Information search method, information search device, and storage medium for storing an information search program

A method for searching for a document to be searched from one or more documents searchably stored in a computer, said document to be searched having a character string similar to a partial input character string existing in an input document input in the computer, the method comprising:

• extracting a partial character string from said input document, and determining whether said partial character string is a candidate character string;
• evaluating an amount of feature of said candidate character string through comparison between appearance frequency information of at least a part of said candidate character string appearing in said input document and appearance frequency information of at least a part of said candidate character string appearing in said searchably stored documents to recognize said candidate character string as a unique character string;
• and
• searching for said document to be searched from said searchably stored documents, wherein said document to be searched has a character string similar to said unique character string.

A method for evaluating similarity between a comparison document and an input document which contains a first unique character string and a second unique character string input in a computer, said computer system being operable to search for said comparison document stored in a storage medium, the method comprising:

• calculating a first weight value corresponding to said first unique character string from appearance frequency information of at least a part of said first unique character string of said input document;
• calculating a second weight value corresponding to said second unique character string from appearance frequency information of at least a part of said second unique character string of said input document;
• calculating a first appearance frequency value of at least a part of said first unique character string appearing in said comparison document;
• calculating a second appearance frequency value of at least a part of said second unique character string appearing in said comparison document;
• and
• calculating a similarity factor between said input document and said comparison document from the first appearance frequency value taking said first weight value into account and the second appearance frequency value taking said second weight value into account.

An apparatus for identifying at least one unique character string in an input document which is input into a computer system, said computer system containing one or more documents which are searchably stored by the computer, the apparatus comprising:

• a storage device for storing a position information file which associates and manages position information for a position in said searchably stored documents where one or more partial comparison document character strings are extracted from said searchably stored documents;
• means for extracting a candidate character string from said input document;
• means for identifying a partial comparison document character string which matches part of said candidate character string with a predetermined similarity factor or higher;
• means for identifying position data which is associated to said partial comparison document character string having the predetermined similarity factor or higher in said position information file;
• and
• means for recognizing said candidate character string as the unique character string by comparing appearance frequency information of at least a part of said candidate character string appearing in said input document with said position information, and evaluating an amount of feature of said candidate character string.

An apparatus for searching for a document to be searched from one or more documents searchably stored in a computer, said document to be searched having a character string similar to a partial input character string which exists in an input document input in the computer, the apparatus comprising:

• an input device for identifying said input document and instructing execution of a search;
• means for detecting from said input device that said input document is identified and that said instruction of a search is input;
• means for extracting a candidate character string from said input document in response to the detection that said input document is identified and that said instruction of a search is input;
• means for calculating an amount of feature of said candidate character string through comparison between appearance frequency information at least a part of said candidate character string appearing in said input document and appearance frequency information of at least a part of said candidate character string appearing in said searchably stored documents;
• means for determining whether said candidate character string is a unique character string by evaluating said amount of feature;
• means for searching for the document to be searched from said searchably stored documents, wherein said document to be searched has a character string similar to said unique character string;
• and
• a display device for displaying the document to be searched having a character string similar to said unique character string.

An apparatus for searching for a document according to 11, wherein in said means for determining the unique character string, said amount of feature is a point allocation for said candidate character string and points are allocated according to the equation:

• ##EQU15## where:
• count i=appearance frequency of an i-th candidate character string in the input document;
• Ncount i j=appearance frequency of a j-th partial input character string of the i-th candidate character string in the input document;
• Nsize i j=position data corresponding to the j-th partial input character string of the i-th candidate character string;
• Nnum i=a number of partial input character strings contained in an i-th candidate character string;
• Max (Nsize i j)=maximum Nsize i j for all searchably stored documents;
• Max (Ncount i j)=maximum Ncount i j for all searchably stored documents.

A medium readable by a computer for storing a program operable to identify at least one unique character string in an input document which is input into a computer system, said computer system being operable to search one or more documents which are searchably stored in a storage medium, and said unique character string is used as a search string, the program comprising:

• program code means for associating and managing position information for a position in said searchably stored documents where one or more partial comparison document character strings are extracted from said searchably stored documents;
• program code means for extracting a partial input character string from said input document, and determining whether said partial input character string is a candidate character string;
• program code means for identifying a partial comparison document character string which matches at least a part of said candidate character string with a predetermined similarity factor or higher;
• program code means for identifying position data associated with said partial comparison document character string which matches with said predetermined similarity factor or higher;
• and
• program code means for recognizing said candidate character string as the unique character string by comparing appearance frequency information of at least a part of said candidate character string appearing in said input document with the position data and evaluating an amount of feature of said candidate character string.