JP7517964B2 - Electronic device, electronic device control method, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to electronic devices having multiple contents.

An electronic dictionary holds multiple contents, and users can execute any of the contents. Although users can know the data within a content that they have accessed in the past, for example, by entry word, they cannot directly know which content has been executed in the past, or the circumstances or history for each piece of content. Hereinafter, shortcuts to content whose display order and appearance are based on the content usage history will be referred to as "history shortcuts".

To date, there are known systems that manage the usage history of content (applications) (Patent Document 2), as well as systems that grasp the relevance of content (applications) based on the history, execution time, and switching time, and change the display position of history shortcuts accordingly (Patent Document 1). However, the history shortcuts are not displayed at the stage when the user has not yet used the content.

JP 2014-164319 A JP 2019-28946 A

One aspect of the present invention aims to realize highly convenient history shortcuts based on content usage history.

In order to solve the above problems, an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention is an electronic device having a plurality of contents, and comprises: a history memory unit that stores history information indicating a history of a user's use of the contents; a history management unit that updates the history information for the content when the user uses the content; and a history display control unit that displays a predetermined number of shortcuts to the contents based on the history information stored in the history memory unit , in order of the contents with the most recent date and time of use , and when the number of contents used by the user is less than the predetermined number, the history display control unit adds shortcuts to the contents not used by the user to the shortcuts to the contents used by the user, and displays the predetermined number of shortcuts.

In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a control method for an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a control method for an electronic device having a plurality of contents, the electronic device having a history memory unit that stores history information indicating a history of a user's use of the content, and includes a history update step of updating the history information for the content when the user uses the content, and a history display step of displaying a predetermined number of shortcuts to the content based on the history information stored in the history memory unit in order of the content with the most recent date and time of use , and when the number of contents used by the user is less than the predetermined number, the history display step adds shortcuts to the content not used by the user to the shortcuts to the content used by the user, and displays the predetermined number of shortcuts.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize highly convenient history shortcuts based on the content usage history.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a main part of an electronic device according to an aspect of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an external appearance of an electronic device. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a content database. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a content usage history. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a history display screen. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a history control process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of a change in the content usage history in a case where a content not registered in the history is newly registered in a case where a content in the oldest display history is registered in a favorites. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of a changed history display screen in a case where a content not registered in the history is newly registered in a case where the content in the oldest display history is registered in favorites.

[Embodiment 1]
[Overview of Electronic Device 1]
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The electronic device 1 according to this embodiment has multiple contents and can activate them. Content is an integrated combination of data and its display means, but the display means may be included in the content, or may be linked to an external application. Specific examples of terminals include, but are not limited to, electronic dictionaries, smartphones, tablet terminals, feature phones, and personal computers.

For example, when the electronic device 1 receives information (input information, e.g., a character string) input by a user, the electronic device 1 may search for data corresponding to the information from among a plurality of content data stored therein and display the data. In this case, content data may be, for example, dictionary data, text data, document data, image data, schedule data, etc., but is not limited to these examples. For example, the electronic device 1 may be able to launch an application for viewing document data or text data (e.g., an e-book) and search for a character string in the data being viewed. In other words, the electronic device 1 may function as a search terminal for general-purpose content. The electronic device 1 may also have content for purposes other than viewing data. For example, the electronic device 1 may have a game application as content and be able to execute the game application.

[Configuration of main parts of electronic device 1]
Hereinafter, the main configuration of an electronic dictionary, which is an example of the electronic device 1, will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic device 1. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the external appearance of the electronic device 1. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the electronic device 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 20, an operation unit 30, and a display unit 40.

The operation unit 30 is a physical key that accepts operations on the electronic device 1, and includes, for example, character keys 31, a decision key 32, and a cursor key 33. The operation unit 30 accepts operations from a user and outputs a signal corresponding to the operation to the operation identification unit 11.

The display unit 40 is a display that displays various information according to the control of the control unit 10. For example, the display unit 40 displays a search screen, an entry word screen, and an item screen. The display unit 40 may be realized by any device that can display information, and specific examples include a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, and a plasma display. The display unit 40 may also include a touch panel that accepts operations on the electronic device 1 by contact with or approach to the display unit 40. The above input may be the pressing of a button provided on the electronic device 1, or may utilize a handwritten character recognition function, or may utilize a voice recognition function, or an image recognition function such as a photograph or a gesture. The output is not limited to the display of characters or images, and may also be an audio output, etc.

The control unit 10 executes various processes in the electronic device 1, and includes an operation identification unit 11, a favorites control unit 12, a history management unit 13, and a history display control unit 14.

The operation identification unit 11 identifies the operation performed by the user on the operation unit 30.

When the operation identification unit 11 accepts an update to the favorites information, the favorites control unit 12 reflects the update information in the favorites storage unit 21. The favorites control unit 12 may also create or manage shortcuts to content registered in favorites based on the information received from the favorites storage unit 21.

The history management unit 13 manages the history information of content.

When the history display control unit 14 receives history information from the history management unit, it displays history shortcuts (shortcuts to content whose display order and appearance are based on the content's history information) on the display unit 40 based on the history information.

The storage unit 20 stores information and is composed of non-volatile devices such as flash memory and ROM (Read Only Memory) and volatile devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory). Contents stored in the non-volatile devices include various programs, various operation setting values, and various data. Contents stored in the volatile devices include working files and temporary files. The storage unit 20 includes a favorites storage unit 21, a history storage unit 22, and content image data 23.

The favorites storage unit 21 stores information about which content items are registered as favorites, but may also store, for example, the order in which the content items are registered as favorites or the order in which they are registered.

The history storage unit 22 stores history information (information on which content the user has used). Here, use refers to, but is not limited to, the display of data within the content on the display unit 40 via user operation. For example, it may also include the system referencing data within the content without user operation. In this embodiment, use includes the user accessing data within the content by operating the search window 44, or accessing data within the content by operating a button such as the shortcut button group 45 or the history shortcut group 46.

The content image data 23 is data of an image displayed on the display unit 40. The content image data 23 is linked to each piece of content, and may be, for example, an image that imitates the cover of a dictionary that is the source of each piece of content. The image is used, for example, as a button area that can be pressed on the display unit 40 as an icon indicating a history shortcut.

[Content database structure]
FIG. 3 is a data configuration diagram showing an example of a content database that diagrammatically represents the contents and related data stored in the storage unit 20. As shown in FIG.

The content database may, for example, have the following items: content title, content image, favorites, and number of accesses.

The content title field stores a character string that identifies the content, for example, the name of a dictionary that is the source of the content. Note that in this embodiment, for ease of explanation, the content is identified using the content title, but the content database may also have a content ID field. The content ID is a unique value for identifying the content, and the control unit 10 may identify the content using the content ID.

The content image item stores content image data 23 corresponding to each content.

The favorites storage item stores whether or not any content is registered as a favorite. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the item is the favorites storage unit 21, but it may also be stored separately from the content database as a list of content registered as favorites (favorites list). In this embodiment, the content "F Japanese Dictionary" is registered as a favorite.

The number of times a user has used a piece of content is stored in the "number of accesses" field. In this embodiment, it is assumed that "G World History Encyclopedia" has not yet been accessed.

Figure 4 shows the data structure of a history list (history information). The history list is a database for recording the order in which a user used content. The history list is stored in the storage unit 20 as the history storage unit 22.

The history list, for example, has the items of rank and content. Note that in this embodiment, the history list is a list separate from the content database, but the last access date and time may be recorded in the content database, and the rank and content may be managed in the order of the recorded date and time.

The order item stores the order in which the user used the content. When a user uses content, the most recent date and time of use is stored at the top, i.e., with a smaller number in the order. The same content will not be registered twice in different orders in the history list.

In the content item, information that identifies the content is stored. In this embodiment, for ease of explanation, the content is identified using the content title, but as described above, the information that identifies the content may be a content ID, which is a unique value for identifying the content.

The number of contents that can be stored in the history list may be the number of history shortcuts that are displayed, may be more than the number of history shortcuts that are displayed, or may be equal to or greater than the total number of contents stored in the storage unit 20. If the number is equal to or greater than the total number of contents stored in the storage unit 20, it can accommodate, for example, cases in which content is added later. Also, the number of contents that can be stored in the history list may be increased or decreased according to the number of contents that are added or removed.

Of the contents stored in the history list, those in a predetermined range of rankings may be displayed on the display unit 40, which will be referred to as the display ranking hereinafter. In this embodiment, the display rankings are 1 to 6.

[Display screen example]
5 is an example of a history display screen displayed by the electronic device 1. FIG. 5 is a home screen displayed on the display unit 40, and the control unit 10 displays, for example, a search window 44, a group of shortcut buttons 45 to contents, and a group of history shortcuts 46. The user can access the contents by searching using the search window 44, pressing the group of shortcut buttons 45 to contents, or pressing a shortcut displayed in 46. The control unit 10 may display other information on the display unit 40, for example, information B indicating the remaining battery level of the electronic device 1, and a toolbar C displaying various tools usable in the electronic device 1. From the viewpoint of convenience, it is preferable that these screens are displayed so as not to be covered by the search screen, the entry word screen, the item screen, etc.

In this embodiment, up to six history shortcuts, i1 to i6, are displayed. The display order corresponds to the ranking of each content on the history list, and in this embodiment, the left is the higher order and the right is the lower order. The display image is an image of each content read from the content image data 23. The history shortcuts may function as shortcut buttons to each content, and if the display unit 40 is a touch panel integrated with the operation unit 30, for example, the corresponding content may be viewed by pressing an area of the image. Note that if the number of contents that can be stored in the history list exceeds the number of contents that can be displayed, history shortcuts that are not currently displayed may be displayed by using a screen transition or scroll button (not shown).

The control unit 10 may display some kind of graphic or text near or superimposed on each history shortcut to indicate that the content is registered as a favorite. In this embodiment, a star-shaped favorite icon i16 is displayed superimposed on the upper right of the history shortcut i6 to indicate that "F Japanese Dictionary" is registered as a favorite.

[Process flow for registering history in the initial state]
If the number of contents used by the user is less than the upper limit of the number of history shortcuts that can be displayed, the history management unit 13 adds shortcuts to a predetermined number of contents not used by the user to the history information, writes them into the history information, and displays a group of history shortcuts based on this history information. For example, the history storage unit 22 may have one or more contents registered in the history information in an initial state in which the user has not performed any operation, or in a factory-shipped state. When the history display control unit 14 first displays the history in the initial state, the factory-shipped state, or a state in which the user has performed an operation to return the electronic device to the initial state, the number of contents used by the user is zero, so the history display control unit 14 sets a previously prepared initial display content in the history information, and displays shortcuts to the initial display content as a group of history shortcuts based on the set initial display content. Similarly, if only contents less than the upper limit of the number of history shortcuts that can be displayed are registered in the history information, the history display control unit 14 adds and displays shortcuts to the initial display content so as to reach the upper limit, together with the shortcuts to the registered number of contents.

The initially displayed content is preferably selected, for example, according to the attributes of the user to whom the electronic dictionary is sold. This is because it is more convenient for users to be able to access content corresponding to each user's attributes from a history shortcut, as it saves them the trouble of searching for content corresponding to their own attributes. For example, it is desirable that content such as dictionaries that follow the curriculum for junior high school students be registered in the history information for an electronic dictionary sold to junior high school students, content such as dictionaries and university entrance exam reference books for high school students be registered in the history information for an electronic dictionary sold to high school students, and content such as more specialized dictionaries for university students be registered in the history information for an electronic dictionary sold to university students. This allows users to easily access recommended content that matches their attributes even before they have performed any operations.

[History replacement process flow]
The conventional techniques shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 mechanically grasp the relationship based on the usage status and the execution time of two applications, and change the display arrangement accordingly, so that the history shortcuts are frequently changed simply because the user uses the application, and the user cannot keep the intended history shortcut in the intended display position, resulting in low user convenience. Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, the following process is performed to make it difficult for the content intended by the user, that is, the content registered as favorite in this case, to fall out of the displayed history, improving user convenience.

Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the process flow when content on the history list is updated.

(Step S101)
In step S101, the operation identifying unit 11 accepts an operation by a user.

(Step S102)
In step S102, the operation identification unit 11 determines whether or not the user has used the content. If the user has used the content (YES), the process proceeds to step S111. If the user has not used the content (NO), the process returns to step S101.

(Step S111)
In step S111, the history management unit 13 determines whether the content used by the user is in the display order displayed on the display unit 40. If the content is in the display order (YES), the process proceeds to step S112. If the content is not in the display order (NO), the process proceeds to step S121.

(Step S112)
In step S112, the history management unit 13 moves the contents higher than the display order one by one to a lower order in the history list and registers them in the history storage unit 22. Note that when a process of moving down a order occurs, if the content cannot be stored in the new order, the content is deleted from the history list. The same applies to the following moving down processes.

(Step S121)
In step S121, the history management unit 13 judges whether or not there is any content in the display order that is not registered in the favorites. If there is any content in the display order that is not registered in the favorites (YES), the process proceeds to step S122. If there is no content in the display order that is not registered in the favorites (NO), the process proceeds to step S131.

(Step S122)
In step S122, the history management unit 13 identifies the lowest-ranked content in the display order among the contents not registered in the favorites as a content that can be moved down in the display order.

At this time, the history management unit 13 may specify a piece of content that is lowest in the display order under a predetermined condition as a piece of content that can be moved down in the display order, even if the content is registered in the favorites.
For example, the history management unit 13 may store the number of times that a piece of content registered in a favorite has been in the oldest display order, and if the piece of content remains in the oldest display order a predetermined number of times, the piece of content may be considered as content that can be moved down in the display order.

(Step S123)
In step S123, the history management unit 13 moves down the contents ranked higher than the content identified in step 122 one by one and registers them in the history list. At this time, the contents whose ranks were not changed in S122 are moved down so as to skip them. For example, if ranks 4 to 6 did not change in step S122, the content ranked 3 is moved down to rank 7.

(Step S131)
In step S131, the history management section 13 moves all the contents one by one down to the lower level in the history list and registers them.

(Step S141)
In step S141, the history management unit 13 registers the content used by the user in the latest display order in the history list.

Figure 7 is a data structure diagram showing the state of the history list when the user uses the content "G World History Encyclopedia" from the state shown in Figures 3 to 5. In the following explanation, the display order is 1 to 6 from the top, with 1 being the most recent display order and 6 being the oldest display order.

Because the G World History Dictionary is not in the display order 1 to 6 (NO in step S111), the history management unit 13 judges whether there is anything in the display order that is not registered in the favorites (step S121). Because there is something in the display order that is not registered in the favorites (YES in step S121), the history management unit 13 identifies the lowest-ranked content, i.e., the E Japanese Dictionary, which is in 5th place (step 122), and leaves the F Japanese Dictionary, which is registered in the favorites, at 6, while moving the other contents, i.e., the contents registered in the orders 1 to 4, down one by one (step S123). The history management unit 13 newly registers the G World History Dictionary in the latest display order, i.e., at order 1 (step S141). The E Japanese Dictionary may be moved down one place below the F Japanese Dictionary, whose order does not change. In addition to this process, the history management unit 13 also adds one to the "number of accesses" in the G World History Dictionary entry in the content database.

Figure 8 is a screen diagram showing the display unit 40 when the user uses the content "G World History Dictionary" from the state shown in Figures 3 to 5. The content image showing the history shortcut for the F Japanese Dictionary is displayed in i6, still at rank 6. In this way, by making it difficult for the history shortcut for content registered in favorites to be hidden, the user can more easily access the content he or she intends, improving user convenience.

The electronic device 1 is an electronic device having a plurality of contents, and includes a favorites storage unit 21 that stores favorites information indicating the contents previously selected by the user, a history storage unit 22 that stores history information indicating a history of the user's use of the contents, a history management unit 13 that updates the history information for the contents when the user uses the contents, and a history display control unit 14 that displays shortcuts to the contents based on the history information stored in the history storage unit 22, and the history display control unit 14 may be configured to display shortcuts to the contents included in the favorites information in preference to shortcuts to the contents not included in the favorites information.

[Favorites display flow]
When displaying a history shortcut, the history display control unit 14 displays an icon for indicating whether or not the content is also registered in the favorites, superimposed on or near the history shortcut. In Fig. 5 and Fig. 8, since "F Japanese Dictionary" is registered in the favorites, the history display control unit 14 displays an icon i16 for indicating whether or not the content is also registered in the favorites, superimposed on the upper right of the image i6 representing the F Japanese Dictionary.

〔Add to Favourites〕
Usually, content is registered in the favorites list by a user operation, but the favorites control unit 12 may add content to the favorites list based on history information.
The favorites control unit 12 may refer to the "access count" item (FIG. 3) in the content database in the storage unit 20, and when the number of times the user has used a content exceeds a reference number, register the content in the favorites storage unit 21. This allows the user to more easily access the content that he or she frequently accesses, improving user convenience. Note that favorite registration by the favorites control unit 12 does not prohibit favorite registration by the above-mentioned user operation.

[Software implementation example]
The control block (particularly the control unit 10) of the electronic device 1 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the electronic device 1 includes a computer that executes the instructions of a program, which is software that realizes each function. This computer includes, for example, at least one processor (control device) and at least one computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. The object of the present invention is achieved by having the processor read the program from the recording medium and execute it in the computer. The processor can be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The recording medium can be a "non-transient tangible medium," such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, programmable logic circuit, etc. The electronic device may also include a RAM (Random Access Memory) that expands the program. The program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or broadcast waves) that can transmit the program. One aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

〔summary〕
The electronic device 1 of aspect 1 of the present invention is an electronic device having a plurality of contents, and comprises a history memory unit 22 that stores history information indicating a history of a user's use of the contents, a history management unit 13 that updates the history information for the content when the user uses the content, and a history display control unit 14 that displays a predetermined number of shortcuts to the contents based on the history information stored in the history memory unit 22, and when the number of contents used by the user is less than the predetermined number, the history display control unit 14 adds shortcuts to the contents not used by the user to the shortcuts to the contents used by the user, and displays the predetermined number of shortcuts.

The above configuration provides easy access to content even before the user has performed any operations.

The electronic device 1 according to aspect 2 of the present invention is the same as in aspect 1, but includes a favorites storage unit 21 that stores favorites information indicating the content previously selected by the user, and the history display control unit 14 displays shortcuts to the content included in the favorites information in preference to shortcuts to the content not included in the favorites information.

The above configuration makes it difficult for history shortcuts to content registered in favorites to be hidden, making it easier for users to access the content they want, improving user convenience.

In the electronic device 1 according to aspect 3 of the present invention, in the electronic device 1 according to aspect 2, the history display control unit 14 displays shortcuts to the content included in the favorites information and shortcuts to the content not included in the favorites information in different ways.

The above configuration allows users to easily find out which content has been registered as a favorite from the history.

The control method for an electronic device according to aspect 4 of the present invention is a control method for an electronic device having a plurality of contents, the electronic device having a history storage unit that stores history information indicating a history of a user's use of the contents, and includes a history update step of updating the history information for the content when the user uses the content, and a history display step of displaying a predetermined number of shortcuts to the content based on the history information stored in the history storage unit, and when the number of contents used by the user is less than the predetermined number, the history display step displays the predetermined number of shortcuts by adding shortcuts to the content not used by the user to the shortcuts to the content used by the user.

The above configuration provides easy access to content even before the user has performed any operations.

The electronic device 1 according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the control program for the electronic device 1 that causes the computer to operate as each unit (software element) of the electronic device 1 to realize the electronic device 1 on the computer, and the computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded, also fall within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The technical scope of the present invention also includes embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in the respective embodiments.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Electronic device 10 Control unit 11 Operation identification unit 12 Favorite control unit 13 History management unit 14 History display control unit 20 Storage unit 21 Favorite storage unit 22 History storage unit 23 Content image data 30 Operation unit 31 Character keys 32 Confirmation key 33 Cursor keys 40 Display unit 44 Search window 45 Shortcut button group 46 History shortcut group

Claims (6)

An electronic device having a plurality of contents,
a history storage unit for storing history information indicating a history of a user's use of the content;
a history management unit that updates the history information about the content when the content is used by a user;
a history display control unit that displays a predetermined number of shortcuts to the content in order of most recently used content based on the history information stored in the history storage unit;
Equipped with
when the number of the contents used by the user is less than the predetermined number, the history display control unit adds shortcuts to the contents not used by the user to the shortcuts to the contents used by the user, and displays the predetermined number of shortcuts.
Electronics. a favorites storage unit for storing favorites information indicating the content previously selected by a user;
Equipped with
the history display control unit displays a shortcut to the content included in the favorites information in preference to a shortcut to the content not included in the favorites information.
2. The electronic device according to claim 1. the history display control unit displays the shortcut to the content included in the favorites information and the shortcut to the content not included in the favorites information in different manners.
3. The electronic device according to claim 2. A method for controlling an electronic device having a plurality of contents, comprising:
the electronic device includes a history storage unit for storing history information indicating a history of a user's use of the content;
a history update step of updating the history information about the content when the content is used by a user;
a history display step of displaying a predetermined number of shortcuts to the content in order of most recently used content based on the history information stored in the history storage unit,
and when the number of the contents used by the user is less than the predetermined number, the history display step displays the predetermined number of shortcuts by adding shortcuts to the contents not used by the user to shortcuts to the contents used by the user.
A method for controlling electronic devices. A program for causing a computer to function as the electronic device according to claim 1, the program causing the computer to function as the history management unit and the history display control unit. A computer-readable recording medium having the program according to claim 5 recorded thereon.

Images