JP2003085174A - Data retrieving display device and data retrieving display program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a data retrieving display device and a data retrieving display program capable of efficiently displaying data by retrieving the data existing in a network. SOLUTION: At least a part of a Patent Gazette being a retrieving object is prerecorded in a data recorder 26 provided in the data retrieving display device 10, and when determining whether or not a Gazette image selected among a Gazette number list obtained as a retrieving result exists in the data recorder 26 in a Step S10 corresponding to a data existence determining means, the Gazette image in the data recorder 26 is displayed on a monitor 28 by a data display means 38 when determining that a selected Gazette number exists.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data search / display device and a data search / display program for efficiently displaying data in a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, by connecting a client computer (hereinafter referred to as a client) to a server storing a large number of data (for example, patent publications and technical documents) via a network such as the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, etc. , A search means (search system) provided in the server is used to search from the large number of data, and index information of one or a plurality of corresponding data obtained by the search, such as data name, is provided to the client. In addition to displaying on a display device such as a monitor, the contents of desired data selected from the index information are displayed on the display device. Here, the server is
It refers to a single computer including a CPU, a storage device, or the like, or a computer system including a plurality of computers, storage devices, and the like. In the server as described above, for example, search keyword data associated with individual data is stored separately from the large number of data, and necessary information can be efficiently obtained by searching from the keyword data. be able to.

[0003]

However, in the above-described data search / display method, when a large number of clients connect to the server and search for the corresponding data at the same time, the load on the server increases and the processing speed increases. Information traffic in the network (traffic)
Is increased and the transmission speed is remarkably reduced, which causes a problem that the display efficiency of the corresponding data is reduced. In addition, when displaying the corresponding data obtained by searching on the client,
It is also possible to store (save) the transmitted data in the client at the same time, and such stored data can be displayed at high speed regardless of the limitation of the transmission rate of the network. However, since the above data is generally randomly stored in an arbitrary directory, it is difficult to determine whether or not the search result includes the data stored in the past. become. That is, the stored data can only be manually searched for individually when index information such as its name (for example, a publication number in a patent publication) is known, and the efficiency of displaying search results can be improved. It did not contribute to the improvement.

On the other hand, for data whose necessity is clear, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM in which the data is stored is also purchased, and such a recording medium is the same as the above-mentioned stored data. There's a problem. That is, since it is difficult to judge whether or not the search result obtained by connecting to the network includes the data recorded in the recording medium, such a recording medium also contributes to improving the display efficiency of the search result. I don't get it. Note that some of these recording media are capable of searching the recorded data using a general-purpose or special-purpose search program. However,
The server in the network may include the latest data by being updated by the administrator one by one, whereas the recording medium is not updated from the time of purchase, and thus the data becomes old. Therefore, since it is desirable to search using a network to obtain the latest data, improving the efficiency of displaying the search results is a very important issue.

[0005] For example, patent publications in Japan and overseas include the Patent Electronic Library (IPDL) of the Patent Office, the US Patent and Trademark Office, the European Patent Office,
It is provided by various servers that store various commercial databases, etc., and if it is connected to the Internet, bibliographic items such as publication number and applicant name, technical terms, various keywords such as IPC, F-term, FI, US class, etc. You can browse the relevant gazette by searching. However,
The current situation is that the number of users becomes excessive with respect to the line capacity to be connected to these, and problems such as connection failure and markedly slow display speed are constantly occurring. The patent gazette is also provided as a CD-ROM gazette by the JPO, but when using this, connection to the network is inevitable in order to obtain the latest information as described above.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a data search / display device and a data search / display program capable of searching data existing in a network and displaying the data efficiently. To provide.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problem] In order to achieve such an object, the gist of the data retrieval display device of the first invention is stored in a server connected via a predetermined network. Retrieval instruction means for retrieving a large number of data using a retrieval means provided in the server, and retrieval result display means for displaying index information of one or a plurality of relevant data obtained by the retrieval as retrieval results on a display device. And a selected data display means for displaying on the display device the content of desired data selected from the index information displayed on the display device,
(a) a data recording device in which at least a part of the large number of data is pre-recorded, and (b) data presence / absence determination for determining whether or not data corresponding to the search result exists in the data recording device (C) the data display means selects the content of the corresponding data in the data recording device when the data determined to exist by the data presence / absence determining means is selected. And displaying on the display device in response to the generated index information.

[0008]

A second aspect of the present invention for attaining the above-mentioned object is that the data retrieval display device of the second invention is stored in a server connected via a predetermined network. Search instructing means for searching from a large number of existing data using the search means provided in the server,
Search result display means for displaying index information of one or more corresponding data obtained by the search as a search result on a display device, and content of desired data selected from the index information displayed on the display device A data search and display device, comprising: a selected data display means for displaying on the device; (a) a data recording device in which at least a part of the large number of data is recorded in advance; and (b) the selected data. Data presence / absence determining means for determining whether or not data exists in the data recording device, and (c) content of the corresponding data in the data recording device if the determination by the data presence / absence determining means is affirmative Is displayed on the display device.

[0009]

[Effects of the first and second inventions] In this way, at least a part of the data to be searched is recorded in advance in the data recording device provided in the data search display device which is the client, and the presence or absence of data exists. When the judgment means judges whether or not the search result or the data selected from the search results exists in the data recording device, the data judged to exist is selected or selected. If it is determined that the
The data display means displays the data content in the data recording device on the display device. Therefore, when the search is performed via the network and the search result is obtained, the contents of the data in the data recording device are displayed instead of the data stored in the searched server, so that the load of the server and the network The search reply data can be efficiently displayed regardless of the transmission speed.

[0010]

[Other Aspects of First and Second Aspects of the Invention] Here, it is preferable that the search result display means displays the search result page by page in a unit of a displayable range at a time on the display device. The data search and display device includes a batch reading means for collectively reading all search results when the search results extend over a plurality of pages. If you do this,
Even when the search results extend over a plurality of pages, the search results are collectively read by the data search display device that is the client.
It is possible to display the data content of the search result without being connected to the server without turning the page.

[0011] Further, preferably, the search result storage means for storing the search result in a predetermined storage device is included, and the search result display means can also display the saved search result. In this way, since the search result is saved and the saved search result can be displayed and the content of the corresponding data can be displayed, there is an advantage that the waste of repeatedly searching with the same search expression by connecting to the server is eliminated. is there. Also,
When connecting to a server on an external network such as the Internet for searching, if the data search display device is connected to a local area network (LAN), from another client connected to that LAN Also has the advantage that valuable search information can be shared because the search results can be used. It is also possible to send the saved search result to a remote place by an appropriate means such as electronic mail and use the search result there. Since the search result itself is a small amount of data consisting only of the index information of the data, it is easier to send and receive as compared with the case where the data content itself corresponding to the search result is sent. More preferably, the search result storage means stores the search result in association with the corresponding search expression. If you do this,
Compared to the case where the search formula is not stored, it is not necessary to separately describe the search condition corresponding to the search result, and the illusion of the correspondence between the search condition and the search result is suppressed.

Preferably, the data recording device is
The data is divided and recorded in hierarchical directories according to an appropriate classification. By doing so, even when the number of recorded data is extremely large, it is possible to quickly compare the search result with the index information of the data existing in the data recording device to judge the presence or absence of the data. Become. In this case, the number of data to be stored in the directory of the lowermost layer is appropriately determined according to the processing capacity of the data search and display device, etc., but if the upper limit is, for example, 5,000, preferably about 1,000 each. The presence / absence of data can be instantaneously determined. In the case where the data search and display device is for searching and displaying patent publications, for example, if the patent publication data is divided and stored in a hierarchical directory according to publication type, publication year, publication number, etc. Good.

Further, preferably, the data search / display device includes index information conversion means for converting the index information of the search result into the same format as the index information of the data recorded in the data recording device. It is a waste. By doing this, even if the index information of the same data has a format different from the index information of the data in the data recording device due to the difference in the search method or the server, the accuracy of the data presence / absence determination Is increased. Preferably, the index information conversion means converts the index information according to an index information conversion table stored in advance. For example, when searching for patent gazettes, etc., when there are a plurality of gazette names such as “public utility model” and “utility model full-text format” of the IPDL, these will be saved if they are converted to each other. Even if there is, it is possible to display the content of the corresponding data. In addition, if the publication, publication, and patent numbers of the same application are converted to each other, whichever is included in the search results, it will be displayed if any is saved. The contents of the same application can be displayed.

Preferably, in the first invention,
The search result display means displays the judgment result of the data presence / absence judgment means together with the search result. By doing so, since the presence or absence of data in the data recording device is clearly indicated in the search result, only the data that can be clearly displayed can be selected and displayed.

Preferably, the data display control means displays the content of the data stored in the server on the display device when the determination by the data presence / absence determining means is denied. is there. By doing this, data that does not exist in the data recording device will also be displayed via the network, so the display speed will be slower in that case, but the searcher will not be able to access the server and client (data search display device). It is possible to browse the contents of all search response data without being aware of which data exists. In this case, more preferably, the data search / display device stores (records) data for which the determination by the data presence / absence determining means is denied in the data recording device. By doing this, if the search response contains data that does not exist in the data recording device, that data will be added. The advantage is that the data is displayed quickly. In addition,
Data can be stored easily by using the technique described in Japanese Patent No. 3017735, for example. In this case, in order to reduce the load on the server as much as possible,
Since it is considered desirable to download at night or early morning, for example, for the data that does not exist in the data recording device among the search results, a list is created instead of requesting the server immediately, and an appropriate scheduler is created. -It is recommended to use software to automatically execute the data request at an appropriate time.

[0016]

[Third Means for Solving the Problem] Further, the gist of the data retrieval display program of the third invention for achieving the above object is stored in a server connected through a predetermined network. In order to retrieve and display from a large number of data, a computer having a data recording device and a display device in which at least a part of the data is recorded in advance, (a) connected to the server via the network In the state, a search step of searching from the data using the search means provided in the server, and (b) displaying index information of one or more corresponding data obtained by the search as a search result on the display device. A search result display step, (c) a data presence / absence determining step of determining whether or not data corresponding to the search result exists in the data recording device, and (d) If the data determined to exist in the data presence / absence determining step is selected from the index information displayed on the display device, the content of the corresponding data in the data recording device is displayed on the display device. And selecting data display step.

[0017]

A fourth aspect of the present invention is directed to a data search display program according to a fourth aspect of the invention for achieving the above object, which is stored in a server connected through a predetermined network. A computer equipped with a data recording device and a display device in which at least a part of the data is recorded in advance in order to retrieve and display from a large number of data, (a) a state of being connected to the server via the network And a search step of searching the data using the search means provided in the server, and (b) a search for displaying index information of one or more corresponding data obtained by the search on the display device as a search result. A result display step, and (c) data existence for judging whether or not the data selected from the index information displayed on the display device exists in the data recording device. Executing a determination step and (d) a selected data display step of displaying the content of the corresponding data in the data recording device on the display device when it is determined that the data exists in the data presence / absence determination step. Is to let.

[0018]

[Effects of the third and fourth aspects of the invention] With this configuration, at least a part of the data to be searched is recorded in advance in the data recording device provided in the data search / display device which is the client. If it is determined in the presence / absence determining step whether the search result or the data selected from the search results exists in the data recording device, the data determined to exist in the selected data displaying step When it is selected or when it is determined that the selected data exists, the data content in the data recording device is displayed on the display device. Therefore, when a search result is obtained by executing the search via the network, the contents of the data in the data recording device are displayed instead of the data stored in the searched server.
The search response data can be efficiently displayed regardless of the load on the server or the transmission speed of the network.

[0019]

[Third and Fourth Aspects of the Invention] Here, it is preferable that the search result display step displays the search result page by page in a unit of a range that can be temporarily displayed on the display device. When the search result spans a plurality of pages, the data search / display program executes a batch read step of collectively reading all search results when executing the search result display step. is there. By doing this, even if the search results span multiple pages, they are collectively read by the data search display device that is the client, so that the search results can be obtained without connecting to the server without turning the pages. The data content of can be displayed.

Further, preferably, the data search / display program executes a search result saving step of saving the search result in a predetermined storage device when executing the search result displaying step, and at the same time, the search step And the search result displaying step is executed alternatively to the saved search result displaying step for displaying the saved search result. In this way, since the search result is saved and the saved search result can be displayed and the content of the corresponding data can be displayed, there is no waste of repeatedly searching with the same search formula by connecting to the server, or Since the search results can be used by other clients connected to the LAN, there is an advantage that valuable search information can be shared. More preferably, the search result storing step stores the search result in association with the corresponding search expression. With this configuration, it is not necessary to separately describe the search condition corresponding to the search result as compared with the case where the search expression is not saved, and it is possible to suppress the illusion of the correspondence between the search condition and the search result.

Preferably, prior to the search data presence / absence determining step, an index information converting step for converting the index information of the search result into the same format as the index information of the data in the data recording device is executed. Is. By doing this, even if the index information of the same data has a format different from the index information of the data in the data recording device due to the difference in the search method or the server, the accuracy of the data presence / absence determination Is increased. Preferably, the above-mentioned index information conversion step is executed by using an index information conversion table stored in advance.

Preferably, in the third invention,
The search result display step displays the judgment result of the data presence / absence judgment step together with the search result. In this way, the presence or absence of data in the data recording device is clearly indicated together with the search result, so that the searcher can select and display only the data that can be displayed. In this case, the display of the result of the presence / absence of data may be, for example, one in which one of data not existing and data existing in the data recording device is displayed with some mark. Further, the search result display step may display only the search results that are determined to have data.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a data search display device 10 of the present invention.
It is a figure explaining the whole network structure containing. In the figure, a data search / display device 10 is composed of a plurality of clients 12 and a file server 14, etc., and is connected to a network 18 via a DNS server 16. The network 18 is a patent office server (I
PDL) 20, US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) server 2
2. The European Patent Office (EPO) server 24 is connected to the Internet, for example, and a plurality of clients 12 are connected to these via a network 18. Each of the above-mentioned servers 20, 22 and 24 has a database composed of a large number of data to be searched and a search program, and can be operated from the client 12 or the like using a well-known web browser. Allows the data to be searched using the search program.

Further, in the above file server 14,
A data recording device 26 such as an HDD (hard disk drive) or a CD-ROM (sidy ROM) drive is provided, and data existing in the data recording device 26 is supplied in response to a request from the client 12.
The data transmission rate from the data recording device 26 to the client 12 is, for example, about 5 to 20 (MB / S), which is extremely high compared to the data transmission rate from the server 20 or the like via the network 18. Incidentally, the data transmission rate from the server 20 or the like is, for example, 8 to 250 (KB / S) even at the maximum rate.
However, when the network 18 and the server 20 are congested, it may be about 1/10 or less of that. That is, the data recording device 26 is connected to the client 12, which is used as a search terminal, through a path having an extremely high transmission speed as compared with the connection path with the server 20 or the like. The data existing in the data recording device 26 is, for example, patent publication data of Japan, the United States and Europe whose file name is a publication number.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the patent publication data structure browsed using the file operation program. For example, patent gazette data is stored in a directory (folder) that stores European and American patent gazettes named "EPO (European patent)" and "US (US patent)" in the "databese" directory (folder). It is recorded by dividing it into directories, etc. for each publication type in Japan, such as "open", "re-listing", "actual opening", "actual public", etc. Is provided. In addition, in each year directory, for example, a directory "nnn" with a plurality of consecutive numbers is provided for storing up to 1000 image files for each publication in a multi-page compatible format such as multi-TIFF images and PDF images. For example, a file having a publication number of YY-001kkk (where YY represents the year and kkk represents any three-digit integer) is stored in the folder 001. The same applies to directory structures of US and European patent publications not shown. These data are, for example, the contents of the image CD-R provided by the Patent Office, which are copied to the HDD according to the above classification. However, it is also possible to load the image CD-R into a multiple CD-ROM drive and use it as it is. In that case, the read logic may be appropriately changed according to the directory structure of the image CD-R. . By the way, in the case of the TIFF format, one page of the gazette is about 60 (KB) in size, so assuming an average of about 7 pages / one case, the capacity is about 420 (KB) per case. Therefore, 1
The capacity is about 4.2 (GB) for 10,000 cases and 42 (GB) for 100,000 cases. 10 in HDD
More than 10,000 bulletins can be saved. The PDF format requires about 20% less space than this.

The client 12 is a so-called personal computer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an input / output interface, a monitor 28 and the like. The CPU of the client 12 processes an input signal generated according to an operator's key operation or mouse operation while using a temporary storage function of the RAM or the like according to a program stored in the ROM or temporarily read in the RAM. As a result, an instruction is given to the file server 14 and the DNS server 16 via the input / output interface, and the data supplied from the file server 14 and the DNS server 16 are displayed on the monitor 28.
In addition, these client 12 and file server 1
4 and the DNS server 16 constitute, for example, a LAN.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the function of the client 12 which is a main part of the data search / display apparatus 10. In the figure, the search instructing means 30 causes the server 2 when the search condition is input to the client 12.
The search instruction is transmitted to 0 or the like, and the server 20 or the like transmits the index information (for example, an answer set including a data name) of the search result corresponding to the search instruction to the data search display device 10. Since a search program provided in the server 20 or the like is used for the search, possible search keywords are different for each server. The IPDL 20 can be searched by F term, IPC, etc., and the USPTO server 22 can be searched by full text or the like.
The search result display means 32 displays the transmitted search result (answer set) on the monitor 28. At this time, the batch reading means 34 automatically reads a plurality of pages collectively when the search result exceeds one page that can be displayed on the monitor 28, and causes the search result display means 32 to display the page. The index information converting means 36 converts the index information of the search result into the same format when the index information of the transmitted search result is different from the index information of the data existing in the data recording device 26. Is stored in the RAM or HDD, or the converted search result is displayed on the search result display means 32.

Further, the data display means 38 causes the monitor 28 to display the content of the data corresponding to the index information selected from the displayed search results. The data presence / absence determining means 40 compares the index information of the search result with the index information of the data in the data recording device 26 to determine whether or not the data corresponding to the search result exists in the data recording device 26. to decide. If it exists, the path information (position information) is created. The data display means 38 monitors the data in the data recording device 26 using the path information when the data presence / absence determining means 40 determines that the data exists in the data recording device 26. 28 is displayed. If the data does not exist, an error message such as "There is no corresponding data" is displayed. Also, the search result storage means 44
Saves the displayed or read search result in the RAM or recordable data recording device 26 (for example, HDD), and passes the saved search result to the search result display means 32 in response to a request.

At this time, since the search result is generally sent as an HTML source, the search result storing means 4 is used.
The reference numeral 4 analyzes the source and stores necessary information such as publication number and information on the number of pages displayed as search results (page information). The batch reading means 34 collectively fetches the search results over a plurality of pages based on this page information. As described above, the data stored in the server 20 or the like is monitored by the monitor 28 regardless of the determination by the data presence / absence determining unit 40.
Will never be displayed in. Even when the line speed connecting to the server 20 or the like is low or the server 20 or the like is crowded, the data existing in the data recording device 26 is instantly
For example, it will be displayed promptly within 1 second or less. Incidentally, in IPDL, it may take 5 minutes or more to browse a publication of about 7 pages, so it can be seen that the display efficiency is significantly improved.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the data search / display apparatus 10 configured as described above, that is, the processing procedure of the data search / display program stored therein. The data search / display program is executed when the client 12 is powered on and the browser is started.

When the program is started, first, in step S1, a connection operation is performed with a browser to connect to a desired search page such as the server 20. Figure 5 shows the search page,
For example, it is a diagram showing the display contents of the browser when connecting to "patent / utility model 4) FI / F term search". The content displayed here is the search page itself provided by the JPO. On this screen, the material type, theme, public year,
It is designed to search by inputting conditions etc.

In the following step 2, a search is carried out on the screen shown in FIG. This search processing is executed, for example, according to the flowchart shown in FIG. That is, in step SA1, the search conditions as described above are input, and in step SA2, for example, the search button 46 provided below the search screen is clicked with the mouse (hereinafter, simply referred to as "click") to send the search data to the server 20. Send. When the search process in the server 20 ends,
In step SA3, the number of data items matching the search condition (the number of hits) is displayed in the number-of-items display field 48 provided above the search button 46. In step SA4, whether or not the list may be displayed with the number of hits is determined by the operator or automatically. If this determination is negative, the procedure returns to step SA1 and the search conditions are input again, but if the determination is affirmative, the search routine is terminated. This search page can display a list when the number of hits is 500 or less, so the above judgment is denied at least when the number of hits exceeds 500.
In this embodiment, the above step SA2 is the search instruction means 3
Corresponds to 0.

Returning to FIG. 4, in step S3,
When the list button 50 provided on the right side of the search button is clicked, the search result, that is, the publication number list is displayed on the browser. FIG. 7 shows this state, and the publication number list is arranged at the left end of the window. In this embodiment, this step S3
Corresponds to the search result display means 32.

In step S4, the above number list is stored in a variable. That is, the HTM of the number list
The publication number and page information are extracted from the L source, and the number list read by the search result storage means 44 is temporarily stored in the search set storage buffer of the RAM or the HD of the client 12 or the file server 14.
It is stored in D together with the search condition. In the "FI / F term search" as shown in Fig. 5, a list of all numbers is fetched in one page of the browser, and it is possible to display all hit publication numbers by scrolling the display up and down. However, for example, "publication text search" of IPDL, "Advanced Search" of USPTO, EP
When the number of hits exceeds the number that can be displayed on one page of the browser, such as "esp @ cenet" of O, etc.
In the case where the publication numbers are displayed (that is, divided), all publication numbers are stored in the search set storage buffer so that the page turning operation is not necessary later. In this process, the batch reading means 34 stores the number list displayed while automatically performing page turning, for example, a method as described in Japanese Patent No. 3017735. Can be run with. By storing the search result in this way, even after disconnecting the connection with the server 20 or the like, the publication image can be displayed using the above-mentioned number list as described later. Although it is not essential to store it in the HDD, in such a case, the number list can be used even after the power of the data search / display device 10 or the client 12 is once turned off, and another client 12 on the LAN can use it. It is also possible to share the obtained number list with etc.

The HTML source of the number list is described in JavaScript as shown in FIG. 8, for example. The stored or stored number list is created by analyzing the number information section 58 in the source. The format of the number list to be created is, for example, “JP-A-11-000101, JP-A-11-000102, JP-A-11-000102” in which each publication number is separated by a comma.
11-000103, ... ”.

After the number list is stored as described above,
The viewer button 52 provided in the browser (see FIG. 7)
When (reference) is clicked, the screen is switched from the browser to the viewer in step S5, and the stored variable, that is, the number list is displayed in the list view control 60 of the viewer. FIG. 9 shows this stage. In the window shown in FIG. 9, a list view control 60 is a part in which the publication numbers on the left end are arranged vertically, and an image part for displaying the publication image is displayed on the right side of the window which is occupied by most of the windows. Edit control 62.

A tool bar for operation is arranged on the upper part of the viewer. A check box 64 of “□” is provided on the left side of each publication number, which is for clicking and checking when selecting a plurality of publications at the same time. By using this, you can print all selected publications or LA
Any client 12 or file server 14 in N
It is possible to collectively copy to another directory (folder) in the HDD. The publication number list displayed on the list view control 60 can be written to, for example, a file.
It is also possible to write out only the publication number selected using the check box 64. The search result storage means 44 may thus write out all or arbitrary publication numbers according to the operation. For example, if the viewer sequentially checks the gazette contents and puts a check mark in the check box 64 for only the gazettes that he / she needs, and selectively saves a part of the number list, only the selected useful number list is saved. There is an advantage that can be used later.

The publication number list may be stored automatically, for example, in step S4 of storing the search result, but may be manually operated by a searcher or the like. This saving process is performed in the following procedure, for example.

First, in the collective management DB starting step, with the publication number list displayed on the viewer as described above, the extended tool button 90 of the inverted triangle arranged second from the left of the tool bar. Click, and then click "Group Management DB" from the displayed tool menu (not shown).
B ”is activated. However, the startup method is not limited to this, and it can be started from the menu, launcher, etc.
In the case of "registered trademark of soft", etc., it can also be started from a shortcut created on the desktop. In either case, at this stage, the viewer and the collective management DB are both activated. FIG. 10 is an example of the “publication set management DB” screen displayed. This screen
The list of a large number of publication number lists saved in the past is displayed. The titles of the saved publication number lists etc. are displayed one per line in the "List List" column in the lower half of the screen. The contents of the publication number list in which a horizontally oriented triangle is attached to the currently selected left end is displayed in the "number display" column in the upper right. It should be noted that the database of the publication number list corresponds to, for example, the ID of the list corresponding to each publication number.

Next, in the information input step, by clicking the new input button 92 of the set management DB,
Enable to enter the related information of the newly saved number list. That is, FIG. 10 shows a state in which the information with the set ID number of 1 is displayed. However, when the new input button 92 is clicked, the serial number starting from 1 in the “set ID” column located at the upper left is not displayed. Used and minimum value is set, today's date is set in the "Created date" column, "Creator" column, "Creator ID" column to the right of it,
The "Title" column, the "Comment" column, and the "Search formula" column are not filled. Here, the searcher inputs relevant information corresponding to a name or a list of numbers to be stored, such as a title or comment suitable for the search content, or a search formula. The titles, comments, and the like displayed in the above "list of lists" are input in this way.

Then, when the read registration button 94 is clicked, the publication number list of the search result displayed on the list view control 60 of the viewer is added with the inputted related information, and the publication number described above is added. Transferred to the list database. At this time, if the information in the check box 64 is used, for example, a confirmation message of the publication selection method is displayed, and only the checked publications are registered or, conversely, only unchecked publications are registered. Selection etc. are possible. In this case, if the latter is selected without checking anything, all publication numbers will be added to the database. In addition,
In the state where the publication number list is selected as shown in FIG. 10, the read registration button 94 is in a state in which the characters are displayed in gray and cannot be used. Therefore, the figure is shaded.

Returning to FIG. 4, in step S6,
It waits until any one of the instructions "switch to browser", "display data", and "end" is issued, and proceeds to the next step according to the instruction. If the browser button 66 of the viewer is clicked, it is determined that "switch to browser" is selected, and the browser is returned to perform the search again. That is, returning to step 2, the process shown in FIG.
The screen shown in is displayed. Also, when the viewer's end operation, that is, the end of the series of search and data display operations is instructed by clicking the “x” mark in the upper right corner of the viewer, etc., it is determined that “end” has been selected, The program will be terminated.

On the other hand, for example, when the data 68 of the list view control 60 is clicked or selected in step S6, it is determined that "display data" is selected, and clicked in step S7.
The publication number comparison logic is activated by the event,
Data index information is converted. In this embodiment, the index information is, for example, the file name of image data such as a patent publication, and the publication number as described above. That is,
The format of the publication number of the selected data is matched with the format of the publication number existing in the data recording device 26.
Here, the publication number is recorded in the data recording device 26 according to the file format permitted by the data search and display device 10. On the other hand, the number list extracted from the HTML source as described above is JavaScript ("java" is the US S
The publication number is described in the range of the format defined by (Unregistered trademark of un Microsystems) and does not necessarily match. For example, in the number list, there may be publication numbers including blank characters and characters such as "/" that are not suitable for file names. Since these characters are recorded in the data recording device 26 with publication numbers replaced with usable characters such as “_”, conversion of the publication number selected to match them is required. According to. For example,
A publication number including "/" such as "94/000123" is converted to "Re-form 94_000123" by replacing "/" with "_".

The European Patent Office server 24 stores Japanese patent publications in a format such as "JP11000101".
You can also search for domestic publications here. This is stored in the JPO server 20 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-00010).
By preparing a table for converting into a format such as "1", the data in the EPO server 24 and the data recorded in the data recording device 26 can be matched. In the USPTO server 22, for example, "4,567,890"
As described above, the publication number including "," is displayed. Therefore, "," is removed and "US" is added to the head to convert to "US4567890" or the like.

Further, by preparing a conversion table of publication numbers of published publications, published publications, registered publications, full texts of disclosures, published utility models, etc. for the same application, at least one of these publications records data. If it is recorded in the device 26, even if the publication listed in the number list does not exist, the publication number can be replaced with the publication number that replaces it. For example, in the F-term search of the IPDL 20, it is possible to display only the full text (actual full text) of the specification for the utility model jurisdiction, and if an attempt is made to record and prepare a corresponding gazette image in the data recording device 26, so-called There is an inconvenience that the number of pages is large compared to the image of the gazette which is open to the public. Therefore, there is an advantage that it is possible to suppress an increase in occupied capacity by preparing only the data in the main part open format and converting the publication number. In short, the publication number is converted by, for example, the publication number supplied from the servers 20, 22, and 24 in a plurality of formats regardless of the format of one application in the data recording device 26 as long as the applications have the same application. It is associated with the file name. It should be noted that such conversion processing may be executed on the entire number list before displaying or storing the search results, and displaying or storing the converted data. In this embodiment, this step S7 corresponds to the index information conversion means 36.

After the publication number, that is, the index information of the publication image data is converted, in step S8 corresponding to the data presence / absence determining means 40, whether or not the image of the selected publication number exists in the data recording device 26. Is judged.
If the corresponding image data exists, this determination is affirmative, and the position information of the image data is, for example, "c: \ datab
ase \ JP \ HEI11 \ 000 \ JPH11-000101.tif "or the like is stored in the RAM with a full path from the root directory, and the process proceeds to step S9. If the corresponding image data does not exist, the process proceeds to step S10 to display an error message such as "no data".

Step S corresponding to the data display means 38
If you proceed to 9, the image edit control 62
The image is displayed there by substituting the file name with the full path to the image property of. That is, instead of the image stored in the server 20 or the like, the image recorded in the data recording device 26 is displayed. FIG. 11 shows a state in which the image of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-354349 displayed at the top in FIG. 9 is displayed. In this way data images or errors
When the message is displayed, the process returns to step S6 to wait for the selection of the process again. Here, if another publication number of the list view control 60 is clicked, the process proceeds to step S8 in the same manner as above, and if there is a corresponding publication image file, the publication image currently displayed is replaced with the publication image currently displayed. The image of the publication number is displayed.

While the publication image is being displayed, other processing such as page turning of publications can be performed during the standby in step S6. For example, in FIG. 11, since the displayed bulletin consists of all five pages, it is possible to sequentially display other pages by performing a page feed operation using the mouse. To display the next page forward button 70 for displaying the next page, the previous page forward button 72 for displaying the previous page, and the first page (one page) on the tool bar provided on the upper part of the viewer. Is provided with a top page button 74, a last page button 76 for displaying the last page, and the like, and the displayed page can be changed by clicking these buttons. The page currently displayed and the total number of pages are displayed on the page forward button 70 and the page forward button 72.
Is displayed in a page display section 78 provided between and in the form of "displayed page / total number of pages". Also, the top page button 74
A previous publication button 80 and a next publication button 82 are provided on the left side of and the last page button 76, respectively. When these buttons are clicked, the current image of the publication numbers displayed in the list view control 60 is displayed. The image of the bulletin with the previous number or the next number is displayed. Further, an enlargement button 84, a reduction button 86, etc. are provided at the upper left of the image edit control 62 in the tool bar, so that the image can be enlarged and reduced at an appropriate magnification and displayed.

The "JP / Pat" button 88 provided in the lower right part of the browser in FIG. 7 is a patent information database, Japan Patent Data Service Co., Ltd.
It is for connecting to JPNET or Patolis of Patrice Co., Ltd. to execute a search. The number list obtained by connecting to these is also displayed on the list view control 60 and recorded in the data recording device 26 in the same manner as the number list obtained by connecting to the patent office server 20 as described above. What is displayed can be displayed on the image edit control 62.

In short, in the present embodiment, at least a part of the patent publication to be searched is pre-recorded in the data recording device 26 provided in the data search / display device 10 and corresponds to the data presence / absence determining means. Step S1
When it is determined whether the image of the selected publication in the publication number list obtained as the search result in 0 exists in the data recording device 26, the publication image of the selected publication number exists. If it is determined that the publication image in the data recording device 26 is displayed on the monitor 28 by the data display means 38. Therefore, when the publication number list is obtained by executing the search via the network 18, the publication image in the data recording device 26 is displayed instead of the publication image stored in the searched server 20 or the like. The publication image can be efficiently displayed from the publication number list obtained by the search regardless of the load of 20 or the like and the transmission speed of the network 18.

Further, according to the present embodiment, even when the number list extends over a plurality of pages, the number list is collectively read by the client 12, so that the server 20 or the like is not connected without turning the pages. The bulletin image corresponding to the number list of the search result can be displayed with.

Further, in this embodiment, since the publication number list as the search result is stored in the HDD together with the search condition, the search information can be shared in the LAN, and the search can be performed in the past by using this. It is possible to avoid the waste of duplicate searches under the same conditions. The use of this number list is performed by executing a series of steps using the above-mentioned set management DB as shown in FIG. 12, for example. First, in step S11, the set management DB shown in FIG. 10 is activated by an appropriate method. Then, in step S12, the number list to be used is selected from the displayed list. In step S13, the viewer is started by clicking the viewer button 96, for example. If the viewer has already been started, a switching process to the viewer is performed instead of the starting process. Then, in step S14, among the many number lists stored in the database, the one selected in step S12 above is transferred to the list view control 60 of the viewer, and the list view control 60 shown in FIG. Is displayed on the viewer screen shown. Subsequent processing is the same as step S6 and subsequent steps in FIG. 4 in the case of searching. In the above description, the collective management DB is started first, but the viewer may be started first and the collective management DB may be started from the viewer.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the data recording device 26 records the patent publications and the like by dividing them into hierarchical directories sorted by the year of issuance, the number of recorded publication images is extremely large. Also, it is possible to quickly compare the search result number list and the publication number of the publication image existing in the data recording device 26 to determine the presence or absence of the publication.

Further, in the present embodiment, the publication number of the search result number list is the publication number of the publication image recorded in the data recording device 26 (that is, the file name).
Since the index information converting means 36 for converting into the same format as the above is provided, the publication number of the same application is different from the publication number of the publication image in the data recording device 26 due to the difference of the server 20 and the like. Even if there is a step S
The accuracy of the judgment in the data presence / absence judging means 40 of 10 is improved.

FIG. 13 is a main part of a flow chart in the case of determining whether or not the publications listed in the number list are present in the data recording device 26 immediately when the number list is obtained. . In this example, step S4 of storing the search result and step S5 of switching to the viewer
Step S14 for determining the presence / absence of data is provided between and. In step S14, it is sequentially determined whether or not the publication numbers in the number list are present in the data recording device 26, and the information is added to the HTML source of the number list, for example. The information to be added is, for example, the full path of the publication image if it exists, or a link to the error message display routine if it does not exist. Alternatively, the determination result may be temporarily stored in the RAM or stored as a file in the HDD. For this reason, the presence or absence of data is determined in this step S
Since it is substantially performed in step 14, step S10
According to the information described in the HTML source, steps S11 and S12 are performed depending on whether or not a publication image exists.
The branching process for advancing to any of the above is executed.

Although the above-described embodiment has been described with reference to the F-term search of domestic publications by IPDL, the data search / display device 10 uses another search in IPDL or U search.
It can be similarly used for the publication search in the SPTO server 22 and the EPO server 24. Even in these cases, the search response is provided by the HTML source including the page information and the publication number information similar to that shown in FIG. 8 described above, though the details are different. Therefore, the page information and the publication are published from the HTML source. By extracting the number information, it is possible to display the number list on the list view control 60 of the viewer and display the publication image corresponding to the number on the image edit control 62 in the same manner.

Although the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the present invention can be implemented in other modes.

For example, in the embodiment, the IPDL 20
Although the description has been made on the case of connecting to the etc. to search for patent publications, the present invention is not limited to the case shown in FIG.
By appropriately changing the flowcharts shown in FIG. 1 and the specific processing in each step, it is possible to use the same for searching and displaying contents of technical documents other than patent publications and other various databases.

Further, in the embodiment, the publication image is displayed by clicking the publication number displayed on the viewer, but immediately by clicking the publication number displayed on the browser. The publication image may be displayed.
Further, the publication number list may be displayed in a frame or window prepared separately from the viewer, and the numbers displayed there may be clicked.

The data such as the publication image recorded in the data recording device 26 may be recorded together with the respective page information. By doing so, by referring to the page information, it is possible to arbitrarily display the page in which the claims (claims) are described, the page in which the drawings are described, and the like.

Further, the data in the data recording device 26 may be appropriately provided with a means for entering a comment such as a note, memo or image. For example, a comment may be written on a transparent sheet like a layer of CAD software and superposed on the image data. By dividing the layers, it is possible to print only one layer, for example, only the publication image, and it is easier to edit or delete the comment compared to the case of writing on the same layer as the publication image. There is also.

Further, in the embodiment, the data recorded in the data recording device 26, that is, the image of the publication has a hierarchical structure as shown in FIG. 2, but the structure can be appropriately changed. In addition, when classifying data in a hierarchical structure, it should be appropriately determined according to the purpose of use, and if it is in a state that can be searched quickly,
It is not necessary to match the server 20 or the like. That is, any form may be used.

In the embodiment, the case where the client 12 in the LAN connects to the server 20 or the like has been described, but the server in which the data to be searched is stored can be connected via the Internet or extranet. If so, the present invention is similarly applied to a data search display device that is not connected to a LAN or the like and is used independently.

Further, in the embodiment, the data recording device 26 is provided in the file server 14 in the LAN, but the data that can be used by the client 12 or the like for performing the search and display and is to be searched and A place where the data to be searched is recorded in advance can be arbitrarily selected within a range in which the data can be transmitted at a higher speed than the transmission speed from the server 20 having the search program.
For example, an HDD provided in the client 12 or
It may be an HDD or a CD-ROM device provided in or connected to another client 12, an HDD provided in an arbitrary server connected to the client 12 by a high-speed line via an intranet or the Internet, and the like.

Further, in the embodiment, the collective reading means 3
4, the index information conversion means 36, the search result storage means 44, etc. were provided in the data search display device 10, but these are not essential. For example, in a usage environment in which the server 20 or the like is always connected to an external network such as the Internet, the index information on the next page is sequentially displayed according to the instruction of the operator.
Even if you request (for example, a number list) and display the transmitted index information, there will be no inconvenience in terms of usage fees, and the waiting time until the transmission of index information is completed as a whole. If you look at it, it is no different from reading all at once.

If it is clear that the index information of the data stored in the server 20 or the like and the index information of the data recorded in the data recording device 26 match, the index information conversion means. 36 is useless.

Further, in the case where the latest search result is always required because the data of the server 20 or the like is frequently updated, and the possibility of repeatedly using the search result is extremely low. The search result storage means 44 is unnecessary.

Further, in the embodiment, when the selected data (image file of the publication number) does not exist in the data recording device 26, an error display such as "no data" is displayed. However, instead of this, the data stored in the server 20 or the like may be displayed, or the corresponding data may be transmitted from the server 20 or the like at the time of the display or at another scheduled time. It may be stored in the device 26.

Although not specifically exemplified, the present invention is
Various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration including a data search / display device of the present invention.

2 is a diagram illustrating a data structure in the data recording device shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is a functional block diagram illustrating a search / display function in the data search / display apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the data search / display apparatus of FIG. 1, that is, a processing procedure of a data search / display program.

FIG. 5 is an example of a search initial screen of a browser.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating in detail a search step in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state where a search result (number list) is displayed on a browser.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a main part of an HTML source of a number list.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which the screen is switched to the viewer.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a search information management screen.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which one data is selected and displayed by the viewer.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a main part of a flowchart when a saved number list is used.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an essential part of a flowchart for carrying out another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: Data retrieval display device 12: Client 14: File server 20: Patent Office server 26: Data recording device 32: Search result display means 38: Data display means 40: Data presence / absence determining means

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. Search instructing means for searching from a large number of data stored in a server connected via a predetermined network by using a search means provided in the server,
Search result display means for displaying index information of one or more corresponding data obtained by the search as a search result on a display device, and content of desired data selected from the index information displayed on the display device A data search and display device comprising selected data display means for displaying on the device, wherein a data recording device in which at least a part of the large number of data is recorded in advance, and the data corresponding to the search result is the data. A data presence / absence determining means for determining whether or not the data is present in the recording apparatus, and the data displaying means is configured to perform the data if the data determined to be present by the data presence / absence determining means is selected. A data search and display device characterized by causing the display device to display the content of corresponding data in a data recording device in response to the selected index information. 2. Retrieval instruction means for retrieving from a large number of data stored in a server connected via a predetermined network using a retrieval means provided in the server,
Search result display means for displaying index information of one or more corresponding data obtained by the search as a search result on a display device, and content of desired data selected from the index information displayed on the display device A data search and display device, comprising: a selected data display means for displaying on a device; a data recording device in which at least a part of the large number of data is recorded in advance; and the selected data is the data recording device. Data presence / absence determining means for determining whether or not the data is present in the data recording device. A data search and display device, which displays the content of data on the display device in response to the selected index information. 3. The search result display means displays the search result page by page in a unit of a displayable range at a time on the display device, and when the search result extends over a plurality of pages. 3. The data search and display device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a batch reading means for collectively reading all search results. 4. A search result storage unit for storing the search result in a predetermined storage device, wherein the search result display unit can also display the stored search result.
The data search and display device according to claim 3. 5. The index information conversion means for converting the index information of the search result into the same format as the index information of the data recorded in the data recording device.
The data search and display device according to claim 4. 6. A computer provided with a data recording device and a display device in which at least a part of the data is recorded in advance in order to retrieve and display it from a large number of data stored in a server in a predetermined network. A search step of searching from the data by using a search means provided in the server in a state of being connected to the server via the network, and searching index information of one or more corresponding data obtained by the search As a result, a search result display step of displaying on the display device, a data presence / absence determination step of determining whether or not data corresponding to the search result exists in the data recording device, and a data presence / absence determination step If the data that is determined to have been selected from the index information displayed on the display device, the data A selection data display step of displaying on the display device the contents of the corresponding data in the recording device, data retrieval and display program, characterized in that to execute. 7. A computer having a data recording device and a display device in which at least a part of the data is recorded in advance in order to retrieve and display from a large number of data stored in a server in a predetermined network. A search step of searching from the data by using a search means provided in the server in a state of being connected to the server via the network, and searching index information of one or more corresponding data obtained by the search As a result, a search result display step of displaying on the display device, and a data presence / absence determining step of determining whether or not desired data selected from the index information displayed on the display device exists in the data recording device. If it is determined that the data exists in the data presence / absence determining step, the corresponding data in the data recording device is Select a data display step, data search display program for causing executed to display the contents on the display device. 8. The search result display step displays the search result page by page in a unit of a range that can be temporarily displayed on the display device. When the search result extends over a plurality of pages, 8. The data search / display program according to claim 6 or 7, which executes a batch read step of collectively reading all search results when the search result display step is executed. 9. When executing the search result display step, a search result saving step of saving the search result in a predetermined storage device is executed, and the search step and the search result displaying step are saved. The data search display program according to any one of claims 6 to 8, which is executed alternatively to the saved search result display step of displaying the searched result. 10. The index information conversion step of converting the index information of the search result into the same format as the index information of the data recorded in the data recording device is executed prior to the data presence / absence determining step. Claim 6
The data search / display program according to claim 9.