Patent ID: 6457004
Filing Date: 2002-09-24
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
A document retrieval assisting method having a key word search function and an associative search function, wherein displaying search results comprises displaying a title list of a set of retrieved documents and displaying an overview of the search results in the form of topic word information extracted from the set of retrieved documents, both displays being arranged adjacently, wherein each document and each topic word in the search results is respectively stored in a data structure in which a selection/non selection mode and a degree of emphasis are set, wherein cross-reference data specifying which topic word is contained in each individual document of the search results, together with data specifying which document of the search results contains each individual topic word, is stored, and wherein the method comprises:a step of adding or deleting a word displayed as a topic word to or from the search words; a step of designating selection/non selection state of each word displayed as a topic word; a step of emphasizing each document containing one or more selected topic words with an intensity, depending on how many selected topic words are contained; a step of rearranging and displaying the search results in decreasing order of intensity for emphasis; a step of designating the selection/non selection state of each document from the search results; a step of emphasizing topic words contained in the selected documents; a step of carrying out associative search by using one or more selected documents as a search key; and a prune step of leaving only selected documents and gathering information about topic words only from the selected documents.