JP2005267468A - Information search apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently search for desired information without using advanced search techniques. <P>SOLUTION: An information search apparatus 1 comprises an input reception part 27 for inputting a first character string, such as "HANA" in hiragana, a kanji conversion part 25 for converting the first character string to generate a second character string, such as "HANA (flower)" in kanji, used as a search term, and a search part 45 for inquiring of a directory server 5 with search terms including the first character string "HANA" as well as the second character string "HANA" to acquire search results. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an information search apparatus, and more particularly, to an information search apparatus that performs an information search using an input-converted character string as a search key.

  In recent years, the digitization of information has progressed rapidly, and the amount of information has become enormous. Therefore, advanced techniques have been required for search methods for efficiently obtaining desired information from these pieces of information.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a word that can increase the number of words to be searched and improve search accuracy by deleting characters one by one from the front of a character string used as a search key when performing a search process of various materials. A processing device is disclosed.

An example of such a technique for improving the accuracy of a search by operating a specified search key is a fuzzy search, which is also performed when searching information on the web using a search engine. Yes. In the fuzzy search, the uppercase and lowercase letters, full-width characters, half-width characters, hiragana and katakana of the character string to be searched are identified with the specified search key. Furthermore, in the fuzzy search, a search that absorbs the fluctuation of the notation such as the identification of “va” and “ba” is also performed. For such an ambiguous search, for example, using a dictionary in which character strings to be identified are registered in advance, a search is performed by adding a character string that is identified with a designated search key to the search key.
JP 2002-351918

  However, such a fuzzy search process is not necessarily performed on the search engine side, and is naturally not performed unless the search engine employs a fuzzy search.

  Therefore, if the fuzzy search is not employed on the search engine side, there is a problem that the desired information cannot be acquired as a search result when the desired information is described in a notation different from the search key. In addition, notation that is not registered in the above-described fuzzy search dictionary is not searched, and the search accuracy varies depending on the dictionary.

  The present invention has been made under the above-described background, and an object thereof is to provide an information search apparatus capable of efficiently searching for desired information without using an advanced search method.

  An information search device according to the present invention is an information search device for searching a database, wherein an input means for inputting a first character string and a second character used as a search term after converting the first character string Conversion means for generating a string, and search means for searching the database using the first character string as a search term together with the second character string.

  Here, the input means is a keyboard, operation buttons, or the like, and includes an input unit having a plurality of keys arranged in a predetermined arrangement on the keyboard. Input characters are assigned to the input section. Here, the characters are uppercase and lowercase alphanumeric characters, and hiragana, katakana, and full-width and half-width characters of symbols. The input means receives input characters based on the arrangement of the input units.

  For example, when a kana is input by a Japanese input system or the like, the conversion means converts “flower” or “nose” when “Hana” is input from the input means. Here, the first character string is “hana”, and the second character string is “flower” or “nose”. A search term is a term used as a search key when searching a database. For example, when “flower” is generated as the second character string, the search terms are “hana” and “flower”. The search means inquires of the database using the search term and acquires the search result from the database.

  According to the present invention, not only the second character string after conversion but also the first character string before conversion is searched in the database as a search term, so that the search efficiency is improved. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently search for desired information without using a search method at an advanced level such as fuzzy search. In addition, the user does not need to be aware of the notation format of whether the search term is Romaji notation, Kana notation, Kanji notation, etc., and it is only necessary to specify the search term by normal input operation, so it is easy to use Good.

  In the information search apparatus, the database may be a directory server connected via a network.

  According to this configuration, in particular, when the user does not grasp the notation form of information registered on the server, such as a directory server, or the server side does not seem to adopt ambiguous search. Even in such a case, it is possible to search even with information in a notation different from the notation of the character string designated by the user as a search term, thereby improving the search efficiency.

  The information search apparatus may further include storage means for storing the first character string in association with the second character string.

  According to this configuration, the database can be searched using the second character string stored in the storage unit and the corresponding first character string as search terms.

  The information search apparatus may further include a specifying unit that specifies which of a logical sum and a logical product of the first character string and the second character string is used as a search expression.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to specify to use either the logical sum or the logical product of the first character string and the second character string as a retrieval formula, so that desired information can be retrieved efficiently. For example, the information retrieval apparatus can designate the logical product of the first character string “Hase” inputted with the kana and the second character string “Hase” after the kanji conversion by the designation means. Thus, the search means can perform a search by specifying the reading kana of the Kanji name “Hase” in particular as “Hase”.

  In the information search apparatus, the input means accepts input of a character string in kana notation as the first character string, and the conversion means converts the first character string into a character string in kanji notation. The search means can search the database as the search term by including the character string in the Chinese character notation in the second character string.

  Here, the kana notation character string is a character string in which kana is input, and is a character string including kana notation before Kanji conversion. For example, the character string in kana notation is “Ikebana”. A character string in Kanji notation is a character string after a character string input with kana is converted into a word including Kanji. For example, the character string in Kanji notation is “Ikebana”.

  That is, when “Ikebana” is input by the input means in the kana input, and “Ikebana” is generated as the second character string by the conversion means, the first character string becomes “Ikebana”. Therefore, the search terms are “Ikebana” and “Ikebana”.

  According to this configuration, the database is searched for not only the character string after the kana-kanji conversion but also the character string before the kana-kanji conversion, so that the search efficiency is improved. Further, the user does not need to be aware of the search term notation format, and the user can simply specify the search term by a normal input operation.

  In the information search apparatus, the input means accepts an input of a character string in Roman letters as the first character string, and the conversion means converts the first character string to generate a character string in kana notation. In addition, the character string of the kana notation is generated by converting the character string of the kana notation, and the search means includes the character string of the kana notation and the kanji notation in the second character string, The database can be searched as a search term.

  Here, the character string in Roman alphabet is, for example, a character string “ikebana” entered in Roman characters. A character string in kana notation is a character string that is input into romaji and converted into kana, and is a character string that includes kana notation before being converted into kanji. For example, the character string in kana notation is “Ikebana”. The character string in Kanji notation is a character string after a character string input in Roman characters is converted into a word including Kanji characters. For example, the character string in Kanji notation is “Ikebana”.

  “Ikebana” is input by the input means in the Roman character input, and “Ikebana” and “Ikebana” are generated as the second character string by the conversion means. Therefore, the search terms are “ikebana”, “ikebana”, and “ikebana”.

  According to this configuration, the database is searched using not only the character string of the Chinese character notation after the conversion of the Roman character but also the character string of the Roman character before the conversion of the Roman character and the character string of the kana character so that the search efficiency is improved. To do. Further, the user does not need to be aware of the search term notation format, and the user can simply specify the search term by a normal input operation.

  In the information search apparatus, the accepting unit accepts a character string omitted for obtaining the second character string as the first character string, and the converting unit includes the second character string, A dictionary registration unit that registers the first character string in association with the dictionary, and a conversion unit that converts the first character string into the second character string based on the dictionary. Can do.

  According to this configuration, the search efficiency is improved because the search is performed using both the first character string that has been saved and the second character string after conversion as a search term. For example, the dictionary registration unit can register an abbreviation, abbreviation, or nickname and an official name in the dictionary in association with each other.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements and a conversion of the expression of the present invention between a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium, a computer program, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  As described above, according to the present invention, an information search apparatus capable of efficiently searching for desired information without using an advanced search technique is provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a network configuration of the information search apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, the information retrieval apparatus 1 is connected to a plurality of directory servers 5 via a network 3. The information retrieval apparatus 1 is a network facsimile apparatus, MFP (Multi Functional Peripheral), or the like. The information retrieval apparatus 1 also has a telephone directory (not shown) and the like in its interior, but it is a facsimile by designating an address such as a person name or company name as a retrieval key to the directory server 5 via the network 3. Address information such as a number, telephone number, mail address, and IP facsimile number can be inquired and acquired. The information search apparatus 1 uses a Japanese input system to designate a search key and inquires the directory server 5 via the network 3.

  In FIG. 1, the configuration of parts not related to the essence of the present invention is omitted. For example, a document reading unit, an image processing unit, a recording unit, a public line network connection unit, etc., which are components of a facsimile apparatus are illustrated. It has not been.

  Each component of the information retrieval apparatus 1 includes a CPU of any computer, a memory, a program for realizing the components shown in the figure loaded in the memory, a storage unit such as a hard disk for storing the program, and a network connection interface. It is realized by any combination of hardware and software. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that there are various modifications to the implementation method and apparatus. Each figure described below shows functional unit blocks, not hardware unit configurations.

  The information search device 1 includes a control unit 11, a display unit 13, an operation unit 15, a storage device 17, and an interface unit 19.

  The control unit 11 controls the entire apparatus together with various elements of the information search apparatus 1. The display unit 13 displays a search screen and a search result screen for inquiring a facsimile number by designating a part of the address as a search key to the directory server 5. Further, the display unit 13 performs various information displays, operation screen displays, operations and status displays of the information search device 1, and the like. The display unit 13 is, for example, a lamp, LED, CRT monitor, liquid crystal display, or the like.

  The operation unit 15 receives a search key input and various operation instructions and settings from the user. The operation unit 15 has an input unit (not shown) arranged in a predetermined arrangement. Alphanumeric characters or kana characters are input in accordance with Roman input or kana input in an input mode specified by a Japanese input system to be described later. Kana characters are assigned to the input section. The operation unit 15 receives an operation of the input unit by the user. The operation unit 15 is, for example, an operation button, a switch, a lever, a sheet key, a keyboard, a touch panel, or the like. The input unit includes a plurality of keys arranged on the keyboard, a plurality of operation buttons arranged on the operation panel, or a plurality of operation buttons displayed on the touch panel.

  The storage device 17 holds a character string used as a search key for inquiring information from the directory server 5 for each notation. The storage device 17 includes an alphanumeric holding unit that holds an alphanumeric character string, a kana holding unit that holds a kana character string, and a kanji holding unit that holds a kanji character string. The storage device 17 includes a search result storage unit that temporarily stores search results acquired from the directory server 5. Details of these holding units and storage units will be described later.

  The interface unit 19 controls communication with a plurality of directory servers 5 connected via the network 3.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 11 of the information search apparatus 1. The control unit 11 of the information search apparatus 1 includes a Japanese input system 21 having a kana conversion unit 23 and a kanji conversion unit 25, an input reception unit 27, a conversion character reception unit 29, a condition specification unit 41, and a search key specification. Part 43, search part 45, and display control part 47. In addition, the storage device 17 of the information search device 1 includes an alphanumeric storage unit 31, a kana storage unit 33, a kanji storage unit 35, and a search result storage unit 49.

  The Japanese input system 21 is software that performs a romaji or kana-kanji conversion for converting a character string input from a keyboard or operation buttons into a sentence including kanji. Typical examples include a Japanese front-end processor for MS-DOS (registered trademark), IME (Input Method Editor) for Windows (registered trademark), and IM (Input Method) for Macintosh (registered trademark). There is what is called.

  The Japanese input system 21 accepts a character string that is input in Roman characters or in kana via the operation unit 15. In the Japanese input system 21, when the input mode is romaji input, the kana conversion unit 23 converts the romaji into kana. Further, the Japanese input system 21 performs conversion from kana to kanji by the kanji conversion unit 25 in accordance with the kanji conversion instruction. The operation unit 15 may be provided with a kanji conversion key (not shown) operated by the user, and when the operation of the kanji conversion key is accepted, the kanji conversion unit 25 of the Japanese input system 21 may perform kanji conversion, or a predetermined phrase The kanji conversion may be automatically performed by the kanji conversion unit 25 in the Japanese input system 21 for each length. Those skilled in the art will understand that these can be changed according to the function of the Japanese input system 21.

  The input receiving unit 27 acquires, as a search key, an alphanumeric character string or a kana character string before being converted into a Roman character or a kana / kanji character by the kanji conversion unit 25 of the Japanese input system 21. This search key acquired by the converted character reception unit 27 corresponds to the first character string of the search term.

  Specifically, the input receiving unit 27 first detects whether or not the Roman input is designated in the Japanese input system 21. When the Roman input is designated by the Japanese input system 21, the input receiving unit 27 uses the alphanumeric characters input by the Japanese input system 21 based on the arrangement of the input units of the operation unit 15 operated by the user. Get.

  Specifically, for example, the input receiving unit 27 provides a table in which an input unit array of the operation unit 15 is associated with alphanumeric characters, and the input unit array of the operation unit 15 operated by the user is provided via the operation unit 15. And refer to the table to obtain alphanumeric characters. The input receiving unit 27 forms a character string in alphanumeric notation from the acquired alphanumeric characters, and stores it in the alphanumeric holding unit 31. Here, the alphanumeric characters are stored in the alphanumeric holding unit 31 as uppercase or lowercase letters and half-width or full-width alphanumeric codes designated by the Japanese input system 21. The character string held in the alphanumeric holding unit 31 is read as a first search key by the search key designating unit 43 as described later.

  It should be noted that the input receiving unit 27 can determine in accordance with the input mode in the Japanese input system 21 whether the input receiving unit 27 acquires an alphanumeric character string. For example, in the Japanese input system 21, when the input mode is set to alphanumeric single-byte capital letter input, the character string displayed on the alphanumeric character display window 53 is single-byte capital alphanumeric characters. Alternatively, the character string notation method may be fixed. Alternatively, the notation method of the character string may be provided with a reception unit that receives a user's specification, and the input reception unit 27 may determine according to the user's specification received by the reception unit.

  Further, when the Japanese input system 21 specifies kana input, the input receiving unit 27 arranges the kana characters input by the Japanese input system 21 in the input unit array of the operation unit 15 operated by the user. Get based on.

  Specifically, for example, the input receiving unit 27 provides a table in which the input unit array of the operation unit 15 is associated with the kana characters, and the input unit array of the operation unit 15 operated by the user is provided via the operation unit 15. And get a kana character by referring to the table. The input reception unit 27 forms a character string of kana notation from the acquired kana characters, and stores them in the kana holding unit 33. Here, the kana characters are stored in the kana holding unit 33 as hiragana or katakana specified by the Japanese input system 21 and kana codes of half-width or full-width characters. The character string held in the kana holding unit 33 is read as a second search key by the search key designating unit 43 as described later.

  When the operation unit 15 receives an instruction to delete a character once input, the input receiving unit 27 also deletes the corresponding character in each character string at the same time. Specifically, when the operation unit 15 receives a character deletion instruction, the input reception unit 27 changes the character received from the alphanumeric holding unit 31 and the kana holding unit 33 to the character that has received the deletion instruction. Delete the corresponding alphanumeric characters and kana characters.

  For example, when specifying “device” as a search key, the user does not enter “sochi” but enters “yosooi”, kana conversion to “clothes”, deletes “i”, Furthermore, it is possible that Kana is input as “Ch” and Kanji conversion is performed as “K”. In such a case, the input receiving unit 27 acquires “Yoseochi” as a character string in kana notation. As will be described later, in this case, the character string “Yosoichi” in kana notation is not used because it is inappropriate as a search key.

  The converted character accepting unit 29 accepts a character string that has been converted into Roman characters or Kana / Kanji characters by the Japanese input system 21. Here, the character string accepted by the converted character accepting unit 29 is a character string after being converted into Roman characters or Kana-Kanji characters, and includes Kanji characters, Hiragana characters, Katakana characters, alphanumeric characters, and symbols. And notation such as lowercase letters. The character string received by the converted character receiving unit 29 corresponds to the second character string of the search term.

  When the conversion character receiving unit 29 receives a character string including the kanji notation converted by the kanji conversion unit 25 of the Japanese input system 21 via the operation unit 15, Japanese input is performed. The system 21 reads the character string code including the kanji notation by reading from the buffer (not shown) holding the character string after the kanji conversion.

  The converted character reception unit 29 stores the acquired character string including the kanji notation after conversion into the kanji holding unit 35 as a kanji code. The character string held in the Chinese character holding unit 35 is read as a third search key by the search key designating unit 43 as described later.

  In addition, the character string received by the conversion character receiving unit 29 is a character string after being converted into a Roman character or a kana / kanji character, such as a kanji character, a hiragana character, a katakana character, an alphanumeric character, a full-width character of a symbol, a katakana character, Includes notation of symbols in single-byte characters. In the present embodiment, since the search is performed via the network 3, it is preferable not to use the half-width characters of Katakana as the search key. The Japanese input system 21 and the conversion character receiving unit 29 constitute conversion means.

  Further, the converted character accepting unit 29 acquires the kana character once converted from the alphanumeric character to the kana character by the kana conversion unit 23 before the romaji-kanji conversion by the Japanese input system 21. The input reception unit 27 forms a character string of kana notation from the acquired kana characters, and stores them in the kana holding unit 33. The character string held in the kana holding unit 33 is read as a second search key by the search key designating unit 43 as described later.

  Here, the kana notation character string includes hiragana, katakana, alphanumeric characters, and full-width characters of symbols, and katakana, alphanumeric characters, and symbols of half-width characters. These notations are determined by the input mode setting in the Japanese input system. For example, when the input mode is set to hiragana input in the Japanese input system 21, the character string acquired by the acquisition means is hiragana full-width character notation. When half-width katakana input is set in the Japanese input system 21, the character string obtained by the obtaining means is in katakana half-width character notation.

  The condition designating unit 41 designates which of the first to third search keys is to be ORed or ANDed. Search conditions include whether to use each of the first to third search keys, and whether to use a logical sum or a logical product of a plurality of search keys. . Further, the logical sum and the logical product may be specified in combination.

  The search key specifying unit 43 uses the character strings held in the kanji holding unit 35, the alphanumeric holding unit 31, and the kana holding unit 33 as first, second, and third search keys, respectively. Specify the query search key based on the specified conditions. The designated search key can also be displayed on the display unit 13 via the display control unit 47. When searching via the network 3, it is preferable not to use katakana half-width characters as search keys.

  The search unit 45 makes an inquiry to the directory server 5 on the network 3 via the interface unit 19 based on the search key specified by the search key specifying unit 43. The search unit 45 receives a search result from the directory server 5 on the network 3 via the interface unit 19 and stores it in the search result storage unit 49.

  The display control unit 47 displays on the display unit 13 a character string that is received through the operation unit 15 and is converted to kana / kanji using the Japanese input system 21. Further, the display control unit 47 displays the search key and the search condition specified by the search key specifying unit 43 on the display unit 13. Further, the display control unit 47 displays the search result acquired by the search unit 45 and stored in the search result storage unit 49 on the display unit 13.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a search screen display of the information search apparatus 1. The search screen is displayed on the liquid crystal panel of the display unit 13, and includes a search key input field 51, an alphanumeric notation display window 53, a kana notation display window 55, a search condition specifying unit 57, and a search execution button 59. Including.

  The search condition designation unit 57 and the search execution button 59 constitute the operation unit 15.

  The search key input field 51 includes a character string input by the user from the operation unit 15 such as a keyboard received by the converted character receiving unit 29, a character string to be converted into Roman or Kana kanji via the Japanese input system 21, and a conversion. Displays the subsequent string.

  The alphanumeric character display window 53 displays a character string in alphanumeric notation obtained by the input receiving unit 27 as described above and before being converted into Roman characters and Kanji characters by the Japanese input system 21.

  The kana notation display window 55 displays a character string of kana notation before kana-kanji conversion by the Japanese input system 21 in the kana input mode. In the romaji input mode, the kana notation character string once converted automatically from romaji to kana by the kana conversion unit 23 of the Japanese input system 21 is displayed. In FIG. 3, in addition to the search key input field 51, an alphanumeric display window 53 and a kana display window 55 are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The alphanumeric display window 53 and the kana display window 55 can be omitted.

  The search condition designation unit 57 is a pull-down menu for designating search conditions for each character string displayed in the alphanumeric character display window 53 and the kana display window 55 for the character string displayed in the search key input field 51. . The pull-down menu takes a logical sum with the character string displayed in the search key input field 51 (hereinafter referred to as “OR search”), a logical product (hereinafter referred to as “AND search”), or Displays a list that includes what is not used as a search key. The search condition specified by the user from the pull-down menu list in the search condition specifying unit 57 is received by the condition specifying unit 41 and notified to the search key specifying unit 43. The initial setting of the search condition specifying unit 57 is OR search. The search condition designating unit 57 may be an input field for inputting a predetermined symbol, a selection button, a radio switch, or the like.

  Here, for example, the Roman character notation of “Hattori” is “hattori”, but “fukube” can also be input by inputting Roman characters. Therefore, when “roma” is input as “fukube”, the user selects “do not use” the alphanumeric character string “fukube” and the kana character string “Fukube” from the pull-down menu of the search condition specifying unit 57. Is preferred. As a result, only the character string “Hattori” written in Kanji is used as a search key by the search unit 45.

  The search execution button 59 receives an instruction to make an inquiry to the directory server 5 based on the search key and the search condition. When the user presses the search execution button 59, the search unit 45 executes an inquiry to the directory server 5 based on the search key and the search condition.

  The operation of the information retrieval apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described below. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information search apparatus 1. Hereinafter, description will be made with reference to FIGS.

  First, the input receiving unit 27 receives a search key input to the operation unit 15 (S11). The input receiving unit 27 determines whether the input mode specified in the Japanese input system 21 is Roman letter input or Kana input (S13). In the case of romaji input (YES in S13), the input receiving unit 27 acquires the alphanumeric characters input by the Japanese input system 21 based on the arrangement of the input units of the operation unit 15 operated by the user (S15). . The input receiving unit 27 forms a character string in alphanumeric notation from the acquired alphanumeric characters and stores it in the alphanumeric holding unit 31 as an alphanumeric code (S17).

  Subsequently, in the case of romaji input, alphanumeric characters are once converted into kana characters by the Japanese input system 21 before romaji kanji conversion. The input receiving unit 27 acquires the kana character after the kana conversion (S19). On the other hand, in the case of kana input (NO in S13), the process proceeds from step S13 to step S19, where the input receiving unit 27 inputs the kana character input by the Japanese input system 21 to the input unit of the operation unit 15 operated by the user. (S19).

  Subsequently, the input receiving unit 27 forms a kana character string from the kana characters acquired in step S19, and stores them in the kana holding unit 33 as a kana code (S21). Subsequently, the converted character accepting unit 29 accepts the character string converted by the kanji conversion unit 25 in the Japanese input system 21 (S23). Subsequently, the converted character reception unit 29 stores the acquired character string in the kanji holding unit 35 as a kanji code (S25).

  Subsequently, the condition specifying unit 41 receives the search condition specified by the user using the search condition specifying unit 57 (S27). The condition designating unit 41 uses the alphanumeric character string stored in the alphanumeric holding unit 31 as the first search key, and the kana character string stored in the kana holding unit 33 as the second search key. As a third search key, the character string after the Kanji conversion stored in the Kanji holding unit 35 is used as a third search key, and an instruction for designating which logical sum or logical product of these search keys is received. The search key designating unit 43 designates a search key used for an inquiry based on the first to third search keys and the search condition.

  Subsequently, the condition specifying unit 41 determines whether or not the user has pressed the search execution button 59 on the search screen (S29). When it is determined that the search execution instruction has been received (YES in S29), the condition specifying unit 41 notifies the search unit 45 of the search execution. The search unit 45 makes an inquiry to the directory server 5 via the interface unit 19 based on the search key specified by the search key specifying unit 43 in step S27 (S31). Thereafter, the search unit 45 receives a response from the directory server 5 via the interface unit 19 and acquires a search result. The search unit 45 stores the acquired search result in the search result storage unit 49. Subsequently, the display control unit 47 displays the acquired search result on the display unit 13 (S33).

  On the other hand, when the condition designating unit 41 determines in step S29 that the search execution instruction has not been received (NO in S29), the process returns to step S13, and the input character string is acquired.

  In FIG. 4, the acquisition of alphanumeric characters, kana and kanji after kanji conversion in step S15, step S19, and step S23 is described as being sequentially processed. However, in actual processing, parallel acquisition is performed. It is assumed that That is, the acquisition of alphanumeric characters and kana characters from the Japanese input system 21 by the input receiving unit 27 and the reception of the character string after the kanji conversion by the converted character receiving unit 29 are always processed in parallel. .

  Next, the operation of the information search apparatus 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, taking as an example the case where the directory server 5 is inquired about the facsimile number of the person named “Hase”. FIG. 5A shows information held by the directory server 5 to which the information retrieval apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 makes an inquiry, and FIG. 5B is obtained as a result of making an inquiry to the directory server 5. An example of the search result is shown.

  Here, a case where Roman character input is designated in the Japanese input system 21 will be described. In order to input the name “Hase”, the user inputs alphanumeric “hase” in Roman character input.

  First, an operation by the user of the input unit to which the alphanumeric character “h” is assigned is accepted (S11). Subsequently, it is determined that the input mode specified for the Japanese input system 21 is Roman input (YES in S13), and the input receiving unit 27 receives the alphanumeric character “h” input by the Japanese input system 21. Then, it is acquired based on the array of the input units of the operation unit 15 operated by the user (S15). The input receiving unit 27 stores the acquired alphanumeric characters in the alphanumeric holding unit 31.

  The alphanumeric character “h” received by the operation unit 15 is received via the Japanese input system 21, and the code of the alphanumeric character “h” is stored in the alphanumeric character holding unit 31 (S17). Here, the input receiving unit 27 repeatedly executes step S15 and step S17 to sequentially acquire alphanumeric characters “h”, “a”, “s”, “e” (S15), and these acquired alphanumeric characters Is formed as a character string and stored in the alphanumeric character holding unit 31 as an alphanumeric code (S17). At this time, the display control unit 47 displays the character string acquired in step S15 on the alphanumeric character display window 53 of the search screen.

  Similarly, the input receiving unit 27 repeatedly executes step S19 and step S21, sequentially acquires the kana characters “ha” and “se” (S19), and the character “hase” from these acquired kana characters. A column is formed and stored as a kana code in the kana holding unit 33 (S21). At this time, the display control unit 47 displays the character string acquired in step S19 on the kana notation display window 55 on the search screen. Further, the converted character receiving unit 29 receives the character string “Hase” after the kanji conversion by the kanji conversion unit 25 in the Japanese input system 21 (S23), and stores it as a kanji code in the kanji holding unit 35 (S25). At this time, the display control unit 47 displays a character string that has been input with Romaji by the Japanese input system 21 and converted into Romaji-Kanji in the search key input field 51 of the search screen.

  Further, the search condition designated by the search condition designation unit 57 on the search screen is accepted (S27). As shown in FIG. 3, an OR search of the character string “Hase” displayed in the search key input field 51 and the character string “hase” displayed in the alphanumeric character display window 53, and display in the kana display window 55 AND search of the character string “Hase” is designated. That is, the inquiry search key is “Hase OR has AND Hase”.

  When the pressing of the search execution button 59 on the search screen is accepted (YES in S29), the condition specifying unit 41 notifies the search unit 45 of the search execution, and the search unit 45 specifies the search key. The unit 43 makes an inquiry to the directory server 5 through the interface unit 19 based on the above-described inquiry search key (S31). Thereafter, the search unit 45 receives a response from the directory server 5 via the interface unit 19 and acquires a search result. The search unit 45 stores the acquired search result in the search result storage unit 49 (S33). Subsequently, the display control unit 47 displays the acquired search result on the display unit 13 as shown in FIG. 5B (S33).

  When the directory server 5 has the information 61 as shown in FIG. 5A, the information corresponding to the inquiry search key is as shown in FIG. 5B. That is, even if the information includes the same kanji character notation “Hase”, the information of “Jiro Hase” that does not include “hase” in kana is not included in the search result. In this way, since the inquiry search key can be designated as appropriate for the desired information, the information search apparatus 1 can perform a search with high accuracy.

  Further, in the above example, when the OR search of all notations is specified, that is, the query search key is “Hase OR has OR Hase”, and all the information in FIG. 5A is acquired. Become. In this way, information registered only in Roman characters can be acquired even though the search key is designated in Chinese characters.

  As described above, according to the information search device 1 of the present embodiment, not only a character string after conversion of Roman characters or Kana-Kanji characters but also a character string before conversion of Roman characters or Kana-Kanji characters is searched as a search key. Search efficiency is improved. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently search for desired information without using an advanced search method such as fuzzy search. In addition, even if the notation format is unknown, the probability of being hit by a search increases. Further, the user does not need to be aware of the search key notation format, and the user only has to specify the search key by a normal input operation.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that those skilled in the art can modify the above-described embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the information retrieval apparatus 1 is a facsimile apparatus or an MFP has been described as an example. However, the information retrieval apparatus 1 may be a personal computer, a workstation, or the like, for example. Alternatively, the information search device 1 may be a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone, a PDA, or an electronic dictionary.

  In the above embodiment, the directory server 5 connected via the network 3 is described as an example of the database from which the information search device 1 searches for information. However, a web server on the Internet may be used. Alternatively, the object to be searched by the information search device 1 may be a storage device inside the information search device 1 or an external storage device.

  Moreover, although the case where the kana or the kanji conversion part by a Japanese input system was provided as a conversion means was demonstrated in the said embodiment, it is not limited to this. For example, in the information search device 1, the input reception unit 27 receives a character string omitted for obtaining the second character string as the first character string, and the information search device 1 The first character string can be associated with the dictionary registration unit and registered in the dictionary, and the first character string can be converted into the second character string based on the dictionary.

  Thus, for example, a character string indicating a nickname such as “Bob” and the official name “Robert” are registered in the dictionary in association with each other by the dictionary registration unit, and “Bob” is input by the conversion unit. The first character string is converted to “Robert” to obtain the second character string, and the search unit 45 performs a search using both the character strings of “Bob” and “Robert” as search keys. Can do.

  Alternatively, the dictionary registration unit associates the abbreviated name of the in-house department name with the formal name and registers them in the dictionary, and the conversion unit converts the abbreviated name into the formal name, and converts both the abbreviated name and the formal name character string A search can be performed as a search key.

  In another embodiment, the information search apparatus 1 includes a dictionary registration unit that registers characters including a variation in alphanumeric and kana characters in the representation variation dictionary, and an input reception unit based on the representation variation dictionary. A conversion unit that converts the first character string received in 27 into a second character string that includes notation fluctuation.

  Here, the characters including the fluctuation of the notation include full-width and half-width characters, katakana and hiragana, uppercase and lowercase characters, “ji” and “ぢ”, “ba” and “va”, and “1”. And "One". According to this configuration, it is possible to search including fluctuations in the notation of the character string input by the Japanese input system 21, and the search efficiency is improved. In particular, when the first character string is used for alphanumeric characters when entering Roman characters, the second character string can include a character string in which the first alphanumeric character of the character string is capitalized by the conversion unit. , You can search using more appropriate search terms.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case of selecting Roman characters and kana input as the input mode of the Japanese input system 21 has been described. However, the input mode of the Japanese input system 21 may be fixed to either one. Or you may provide the input part of the operation part 15 so that both a Roman character and kana input can be performed simultaneously.

  In the above-described embodiment, the timing for reading the kanji code from the buffer is when the operation of the confirmation key by the user is accepted, but is not particularly limited thereto. For example, a search key determination button (not shown) may be provided on the operation unit 15 separately. In this case, the kanji code can be read from the buffer when the user operates the search key determination button. .

  Further, the first to third search keys may each accept corrections by the user on the search screen. In this way, for example, when inputting “Hattori”, the reading kana is “hattori”, but when the input is actually in Roman characters different from the reading kana, such as “fukube”, The character string displayed in the alphanumeric display window 53 can be read and corrected to “hattori” as a kana. This makes it possible to specify a more accurate search key.

  In the above-described embodiment, search conditions for alphanumeric character strings and kana character strings are specified for character strings expressed in Chinese characters. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the above example, it may be possible to specify a search condition such as “Hase AND (has OR)” as a query search key. In addition to search conditions such as OR search, AND search, and non-use, a search condition that does not include the character string may be specified. These may be provided on the search screen with an operation unit 15 that allows the user to specify a search condition, and the specification from the user may be received via the operation unit 15. Alternatively, the search condition does not accept designation from the user, and may be fixed to either one of the OR search and the AND search. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that there are variations of such specification of search conditions.

  The information search apparatus according to the present invention has an effect that desired information can be searched efficiently without using an advanced search method, performs a Roman character or Kana-Kanji conversion using a Japanese input system, and has a search key. This is useful as an information retrieval device that designates.

It is a block diagram which shows the network structure of the information search device of this Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the information search device of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the search screen display of the information search device of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the information search device of FIG. It is a figure which shows the information which the directory server which the information search device of FIG. 1 inquired, and the example of a search result.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information retrieval apparatus 3 Network 5 Directory server 11 Control part 13 Display part 15 Operation part 17 Memory | storage device 19 Interface part 21 Japanese input system 23 Kana conversion part 25 Kanji conversion part 27 Input reception part 29 Conversion character reception part 31 Alphanumeric holding Part 33 Kana holding part 35 Kanji holding part 41 Condition specifying part 43 Search key specifying part 45 Search part 47 Display control part 49 Search result storage part 51 Search key input field 53 Alphanumeric notation display window 55 Kana notation display window 57 Search condition specification Part 59 Search execution button

Claims (7)

An information search device for searching a database,
An input means for inputting the first character string;
Conversion means for converting the first character string to generate a second character string to be used as a search term;
Search means for searching the database using the first character string as a search term together with the second character string;
An information retrieval apparatus comprising: The information search device according to claim 1,
The information search apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the database is a directory server connected via a network. In the information search device according to claim 1 or 2,
An information search apparatus further comprising storage means for storing the first character string in association with the second character string. The information search device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An information retrieval apparatus, further comprising a designation unit for designating which of a logical sum and a logical product of the first character string and the second character string is used as a retrieval formula. The information search device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The input means accepts input of a character string in kana notation as the first character string,
The conversion means converts the first character string to generate a character string in Kanji notation,
The search means includes the character string in the Chinese character notation in the second character string, and searches the database as the search term. The information search device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The input means accepts input of a character string in Roman alphabet as the first character string;
The conversion means converts the first character string to generate a kana notation character string, converts the kana notation character string to generate a kanji character string,
The information search device, wherein the search means includes the character string of the kana notation and the kanji notation in the second character string and searches the database as the search term. The information search device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A dictionary storage means for storing the term and the abbreviation of the term in association with each other;
The input means accepts an abbreviation;
The information conversion apparatus, wherein the conversion means converts the abbreviation into a corresponding term with reference to the dictionary storage means.

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