Information search apparatus and system

An information search apparatus, comprising:

• an acquisition unit configured to acquire one or more strokes, each of the strokes being represented by a set of positional coordinates of a part of a coordinate input device touched by handwriting input device after the handwriting input device comes into touch with the coordinate input device before the handwriting input device releases the coordinate input device;
• a generation unit configured to generate one or more first character strings according to shapes of the strokes and combinations of the shapes, and to generate a recognition candidate character string comprising the first character strings;
• a selection unit configured to select, as search keys, the recognition candidate character string and at least one of additional character strings corresponding to the recognition candidate character string from a table in which a plurality of recognition candidate character strings, the additional character strings, and values are stored in association with one another, the additional character strings each indicating a string based on shapes of the strokes identical to strokes of the recognition candidate character string and combinations of the shapes, the values each indicating a probability that the recognition candidate character string is misrecognized as one of the additional character strings, the additional character strings being selected in descending order of the values;
• a search unit configured to search, for second character strings comprising the search keys, a database comprising one or more third character strings indicative of reading, and to obtain one or more result character strings indicating search results of each of the search keys;
• and
• a display configured to display the one or more result character strings, corresponding to each of the search keys distinctively, with respect to each search key.

An information search system, comprising:

• a remote control unit configured to acquire a coordinate information items indicating one or more strokes, the strokes represented by a set of positional coordinates of a part of a coordinate input device touched by handwriting input device after the handwriting input device comes into touch with the coordinate input device before the handwriting input device releases the coordinate input device, and configured to transmit the coordinate information item;
• a receiving unit configured to receive the coordinate information items from the remote control unit;
• an acquisition unit configured to acquire the strokes;
• a generation unit configured to generate, as one or more recognition candidate character strings, one or more first character strings according to shapes of the strokes and combinations of the shapes;
• a selection unit configured to calculate reliability values for the recognition candidate character strings and to select a plurality of search keys the one or more recognition candidate character strings in descending order of the reliability values, the reliability values indicating reliabilities of the recognition candidate character strings to a user's intended character string;
• a search unit configured to search, for second character strings comprising the search keys, a database comprising one or more third character strings indicative of reading, and to obtain one or more result character strings indicating search results of each of the search keys;
• and
• a display configured to display the one or more result character strings, corresponding to each of the search keys distinctively, with respect to each search key.