Patent ID: 7904449

Claim:
A content searching apparatus, which searches for a content in a form of electronic data based on a keyword selected by a user, said content searching apparatus comprising: a content table storing unit including a memory storing a plurality of content tables, each respective content table of the plurality of content tables including a plurality of pieces of identification information, a plurality of keywords and a plurality of content names, and each respective content table of the plurality of content tables associating each of the plurality of pieces of identification information with (i) at least one keyword of the plurality of keywords, and (ii) a content name of the plurality of content names, such that each of the plurality of keywords is associated with at least one content name of the plurality of content names and such that each of the plurality of pieces of identification information identifies a content name of the plurality of content names; an input unit designating, as a target content table, a content table selected from the plurality of content tables, and obtaining, as a selection keyword, a keyword selected, from the plurality of keywords shown in of the target content table, by an input operation of the user; a relevant keyword creating unit (i) creating a respective relevance degree for each of the plurality of keywords of the target content table associated with the selection keyword, each relevance degree being calculated based on correspondence relationship between each of the plurality of pieces of the identification information and each of the plurality of keywords of the target content table, and (ii) selecting, as a relevant keyword and from the plurality of keywords associated with the selection keyword, a keyword having a relevance degree of a predetermined value; a confusion receiving unit receiving information provided by the user indicating that the user is in confusion, when the user is in confusion; a variance calculating unit calculating a variance degree of selection keywords including the selection keyword and other selection keywords obtained by said input unit, the variance degree being calculated (i) using each relevance degree calculated for the selection keywords as a scale, and (ii) based on the information provided from the user by said confusion receiving unit and indicating that the user is in confusion; and a content table selecting unit selecting, from the plurality of content tables of said content table storing unit, a content table other than the target content table, when the calculated variance degree is larger than a variance threshold value, and setting the content table selected by said content table selecting unit as a new target content table.