated with a third weight that is different from the first weight; and

providing a quit criterion to the user terminal, the quit criterion providing information as to whether or not to end a first retrieval procedure for the target information,

wherein the quit criterion is derived by comparing first relevancy information relating to the first information and second relevancy information relating to the second information,

wherein the first information includes the first data block and a second data block, each data block being provided with a first relevancy rank, wherein the second information includes the first data block and the second data block, each being provided with a second relevancy rank, the quit criterion being derived based on an amount of change between the first relevancy rank and the second relevancy rank.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating the first query vector using a search criterion provided by the user terminal; and

retrieving third information from the storage area using a third query vector after providing the quite criterion to the user terminal,

wherein the storage area includes a plurality of storage devices.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the quit criterion is derived by comparing the first query vector and the second query vector.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first information includes the first data block and a second data block, the method further comprising:

generating a plurality of relevancy patterns for the first and second data blocks; and

providing a quit criterion for each of the plurality of relevancy patterns, thereby providing predicted quit criterion values for the user to review.

13. A computer system including a user terminal and a storage area, the computer system comprising:

means for retrieving first information from the storage area using a first search query, the first search query having a first element and a first weight that is associated with the first element, the first search query having been formulated to retrieve target information, the first information including at least a first data block;

means for retrieving second information from the storage area using a second search query, the second search query having the first element and a second weight that is associated with the first element, the second search query being derived from a relevance feedback provided on the first data block of the first information; and

means for providing an end-search criterion to the user terminal, the end-search criterion providing information as to whether or not to end a first retrieval procedure for the target information, the first retrieval procedure being associated with a search query set including the first and second search queries, each having the first element,

wherein the end-search criterion is derived by comparing first relevancy information relating to the first information and second relevancy information relating to the second information,

wherein the first information includes the first data block and a second data block, each data block being provided with a first relevancy rank, wherein the second information includes the first data block and the second data block, each being provided with a second relevancy rank, the end-of-search criterion being derived based on an amount of change between the first relevancy rank and the second relevancy rank.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the relevance feedback is provided by a user of the user terminal, the second search query being derived using the relevance feedback provided by the user.

15. The computer system of claim 13 further comprising:

means for terminating the first retrieval procedure based on information provided by the end-search criterion; and

means for initiating a second retrieval procedure using a third search query having a second element that is not included in the first or second search query.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the first information includes the first data block and a second data block, the system further comprising:

means for generating a plurality of relevancy patterns for the first and second data blocks; and

means for providing a plurality of end-search criterion values for the plurality of relevancy patterns, thereby providing predicted end-search criterion values for the user to review.

17. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the target information includes one selected from a group consisting of:

text data, image data, or audio data, or a combination thereof.