Information search apparatus and method, and computer readable memory

• US 7,664,803 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2006
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Yuji, Takata, Tomomi
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US11/329,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20060112088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,497 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/5, 707/100, 707/104.1, 707/748, 707/749
• US Class Current: 707/749
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5846 using extracted text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A search request input processing unit holds an input query word in a query word holding unit. An associative word unfolding processing unit acquires associative words in association with the query word held in the query word holding unit with reference to an associative word dictionary. An image content search processing unit using associative words makes a keyword search of image information on the basis of the obtained associative words and the query word. A sensory pattern unfolding processing unit obtains the query word and sensory patterns corresponding to associative words of the query word, and searches image information using feature amounts of the obtained sensory patterns. A search result integration processing unit integrates the search results obtained by the image content word search processing unit and sensory pattern search processing unit.

Claims

1. An information search apparatus for searching information, comprising:

first search means for determining a first matching level between an input query keyword and a content keyword associated with information stored in a database, wherein the content keyword expresses a content of the information;

acquiring means for acquiring a query image corresponding to the input query keyword from a pattern dictionary that is a word/sensory pattern correspondence holding unit;

second search means for determining a second matching level between a feature amount of the query image and a feature amount corresponding to information stored in a database;

weight input means for inputting a first weight for the first matching level and a second weight for the second matching level to prioritize said first search means or said second search means; and

integration means for integrating the first matching level weighted by the first weight and the second matching level weighted by the second weight.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said weight input means inputs the first and second weight by operating a slide button displayed at a display window.

3. An information search apparatus implemented information search method, comprising:

a first search step of determining a first matching level between an input query keyword and a content keyword associated with information stored in a database, wherein the content keyword expresses a content of the information;

an acquiring step of acquiring a query image corresponding to the input query keyword from a pattern dictionary that is a word/sensory pattern correspondence holding unit;

a second search step of determining a second matching level between a feature amount of the query image and a feature amount corresponding to information stored in a database;

a weight input step of inputting a first weight for the first matching level and a second weight for the second matching level to prioritize said first search step or said second search step; and

an integration step of integrating the first matching level weighted by the first weight and the second matching level weighted by the second weight.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said weight input step inputs the first and second weights by operating a slide button displayed at a display window.

5. A computer readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program, said computer-executable program being executable by a computer so as to control the computer to execute a method for searching information, the computer-executable program comprising:

code for a first search step to determine a first matching level between an input query keyword and a content keyword associated with information stored in a database, wherein the content keyword expresses a content of the information;

code for an acquiring step to acquire a query image corresponding to the input query keyword from a pattern dictionary that is a word/sensory pattern correspondence holding unit;

code for a second search step to determine a second matching level between a feature amount of the query image and a feature amount corresponding to information stored in a database;

code for a weight input step to input a first weight for the first matching level and a second weight for the second matching level to prioritize said first search step or said second search step; and

code for an integration step to integrate the first matching level weighted by the first weight and the second matching level weighted by the second weight.