To provide data base retrieval system and method capable of continuously executing respective modes of linear retrieval, two-divided retrieval and definition/return by two or three buttons as long as possible and allowed to be efficiently transited among respective modes in a portable information terminal.
When a certain button is depressed (S2), the sort of the button is judged (S3), and when the button is a mode button, modes are successively switched (S4). When an UP or DOWN button is depressed, linear retrieval is executed in accordance with the depressed button in the case of the linear retrieval mode and a current record is updated (S6). In the case of the two- divided retrieval mode, a set to be retrieved is converged in accordance with the depressed button, the current record is updated (S7) and history is stored (S8). When the UP button is depressed in the definition/return mode, the current record is defined (S10), and in the case of depressing the DOWN button, the set to be retrieved at present is returned to the set to be retrieved which is stored in the preceding operation (S12) when the set to be retrieved is not the whole data base (S11).
SUZUKI TAKEYA
OZAWA HIDEAKI
TONOMURA YOSHINOBU
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