Presearch type document search method and apparatus

Abstract

A method for making document information searches. In performing a document search with respect to the desired key word, two stages of presearch are carried out. In a first stage of presearch, a character component table in which an existence of character codes for every document is stated with respect to all the character codes contained in the group of document text data of stored documents is generated, and the character component table is searched for all the character strings constituting a desiredly designated search subject key word to thereby extract all the documents each containing all the character codes constituting the search subject key word. In a second stage of presearch, contracted text data for every document in which adjuncts and duplication of repeatedly stated words contained in advance in the text data are eliminated is generated, and the documents each containing the search subject key words by word are extracted from the documents extracted by the first presearch. After the second stage of presearch, text search is performed in accordance with a neighbor condition, a contextual condition, or the like.