JP2000222424A - Information retrieving device and information management device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To unitarily manage information and to efficiently retrieve it. SOLUTION: When digital information such as an electronic mail is inputted through an input part 2, a management part 3 stores the inputted information in a storage part 4. When a user inputs a retrieving condition through a reading part 5, a retrieving part 6 retrieves information stored in the storage part 4 based on the inputted retrieving condition. When the user is inexperienced in retrieval or the like, the user can request the support of retrieval. A retrieval supporting part 7 outputs all or a part of retrieval history stored in a retrieval history storing part 8 to the screen of a client computer. Consequently, the user can set up a new retrieving condition by utilizing the retrieval history.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information retrieval apparatus capable of efficiently retrieving, for example, various stored information. In addition, the present invention accumulates various information,
The present invention relates to an information management device that can be managed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various digital information has been circulated through a network with the development of various information devices, mainly computers, and communication networks. For example, electronic mail (e-mail) or the like is used for ordinary communication. In addition, WWW (World-Wide We
b) Various information such as product information and technical information is provided on the server, and the user can browse the information via a web browser.

In addition, digital information is distributed and sold not only through the above-described communication medium but also through a tangible recording medium. For example, various documents and image data are stored on CD-ROM
(Compact Disc-ROM) and DVD-ROM (Digital Video Disc-
ROM) or the like and distributed.

[0004] Since these various types of digital information can be stored, processed, edited, and the like more easily than conventional analog information, business efficiency can be improved by using digital information.

[0005]

As described above, with the widespread use of communication networks such as the Internet and intranets, information is exchanged between companies, individuals, and groups via digital information. However, in the conventional system, various types of digital information are not centrally managed, and each user often manages information individually. A typical example is an e-mail. Apart from private e-mails, even the e-mails related to the business are individually managed by the sender and the recipient, and are not a common property of the company or organization. If valuable knowledge information posted on e-mails is individually and randomly distributed and managed within the company or organization, the accumulation and use of knowledge information within the company etc. will not proceed, making it difficult to provide a unified response, Business efficiency cannot be improved. Further, when each person manages the e-mail by himself / herself, the e-mail must be appropriately classified and arranged according to the contents, the sender's name, and the like, which is troublesome.

[0006] Not only electronic mail but also technical information and product information, for example, are provided on a WWW server or as a digital recording medium. Such knowledge information with a high degree of interest is stored in an organization. It is often the case that multiple people manage each. Even if a plurality of people download and manage the same kind of information, it is merely a memorandum unique to each person, and does not contribute to the improvement of knowledge and responsiveness of the entire organization. Performing duplicative work on the same type of information is a waste of resources.

[0007] The problem is not solved simply by storing information such as e-mails and web pages in one place in order to accumulate knowledge information. Simply accumulating without considering the use of knowledge information cannot be used as common property. If the sorting and sorting of knowledge information is performed frequently and finely, the usability is improved, but the sorting and sorting takes a lot of trouble. Also, in a technical field with remarkable progress, it may be difficult to appropriately classify and arrange the latest knowledge information, and it may be difficult to use the information.

On the other hand, a system is also conceivable in which little or no sorting of knowledge information is performed and information is freely extracted by a full-text search engine. In this case, there is no need for sorting and organizing, and the search can be performed using the latest keyword according to the technological change. However, since the setting of search conditions (keywords and the like) is left to each person, the skill of the searcher is directly reflected on the search time and search accuracy. An experienced searcher or a searcher with specialized knowledge can extract target information in a relatively short time. Inexperienced searchers and non-specialized searchers cannot set appropriate search conditions, so that it takes a long time to extract useless information. For example, in the case of a search service provided on the Internet, if an appropriate keyword can be set, information can be narrowed down to about ten to several tens. If an appropriate keyword cannot be set, no information is hit, or thousands to tens of thousands of information are hit. More specifically, for example, when performing a search for “α plane” in the technical field of image processing, an enormous number of information hits with only the keyword “α”. On the other hand, in the case of the keyword “α plane”, the number of hits has an appropriate value, but the search accuracy is not sufficiently high. This is because related terms such as “α channel” and “α synthesis” are not considered.

In a field of remarkable progress such as communication technology and computer technology, a word may be changed to a new word before the meaning or notation of the word is officially determined. Therefore, it is not possible to obtain the latest information with a keyword that has already become a thing of the past. Conversely, the latest keywords alone do not always provide enough correct information. Although it is necessary to input appropriate search conditions in consideration of the usage of technical terms and changes in notation, it is difficult for inexperienced searchers and the like to set appropriate search conditions.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described various problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information retrieval apparatus capable of improving information retrieval efficiency and retrieval accuracy. It is another object of the present invention to provide an information management device capable of managing information in a unified manner.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, storage means for storing information, search condition input means for inputting search conditions, and information stored in the storage means for storing the search conditions in the search conditions A search unit that searches based on search conditions input to an input unit; a history storage unit that stores a search history of the search unit; and a search support unit that outputs the search history in response to a request. It is characterized in that search conditions can be input using the history.

Here, the "information" includes, for example, various digital data such as electronic mails and web pages. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to handle even voice or information on a paper medium by digitization.
Examples of the “storing unit” include a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk device.

When the user inputs a search condition through the search condition input means, the search means searches for information according to the input search condition. The search history of the search method is
It is stored by the history storage unit. When an inexperienced searcher performs a search, the search support unit outputs a search history if the searcher desires. Here, “output of search history” typically means a case where a search history is displayed on a screen. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the search history can be output as a voice using synthesized speech, or the search history can be printed out. By inputting search conditions using a past search history, search efficiency and search accuracy can be improved, and search time can be reduced.

[0014] As in the invention according to claim 2, the search history can include at least search conditions and attribute information of the searcher.

Not only search conditions such as keywords used in the past, but also attribute information of a searcher are stored as a search history. The “searcher attribute information” includes, for example, the searcher's name, affiliation, post, occupation, specialized technical field, related technical field, years of employment, career history, hobby, family composition, and the like. By referring to the attribute information, it is possible to determine the usefulness of the past search conditions and the like.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is further provided an extraction condition input means for inputting a condition for extracting the search history stored in the history storage means, and the search support means is provided based on the extraction condition. It is also possible to output the extracted search history.

For example, it is possible to display the search history as a history list without processing it, but as the amount of search history increases, it takes more time to reference and the usability decreases. Therefore,
Using a searcher's attribute information or the like as a key, only a predetermined search history is extracted from the search history and output. As a result, a useful search history can be used promptly.

[0018] As in the invention according to claim 4, the search support means can output a search history related to the search condition input to the search condition input means among the search histories stored in the history storage means. .

As a method of outputting a related search history, for example, a method of extracting and outputting a search history including an input keyword, or a method of extracting a search history including a phrase (a synonym or the like) related to the input keyword. Output method. In the former case, for example, when the input keyword is “α plane”, the past search history “α plane + α channel” or “image synthesis +
“α plane” or the like is output. In the latter case, if the input keyword is “α plane”, a search history “RGB + image composition” or “α blending” including a keyword related to the keyword is output. Thus, the searcher can quickly detect an appropriate keyword by referring to the past search history.

[0020] As in the invention according to claim 5, the history storage means can store a search history satisfying a predetermined condition set in advance.

The "predetermined condition" can be, for example, whether or not the occupation, the specialized field, and the like have reached a predetermined level. In other words, the search history of an inexperienced searcher has little use value and may waste storage resources.
Therefore, the conditions for saving the search history are set in advance,
Save only valuable search histories. The setting of whether to save the search history can be left to the searcher's self-report.

When the information retrieved by the retrieval means is set to non-public as in the invention according to claim 6, the disclosure request information is transmitted to a manager of the non-public information. Management means may be further provided.

There are various levels of confidentiality of information, from a level permitted to open to the public to a level accessible only to a specific person. Some e-mails and the like contain private contents. Therefore, when information is managed in a unified manner, access control is provided to determine who is allowed to use the information and to what extent. Here, for a search by a searcher who does not have access authority, it is possible to control so that highly confidential information or personal information is not included in the search target from the beginning. However, as in the case of suddenly being selected as a member of a special project, there are times when there is practically no access right, but substantial access right. Also, even if the information contains personal content,
In some cases, disclosure to a specific person or the whole may be permitted at the discretion of the information administrator. Therefore, even if it is non-public information, it is included in the search target and can be searched. If the searcher wants to access the non-public information, the public request information is transmitted to the administrator of the non-public information by e-mail or the like. . Here, it should be noted that since the disclosure request information is issued by the management unit, the searcher does not know who is the manager. If the administrator refuses to publish, searchers will not be able to access private information. Accordingly, a flexible search can be performed while performing access control, and information search omission can be prevented.

Further, the information retrieval apparatus can be realized by causing a computer to read a recording medium on which a predetermined program is recorded. As a recording medium,
For example, hard disk, floppy disk, CD-RO
The present invention is not limited to various tangible recording media such as M, DVD-ROM, magneto-optical disk, and memory, but may also include communication media such as remote downloading of programs via a network. Further, the present invention can also be realized as an information search method. The information search device according to the present invention can be realized on a single computer, but is not limited to this. For example, search condition input means is implemented on a client computer, storage means is implemented on a data management server, and search means is implemented on a plurality of nodes on a network, such as on an application server. You can also. Further, for example, when the search condition input means is realized on the client computer, the input means can be mounted on the client computer from the beginning, or the program can be sent from the server to the client computer in whole or in steps. It can also be realized by downloading.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the information management apparatus for managing input information, a storage unit for storing the input information, and a management unit for managing the information stored in the storage unit. A search condition input unit for inputting a search condition, a search unit for searching information stored in the storage unit based on the search condition input to the search condition input unit, and outputting a search result; Determining means for comparing the disclosure level set in the searched information with the acquisition authority level set in the searcher, and determining whether the searcher has the acquisition authority of the searched information; The management means, when it is determined that the searcher does not have the authority to obtain the searched information,
The disclosure request information is transmitted to a manager of the information.

By setting all information to be searched and transmitting the disclosure request information to the manager of the non-public information, it is possible to prevent search omission while maintaining appropriate access management.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the information management apparatus for managing the input information, a storage means for storing the input information, and a relation between the input information and a predetermined department set in advance. Select destinations based on degree,
Management means for distributing the information to the selected distribution destination, wherein the management means analyzes the input information,
The relevance is calculated by comparing predetermined information extracted from the input information with attribute information preset for the predetermined department, and a department having a predetermined relevance is selected as the distribution destination. It is characterized by doing.

When certain information is input, the information is analyzed, and predetermined information extracted from the information is compared with attribute information preset in a predetermined department. As a result of the comparison,
The input information is distributed to a department having a predetermined degree of association. This will be described with a simple example. First, the input information is subjected to morphological analysis to extract text. Next, when a frequently used word such as “estimate” or “delivery date” is found in the extracted text, this information can be distributed to the sales department. Information can be distributed to an appropriate department by managing words associated with each department in association with the depth of the relationship.

[0029] On the other hand, in the invention according to claim 11, in an information management device for managing input information, a storage means for storing the input information and a distribution condition preset for each distribution destination are stored. Distribution condition storage means, distribution management means for distributing all or a part of the input information to a predetermined distribution destination based on the stored distribution conditions, and monitoring of a response state regarding the distributed information Monitoring means, response history storing means for storing a response history detected by the monitoring means, and distribution condition updating means for updating the distribution condition based on the stored response history, I have.

The distribution condition may be, for example, a keyword. When information including a keyword registered in advance is input, the information is distributed to a distribution destination associated with the keyword. However, there is no guarantee that the user has set appropriate distribution conditions. Further, the type of information required by the user changes according to changes in tastes, hobbies, living environments, work environments, and the like. Therefore, under fixed distribution conditions, unnecessary information may be distributed, and a situation may occur in which required information does not arrive. Therefore, a history of responses to the distributed information is stored, and distribution conditions are dynamically changed based on the response history. Thereby, the user can optimize the distribution condition only by accessing desired information. Conversely, from the information distribution source, the information can be distributed only to interested users, and the response rate can be increased.

As in the twelfth aspect, the distribution condition updating means can generate a new distribution condition based on the response history.

The "new delivery condition" means a condition different from the original delivery condition, such as a condition related to the original delivery condition, a condition corresponding to a higher concept or a lower concept of the original delivery condition, and the like. Can be mentioned. Specifically, for example,
It is assumed that the keyword “car” has been set as the original distribution condition. In this case, all information including the keyword "car" is delivered to the user. Here, as a result of referring to the response history, if only the response rate to the information on the four-wheel drive vehicle is high, “recreational beagle” can be set as a new keyword. Alternatively, “outdoor sports” can be set as a related new keyword.

According to the thirteenth aspect, the distribution condition updating means can delete a distribution condition whose response rate is equal to or less than a predetermined value based on the response history.

By deleting the distribution condition having a low response rate, unnecessary information can be prevented from being distributed to the user.

In the invention according to claim 14, the distribution condition updating means can update the distribution condition after the approval of the distribution destination.

[0036] Even if the response rate is low, the user may want to distribute information, and if the distribution conditions are changed without notice, the usability may be reduced. Therefore, the distribution conditions are updated after obtaining the user's approval.

[0037]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS.

1. First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an information search device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The information search device 1 includes an input unit 2, a management unit 3, a storage unit 4, a browsing unit 5, a search unit 6, a search support unit 7, and a search history storage unit 8, as described later. be able to.

The input section 2 is for taking in various kinds of information from the outside into the information retrieval apparatus 1. Examples of the information to be captured include an electronic mail, a document file, a digitally converted audio signal, an image file read by a scanner device, and information read from a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. For example, MI
The system can be simplified if all information is captured by e-mail in the ME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) format or the like. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as described above, by performing a predetermined conversion or the like, data from a facsimile or a scanner device can be captured.

The management section 3 manages information input / output and the like. The management unit 3 stores various types of information input via the input unit 2 in a storage unit 4 including a hard disk device or the like. Further, the management unit 3 retrieves the information stored in the storage unit 4 in response to a request from the search unit 6. The storage unit 4 stores the acquired information, management information such as the sender name and receiver name of the information, and attribute information of each user (searcher).

The browsing unit 5 realizes, for example, a web server function and performs two-way communication with a browser on a client computer. The search unit 6 searches the stored information in response to a search request input via the browsing unit 5 and provides the search result to the client computer via the browsing unit 5.

The search support unit 7 performs search support in response to a searcher's request. The search history storage unit 8 stores history information related to past searches. Examples of the saved search history include a search condition, a search date and time, a searcher's name, affiliation, occupation type, title, specialty field, and the like. The search support unit 7 supports a new search by providing a search history to a searcher.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of a search by a browser on the client computer side.
As shown in FIG. 2A, various search conditions can be input on the data search screen. For example, one or a plurality of keywords can be input to the keyword input unit G1. Keywords arranged horizontally are processed under an AND condition, and keywords arranged vertically are processed under an OR condition. The sender's name and the receiver's name of the information can be input to the sender's name input section G2 and the receiver's name input section G3, respectively.
Thus, only information belonging to a specific person can be searched. In the period input section G4, a search target period can be input. The data search screen includes a search start button B1 for instructing a search start and a cancel button B for instructing cancellation of a search or deletion of a search condition.
2 and search support button B for calling the search support screen
3 can be provided.

FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram showing a list of search results. The list of search results can be configured to include, for example, a serial number, a public division, a title of information, a date of capturing information, a name of a sender of information, and the like. The release category indicates the release level of the information registered in the storage unit 4. Here, for convenience of explanation, the information is classified into two types, public or non-public, but is not limited thereto, and may be “public”, “confidential”,
A plurality of types such as “confidential”, “confidential”, and “private” may be set. A display button B4 for instructing a screen display of the searched information is displayed on the search result list screen.
And search support button B5 for calling the search support screen
And a keyword list button B6 for reading a keyword list which is a kind of search support.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of a search support screen, and FIG. 3A is a screen for extracting a search history. An inexperienced searcher cannot set appropriate search conditions, so it is difficult to extract necessary information even after a long time. Thus, an inexperienced searcher requests the search support unit 7 for search support.

The simplest search support is to disclose all past search histories (search logs) without passing through any filter. This is an effective method when the amount of the search history is small. However, as the storage amount of the search history increases, it becomes more difficult to obtain the necessary search history. Therefore, in order to extract useful search histories, various extraction conditions are set on the search history reference screen shown in FIG. In the searcher name input section G5, by inputting the searcher name, it is possible to extract only a search history of a specific searcher who has much experience. The affiliation input section G6 and the job type input section G7 can extract a search history by a searcher of a specific department or a specific job type. This is effective when you do not know the name of an in-house expert in that field. In the keyword input section G8, a desired keyword can be input. This allows
The history searched by the search condition including the input keyword is extracted. In the period input section G9, the search history extraction target can be temporally separated.

FIG. 3B is a screen showing a list of extracted search histories. The search history list screen can be composed of, for example, a serial number, a search date, a search time, a searcher's name, an affiliation, a post, a job type, and the like. When a specific search in the search list is selected, search conditions (typically, keywords) at that time are displayed. Therefore, an inexperienced searcher can efficiently learn search know-how by referring to keywords used by experienced searchers, and can set more appropriate search conditions.

FIG. 4A is a display screen of a keyword list. In the keyword list screen, keywords used in the past are displayed in association with the frequency of use. A list of keywords of all search histories may be displayed, or only keywords of search histories by a specific searcher, a specific department, a job, or the like may be displayed in a list. By narrowing down the target to some extent by the searcher name etc. and displaying it in a list,
The search know-how can be intensively learned. Also,
It is also possible to easily grasp what kind of information a given searcher or a given department is interested in, and how much.

FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the search support screen. The search support screen can be provided with, for example, a keyword input section G10 and a free input section G11 for freely inputting irregular text. The sentence input to the free input unit G11 is analyzed by, for example, morphological analysis or the like, whereby a search target desired by the searcher is estimated. Then, the search history is searched based on the estimated search target, and related keywords are displayed. In addition, a keyword related to the keyword input to the keyword input unit G10 is also displayed. The searcher can freely select the keyword input section G10 and the free input section G11. For example, if the searcher inputs the keyword "four-wheel drive vehicle", this "four-wheel drive vehicle"
"Recreational Beagle"
And a search history including a related keyword such as "multipurpose passenger car".

When the search is completed, the search history is saved as occasion demands. In the simplest configuration, all search histories can be stored. In a more advanced configuration, only search histories satisfying a predetermined condition are stored. For example, based on information such as occupations and specialty fields, only search histories estimated to be worth saving can be saved. Alternatively, a "history save button" may be provided in the screen to save the search history by the searcher's self-report.
Further, searchers of a predetermined level or higher are registered in the information search apparatus 1 in advance, and all search histories of the high-level searchers are stored, and search histories of other persons are stored by selection of the user. You can also.

When all search histories are stored, it is possible to prevent omission of storage of search histories. However, since the amount of data is increased, the search history extraction time may be long. On the other hand, when only the search history of a high-level person is stored, a useful search history can be quickly extracted, but the search history may be missed. Which search history is to be stored and how much can be set depending on the case.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

First, since a search history is displayed according to the searcher's desire, an inexperienced searcher can set a new search condition by referring to the search history. Therefore, the search can be efficiently performed, and the search time can be reduced. In addition, search know-how can be efficiently learned in a so-called OJT (On the Job Training) format.

Second, since the search history includes not only the search conditions but also the attribute information of the searcher, it is easy to determine which is a useful search history based on the attribute information. Usability is improved.

Third, since only the extracted search histories can be displayed, the searcher can extract only necessary search histories from a huge search history and refer to them.

Fourth, since not only a search history directly related to the input keyword but also a search history including a related keyword can be displayed, a more appropriate keyword can be quickly detected.

2. Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In each of the embodiments described below, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those described above, and description thereof will be omitted. The feature of the present embodiment is that when protected information is retrieved, a system administrator requests information disclosure from a manager of the protected information.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the information retrieval device 11. The present device 11 checks whether or not the secret information is included in the search result list by the search unit 6. When the request for viewing the non-public information is requested, the management unit 12 creates an e-mail requesting the administrator of the non-public information (for example, a recipient of the e-mail) to release the information. This information disclosure request mail is transmitted to a predetermined manager via the output unit 13. The information disclosure request mail includes the name and attributes (job type, affiliation, etc.) of the person who wants to view the information. The administrator can change the information disclosure category to “public” in response to the information disclosure request mail. When the public section is changed to “public”, the viewer can use the information via the information search device 11. Alternatively, the administrator can send information directly to the person who wants to view the information by e-mail or the like. It is not necessary for the administrator to respond to the information disclosure request. Whether or not to respond to information disclosure is left to the judgment of the administrator.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a main part of the flow of processing by the information retrieval apparatus 11. First, when a searcher inputs search conditions (S1), the search unit 6 performs a search according to the search conditions (S2). The search result by the search unit 6 is displayed, for example, as shown on the right side in FIG. 6 (S3). Here, in the case of information in which the public category is set to “non-public”, information necessary for specifying the information, such as a sender name, a receiver name, and a title, is not displayed.

For example, when the searcher wants to display the non-public information by clicking the non-public information (S4: Y
ES), the access authority of the searcher is compared with the information disclosure level (S5). The access authority of the searcher can be set in advance when logging in to the information search device 11. In that case, it is not necessary to check whether the user has the access right in S5. However, at the time of login, if the access right is not set or if information protection is to be thoroughly performed, the access right can be checked by re-authenticating the searcher in S5.

If the searcher has the access right (S
5: YES), the information in which "***" is displayed in a hidden manner is displayed (S
6). On the other hand, if the searcher does not have the access right (S5: NO), the management unit 12 sends an information disclosure request mail to the manager of the non-public information (S7). In response to the information disclosure request email, the manager of the undisclosed information can change the disclosure category, allow the requesting searcher to particularly browse, and directly search without the information search device 11 Information can also be sent to the person.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, since the search including the non-public information can be performed, the omission of the search can be prevented. Further, in the case of non-public information, the information disclosure request mail is transmitted to the administrator so as not to be seen by the searcher, so that the information can be used while appropriately protecting the information.

3. Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. A feature of the present invention resides in that information is distributed based on preset distribution conditions.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the information management device 21. The information management device 21 includes a distribution management unit 22, a distribution condition storage unit 23, and a summary generation unit 24. For example, distribution conditions such as keywords are registered in the distribution condition storage unit 23 in advance. The distribution management unit 22 acquires the input information via the management unit 3 and determines whether or not this information matches the registered distribution condition. If the information meets the distribution condition, the information is distributed to one or more users associated with the distribution condition.

The summary generator 24 summarizes information that meets distribution conditions to reduce the amount of data to be distributed. As a method of summarizing, for example, simply extract a paragraph containing a keyword by a predetermined number of characters, extract a highlighted portion, extract only a predetermined number of characters from the beginning, only a text portion excluding image data For example, various methods such as the extraction of When the original information amount is small, it is not necessary to generate a summary.
By reducing the amount of data and delivering the data, it is possible to reduce the time for sending and receiving e-mail. Therefore, it is effective when a reduction in the connection time with the network is required, such as in mobile communication. Specifically, when moving at high speed, it is difficult to maintain a stable session for a long time, and there is a possibility that communication may be interrupted during reception of an e-mail. In addition, during driving, since it is almost impossible to keep an eye on it, it is necessary to receive an e-mail in a short time. Therefore, in such a case, the image data can be removed or the text can be extracted and distributed.

FIG. 8A shows an example of information distribution to a registered user. When information that matches the distribution conditions registered in advance is input to the information management device 21, the information is distributed to the user associated with the distribution conditions. In this case, for example, information title, URL (Uniform Resourc
e Locator) or an e-mail including an e-mail address, a text or a summary of information (hereinafter also referred to as “e-mail”) is sent to the user. When the summary is distributed or when the user wants to directly confirm the original information, the user can browse with a browser based on the distributed URL or the like. Note that the distributed information can be read and discarded. This is because the original information is stored in the storage unit 4.

FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of information distribution. First, each user registers desired distribution conditions in the device 21 (b1). When the information conforming to the distribution condition is taken into the device 21, the device 21 distributes the information to each user by mail (b2). Each user can browse information from his / her terminal or the like via a browser (b3).

The information management apparatus 21 can be applied to an automatic response system, a mail distribution system, a questionnaire collection system, and the like. One example is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9A, for example, various mails such as a request for quote, a mail for requesting technical support, and a market complaint arrive at the apparatus 21. The device 21 analyzes the contents of each mail and distributes it to an appropriate department. For example, an e-mail for a quote request is sent to a sales representative, an e-mail for a technical support request is sent to a technical support person, and a market complaint is sent to a complaint processing person.

FIG. 9B shows an example of a distribution process based on the analysis of mail contents. First, the contents of the mail are morphologically analyzed to extract each word such as “your company, product, price, etc.” (S11). Next, the degree of association between each extracted word and the registered department is calculated (S12). Specifically, the relevance between each representative word and each department is registered in a database in advance, and the relevance is obtained by referring to this database. And
For each department, the relevance is tabulated and a comprehensive analysis is performed (S
13), the mail is distributed to a department having a degree of association equal to or higher than a predetermined value (S14).

Here, the mail delivery destination is not limited to one place. When there are a plurality of departments having a degree of association equal to or more than a predetermined value, the information is distributed to each department. As a result, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the mail is not delivered to the department to be delivered, and it is possible to prevent a delay in response. Also, even when the degree of relevance is not more than a predetermined value, the mail can be delivered. For example, market complaints are important feedback information from the market, so they can be distributed not only to complaint handling personnel but also to sales personnel and technical personnel.

Although the automatic mail sorting system has been exemplified, those skilled in the art can easily apply the present invention to an automatic response system and a questionnaire collection system. In the case of the automatic response system, the contents of the digitized voice, e-mail, and the like are analyzed according to FIG. 9B to determine which of the response patterns registered in advance. When a corresponding response pattern is detected, a message registered in advance is returned to the source of the information.
In the case of a questionnaire collection system, the content of the questionnaire is often standardized, so that it can be further simplified. The contents of the questionnaire can be analyzed and classified and stored as a “prospect customer file”, an “important customer file”, and the like.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, it is possible to distribute information that conforms to the distribution condition to the user associated with the distribution condition.
Desired information can be obtained only by registering a keyword or the like. Further, since the input information is analyzed to determine the information distribution destination, the information can be distributed to an appropriate department.

4. Fourth Embodiment Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is characterized in that the above-described embodiments are integrated and that the distribution conditions can be changed according to the response history of the distributed information.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the information management device 31 according to the present embodiment. This apparatus 31 includes a search support system described in the first embodiment, a disclosure request system for non-public information described in the second embodiment,
And the information distribution system described in the embodiments. In addition to this, the present apparatus 31 further includes a response monitoring unit 32, a response history storage unit 33, and a distribution condition updating unit 34, as described later.

The response monitor 32 monitors information browsing requests from users. That is, the response monitoring unit 32
Monitors the response status, such as which user accessed what information and when. The response status detected by the response monitoring unit 32 is stored in the response history storage unit 33 as a response history. The distribution condition updating unit 34 determines whether the previously set distribution conditions are appropriate based on the stored response history, and deletes unnecessary distribution conditions or sets new distribution conditions. It is.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for updating the distribution condition. First, when an information browsing request from a user is detected (S21), a response rate is calculated for each registered distribution condition (for example, a keyword) (S22). For example, information including the keyword “car” is accumulated in a total of 157
If the distributed users access information including "car" 110 times in total, the response rate is about 70%
Becomes

Next, the user's interest is predicted with reference to the response history (S23). More specifically, for example, a morphological analysis is performed on information accessed by the user in the past, and a full-text search is performed to detect a word common to information having a high response rate. For example, even when the response rate to the keyword "economy" is low, the response rate to information including a specific company name or word may be high by analyzing an information group including "economy". Therefore, in S23, a common word is detected, and a new keyword related to this word is detected (S2).
4). As the new keyword, a common word can be used as it is, or a superordinate concept or a subordinate concept of the common word or a related word can be used.

Next, a keyword having a response rate equal to or higher than a predetermined value is detected from keywords registered in advance (S25), and a new keyword related to the keyword having a high response rate is detected (S26). The case where the response rate to the information including the keyword “Western music” is high will be described as an example. A user who is interested in "Western music" can add "Dance" as a new keyword when it is known from the analysis of the response history of other users that the interest in "Dance" is high.

Further, a keyword whose response rate is equal to or less than a predetermined value is detected from keywords registered in advance (S2).
7). Then, the new keywords detected in S24 and S26 are added to the existing keyword group, and at S2
The user is notified that the keyword with the low response rate detected in step 7 is deleted (S28). If the user approves the notification, the keyword is updated to a new keyword group (distribution condition) (S29). If the user's approval cannot be obtained, the registered keyword group is not changed.

According to the present embodiment configured as described above, all the effects of the above-described embodiments can be obtained. In addition, in the present embodiment, since the distribution condition is changed according to the response state from the user, appropriate information can be distributed to the user according to the change in the situation, and the distribution condition is manually changed each time. No need to change with
Usability is improved. In addition, since keywords with low response rates are deleted, unnecessary information can be prevented from being distributed,
Communication traffic can be reduced, and waste of storage capacity can be prevented. Further, since the distribution condition is changed after the user's approval, the usability is improved. Even when the new distribution condition matches the user's preference, there may be a case where the user does not want to be aware of the distribution of the information.
Alternatively, even under a distribution condition with a low response rate, information may be collected first and access may be postponed. Therefore, the usability is improved by changing the distribution condition after obtaining the user's approval.

The above-described system for dynamically changing the distribution conditions includes:
For example, it can be easily applied to a so-called push-type advertising service. That is, initially, a relatively wide range of product information is distributed, and the next product information to be distributed to each user can be individually adjusted according to the response rate of each user.

5. Specific Example FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the present invention. The information management system 100 is connected to a network 102 such as the Internet via a router 101 or the like.

The mail server 103 receives an electronic mail from an internal network or an external network.
The conversion unit 104 converts information input in a form other than the electronic mail into an electronic mail, and inputs the electronic mail to the mail server 103. In this manner, various types of digital information captured in the form of e-mail are managed by the information management unit 105.

The information management unit 105 stores the text of the electronic mail and the attached file in the text spool 106. On the other hand, the header information of the email contains the sender name, recipient name,
The data is analyzed into a title, a data amount, and the like and stored in the management database 107. The mail body data stored in the body spool 106 is analyzed by the morphological analysis engine 107. The result of the morphological analysis is stored in the full-text search index file 109. Therefore, the search engine 110 can detect target mail body data by performing a search on the full-text search index file. Note that an image file, a document file, and the like may be attached to the electronic mail, but it is optional whether or not to perform morphological analysis on the attached file to create a full-text search index.

The mail arriving at the mail server 103 is
It is also distributed to each user described in the destination of the header.
If the external user is the recipient of the mail, the mail is transferred from the mail server 103 to the mail server to which the destination user belongs via the router 101 or the like. When transferring to an internal user, it is stored in the spool 112 via the mail distribution unit 111. Each user receives a mail addressed to himself by individually accessing the spool 112.

The WWW server 113 provides a so-called web server function. The information providing unit 114 performs two-way communication with an operation unit 122, which will be described later, and provides search and database operations by the user. The information providing unit 114 is always running, for example, as a UNIX daemon. The database management unit 115 is for operating the database 107. Database 10
7 stores a search history and a response history, keywords registered for distributing information, related keywords, and the like, in addition to the above-described header information of the mail.

On the other hand, a browser 121 for browsing information provided by the WWW server 113 is provided on the client computer 120 of the user, and the information management system 10
An operation unit 122 sent from the 0 side and started up, a mail program (not shown) and the like are provided. The user
Search conditions, distribution conditions, and the like can be input via the operation unit 122, and display of search results can be requested.
From the viewpoint of environment management and maintenance on the client side, it is preferable that a program for implementing the operation unit 122 be transmitted from the system 100 to the client computer 120 collectively or stepwise. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a program for implementing the operation unit 122 may be mounted on each client computer 122 in advance.

According to the system 100 configured as described above, the above-described search support service, information distribution service, and the like can be realized.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications by adding, deleting, or changing components in each embodiment. For example, each function of the system can be realized by being distributed to a plurality of computers.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the description has been made as “information search device”, but it can be understood as “information management device”.

[0093]

As described above, according to the information search apparatus of the present invention, a new search can be performed by using the search history, so that search efficiency can be improved. Further, according to the information management device of the present invention, it is possible to distribute the input information to an appropriate department. Further, the distribution conditions can be dynamically changed to optimize the distribution conditions.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an information search device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2A shows a search screen, and FIG. 2B shows a search result list screen.

3A shows a search support screen, and FIG. 3B shows a search history list screen.

FIG. 4 (a) is a keyword list screen, FIG. 4 (b)
Shows another example of the search support screen.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an information search device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a disclosure request process for non-public information.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an information management device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8A is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of information distribution to a user, and FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a flow of a distribution service.

FIG. 9A is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the contents of an e-mail are analyzed and distributed to each department in charge, and FIG. 9B is a flowchart of a process of determining an e-mail delivery destination.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an information management device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a process for changing a distribution condition according to a response state from a user.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a specific example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 information search device 2 input unit 3 management unit 4 storage unit 5 browsing unit 6 search unit 7 search support unit 8 search history storage unit 11 information search device 12 management unit 13 output unit 21 information management device 22 distribution management unit 23 distribution condition storage Unit 24 summary generation unit 31 information management device 32 response monitoring unit 33 response history storage unit 34 distribution condition update unit

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A storage device for storing information, a search condition input device for inputting search conditions, and a search for information stored in the storage device based on a search condition input to the search condition input device. Search means, a history storage means for storing a search history by the search means, and a search support means for outputting the search history in response to a request, wherein a search condition can be input using the search history. An information retrieval apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The information search apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the search history includes at least search conditions and searcher attribute information. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an extraction condition input unit for inputting a condition for extracting a search history stored in the history storage unit, wherein the search support unit converts the search history extracted based on the extraction condition. 3. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 2, which outputs the information. 4. The information search according to claim 2, wherein the search support unit outputs a search history related to the search condition input to the search condition input unit among the search histories stored in the history storage unit. apparatus. 5. The history storage unit stores a search history satisfying a predetermined condition set in advance.
An information retrieval device according to any one of the above. 6. A management means for transmitting disclosure request information to a manager of the information related to the non-disclosure when the information searched by the search means is set to non-disclosure. The information search device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. A storage medium storing a program for searching for stored information, a search condition input function for inputting a search condition, and the stored information based on the input search condition. A search function for searching and outputting a search result; a history storage function for storing the searched search history; a search support function for outputting the search history in response to a request;
A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for implementing the program in a computer. 8. In an information search method for searching for information, a step of displaying a searched search history; a step of inputting a new search condition with reference to the search history; An information search method, comprising: performing a search based on the search; and displaying a result of the search. 9. An information management device for managing input information, a storage unit for storing the input information, a management unit for managing the information stored in the storage unit, and an input device for inputting a search condition. A search condition input unit, a search unit that searches information stored in the storage unit based on a search condition input to the search condition input unit, and outputs a search result; and Comparing the public level and the acquisition authority level set for the searcher, and determining whether or not the searcher has the acquisition authority for the searched information. An information management device, wherein, when it is determined that the searcher does not have the authority to acquire the searched information, the disclosure request information is transmitted to a manager of the information. 10. An information management apparatus for managing input information, a storage unit for storing the input information, and a distribution destination based on a degree of association between the input information and a predetermined department. And managing means for distributing the information to the selected distribution destination. The managing means analyzes the input information, and the predetermined information extracted from the input information and the predetermined information An information management apparatus for calculating the relevance by comparing attribute information set in advance for the relevant department, and selecting a department having a predetermined relevance as the distribution destination. 11. An information management device for managing input information, a storage unit for storing the input information, a distribution condition storage unit for storing distribution conditions set in advance for each distribution destination, A distribution management unit that distributes all or a part of the input information to a predetermined distribution destination based on the distribution condition that has been input; a monitoring unit that monitors a response state of the distributed information; and the monitoring unit. An information management device comprising: a response history storage unit that stores a detected response history; and a distribution condition update unit that updates the distribution condition based on the stored response history. 12. The information management device according to claim 11, wherein the distribution condition updating unit generates a new distribution condition based on the response history. 13. The information management device according to claim 11, wherein the distribution condition updating unit deletes a distribution condition whose response rate is equal to or less than a predetermined value based on the response history. 14. The information management apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the distribution condition updating unit updates the distribution condition after approval of a distribution destination. 15. A recording medium on which a program for managing input information is recorded, wherein all or part of the input information is distributed in a predetermined manner based on distribution conditions preset for each distribution destination. A function for causing a computer to realize a function of distributing information first, a function of monitoring a response state related to the distributed information, and a function of updating the distribution condition based on a response history detected from the response state. A recording medium in which the program is recorded in a form that can be read and understood by the computer.