Apparatus and method for retrieving data from a document database

An information retrieving apparatus, comprising:

• a retrieval request inputting unit inputting a retrieval request described in a first data format;
• an expansion unit expanding the retrieval request described in the first data format into expanded results described in the first data format based on expansion rules;
• a first format converting unit converting the expanded results from the first data format into a second data format;
• a retrieving process unit retrieving data from a document database which stores documents described in the second data format, based on converted results of said first format converting unit;
• a converted results weight assigning unit assigning a weight to the converted results described in the second data format based on parts of speech of the retrieval request described in the first data format;
• a second format converting unit converting one or more of the retrieved results from the document database, from the second data format into the first data format based on the weight assigned to the converted results corresponding to the retrieved results;
• a retrieved result arranging unit calculating a correlation rate between the retrieval request described in the first data format and a retrieved result converted into the first data format by comparing the retrieved result with the retrieval request and arranging the retrieved results based on the correlation rate;
• and
• a retrieved result displaying unit displaying data arranged by said retrieved result arranging unit.

An information retrieving apparatus, comprising:

• a retrieval request inputting unit inputting a retrieval request described in a first data format;
• an expansion unit expanding the retrieval request described in the first data format into expanded results described in the first data format based on expansion rules;
• a first format converting unit converting the expanded results from the first data format into a second data format;
• a retrieving process unit retrieving data from a document database, which stores documents described in the second data format, based on converted results by said first format converting unit;
• a converted results weight assigning unit assigning a weight to the converted results described in the second data formats based on parts of speech of the retrieval request described in the first data format;
• a first ranking unit ranking retrieved results from the document database in the second data format based on the weight assigned to the converted results corresponding to the retrieved results;
• an extracting unit extracting higher ranked retrieved results based on the retrieved results ranked by said first ranking unit;
• a second format converting unit converting one or more of the retrieved results extracted by said extracting unit from the second data format into the first data format according to the ranking of the retrieved results;
• retrieved result arranging unit calculating a correlation rate between the retrieval request described in the first data format and the one or more retrieved results converted into the first data format by comparing the one or more retrieved results with the retrieval request and arranging the one or more retrieved results based on the correlation rate;
• and
• a retrieved result displaying unit displaying data arranged by said retrieved result arranging unit.

An information retrieving apparatus, comprising:

• a retrieval request inputting unit inputting a retrieval request described in a first data format;
• an expansion unit expanding the retrieval request described in the first data format into expanded results described in the first data format based on expansion rules;
• a first format converting unit converting the expanded results from the first data format into a second data format;
• a second format converting unit converting the expanded results from the first data format into a third data format;
• a first retrieving process unit retrieving data from a first document database, which stores documents described in the second data format, based on converted results by said first format converting unit;
• a second retrieving process unit retrieving data from a second document database, which stores documents described in the third data format, based on converted results by said second format converting unit;
• a converted results weight assigning unit assigning a weight to the converted results described in the second and the third data formats based on parts of speech of the retrieval request described in the first data format;
• a third format converting unit converting one or more of the retrieved results from the first document database, from the second data format into the first data format based on the weight assigned to the converted results corresponding to the retrieved results;
• a fourth format converting unit converting one or more of the retrieved results from the second document database, from the third data format into the first data format based on the weight assigned to the converted results corresponding to the retrieved results;
• a first retrieved result arranging unit calculating a first correlation rate between the retrieval request described in the first data format and the one or more retrieved results from the first document database converted into the first data format by comparing the one or more retrieved results from the first document database with the retrieval request and arranging the one or more retrieved results from the first document database converted into the first data format based on the first correlation rate;
• a second retrieved result arranging unit calculating a second correlation rate between the retrieval request described in the first data format and the one or more retrieved results from the second document database converted into the first data format by comparing the one or more retrieved results from the second document database with the retrieval request and arranging the one or more retrieved results from the second document database converted into first data format based on the second correlation rate;
• and
• a retrieved result displaying unit displaying data arranged by said first retrieved result arranging unit and data arranged by said second retrieved result arranging unit.

An information retrieving apparatus, comprising:

• a retrieval request inputting unit inputting a retrieval request described in a first data format;
• an expansion unit expanding the retrieval request described in the first data format into expanded results described in the first data format based on expansion rules;
• a first format converting unit converting the expanded results from the first data format into a second data format;
• a retrieving process unit retrieving data from a document database, which stores documents described in the second data format, based on converted results by said first format converting unit;
• a converted results weight assigning unit assigning a weight to the converted results described in the second data format based on parts of speech of the retrieval request described in the first data format;
• a first ranking unit ranking retrieved results from the document database in the second data format based on the weight assigned to the converted results corresponding to the retrieved results;
• an extracting unit extracting higher ranked retrieved results based on the retrieved results ranked by said first ranking unit;
• a second format converting unit converting one or more of the retrieved results extracted by said extracting unit from the second data format into the first data format according to the ranking of the retrieved results;
• a retrieved result arranging unit calculating a correlation rate between the retrieval request described in the first data format and the one or more retrieved results converted into the first data format by comparing the one or more retrieved results with the retrieval request and arranging the one or more retrieved results based on the correlation rate;
• and
• a retrieved result displaying unit displaying data arranged by said retrieved result arranging unit.

An information retrieving apparatus, comprising:

• a retrieval request inputting unit inputting a retrieval request described in a first data format;
• an expansion unit expanding the retrieval request described in the first data format into expanded results described in the first data format based on expansion rules;
• a first format converting unit converting the expanded results from the first data format into a second data format;
• a first retrieving process unit retrieving data from a first document database which stores documents described in the first data format, based on the expanded results described in the first data format;
• a second retrieving process unit retrieving data from a second document database which stores documents described in the second data format based on converted results by said first format converting unit;
• a converted results weight assigning unit assigning a weight to the converted results described in the second data format based on parts of speech of the retrieval request described in the first data format;
• a second format converting unit converting one or more of the retrieved results from the second document database from the second data format into the first data format based on the weight assigned to the converted results corresponding to the retrieved results;
• a retrieved result arranging unit calculating a correlation rate between the retrieval request described in the first data format and the one or more retrieved results converted into the first data format from the second document database by comparing the one or more retrieved results converted from the second document database into the first data format with the retrieval request and calculating a correlation rate between the retrieval request described in the first data format and the retrieved results from the first document database by comparing the retrieved results from the first document database in the first data format with the retrieval request and arranging the retrieved results from the first document database and the one or more retrieved results from the second document database converted into the first data format, based on the correlation rate;
• and
• a retrieved result displaying unit displaying data arranged by said retrieved result arranging unit.

An information retrieving apparatus, comprising:

• an inputting unit inputting a keyword described in a first language;
• an expansion unit expanding the keyword described in the first language into expanded results described in the first language based on expansion rules;
• a first converting unit converting the expanded results from the first language into converted results in a second language;
• a retrieving unit retrieving data from a document database which stores documents described in the second language, based on the converted results in the second language;
• a converted results weight assigning unit assigning a weight to the converted results described in the second language based on a part of speech of the keyword described in the first language;
• a second converting unit converting one or more of retrieved results from the document database from the second language into the first language based on the weight assigned to the converted results corresponding to the retrieved results;
• and
• an evaluating unit calculating a correlation rate between the keyword described in the first language and the one or more retrieved results converted into the first language by comparing the one or more retrieved results with the keyword and evaluating the one or more retrieved results based on the correlation rate.

An information retrieving method, comprising:

• inputting key information described in a first data format;
• expanding the key information described in the first data format into expanded results described in the first data format based on expansion rules;
• converting the expanded results from the first data format into a second data format;
• retrieving data from a document database, which stores documents described in the second data format, based on the expanded results converted into a second data format;
• assigning a weight to the converted results based on parts of speech of the key information described in the first data format;
• converting one or more of retrieved results from the second data format into the first data format based on the weight assigned to the converted results corresponding to the retrieved data;
• and
• calculating a correlation rate between the key information described in the first data format and the one or more retrieved results converted into the first data format by comparing the one or more retrieved results with the key information and evaluating the one or more retrieved results based on the correlation rate.

An information retrieving method, comprising:

• retrieving, based on expanded results of an input keyword described in a first data format, data from a document database which stores documents described in a second data format;
• assigning a weight to the expanded results converted into the second data format based on a part of speech of the input keyword described in the first data format;
• converting one or more of retrieved results from the document database from the second data format into the first data format based on the weight assigned to the converted results corresponding to the retrieved results;
• and
• comparing the one or more retrieved results converted into the first data format with the input keyword described in the first data format;
• and
• calculating a correlation rate between the input keyword described in the first data format and the one or more retrieved results converted into the first data format by comparing the one or more retrieved results with the input keyword and determining whether or not the one or more retrieved results are valid based on the correlation rate.

A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions to direct a computer to perform a method for retrieving data from a document database, said method comprising:

• retrieving, based on expanded results of an input keyword described in a first data format, data from the document database which stores documents described in a second data format;
• assigning a weight to the expanded results converted into a second data format based on a part of speech of the input keyword described in the first data format;
• converting one or more of retrieved results from the document database from the second data format into the first data format based on the weight assigned to the converted results corresponding to the retrieved results;
• comparing the one or more retrieved results converted into the first data format with the input keyword described in the first data format;
• and
• calculating a correlation rate between the input keyword described in the first data format and the one or more retrieved results by comparing the one or more retrieved results with the input keyword and evaluating the one or more retrieved results based on the correlation rate.