# US 12,602,409 B2 · Information search system

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- Number: US 12,602,409 B2
- Document ID: US12602409B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/999,850
- Filed: 2021-05-25
- Published: 2023-07-13
- Granted: 2026-04-14
- Earliest claimed: 2020-05-28
- Assignees: Jfe Steel Corporation
- Applicants: Jfe Steel Corporation
- Inventors: Yusuke Takemura; Akira Kariya; Satoshi Kuwabara; Ayaka Eto; Nobuyuki Morooka; Daiki Shigeoka; Shudo Takenaka; Daigo Ito
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12602409B2

## CPC

- G06F 16/243: {Natural language query formulation}
- G06F 16/3329: Natural language query formulation
- G06F 16/2291: {User-Defined Types; Storage management thereof}
- G06F 16/248: Presentation of query results
- G06F 16/258: {Data format conversion from or to a database}
- G06F 16/3334: {Selection or weighting of terms from queries, including natural language queries}
- G06F 16/383: using metadata automatically derived from the content
- Y02P 90/30: Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

Provided is an information search system by which high-speed search is possible commonly used across a plurality of districts, the system including: a database (12) that stores a plurality of pieces of information that are text-searchable; a query sentence acceptance unit (26) that accepts a query sentence; an inputted search keyword extractor (44) that extracts an inputted search keyword from the query sentence; a retrieval executor (40) that executes retrieval processing from the database using the inputted search keyword; a local management apparatus (100) that stores district material in a local database (104); and an information management apparatus (110) that executes character extraction processing on the material stored in the local database and converts a file format of the material according to a size thereof, stores the material in a temporary memory as stored material, and outputs the stored material to the database.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An information search system, comprising:
a database configured to store a plurality of pieces of information that are text-searchable;
a query sentence acceptance unit configured to accept a query sentence in a natural language format;
an inputted search keyword extractor configured to extract an inputted search keyword from the query sentence;
a retrieval executor configured to execute retrieval processing from the database using the inputted search keyword, along with a keyword relevant to the inputted search keyword;
a local management apparatus configured to store district material in a local database; and
an information management apparatus configured to execute character extraction processing on the material stored in the local database and convert a file format of the material according to a size thereof, store the material in a temporary memory as stored material, and output the stored material to the database,
wherein, in a case in which the size of the material is less than or equal to a threshold, the information management apparatus converts the material to a first file format, and in a case in which the size of the material is not less than or equal to the threshold, the information management apparatus converts the material to a second file format that includes link information to the local database,
wherein the material includes a photograph that does not contain character information,
wherein, in a case in which the material does not contain character information, the information management apparatus executes character extraction processing of extracting a file name and a folder path of the material as character information.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The information search system according to claim 1, wherein the local database has a hierarchical structure that is same as the database.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The information search system according to claim 1, wherein the information search system comprises a plurality of the local management apparatuses that are located in a plurality of districts and that are connected to the information management apparatus via a network.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The information search system according to claim 1, wherein the database is configured to include a language retrieval processing database and a file storage area in which material acquired from the temporary memory is stored.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The information search system according to claim 4, wherein file management is performed using a same hierarchical structure in both the temporary memory and the file storage area included in the database.