Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-29
2001-01-23
Breene, John (Department: 2777)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06178415
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a phrase retrieving/selecting method in which convenience in processing for retrieving and selecting a phrase can be improved by providing candidate conditions for retrieving that help a user in setting the retrieval condition and also to a computer-readable recording medium with a program making a computer execute each step in the method recorded therein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, in accordance with development of the technology on database retrieval, it has become possible to efficiently retrieve required information by entering conditions for retrieving. Under the circumstances as described above, there has been proposed a technology for retrieving, and extracting a desired phrase from an enormous amount of phrases, using the conditions for retrieving set by a user based on the phrase which the user desires to retrieve.
There are some examples of publications disclosing the above technology such as Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 2-115974 with the title of “Language retrieval device”, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 3-5883 with the title of “Word processing supporting device”, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 6-348691 with the title of “Word selecting method in a word processing device”.
In the language retrieval device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 2-115974, when the user wants to know a Japanese phrase having a certain meaning, he enters the meaning and any phrase having a corresponding notation from a dictionary in Japanese language according to the notation corresponding to the entered meaning is retrieved.
The word processing supporting device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 3-5883 automatically executes extraction of key words and creation of retrieval expressions (for instance, Retrieval expression 1: “having a meal”, Retrieval expression 2: “slim and long”, and Retrieval expression 3: “substance”) from a question made in natural language entered by the user (Example: “a pair of slim and long substances used when Japanese people have a meal”), and provides a desired noun (“a pair of chop sticks” in this example) by searching the dictionary.
In the word selecting method in a word processing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 6-348691, any phrase having the same concept as that of one or more words entered by the user is extracted and displayed based on a dictionary previously provided therein, and then the processing for further extracting and displaying some phrases having the same concept as those specified by the user from the displayed phrases is repeated so that a desired phrase can be specified.
Although it is possible to retrieve and extract a desired phrase from an enormous amount of phrases using conditions for retrieving in the conventional technology as described above, a result thereof is sometimes completely unexpected because the retrieval conditions as a reference for retrieval and selection are specified depending on the user's subjective concept of the desired phrase without entering any objective reference for retrieving.
In other words, it is necessary to set conditions for retrieving accurately expressing the concept in order to obtain a result the user desires, and, if retrieval and selection are performed with a condition for retrieving expressing a wide concept, a result of the retrieval satisfies the conditions for retrieving set by the user, but it is not a result of complete and strict retrieval, and even if a user sets a plurality of conditions for retrieving to obtain a result of retrieval based on strict conditions, when the plurality of conditions for retrieving express concepts contradictory to each other, it is impossible to obtain a result of retrieval, or the obtained result is far different from that which the user wants to obtain.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a first object of the present invention to improve convenience in processing for retrieving and selecting a phrase by providing candidate conditions for retrieving which help a user set a condition for retrieving to the user.
It is a second object of the present invention to make it possible to easily set an appropriate condition for retrieving by providing candidate conditions for retrieving to a user according to a concept of a phrase the user desires as a result of retrieving and selecting.
Further, it is a third object of the present invention to prevent, when a plurality of conditions for retrieving are to be set, a plurality of conditions for retrieving expressing concepts contradictory to each other from being set by providing a user candidate conditions for retrieving excluding those expressing the concepts contradictory to the condition having already been set, to prevent a result of retrieving and selecting different from the result the user desires from being specified, or to prevent a state in which no result of retrieving and selecting is obtained.
With the phrase retrieving/selecting method according to the present invention, a first condition for retrieving is set, a plurality of candidate conditions for retrieving used for adding and setting other conditions for retrieving in addition to the set first condition for retrieving are displayed, any candidate condition for retrieving is specified and set from the displayed plurality of candidate conditions for retrieving as a second condition for retrieving, and the required phrase is retrieved and selected from a storage medium according to the first and second conditions for retrieving, whereby the candidate conditions for retrieving that help a user set a condition for retrieving are provided to the user, which allows convenience of the processing for retrieving and selecting a phrase to be improved.
With the phrase retrieving/selecting method according to the present invention, when a plurality of candidate conditions for retrieving are to be displayed, only the candidate conditions for retrieving related to the first retrieving condition are displayed according to the set first condition for retrieving, so that candidate conditions for retrieving are provided to a user according to a concept of the phrase the user desires as a result of retrieving and selecting, which allows appropriate conditions for retrieving to easily be set.
With the phrase retrieving/selecting method according to the present invention, after any candidate condition for retrieving is specified and set from the displayed plurality of candidate conditions for retrieving as a second condition for retrieving, addition and setting either of the second condition for retrieving or execution of retrieving and setting is specified, the plurality of candidate conditions for retrieving are displayed when the addition and setting of the second condition for retrieving has been specified, any candidate condition for retrieving is further specified and additionally set from the displayed plurality of candidate conditions for retrieving as the second condition for retrieving, and the required phrase is retrieved and selected from the storage medium according to the first and second conditions for retrieving when the execution of retrieving and selecting has been specified, and for this reason the plurality of conditions for retrieving can be set, which allows a more appropriate result of retrieving and selecting to be obtained.
With the phrase retrieving/selecting method according to the present invention, after any candidate condition for retrieving is specified and set from the displayed plurality of candidate conditions for retrieving as a second condition for retrieving, and when the addition and setting of the second condition for retrieving are specified, the plurality of candidate conditions for retrieving excluding any candidate conditions for retrieving having already been set as the second condition for retrieving are displayed, and for this reason the user may not carelessly specify the same candidate condition for retrieving, which
Breene John
Justsystem Corp.
Lewis Cheryl
McDermott & Will & Emery
LandOfFree
Phrase retrieving/selecting method and a computer-readable... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Phrase retrieving/selecting method and a computer-readable..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Phrase retrieving/selecting method and a computer-readable... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2456958