Interactive search and retrieval methods using automatic information displays

Throughout the world, the design and operation of large-scale information systems has become of concern to an ever-increasing segment of the scientific and professional population. Furthermore, as the amount and complexity of the available information has continued to grow, the use of mechanized or partly mechanized procedures for various information storage and retrieval tasks has also become more widespread. While a number of retrieval systems are already in operation in which the search operations needed to compare the incoming information requests with the stored items are performed automatically, no systematic study has ever been made of the use of man-machine interaction as a part of a mechanized text analysis and information processing system. Specifically, the recent development of high capacity random-access storage mechanisms and conversational input-output consoles should permit a rapid interchange of information between users and system. Such an interchange can then be used to produce improved search formulations, resulting in a more effective retrieval service.