Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Hiroshi Ikeuchi

Ikuo Keshi

Kenichi Kuromusha

A retrieval apparatus is capable of simultaneously executing keyword retrieval and semantic retrieval of information. The retrieval apparatus includes an input for inputting a request-text for retrieval, a word dictionary for storing words together with corresponding word vectors in n-vector space, a database containing a plurality of data including at least a word, word extracting structure for extracting a word in the request-text by using the word dictionary, vector generating structure for generating a request-text vector from the request-text by using the word dictionary and the word extracting structure, vector retrieving structure for determining semantic similarity of each data vector to the request-text vector, keyword retrieving structure for searching data containing a word corresponding to that in the request-text by using the word extracting structure and extended retrieving structure for retrieving data adapted to the request-text on the basis of the semantic similarity of the data vector to the request-text vector and the number of the words commonly included in the data and the request-text.

Retrieval apparatus

The present invention is intended to provide an on-demand interface device which is capable of retrieving a function corresponding in meaning to an inputted request sentence and easily executing the retrieved function. The on-demand interface device comprises a function-description database containing function-descriptive sentences for respective functional items and action scripts for realizing respective functions, retrieving means for retrieving a functional item corresponding to a requesting sentence inputted through an input means, script executing means for realizing the retrieved function by executing a corresponding script. The retrieving means can conduct the retrieval of keywords as well as the retrieval of a requesting function by determining an inner product of two sentence vectors, i.e., of a request and each of function-descriptions for respective functional items.

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Tenri, Japan

Hiroshi Ikeuchi