Patent ID: 8726178

Claim:
An image forming apparatus, including an information retrieval device that is connected to a network, the information retrieval device comprising: a scanner that automatically reads out paper-based non-digital information; an image processing unit that performs an image transformation process including a digital transformation or a gamma transformation, and thereby generates a processed document image including a bitmap image, with respect to a document image acquired by the scanner; an input/output unit that receives the processed document image from the image processing unit; a display unit that includes an operation screen, and wherein the operation screen includes a first screen and a second screen, and wherein input information received from the input/output unit is displayed on the first screen, and wherein a result of retrieval is displayed on the second screen, and a user can perform an operational input from the first screen and the second screen; an area splitting unit that receives the processed document image from the input/output unit and splits the processed document image into a plurality of subareas by each information attribute; an extracting unit that includes a keyword dictionary storing words that function as keywords, and which is configured to: extract a retrieval key from the input information in each of the subareas; and split character strings included in a text subarea by each morpheme by application of a morphological analysis; a determining unit configured to: determine whether each of the character strings by each morpheme matches with any of the keywords stored in the keyword dictionary; and narrow down candidate keywords by the application of an algorithm based on conditions and a frequency of appearance, and thereby determine a keyword, wherein the extracting unit extracts the matching character string as a candidate keyword, when the character string matches with the keyword; a display control unit that displays the input information in the subareas on the first screen, and receives an instruction for specifying any of the subareas displayed on the first screen of the operation screen to be moved to the second screen of the operation screen, such that the instruction for specifying any of the subareas displayed on the first screen is for moving a specified subarea on the operation screen; and a retrieving unit that retrieves information via the network based on a retrieval key corresponding to the subarea that is moved to the second screen, and wherein the retrieving unit is configured to retrieve information via the network while the input information is displayed on the first screen of the operation screen, wherein the display control unit displays retrieved information on the second screen.