Computer-readable recording medium storing information search program, information search method, and information search system

Abstract

A computer-readable recording medium storing an information search program capable of retrieving desired information with ease. An index information-producing section produces index information associating a preparation object keyword with file identification information for identifying files in the file information each including, in a usage time zone thereof, a date and time matching a date and time at which the preparation object keyword was entered, based on dates and times at which the keyword in the keyword information stored in a keyword information-storing section was entered, and usage time zones during which files in the file information are used. A retrieval section retrieves the preparation object keyword matching a search object keyword entered by a keyword input operation from the index information, and outputs the file identification information for identifying files associated with the retrieved preparation object keyword.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the concept of the present invention applied to the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a file search system.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the file search system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an entered keyword-detecting section.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of keyword information.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a used file-detecting section.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of file information.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an association determining section.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between preparation object keywords and files.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of index information.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a search screen displayed on a monitor.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the detecting operation of the entered keyword-detecting section.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the detecting operation of the used file-detecting section.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of an association determining section.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the search operation of a file search section.

Claims

1. A computer-readable recording medium storing an information search program for searching for desired files, wherein a computer is caused to function as: keyword detecting means for detecting a keyword entered by a user;keyword information-producing means for producing keyword information associating the keyword detected by said keyword detecting means with dates and times at which the keyword was entered;keyword information-storing means for storing the keyword information produced by said keyword information-producing means;file detecting means for monitoring a situation in which each file is used, and being operable when the file is opened to detect a date and time at which the file is opened and a date and time at which the file is closed;file information-producing means for producing file information associating usage time zones of the dates and times during which the file was used and which were detected by said file detecting means with file identification information for identifying the file;file information-storing means for storing the file information produced by said file information-producing means;index information-producing means for producing index information associating a preparation object keyword with file identification information for identifying files in the file information each including, in the usage time zone thereof, a date and time matching a date and time at which the preparation object keyword was entered, based on the dates and times at which the keyword in the keyword information stored in said keyword information-storing means was entered, and the usage time zones in the file information stored in said file information-storing means;retrieval means for retrieving the preparation object keyword matching a search object keyword entered by a keyword input operation from the index information, and outputting file identification information for identifying files associated with the retrieved preparation object keyword; anddisplay means for displaying the file identification information output from said retrieval means on a screen.

2. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein said keyword detecting means detects the keyword from a character string input to an application in use.

3. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein said file detecting means monitors a situation in which each file displayed on the screen is used.

4. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein said file information-producing means further comprises file-selecting means for selecting files having predetermined extensions from the files, and wherein said file information-producing means produces the file information based on the files selected by said file-selecting means from the files detected by said file detecting means.

5. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein when there exist a plurality of files in respective pieces of the file information, which include a date and time matching the date and time at which the keyword in the keyword information taken out from said keyword information-storing means was entered, said index information-producing means produces the index information by associating each keyword with file identification information including, in the usage time zone thereof, the date and time at which the keyword was entered.

6. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein said index information-producing means produces the index information by adding information of relative time periods with respect to the dates and times at which the keyword was entered, to the file identification information.

7. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 6, wherein said retrieval means comprises time width-designating means for designating a predetermined time width with respect to a date and time at which the keyword detected by said keyword detecting means was entered, by a time width-selecting operation, and wherein when the search object keyword is input, and the predetermined time width is designated by said time width-designating means, said retrieval means refers to the information of the relative time periods in the file identification information of the files associated with the preparation object keyword matching the entered keyword, and outputs file identification information of files in each of which at least part of the relative time period is included within the predetermined time width, as a search result.

8. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein said retrieval means comprises time width-designating means for designating a predetermined time width with respect to a date and time at which the keyword detected by said keyword detecting means was entered, by a time width-selecting operation, and wherein when the search object keyword is input, and the predetermined time width is designated by said time width-designating means, said retrieval means outputs file identification information for identifying files each having a usage time zone at least part of which overlaps the predetermined time width, out of the file identification information of the files associated with the preparation object keyword matching the entered keyword.

9. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein said index information-producing means produces index information by associating the preparation object keyword with respective pieces of file identification information for identifying files in the file information each of which was used during a time period from a predetermined time period before the time at which the preparation object keyword was entered to a predetermined time period after the time point.

10. An information search method for searching for desired files, comprising the steps of: detecting a keyword entered by a user;producing keyword information associating the detected keyword with dates and times at which the keyword was entered;storing the produced keyword information;monitoring a situation in which each file is used, and being operable when the file is opened to detect a date and time at which the file is opened and a date and time at which the file is closed;producing file information associating usage time zones of the detected dates and times during which the file was used with file identification information for identifying the file;storing the produced file information;producing index information associating a preparation object keyword with file identification information for identifying files in the file information each including, in the usage time zone thereof, a date and time matching a date and time at which the preparation object keyword was entered, based on the dates and times at which the keyword in the stored keyword information was entered, and the usage time zones in the stored file information;retrieving the preparation object keyword matching a search object keyword entered by a keyword input operation from the index information, and outputting file identification information for identifying files associated with the retrieved preparation object keyword; anddisplaying the output file identification information on a screen.

11. An information search system for searching for desired files, comprising: keyword detecting means for detecting a keyword entered by a user;keyword information-producing means for producing keyword information associating the keyword detected by said keyword detecting means with dates and times at which the keyword was entered;keyword information-storing means for storing the keyword information produced by said keyword information-producing means;file detecting means for monitoring a situation in which each file is used, and being operable when the file is opened to detect a date and time at which the file is opened and a date and time at which the file is closed;file information-producing means for producing file information associating usage time zones of the dates and times during which the file was used and which were detected by said file detecting means with file identification information for identifying the file;file information-storing means for storing the file information produced by said file information-producing means;index information-producing means for producing index information associating a preparation object keyword with file identification information for identifying files in the file information each including, in the usage time zone thereof, a date and time matching a date and time at which the preparation object keyword was entered, based on the dates and times at which the keyword in the keyword information stored in said keyword information-storing means was entered, and the usage time zones in the file information stored in said file information-storing means;retrieval means for retrieving the preparation object keyword matching a search object keyword entered by a keyword input operation from the index information, and outputting file identification information for identifying files associated with the retrieved preparation object keyword; anddisplay means for displaying the file identification information output from said retrieval means on a screen.