Patent ID: 8135733

Claim:
An information retrieval apparatus for retrieving presented information, which is suited to a user's purpose, in accordance with a request provided through a network from a terminal equipment, which provides a user with the presented information, said apparatus comprising: a processor; an access unit that accesses a storage unit, which stores priority of said presented information associated with each of the presented information; a retrieval result sending unit that sends retrieval result screen data to said terminal equipment, said retrieval result screen data forming a screen on which a retrieval result indicative of said presented information as retrieved is displayed preferentially from the presented information having a higher priority; a new retrieval result sending request-receiving unit that receives, after sending the retrieval result screen data, new retrieval result sending request data from said terminal equipment, said new retrieval result sending request data indicative of a sending request for new retrieval result screen data; a timer unit that measures a lapse time from when sending said retrieval result screen data to when receiving said new retrieval result sending request data; and a priority changing unit that decreases said priority of the presented information, which is indicated by a retrieval result displayed based on the retrieval result screen data as sent, in case where said lapse time is less than a predetermined time as previously set as a period of time during which the presented information suited to the user's purpose is retrieved, and increases said priority of the presented information, which is indicated by the retrieval result displayed based on the retrieval result screen data as sent in case where said lapse time exceeds said predetermined time.