JP2004094634A - Method and system for information retrieval - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide information retrieval method and system capable of narrowing retrieval conditions matched with user's intention by expressing related attributes as an attribute hierarchical tree and managing attributes including updating, addition and deletion and related to information. <P>SOLUTION: The attribute hierarchical tree in which respective attributes are related to each other is previously set, and in the case of registering an attribute in information, attributes located on the upper levels of the attribute hierarchical tree in which the attribute to be registered belongs are automatically imparted to the information. In selecting an attribute, a user selects and narrows attributes from a single hierarchical attribute tree in optional order, selects attributes from an optional hierarchical level of the attribute hierarchical tree in which the optional number of attribute values are directly imparted to the information and selects and develops attributes from any hierarchical levels, i.e. an upper level, an equal level and a lower level, to perform user's own retrieval. A decision tree for guiding a user up to answers by a question form only by adding additional information is also created by using the attribute hierarchical tree. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, in an Internet business, when a user searches for information on a page on the WWW (World Wide Web), an attribute registered in one or more attribute hierarchy trees registered in advance by an administrator is used by the user. The present invention relates to an information search method and an information search system for executing a search by arbitrarily combining an attribute on an attribute hierarchy tree to which the selected attribute belongs as a search condition, and extracting information associated with the attribute.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a method of assigning attributes to information has been to set a plurality of attributes and individually associate them with information. Information: attribute = 1: N or N: N (N is an arbitrary integer) Is the mainstream. Further, when searching for information, a method of specifying the attribute set by the above-described method and searching is used, so that information derived by selecting an attribute is fixed.
[0003]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional information search system. The information management system 81 includes modules 82 to 88 described below in cooperation with each other.
The information management system 81 searches the information group 80 of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that are inquiries by e-mail composed of e-mail data and answers to the questions, so that the external information terminal 89 can access the public WEB. The answer is made public and the answer data is displayed on the in-house web of the internal information terminal 810 for the person in charge who responds directly to the mail.
[0004]
An attribute 82, which is data managed by the information management system 81, is set in advance by a system administrator. Similarly, an information group 80, which is data managed by the information management system 81, includes FAQs such as frequently asked questions and answers. Etc. are accumulated. Each of the information groups 80 is individually provided with a related attribute 82. When the information of the information group 80 is updated, deleted, added, or the like, a processing procedure for re-assigning the attribute 82 individually is necessary. Also, when the attribute 82 is changed, the attribute 82 is added to the information group. A processing procedure for reassigning to 80 is required. The information management system 81 that manages the association between information and attributes has a data table indicating which attribute 82 is associated with which information group 80. The data group 84 is a set of parallel modules in which the information and the attribute relation module are added to the information group 80 and the attribute 82 is added.
[0005]
The data management module 86 manages a data group 84 having a module that associates the information group 80 with the attribute 82. In the conventional information management system 81, although attributes are associated with information, attributes are not associated in parallel and are treated individually, so that attributes may be assigned to information one by one, It is necessary to compare information and attributes.
[0006]
For the search of the information group 80, the search module 87 is used as a match from the selected attribute based on the attribute 82 given to the information of the information group 80. The search result by the search module 87 is displayed on the WEB interface 88 and connected to a network using an external public line. An inquiry mail is transmitted from the user's external information terminal (PC) 89, and a question case search such as FAQ is performed. Further, an internal information terminal (PC or the like) 810 connected to a network using an internal dedicated line or the like, for example, used by an internal operator or administrator, can be displayed on the WEB interface 88. The user operates the terminal to manage the mail received and manage / update the FAQ.
[0007]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the conventional information search system. When there is an inquiry from the user (user) (step S91), the processing is started. When the user inputs a keyword related to the question content or a natural sentence itself (step S92), the information management system 81 performs a keyword search and a meaning search. The information management system 81 searches for information (FAQ or the like) that matches the content of the inquiry by using the information data (step S95) (step S93), and displays the information on the user interface (step S94). The inquiry is answered, and the process ends.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional information management system as described above, it is difficult to create a decision tree that guides a required answer in a question format by an attribute assignment method for information.
In the past, since attributes were not associated with each other, the method of assigning attributes to information was the work of registering attributes individually for information, and when adding, editing, or deleting attributes, It was necessary to do the same work. In addition, when information is added, it takes time and effort to register all related attributes individually. Furthermore, by directly associating attributes with information, information can be searched using attributes from only one viewpoint. Further, since the attributes are not associated with each other and the relationship between the attribute and the information exists in parallel, it is difficult to narrow down the determination for searching for information from the attribute.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and executes a search by arbitrarily combining attributes on an attribute hierarchy tree to which an attribute selected by a user belongs as a search condition, and extracts information associated with the attribute. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an information search system and an information search method capable of improving the efficiency of answer assignment and the efficiency of information management.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a first step of hierarchically configuring a plurality of attributes to be added to preset information and setting the attribute as an attribute hierarchical tree, and a second step of prompting selection of an attribute as a search condition. Step, a third step of expanding and presenting a part of the attribute hierarchy tree that matches the selected attribute, selecting the presented attribute as a search condition, and information to which the selected attribute is assigned And a fourth step of searching for.
[0011]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information table for storing information in advance, an attribute data table for storing attributes assigned to the information, and an attribute hierarchy tree configuration table for hierarchically configuring the attributes. The user is prompted to select an attribute as a condition, expands and presents a portion of the attribute hierarchy tree configuration table that matches the selected attribute, allows the presented attribute to be further selected as a search condition, and assigns the selected attribute. It is characterized by searching for existing information.
[0012]
As described above, by setting the attribute hierarchy tree in which the attributes are associated with each other, it is possible to expand the range of information that can be selected from the attributes selected by the user. By setting an arbitrary number, it is possible to narrow down and select from a hierarchical tree in which the attribute to be selected as a result belongs, and to perform an efficient search.
Further, regarding the selection of attributes, the user selects attributes in a single hierarchy attribute tree in an arbitrary order, narrows down the attribute hierarchy tree, and adds and selects an attribute from any hierarchy in the narrowed attribute hierarchy tree. The user can select and expand the attributes of any of the hierarchies, higher, same, lower, and perform a user-oriented flexible search and efficient search.
[0013]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the information table and the attribute data table are searched by linking them with a table that associates information with an attribute.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect of the invention, the attribute data table and the attribute hierarchical tree configuration table are linked to each other to form a hierarchical tree. .
In the invention according to claim 5, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the attribute hierarchy tree configuration table and the attribute hierarchy table are linked to each other in the attribute hierarchy tree. It is characterized by managing constituent elements.
[0014]
In the invention according to claim 6, in the invention according to any one of claims 2 to 5, when the attribute is added to information, in the attribute hierarchy tree including the attribute to be added to the information, An attribute located at a higher layer than the attribute is automatically added to the information.
As described above, when an attribute is registered in the information by associating the attributes with each other and setting the hierarchical tree, the attribute that is higher than the registered attribute in the attribute hierarchical tree to which the registered attribute belongs is automatically set to the information. Can be provided.
[0015]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the fourth or fifth aspect of the present invention, when modifying the hierarchical relationship of the attribute hierarchical tree, modifying the link between the attribute data table and the attribute tree configuration table. Features.
In the invention according to claim 8, in the invention according to claim 4, when the association between the information and the attribute is corrected, the attribute hierarchy tree configuration table that associates the information with the attribute is corrected. I do.
When correcting the hierarchical relationship in this way, or when correcting the association between information and attributes, the information and attributes, the attribute hierarchy tree, or the links between the table data that associates them are automatically deleted and added. The hierarchical relationship of the attributes registered in the information can also be corrected, and the management can be performed more easily than in the conventional case where the total replacement has to be performed.
[0016]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the second to eighth aspects, when selecting the attribute, the information to which the attribute is added is added with additional information and a question is asked until a response is given. It is characterized by guiding in a form.
By setting a hierarchical tree by associating attributes with each other and adding additional information in this way, it is possible to create a decision tree that guides the user to a response in a question format.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an information search system and an information search method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information search system including an information search device according to the present embodiment.
The information retrieval system 1 includes modules 10 to 19 described below in cooperation with each other. The information search system 1 publishes an answer to a public WEB or the like on the WWW by searching FAQ data which is an information group of a question frequently asked by an email composed of email data and an answer to the question. The response data is displayed on the internal WEB for the person in charge of responding directly. The attribute 12, which is data managed by the information search system 1, is set in advance by a system administrator, and is associated with information such as an inquiry. Similarly, information 11 which is data managed by the information search system 1 stores information such as FAQs such as frequently asked questions and answers.
[0018]
The information is provided with a related attribute 12 by the function of the information retrieval system 1, and the information is updated, such as added, edited, or deleted, when necessary. The information-attribute relationship 14 is a data group in which a module having a data table that associates information of the attribute hierarchy tree 13 with the attribute 12 and a module that sets the attribute in an attribute hierarchy tree structure of related ones cooperate. . The attribute hierarchy tree 13 sets, in the hierarchy tree, ones of the information-attribute relationship 14 that can be associated with attributes, and creates and manages an arbitrary number of such trees. By setting a hierarchical tree by associating attributes with each other, the information also has a hierarchy of upper, same, and lower attributes to which the information is related, and information linked to the attribute (from the attribute) is easily derived from various viewpoints. In addition, since an arbitrary number of attribute hierarchy trees can be set, attributes can be easily classified for each attribute hierarchy tree.
[0019]
As described above, the data that stores the relationship between the information and the attribute of the information management system 1 can be said to be a module that provides information relating to the attribute hierarchy tree 13 and an attribute related to the information relating the attribute 12. When one attribute is added to the information, the function of the data group 15 also associates the attribute located at a higher hierarchy than the attribute on the attribute hierarchy tree to which the attribute belongs to. Conversely, even when there is a change in the attribute tree hierarchy, the information 11 and the attribute 12 are configured to be linked by the data table of the information management system 1. Can be changed together with the attribute hierarchy tree 13.
[0020]
The data management module 17 uses the function of the information management system 1 to combine the information 11 with an arbitrary number of attributes 12 added to the attribute and the information in the state of the attribute hierarchy tree 13 of the data group 15. It is managed for each category of the tree.
The search module 18 matches the information data of the information 11 with the attribute 12 stored in the relationship 14 between the information and the attribute to the selected attribute and the attribute assigned to the information, and matches the matched data. Search and extract.
The data access module 19 sorts the data to be displayed on the information terminal on the network for each hierarchical tree set in association with the attributes created in the data group 15 or for each information of the attribute hierarchical tree 13.
[0021]
What is sorted for each access medium by the data access module 19 can be displayed on the WEB interface 10. An inquiry mail can be transmitted from a PDA, a mobile phone, or the like of the information terminal group 111 of external users connected to a network using an external public line, and a question case search such as FAQ can be performed.
Also, the data access module 19 is connected to a network using an internal dedicated line or the like, and is distributed to the information terminal group 112 such as a PC used by an internal operator or administrator. It can be displayed at 10. The user can operate the terminal to manage mails received and manage and update FAQs.
As means for connecting the above various devices and systems, not only the Internet but also various means such as LAN (Local Area Network) and personal computer communication can be used according to the purpose of use and necessary functions.
[0022]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a relationship between data tables of the information search system.
The information table 11, which is an aggregate of information such as FAQs, identifies each piece of information by a serial ID of information automatically added by the information search system 1. The information ID 141 is configured by associating the information table 11 with the information ID 115 and the attribute ID 120 in the information / attribute association table 14 based on the attribute data table 12. Each of the information tables 11 has the information content and the information body of the information / attribute association table 14, and the information / attribute association table 14 is given a title in the attribute hierarchy tree configuration table 13. In the information / attribute association table 14 of the information ID 115, which associates the information table 11 with the attribute data table 12 set by the administrator of the supplementary contents 138, the information ID 141 and the attribute ID 142 of the attribute data table 12 are the information ID and the content of the title 116, respectively. By storing such information as the attribute ID 117, the information content of each information / attribute association table 14 and the attribute content of the attribute ID 120 can be referred to. The information ID of the title 116 and the attribute ID of the content 117 = 1: N (N is an arbitrary integer of 1 or more).
[0023]
The attribute data table 12 of the information ID 141 is a set of data of attributes themselves set by the administrator, and is an attribute ID 142 which is a serial ID automatically assigned by the information search system to identify each attribute. As data. The attribute ID of the content 117 of the information / attribute association table 14 of the information ID 115 is configured based on the attribute ID 142. In addition, the information ID 141 has, as data, an attribute ID 120 of the attribute content, which is the attribute body, and a supplemental content 121 in which the content can be added when the attribute content needs to be supplemented.
[0024]
The attribute hierarchy tree configuration table 13 is a set of elements for configuring a hierarchical tree by associating related attributes with each other. Each of the IDs 133 to 137 and the supplementary content 138 is assigned to one attribute (attribute ID 136). Of the attribute hierarchy tree prepared for any one of the specified attributes). Accordingly, the same number of attribute data tables 12 as the number of attributes are prepared. The attribute component ID 133 of the attribute hierarchy tree configuration table 13 which is data constituting the attribute data table 12 is automatically used to identify a set of elements for configuring an attribute hierarchy tree from 134 to 138 described below. By the information retrieval system 1. Similarly, the attribute hierarchy tree ID created by associating the attributes included in the attribute data table 12 refers to the information ID of the information table 11 through the attribute ID, and also refers to the attribute tree ID 220 of the attribute hierarchy tree table 229.
[0025]
The parent attribute ID 135 refers to an attribute in the next higher hierarchy in the hierarchy tree created by associating attributes with the attribute having the attribute ID 136 referencing the attribute ID 120 of the attribute data table 12. The attribute having the attribute ID 136 is in the same hierarchy in the attribute hierarchy tree, and the immediately preceding attribute ID 137 in the hierarchy tree indicates the attribute located immediately before in the hierarchy tree structure. The attribute having the attribute ID 136 has data of supplementary contents 138 that are supplementary to the contents of the attribute hierarchy tree and comment parts when creating a decision tree that guides to an answer in a question format.
[0026]
Upon receiving the data of the configuration of the attribute hierarchy tree of the attribute data table 12, the attribute hierarchy tree table 229 manages the attribute hierarchy tree. The attribute hierarchy tree of the attribute hierarchy tree table 229: the attribute hierarchy tree configuration of the attribute data table 12 = 1: N (N is an arbitrary integer of 1 or more). An attribute tree ID 220, which is a serial ID automatically assigned by the information search system 1 to identify each attribute tree, and an attribute tree name 221, which is a name assigned by an administrator to each attribute tree, are used as data. Have as.
[0027]
Next, the operation of the information search system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flow of FIG.
When there is an inquiry from the user (user) (step S21), the process is started. When the user inputs a keyword related to the content of a question or a natural sentence itself (step S22), the information search system 1 performs a keyword search and a meaning search. Here, the user can select whether or not to add the search condition (step S23).
If the user wants to narrow down the search conditions, the conditions are added ("Yes" in step S23). When the user adds a condition, an attribute is selected, and at the same time, an attribute hierarchy tree to which the attribute belongs is also selected (step S24). This attribute hierarchy tree cooperates with the attribute data (step S29) shown in FIG. 2 set by the administrator, and related attributes are shown in the attribute hierarchy tree table 229 with the supplementary content 122 of FIG. As described above, they are arranged in a hierarchical tree structure (step S28).
[0028]
Further, by linking the attribute data (step S29) and the information data of the information data table 11 in FIG. 2 (step S30), one attribute is linked to the accumulated information (FAQ, etc.) data. The higher-level attribute belonging to the attribute hierarchy tree to which the attribute belongs is automatically registered in the information. Therefore, when the user selects the attribute hierarchy tree (step S24), the attribute hierarchy tree can be expanded to a necessary part, and an attribute matching the user's inquiry is selected (step S25). By performing a keyword search or a meaning search after narrowing down search conditions, information (FAQ or the like) is searched from the information data (step S26).
If the search condition is not added ("No" in step S23), the information (FAQ or the like) is searched from the information data by directly performing a keyword search or a meaning search (step S26). After retrieving and extracting information (FAQ and the like) from the information data (step S30), the information is displayed on the user interface (step S27), thereby answering the inquiry from the user, and the process ends.
[0029]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an inquiry when the user selects and adds “pasta” as a search condition.
When a user wants to narrow down the answer range by adding a condition when searching for an answer by performing a keyword search or a natural sentence search, an attribute 41 called “pasta” is added by adding “pasta” and a condition. The search will be performed in the selected state. At this time, it is possible to further narrow down the answer range to be searched by adding more conditions than the attribute hierarchy tree 42 located below the attribute “pasta”.
[0030]
By selecting the attribute “pasta”, the attribute in the attribute hierarchy tree 42 can be expanded and selected as a search condition. Like the “ravioli” 43 and 44 in the attribute hierarchy tree 42, there are attributes having the same contents while having different parent attribute IDs (see 135 in FIG. 2). The search is performed within the range expanded from. That is, the “ravioli” 43 is searched within the range developed from the parent attribute “raw pasta”, and the “ravioli” 44 is searched within the range developed from the parent attribute “dry pasta”.
[0031]
When a search is directly performed using “ravioli” as a keyword, the search results are linked to “ravioli” 43 and 44, that is, FAQs having attributes as search conditions as “raw pasta” and “ravioli”, “dried pasta” and “dried pasta”. Both FAQs having "Rapioli" are searched. In the state where “Gnocchi” 45 is selected from the attributes that are the search conditions to narrow down the answer range, that is, the search condition “Gnocchi” 45 in “raw pasta” is selected from the search conditions “Pasta”. The attribute “raw pasta” and the attribute “gnocchi” 45 are added as search conditions, and a FAQ list 46 having both attributes is shown. The FAQ is a FAQ No. in which the searched information is automatically given by the system in the information data. 47 (see 115 in FIG. 2), the title 48 (see 116 in FIG. 2) assigned to the FAQ, and the attribute selected as the search condition attribute 49.
[0032]
Here, information having “raw pasta” and “gnocchi” as search conditions is narrowed down and selected as answer candidates. When the user selects “pasta” as a condition and further searches for information when the condition of the answer candidate range is narrowed down to “gnocchi”, a “search” button 411 is pressed. When the button is pressed, the search is executed, and the corresponding information is extracted and displayed as a result 410 or the like. As a specific answer candidate, it is shown that the FAQ with the title "What is gnocchi" is selected.
[0033]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of creating a decision tree that guides a required answer in a question format.
First, a description of the tree is described in the attribute hierarchy tree 53 as supplementary contents (see 138 in FIG. 2) 51. The written content is displayed as a question format on a screen presented to the user, such as the provision screen 54, and can be used by the user to narrow down the answer range when searching for the question content. Here, it is shown that the attribute hierarchy tree having the name OS52 (see 221 in FIG. 2) is selected. The decision tree is advanced from the upper hierarchy to the lower hierarchy of the attribute hierarchy tree 53 having the name of the OS 52 to encourage the user to make a decision.
[0034]
The provision screen 54 is an image of a screen on which the decision tree thus formed is provided to the user, and the supplementary content 51 as described above assists in narrowing down conditions when searching for a final answer candidate of the user. Is displayed, and the attribute as an option is shown. The provision screen 54 is shown so that a candidate 55 that is an answer to the supplementary content can be selected. The answer content becomes a search condition for guiding the next answer.
[0035]
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method of assigning attributes to information.
The information (FAQ), which is the content itself of the information having the information ID (refer to 12 and 116 in FIG. 2), is added to the information ID 61. 2 (see 117 and 142 of FIG. 2). As a result, the information (FAQ), the information attribute association table 64 (see 115 in FIG. 2) for associating the information ID 61 with the attribute 62 is updated, and the information attribute association table 64 manages which information is associated with which attribute. Is done. The attribute hierarchy tree 63 to which the attribute 62 belongs indicates that the attribute has an upper hierarchy and a lower hierarchy. Note that a method of automatically assigning an attribute that is associated with an attribute assigned to information and that is in a higher hierarchy than the attribute 62 in the same attribute hierarchy tree will be described with reference to the flow of FIG.
[0036]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of automatically assigning a higher-level attribute in an attribute hierarchy tree to which a selected attribute belongs, among methods of assigning attributes to information.
The process is started by selecting an attribute to be added to the information (step S71). First, a search is made to see if there is an upper-level attribute in the attribute hierarchy tree to which the selected attribute belongs. The search is determined based on whether there is a parent attribute ID (see 135 in FIG. 2) (step S72). If there is a parent attribute ID ("Yes" in step S72), it means that a higher-level attribute exists, so this attribute is added to the information, and the parent attribute is transited (step S73). The parent attribute is set as the next attribute to be processed, and it is checked whether or not the parent attribute is present, based on the presence or absence of the parent attribute ID. Steps S72 and S73 are repeated until there is no more parent attribute ID. When the parent attribute ID disappears, the process of searching for the attribute to be added to the information and automatically assigning the attribute is completed.
[0037]
As described above, according to the information search system and the information attribute management method of the present embodiment, for a search for an inquiry by a large number of users on a communication network, a WEB interface and a database are mainly combined under a system configuration. It is possible to narrow down the search condition of the answer candidate of the content of the inquiry of the user to the user-oriented. For example, when a search is performed by inputting the contents of a query using a keyword or a natural sentence via the WEB interface, it is possible to search for and extract more user-oriented answer candidates by adding additional conditions, and the conventional user The inability to reflect the thoughts makes it impossible to complete inquiries on the WEB, eliminates the need for the user to make inquiries again by e-mail, etc., prevents the image of the company from being degraded due to the burden on the user, and furthermore, the labor cost to respond to e-mail Can be reduced.
[0038]
Further, according to the information search system and the information attribute management method of the present embodiment, when narrowing down search conditions, an administrator uses an attribute set based on accumulated information (FAQ) data and associates the attribute with the attribute. When a user selects a search condition by setting a hierarchical tree structure between certain items, the user selects and expands the attributes of any of the upper, same, and lower layers in the hierarchical tree, and performs user-oriented flexible search and efficiency. A system of a basic search method can be provided, and unlike a system in which attributes are directly added to information, information can be searched from various viewpoints.
Furthermore, according to the information search system and the information attribute management method of the present embodiment, it is possible to set an attribute hierarchical tree in which an arbitrary number of attributes are associated with each other. Can select an attribute hierarchy tree at the same time, and after narrowing down on a user basis, further select and expand attributes in the attribute hierarchy tree to extract accurate answer information.
[0039]
Further, according to the information search system and the information attribute management method of the present embodiment, by setting a hierarchical tree of attributes, maintenance such as addition / update / deletion of attributes can be performed by associating attribute data with information data. Just adding, updating, or deleting the link between the existing data and the data in the structure of the attribute hierarchy tree can save the trouble of adding or removing attributes one by one from information. Similarly, for information maintenance, it is possible to save the labor of performing each operation for each attribute assigned to information only by adding, updating, or deleting a link to data that associates information with the attribute.
[0040]
Furthermore, according to the information retrieval system and the information attribute management method of the present embodiment, the attribute at the top of the attribute hierarchy tree to which the attribute selected when assigning the attribute to the information belongs is automatically selected. In addition, it is possible to save the trouble of assigning the necessary attributes to the information one by one, and to prevent the attribute from being omitted from the information. Further, according to the information retrieval system and the information attribute management method of the present embodiment, since the attributes are managed in a square layer tree structure, supplementary contents are added to the information, so that the required answers are guided in a question format. It is also easy to create a decision tree.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, by having an attribute hierarchical tree in which attributes are associated with each other, it is possible to improve the accuracy of narrowing down when searching for information, and the simplicity of maintenance of information and its associated attributes. it can.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information search system including an information search device of an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a relationship between data tables of the information search system.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the information search system.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an information search screen.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a creation method and an example of creation of a decision tree.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method of assigning attributes to information.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a method of automatically assigning a higher attribute in an attribute hierarchy tree to which a selected attribute belongs.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional information search system.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of a conventional information search system.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 information retrieval system
10 WEB interface
11 Information
12 attributes
13 Attribute hierarchy tree
14 Relationship between information and attributes
15 Data group
17 Data Management Module
18 Search module
19 Data Access Module
111 External information terminal
112 Internal Information Terminal

Claims (9)

A first step of hierarchically configuring a plurality of attributes to be added to preset information and setting the attribute as an attribute hierarchical tree;
A second step of prompting selection of an attribute as a search condition;
A third step of expanding and presenting a part of the attribute hierarchy tree that matches the selected attribute, and causing the presented attribute to be selected as a search condition;
A fourth step of searching for information to which the selected attribute is assigned. An information table for storing information in advance,
An attribute data table that stores an attribute given to the information;
An attribute hierarchy tree configuration table that configures the attributes hierarchically,
The user is prompted to select an attribute as a search condition, expands and presents a portion of the attribute hierarchy tree configuration table that matches the selected attribute, allows the presented attribute to be further selected as a search condition, and assigns the selected attribute. An information retrieval system for retrieving searched information. 3. The information search system according to claim 2, wherein the information table and the attribute data table are searched by linking them with a table that associates information with an attribute. 4. The information retrieval system according to claim 2, wherein the attribute data table and the attribute hierarchy tree configuration table are linked to each other to make each attribute a hierarchical tree. The information according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each component in the attribute hierarchy tree is managed by linking the attribute hierarchy tree configuration table and the attribute hierarchy table. Search system. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein when the attribute is added to the information, in an attribute hierarchy tree including the attribute to be added to the information, an attribute located at a higher hierarchy than the attribute is automatically added to the information. An information retrieval system according to claim 5. 6. The information retrieval method according to claim 4, wherein when modifying the hierarchical relationship of the attribute hierarchical tree, a link between the attribute data table and the attribute tree configuration table is modified. 5. The information retrieval system according to claim 4, wherein when the association between the information and the attribute is corrected, the attribute hierarchy tree configuration table that associates the information with the attribute is corrected. 9. The method according to claim 2, wherein, when the attribute is selected, information to which the attribute is added is added with additional information and guided to a response in a question format. Information retrieval system.

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