Patent ID: 7707209
Filing Date: 2010-04-27
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. An information retrieval method for allowing a computer system that has received a request from a user terminal to retrieve information relating to contents to be displayed on the user terminal as selection candidates for a user, the method comprising: acquiring user positional information corresponding to user identification information received from the user terminal by referring to a user information storage that stores information which can specify a composition of a user as the user positional information using at least two coordinate axes; receiving retrieval information input to the user terminal, and searching a content information storage that stores the information relating to the contents to specify one of the contents which matches with a retrieval condition as an index content using the retrieval information; acquiring index positional information of the index content from a content positional information storage that stores content classification information as content positional information using the at least two coordinate axes used for the user positional information; acquiring group positional information which is a representative position of each of at least two groups into which the contents are classified from the content positional information storage; executing an approximation calculation on line positional information of a line segment connecting the user positional information to the index positional information of the index content, and the group positional information; specifying at least one content included in one of the at least two groups which is determined as having one of a higher order of approximation than a predetermined order of approximation in the approximation calculation and an order of approximation within a predetermined rank; creating display data to be displayed as the selection candidates on the user terminal based on information relating to the index content and information relating to the at least one content specified when specifying the at least one content; and transmitting the display data to the user terminal, wherein the display data is data to display information relating to contents included in a first group including the index content at a center portion of a display device of the user terminal, and to display information relating to contents included in a second group which does not include the index content at a peripheral portion of the display device.