System for information storage and retrieval

Abstract

Abstract @ A system for storing a large amount of heterogeneous information in proper arrangement for facilitating utilization thereof by user, while allowing semantical retrieval to be realized even from vague fragmental information. The system can find application in document filing system for storing and managing documents, intelligent card management systems for storing and managing cards such as memorandum cards, or personal data base required for handling heterogeneous information. A method of expressing the facts constituting information in terms of «concepts» representing things and «relations» defined between the concepts internally of computer, and a method of inputting user's information to computer through dialogical procedure and retrieving desired information. Information stored internally of the computer architects internally a concept network. A part of the concept network is displayed in various forms such as hierarchical form based on subsumption relations between the concepts, hierarchical representation based on part-whole relation between the concept, a frame display of a single concept, and tabular representation of a set of concepts belonging to a given class. A method of browsing internally of the network by referring to the contents of the display. The user can thus easily know what kind of information has been stored internally of the computer, whereby he or she can perform inputting of new information and retrieval of desired information in facilitated and simplified manner. The relations stored internally of the computer are classified into «generic relationship. and «instance relation» representing individual facts, whereby generic framework of facts can be stored. The framework can be applied to concrete concepts through inheritance mechanism. The generic framework is displayed upon interaction with the user for allowing new information to be inputted and desired information to be retrieved in a facilitated and simplified manner. Retrieval by using semantic retrieval formula created internally through dialogical procedure is realized through inferring processing.

Inventors

• 👤 Hiromichi Fujisawa
• 👤 Jun'ichi Higashino
• 👤 Atushi Hatakeyama

Bibliographic Details