Information retrieval system with a search assist server

Claim 2

An information retrieval system comprising: an information network; a plurality of information servers connected to said information network; an information retrieval terminal connected to said information network; and a search assisting server connected to said information network, wherein said search assisting server has list data of a list of identifiers to access information pages stored in each of said information server connected to said information network, said information retrieval terminal has list display means for displaying a list of items showing each of said information pages, designating means for designating a desired item from said list of the items, and transmitting means for transmitting said item designated by said designating means to said search assisting server, said search assisting server has search means for searching said identifier corresponding to said item transmitted from said information retrieval terminal from said list data and transmitting means for transmitting said identifier searched for by said search means to said information retrieval terminal, and said information retrieval terminal accesses said information page corresponding to said requested item by using said identifier transmitted from said search assisting server.

Claim 3

A system according to claim 2, wherein said information retrieval terminal includes a navigation apparatus for detecting a present location of a vehicle and displaying a map of a predetermined area, and said designating means designates a facility existing in the map display of said predetermined area as said item.

Claim 4

A system according to claim 1, wherein said information network is the Internet and said identifier is a URL.

Claim 5

A system according to claim 2, wherein said information network is the Internet and said identifier is a URL.

Claim 6

A system according to claim 2, wherein said information retrieval terminal includes means for displaying a menu for facility search, and said list display means displays a list of items showing each of said information pages in accordance with a predetermined operation from said menu for facility search.

Claim 7

A system according to claim 1, wherein said list data comprises: first list data in which each of a name of a facility existing on a map, pronunciation of said facility, a telephone number of said facility, a first identifier to access an information page of said facility, and a facility content of said facility has been constructed for each said facility; and second list data in which a second identifier to access to an information page representing said facility content has been constructed for each said facility content, said requested item being at least one of the name of said facility, the pronunciation of said facility, and the telephone number of said facility, when the same item as said requested item designated by said information retrieval terminal exists in said first list data, said first identifier corresponding to said desired item is searched from said first list data and said information network is accessed by said first identifier, thereby obtaining said information page corresponding to said requested item, and when the same item as said requested item designated by said information retrieval terminal does not exist in said first list data, said facility content corresponding to said requested item is searched from said first list data, and said second identifier corresponding to said searched facility content is searched from said second list data and displayed as an image.

Claim 8

A system according to claim 7, wherein said second list data includes a third identifier to access a facility list page in which a list of facilities having the same facility content as said facility content is shown, and when the same item as said requested item designated by said information retrieval terminal does not exist in said first list data, said facility content corresponding to said requested item is searched from said first list data, and each of said second and third identifiers corresponding to said searched facility content is searched from said second list data and displayed as an image.

Claim 9

A system according to claim 1, wherein said list data comprises: first list data in which each of a first identifier to access an information page of the facility existing on a map and a facility content of said facility has been constructed for each said facility; and second list data in which a second identifier to access an information page representing said facility content has been constructed for each said facility content, said search assisting server searches for each of said first identifier corresponding to said requested item and said facility content information from said first list data and searches for said second identifier corresponding to said searched facility content information from said second list data, and said information retrieval terminal accesses said information network by said first identifier searched for by said search assisting server and displays an image of said second identifier searched for by said search assisting server.

Claim 10

A system according to claim 9, wherein said second list data includes a third identifier to access a facility list page in which a list of facilities having the same facility content as said facility content is shown, said information retrieval terminal searches for each of said second and third identifiers corresponding to said facility content information retrieved from said first list data from said second list data, and said search assisting server accesses said information network by said first identifier searched for by said search assisting server and displays an image of each of said second and third identifiers searched by said search assisting server.