Patent ID: 6493705
Filing Date: 2002-12-10
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
An information search apparatus for managing a plurality of kinds of multimedia information, and searching the managed multimedia information for desired multimedia information, comprising:a content word holding unit for storing the multimedia information, and content words which verbalize concepts expressed in the multimedia information in correspondence with each other; an associative word dictionary for storing the content words and associative words which are associated with the content words in correspondence with each other; input means for inputting a query word; first search means for acquiring an associative word corresponding to the query word input by said input means from said associative word dictionary, and searching multimedia information on the basis of the acquired associative word; extraction means for extracting a feature amount corresponding to the query word input by said input means; second search means for searching multimedia information on the basis of the feature amount extracted by said extraction means; and integration means for integrating search results obtained by said first and second search means.