Patent ID: 7401071
Filing Date: 2008-07-15
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A structured data retrieval method comprising: storing, in a first memory, (a) a hierarchical structure formed of a plurality of nodes, and (b) a plurality of template IDs each corresponding to a node of the nodes and designating a type of the node and a location in the hierarchical structure, the type being one of a folder node, a document node, an element node, and a text node; storing, in a second memory, a plurality of structured documents each of which includes a plurality of structure elements, each structure element corresponding to one of the document node, the element node, and the text node of the nodes, and each structure element having an object ID which includes the template ID of a corresponding node in the hierarchical structure, a document ID used to identify a structured document including the structure element, and an element ID used to identify the structure element in the structured document including the structure element; storing, in a third memory, a plurality of index data items, each of which links one of a plurality of character strings with the object IDs of structure elements each including the one of the character strings; inputting a query indicating a query structure including a first target node which is one of the nodes in the hierarchical structure, a second target node which is another of the nodes in the hierarchical structure and is included in the first target node, and a target character string included in the second target node; collating the query structure with the hierarchical structure to obtain, from the hierarchical structure, a first template ID of the text node included in the second target node and a second template ID of the first target node; retrieving a first object ID of a first structure element from the index data items, the first object ID being linked to the target character string and including the first template ID; obtaining, from the first object ID, a second object ID of a second structure element by converting the element ID included in the first object ID into the element ID of an upstream structure element of the first structure element and converting the first template ID included in the first object ID into the second template ID, to obtain the second object ID including: outputting a structured document retrieved including the first and the second structure element.