Patent application EP15848858A (EP), filed 2015-09-15
Publication number: EP3206137A1
Title: SEARCH SYSTEM
Abstract: [0001]    An in-vehicle terminal sends a speech input from a voice input unit as a voice signal to a relay server using a short-range wireless communication unit. The relay server converts the voice data received from the in-vehicle terminal into a string with a voice recognition unit, and makes an inquiry, via a communication unit, to an address database of a database server as to whether the string is a geographical condition. If the string converted by the voice recognition unit is a geographical condition based on the inquiry result of the communication unit, a POI data base is searched based on the geographical condition and a stored non-geographical condition, and the geographical condition is stored in a search history. If the string is a non-geographical condition, the POI database is searched based on the non-geographical condition and the geographical condition stored in the search history, and the non-geographical condition is stored in the search history.
IPC codes: G06F  17/    30            A I
G10L  15/    00            A I
Claims: number: 1
text: A search system including a database server comprising an address database and a POI database, an in-vehicle terminal comprising a voice input unit, and a relay server which sends and receives various data by performing communication between the database server and the in-vehicle terminal,
wherein the relay server comprises:
number: 2
text: The search system according to claim 1,
wherein the in-vehicle terminal further comprises a location detection unit which calculates a current location, and
wherein, upon storing the geographical keyword in the storage unit and storing the non-geographical keyword in the storage unit, the control unit of the relay server stores a time of storage as a last recording time in the storage unit, and, when the last recording time is earlier than a current time by a predetermined time or longer in cases of using the geographical condition stored in the storage unit for searching the POI database, uses the current location received from the in-vehicle terminal as the geographical keyword in substitute for the geographical keyword stored in the storage unit.
number: 3
text: The search system according to claim 1 or claim 2,
wherein the non-geographical keyword is configured from a search keyword indicating a facility classification condition (this is hereinafter referred to as a "classification keyword") and a search keyword indicating a facility attribute condition (this is hereinafter referred to as a "attribute keyword"),
wherein, when the control unit of the relay server determines that the string is not a geographical condition based on the search result of the address database, the control unit searches the POI database and determines whether the string corresponds to either a facility classification or a facility attribute,
wherein, in cases where the geographical keyword, the classification keyword, and the attribute keyword are stored in the storage unit,
when the control unit determines that the string is the facility classification, the control unit searches the POI database based on the string, the stored geographical keyword, and the stored attribute keyword and stores the string as the classification keyword in the storage unit, and
when the control unit determines that the string is the facility attribute, the control unit searches the POI database based on the string, the stored geographical keyword, and the stored classification keyword and stores the string as the attribute keyword in the storage unit.
number: 4
text: The search system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
wherein, when the control unit of the relay server determines that the string is a geographical condition in conducting the search of the address database and corresponds to one of the plurality of geographical keywords, the control unit sends the plurality of geographical keywords to the in-vehicle terminal and receives one of the plurality of geographical keywords from the in-vehicle terminal, and searches the POI database based on the received geographical condition and the stored non-geographical keyword and stores the received geographical keyword in the storage unit.
number: 5
text: The search system according to claim 1 or claim 2,
wherein, upon storing the geographical keyword stored in the storage unit, the geographical keyword previously stored in the storage unit is deleted, and, upon storing the non-geographical keyword in the storage unit, the non-geographical keyword previously stored in the storage unit is deleted.
number: 6
text: The search system according to claim 3,
wherein, upon storing the geographical keyword stored in the storage unit, the geographical keyword previously stored in the storage unit is deleted, and, upon storing the classification keyword in the storage unit, the classification keyword previously stored in the storage unit is deleted, and, upon storing the attribute keyword in the storage unit, the attribute keyword previously stored in the storage unit is deleted.
Office action: search_report, dated 2017-08-16
Prior art cited: ref_id: US2008221891
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US2011196605
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: JP2014106927
ref_type: patent
severity: background
Final disposition: pending (2017-08-16)