Patent · US Expired

Information searching apparatus and method with mechanism of refining search results

US7653623B2 · kind B2 · utility

27Cited by
0References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 12, 2005
Grant dateJan 26, 2010
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 18, 2026

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F16/951
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An information searching apparatus and method capable of producing good search results even in the case where specified search keywords are found separately on a plurality of documents. Upon receipt of a search request from a client, a first search process searches an index memory to find tentative search results. According to predetermined rules, it is determined to which group each tentative search result should belong. A second search process then searches documents at an upper hierarchical level in the same group, thus finding keyword hits in an upper-level document. A higher priority is then given to a group of documents in which the second search process has found keyword hits. Finally a list of locators is compiled and sent back to the requesting client to indicate the locations of relevant documents, where the locators are arranged in descending order of the display priority of corresponding groups.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.