Patent ID: 8306968

Claim:
A name retrieval apparatus comprising: a database configured to store retrieval-target names as character string data and to store specific retrieval-target names, among the retrieval-target names, which are representable as character strings including a specific ligature obtained by coupling specific characters arranged in series with each other in a specific order as a single character and which are representable as character strings including the series of specific characters without change, as character strings having the series of characters without change; an input device configured to provide character input for retrieval of the retrieval-target names; a retrieval device configured to retrieve from the database the retrieval-target names that include a character input using the input device by sequentially performing search refinement every time a character is input; a retrieval-result display device configured to display a result of the retrieval performed by the retrieval device; a storage device configured to store the correspondence relationship between the specific ligature and the series of characters; a key assigning device configured to assign a first key used to input the specific ligature and a second key used to input a leading character of the series of characters to the input device; and a retrieval control device configured to control the retrieval of the retrieval-target names performed by the retrieval device, wherein, when the specific ligature is input by being selected by the first key, the retrieval control device is configured to cause the retrieval device to convert the input specific ligature into the series of characters corresponding to the specific ligature in accordance with the correspondence relationship stored in the storage device and to retrieve the specific retrieval-target names that include the series of characters that are obtained by the conversion in an input position of the specific ligature and in a character arrangement position of the series of characters corresponding to the number of coupled characters from the database by character-string matching, and when the leading character is input by being selected by the second key, the retrieval control device causes the retrieval device to retrieve the specific retrieval-target names and the other retrieval-target names which include the input leading character in a character arrangement position corresponding to an input position of the leading character from the database by the character-string matching.