JP7600790B2 - Information processing device, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program.

In recent years, electronic dictionaries equipped with dictionary content have come into widespread use. In the dictionary content, explanatory information such as the meaning of each of a number of words that are used as headwords is registered in association with each of them. The electronic dictionary searches the dictionary content for headwords that match a search term, such as a word, entered by a user, and displays the explanatory information corresponding to the headword.

Some electronic dictionaries also have the function of connecting to other information processing devices via communication and searching for words, etc. received from the other information processing devices (for example, Patent Document 1). The other information processing device can transmit data on words, etc. to be searched for to the electronic dictionary by specifying a range of words, etc. on a screen that displays text. The electronic dictionary searches for words, etc. to be searched for received from the other information processing device, and displays explanatory information as the search results.

JP 2015-133147 A

The electronic dictionary described in Patent Document 1 can connect to other information processing devices via communication and search dictionary content based on words, etc. received from the other information processing devices. However, since words, etc. must be specified manually in the other information processing devices, there is a need to reduce the operational burden on the user.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can search dictionary content for words, etc., contained in text displayed on another information processing device while reducing the operational burden on the user.

In order to solve the above problems, the information processing device of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises an extraction means for extracting words that meet predetermined conditions from a range of specified text data that is displayed on another device, and a display control means for displaying information corresponding to the search term on a specified display unit by searching specified dictionary content using the word extracted by the extraction means as a search term, and for displaying the text data displayed on the other device so that the display mode of the word extracted by the extraction means is different from the display mode of other words .
In addition, the information processing method of the present invention is an information processing method executed by an information processing device, and is characterized in that it includes an extraction process for extracting words that meet predetermined conditions from a range of specified text data that is displayed on another device , and a display control process for displaying information corresponding to the search term on a specified display unit by searching specified dictionary content using the word extracted by the extraction process as a search term, and displaying the text data displayed on the other device so that the display mode of the word extracted by the extraction process is different from the display mode of other words .
In addition, the program of the present invention is characterized in that it causes a computer to function as an extraction means for extracting words that meet predetermined conditions from a range of specified text data that is being displayed on another device, a display control means for displaying information corresponding to the search term on a specified display unit by searching specified dictionary content using the word extracted by the extraction means as a search term, and a display control means for displaying the text data being displayed on the other device so that the display mode of the word extracted by the extraction means is different from the display mode of other words .

According to the present invention, it is possible to search dictionary content for words, etc., contained in text displayed on another information processing device, with reduced operational burden on the user.

1 is a diagram showing a system configuration using an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the external configuration of an electronic dictionary according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic circuit of the smartphone according to the embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing a linking process of an electronic dictionary and a browsing process of a smartphone in the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing a search target word selection process executed in the electronic dictionary in the first embodiment. 4 is a diagram showing an example of text data transmitted to the electronic dictionary in the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of words (entry words) corresponding to search condition data. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing examples of displays on the touch panel display units of a smartphone and an electronic dictionary. 13 is a flowchart showing a linking process of an electronic dictionary and a browsing process of a smartphone in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a text screen displayed on a touch panel display unit of a smartphone.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration using an information processing device according to an embodiment (first embodiment, second embodiment) of the present invention. Fig. 1 shows an example of a system configuration in which a first information processing device 10 and a second information processing device 20 are connected via wireless communication.

Figure 1 shows a functional block diagram illustrating the electronic circuit configuration of the first information processing device 10 and the external configuration of the second information processing device 20.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the first information processing device 10 is configured as, for example, an electronic dictionary (hereinafter, electronic dictionary 10), and the second information processing device 20 is configured as, for example, a smartphone (hereinafter, smartphone 20). The first information processing device 10 can be realized by various electronic devices such as an electronic dictionary 10, a personal computer, a smartphone, a tablet PC, a game device, etc. The second information processing device 20 can be realized by various electronic devices such as a smartphone 20, a personal computer, an electronic dictionary, a tablet PC, a game device, etc.

In the electronic dictionary 10, multiple types of dictionary content are recorded as dictionary data. In the dictionary content, at least one piece of information on the meaning of a word, a single kanji character, a phrase, etc. is registered in association with each of multiple words that are to be used as entry words.

The dictionary content is not limited to dictionaries related to languages such as Japanese and English, but also includes content such as dictionaries in various fields. Examples of dictionaries in various fields include encyclopedias, historical dictionaries, medical dictionaries, and dictionaries related to various hobbies.

The electronic dictionary 10 has the configuration of a computer that reads programs recorded on various recording media or transmitted programs and whose operation is controlled by the programs that have been read, and its electronic circuitry is equipped with a CPU (central processing unit) 11.

The CPU 11 functions as a control unit that controls the entire electronic dictionary 10. The CPU 11 controls the operation of each part of the circuit according to a control program that is prestored in the memory 12, or a control program that is read into the memory 12 from a recording medium 13 such as a ROM card via the recording medium reading unit 14, or a control program that is downloaded from an external device (such as a server) and read into the memory 12 via a network (not shown) such as the Internet.

The control program stored in the memory 12 is started in response to an input signal from the key input unit 16 in response to a user operation, an input signal from the touch panel display unit 17 in response to a user operation, or a connection communication signal with an external recording medium 13 such as an EEPROM (registered trademark), RAM, or ROM connected via the recording medium reading unit 14.

The CPU 11 is connected to a memory 12, a recording medium reading unit 14, a communication unit 15, a key input unit 16, a touch panel display unit 17, etc.

The control programs stored in the memory 12 include a dictionary control program 12a that manages the overall operation of the electronic dictionary 10, a linkage processing program 12b for linkage processing that controls operations linked to other information processing devices (such as a smartphone 20) when data communication with the other information processing devices is possible, and a communication program for data communication with the other information processing devices.

In the first embodiment, the electronic dictionary 10 executes the dictionary control program 12a and the link processing program 12b to receive text data to be displayed on the smartphone 20 via communication, identify words that match preset search condition data from this text data, search the dictionary contents for these words as search terms, and display explanatory information and the like as search results on the touch panel display unit 17.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the electronic dictionary 10 executes a search on the dictionary content in the same manner as in the first embodiment, transmits the search results obtained by this search to the smartphone 20, and causes the smartphone 20 to display explanatory information and the like that is the search result.

Memory 12 stores dictionary data 12c, search condition data 12d (dictionary search history data 12d1), etc.

The dictionary data 12c includes a database that collects dictionary content such as multiple dictionaries, such as an English-Japanese dictionary, a Japanese-English dictionary, an English-English dictionary, an English-Chinese dictionary, and a Japanese dictionary, as well as multiple types of encyclopedias. The dictionary data 12c includes semantic information that explains the meaning (semantics) corresponding to each headword for each dictionary. Each headword may also be accompanied by attribute information data. The attribute information data may include, for example, importance, difficulty, and field.

The dictionary data 12c may not be built into the electronic dictionary 10 itself, but may be stored in an external device (such as a server) that can be accessed via a network.

The search condition data 12d is data indicating conditions for selecting words, etc. to be searched for in the dictionary content from the text data received from the smartphone 20. The electronic dictionary 10 does not require the user to specify the words to be searched for by a user operation on the smartphone 20, but automatically selects words that meet preset search conditions from the text data as search targets without the need for user operation. In other words, the search condition data is data for predicting and selecting words that a user viewing text on the smartphone 20 wants to look up using the dictionary content.

The search condition data 12d is set under the control of the link processing program 12b, based on, for example, dictionary search history data 12d1 for dictionary content in the electronic dictionary 10, attribute information data previously assigned to the headwords of the dictionary content, and other information.

For example, when a user operation instructs to set search condition data 12d, the CPU 11 executes the link processing program 12b to set the search condition data 12d based on the dictionary search history data 12d1, attribute information data, or other information. The user may specify which data is used to set the search condition data 12d, or which data may be determined in advance.

The setting of the search condition data 12d may be performed not only in response to user operations, but also during free time when the processing load on the electronic dictionary 10 is light, at a predetermined time, before the start of the linking process, etc.

The dictionary search history data 12d1 is data that is updated according to normal use for each type of dictionary content. The dictionary search history data 12d1 includes data such as the number of searches for each headword in the dictionary content and the date and time of the last search.

The search condition data 12d based on the dictionary search history data 12d1 indicates conditions based on, for example, the number of searches for each entry word in the dictionary content or the last search date and time.

For example, the search condition data 12d indicates a reference value for the number of searches. In other words, if the number of searches for a heading word corresponding to a word is equal to or greater than the reference value indicated by the search condition data 12d, this word can be selected as a search target. If a user uses dictionary content to look up the meaning of a certain heading word multiple times (more than the reference value), there is a possibility that the user is searching multiple times because he or she cannot reliably remember the meaning. Therefore, the word corresponding to the relevant heading word can be selected as a search target.

Furthermore, the search condition data 12d indicates a reference value (period reference value) for the length of the period from the last search date and time to the present. In other words, if the period from the last search date and time to the present for a heading word corresponding to a word is equal to or longer than the period reference value indicated by the search condition data 12d, this word can be selected as a search target. For words for which the period from the last search date and time to the present is long, it is possible that the user has looked up the meaning of the word in the past using a dictionary, and since a long time has passed since the last lookup, the content of the looked-up meaning may have been forgotten. Therefore, the word corresponding to the relevant heading word can be selected as a search target.

By setting the search condition data 12d based on the dictionary search history data 12d1, words that correspond to the usage tendency of the dictionary content of the user who uses the electronic dictionary 10 can be selected as search targets.

The settings of the search condition data 12d based on the dictionary search history data 12d1 described above are merely an example, and a search history other than the number of searches and the last search date and time may be targeted, or other conditions other than the reference value may be set for the search history.

In addition, the attribute information data preset for each entry word indicates, for example, the importance, difficulty, field, etc. of each entry word.

For example, the search condition data 12d indicates a reference value (level reference value) for importance or difficulty. In other words, if the level of importance or difficulty set for the entry word corresponding to a word is equal to or higher than the level reference value indicated by the search condition data 12d, the corresponding word can be selected as a search target. Generally, words with high importance or difficulty are more likely to be search targets. Therefore, by setting the level reference value for importance/difficulty as a search condition, words that are more likely to be search targets can be selected from the text.

For example, the user can specify the importance/difficulty level according to his/her own level, and set the level reference value according to this specification. This allows the user to select words that are of high importance/difficulty as search targets.

In addition, instead of the user specifying the importance/difficulty level as the level reference value, a predetermined importance/difficulty level may be set as the search condition.

Furthermore, the search condition data 12d indicates fields in which the user is interested or fields in which specialized knowledge is required. In other words, if the field set for the entry word corresponding to a word corresponds to a field indicated by the search condition data 12d, the corresponding word can be selected as a search target. The field indicated by the search condition data 12d may be set, for example, by the user, or a specific field may be set in advance. This allows the user to select words in useful fields from the text.

In the above explanation, the attribute information data is data set as the entry words of the dictionary content, but it may be data created separately from the dictionary content as data for extracting words to be used as search condition data 12d.

The search conditions indicated by the search condition data 12d described above may be set based on the dictionary search history data 12d1 (number of searches, last search date and time) or attribute information data (importance, difficulty, field), or may be set in combination with a number of them. The search conditions described above are merely examples, and other conditions may also be adopted.

The communication unit 15 performs communication control to communicate with other information processing devices via a network such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network), or performs communication control to perform short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) between other information processing devices in the vicinity.

Figure 2 is a front view showing the external configuration of the electronic dictionary 10 in this embodiment.

In the case of the electronic dictionary 10 in FIG. 2, the CPU 11, memory 12, recording medium reading unit 14, and communication unit 15 are built into the lower section of the device body, which can be opened and closed, and a key input unit 16 is also provided, while a touch panel display unit 17 is provided on the upper section.

The key input section 16 includes character input keys 16a, a dictionary selection key 16b for selecting various dictionaries and functions, a translation/confirmation key 16c, a back key 16d, cursor keys (up, down, left, right keys) 16e, a power button, and various other function keys.

Various menus and buttons 17a are displayed on the touch panel display unit 17 in response to the execution of various functions. The touch panel display unit 17 can be operated by touching it with, for example, a pen P.

The electronic dictionary 10 can input instructions through user operations in response to user operations on the key input unit 16, or touch operations (using the tip of a pen or a finger) on menus and buttons displayed on the touch panel display unit 17.

In the electronic dictionary 10 configured in this manner, the CPU 11 controls the operation of each part of the circuit according to the commands written in the dictionary control program 12a, and the software and hardware work together to realize the functions described in the following operational explanation.

During normal use, the electronic dictionary 10 selects a dictionary content using, for example, the dictionary selection key 16b, and a character string (word) to be used as a search term is input by pressing the character input key 16a or by handwriting using a pen. When a character string to be used as a search term is input, the electronic dictionary 10 executes a search of the dictionary content to be searched. The electronic dictionary 10 displays explanatory information as a search result searched for from the dictionary content on the touch panel display unit 17.

Furthermore, when the electronic dictionary 10 is connected to the smartphone 20 through communication by the communication program, the CPU 11 controls the operation of each part of the circuit according to the commands written in the link processing program 12b, and the software and hardware work together to realize the function of selecting words that meet the search criteria from the text received from the smartphone 20 and executing a search of the dictionary content.

Figure 3 shows a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of the electronic circuitry of the smartphone 20 in this embodiment.

The smartphone 20 can access the server 30 connected via a network N including the Internet, and display web pages and text files including text data provided by the server 30 for the user to view.

The smartphone 20 has the configuration of a computer that reads programs recorded on various recording media or transmitted programs and whose operation is controlled by the programs that have been read, and its electronic circuitry is equipped with a CPU (central processing unit) 21.

The CPU 21 functions as a control unit that controls the entire smartphone 20. The CPU 21 controls the operation of each part of the circuit according to a control program that is prestored in the memory 22, or a control program that is read into the memory 22 from a recording medium 23 such as a ROM card via the recording medium reading unit 24, or a control program that is downloaded from an external device (such as a server) and read into the memory 22 via a network (not shown) such as the Internet.

The control program stored in the memory 22 is started in response to an input signal corresponding to a user operation from the button input unit 26, an input signal corresponding to a user operation from the touch panel display unit 27, or a connection communication signal with an external recording medium 23 such as an EEPROM (registered trademark), RAM, or ROM connected via the recording medium reading unit 24.

The CPU 21 is connected to a memory 22, a recording medium reading unit 24, a communication unit 25, a button input unit 26, a touch panel display unit 27, etc.

The control programs stored in the memory 22 include a basic program 22a (OS (Operating System)) that controls the overall operation of the smartphone 20, a viewing program 22b for displaying web pages, etc.

In the first embodiment, the smartphone 20 executes the basic program 22a and the viewing program 22b to transmit text data to be displayed on the smartphone 20 to the electronic dictionary 10 via communication, and displays search results (explanatory information) for words selected from the text data based on the search conditions on the touch panel display unit 17 of the electronic dictionary 10.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the smartphone 20, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, transmits text data to the electronic dictionary 10, executes a search for a word selected from the text data, receives the search results from the electronic dictionary 10, and displays them on the screen displaying the text of the touch panel display unit 27.

The memory 22 stores text data 22c to be displayed by the viewing program 22b, search result data 22d (in the case of the second embodiment), and the like.

Text data 22c includes, for example, data contained in a web page received from server 30, as well as data in a text file. Text data 22c is displayed on touch panel display unit 27 under the control of browsing program 22b. If the entire text cannot be displayed on one screen, the screen is scrolled in response to user operations to change the range of text to be displayed.

The search result data 22d is data indicating explanatory information, etc. obtained by searching the dictionary content received from the electronic dictionary 10. The search result data 22d is displayed on the screen of the touch panel display unit 27, which displays the text data sent to the electronic dictionary 10, under the control of the viewing program 22b.

The communication unit 25 performs communication control to communicate with other information processing devices via a network such as the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network), or performs communication control to perform short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) between other information processing devices in the vicinity.

Next, the operation of the electronic dictionary 10 and smartphone 20 in this embodiment will be described.

First Embodiment
Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the linking process of the electronic dictionary 10 and the browsing process of the smartphone 20 in the first embodiment. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the search target word selection process executed in the electronic dictionary 10 in the first embodiment.

In the first embodiment, text data to be displayed on the smartphone 20 is transmitted to the electronic dictionary 10, and words that meet the search criteria are selected from the text data as search targets. The electronic dictionary 10 searches the dictionary contents based on the words selected from the text data, and displays the search results on the touch panel display unit 17.

First, the user causes the electronic dictionary 10 and the smartphone 20 to start processing to connect via wireless communication. The CPU 11 of the electronic dictionary 10 executes a communication program to bring the electronic dictionary 10 into a state of wireless communication with the smartphone 20 via the communication unit 15. The CPU 21 of the smartphone 20 executes a communication program to bring the electronic dictionary 10 into a state of wireless communication with the smartphone 20 via the communication unit 25. This sets up a communication link between the electronic dictionary 10 and the smartphone 20, enabling data communication (steps A1, B1).

When the smartphone 20 is instructed to execute the viewing program 22b in response to a user operation, the smartphone 20 requests the electronic dictionary 10 to execute a linking process. In response to the request to execute a linking process from the smartphone 20, the CPU 11 of the electronic dictionary 10 starts the linking process program 12b and starts the linking process.

The smartphone 20 accesses the server 30 in response to, for example, a user operation, and receives web page data. The web page includes text data.

The CPU 21 extracts the text data contained in the web page (step A2) and transmits the entire text data to the electronic dictionary 10 (step A3).

Figure 6 shows an example of text data sent to the electronic dictionary 10.

Before transmitting the entire text data to the smartphone 20, the CPU 21 assigns a word number indicating the order from the beginning of the text to each word contained in the text data, as shown in FIG. 6. The CPU 21 adds data indicating the word number assigned to each word to the text data, and transmits the text data to the smartphone 20.

On the other hand, when the CPU 11 of the electronic dictionary 10 receives text data from the smartphone 20 (step B2, Yes), it executes a search target word selection process for this text data (step B3).

The CPU 11 extracts one word from the beginning of the text data (FIG. 5, step C1) and determines whether to search for this word based on the search conditions indicated by the search condition data 12d (step C2).

Figure 7 shows an example of words (entry words) that correspond to the search condition data 12d. Figure 7 shows an example in which the search condition data 12d is set based on the dictionary search history data 12d1 (number of searches and last search date and time) that is updated according to normal use of the English-Japanese dictionary.

If the CPU 11 determines that the word extracted from the text data does not match the search criteria indicated by the search criteria data 12d (step C3, No), it does not search for this word and extracts the next word from the text data (step C1).

On the other hand, if the CPU 11 determines that the word extracted from the text data is a word that satisfies the search condition indicated by the search condition data 12d (step C3, Yes), the CPU 11 temporarily stores this word and its word number in the memory 12 as a search target (step C4).
If the CPU 11 has not extracted all the words from the text data (step C5, Yes), it extracts the next word from the text data in the same manner as described above (step C1) and determines whether to make it a search target based on the search conditions (step C2). Similarly, the CPU 11 stores the words and word numbers determined to meet the search conditions as search targets (steps C3 and C4).

When the CPU 11 has extracted all words from the text data and determined whether to use them as search targets (step C5, Yes), it ends the search target word selection process.

When the search condition data 12d is set based on attribute information data of the entry word (importance, difficulty, field), the CPU 11 searches for the entry word in the dictionary content based on the word extracted from the text data, and determines whether the attribute information set for the entry word searched for by the word satisfies the search condition.

For example, if a level reference value for importance or difficulty is set as the search condition data 12d, the CPU 11 determines that the corresponding word is a search target if the importance or difficulty set in the attribute information of the entry word searched based on the word is equal to or greater than the level reference value.

Similarly, when a field is set as the search condition data 12d, if the field set in the attribute information of the entry word searched based on the word matches the field indicated by the search condition data 12d, the CPU 11 determines that the corresponding word is a search target.

In this way, it is possible to determine whether each word contained in the text data should be a search target based on the search condition data 12d, and to select words that meet the search conditions as search targets. Therefore, it is possible to predict and select words that will be useful for the user to search dictionary contents on the smartphone 20, without the user having to perform an operation such as specifying the word to be looked up using dictionary contents.

After transmitting the entire text data to the electronic dictionary 10, the CPU 21 of the smartphone 20 causes the touch panel display 27 to display a screen of the web page (e.g., text) based on the web page data (step A4). The CPU 21 also transmits display range data indicating the display range of the text displayed on the touch panel display 27 to the electronic dictionary 10 (step A5).

Figure 8 (A) shows an example of text displayed on the touch panel display unit 27 of the smartphone 20.

In FIG. 8(A), for example, it is assumed that display range (1) of the entire text data (3) is displayed on the touch panel display unit 17. In this case, the CPU 21 transmits the word number "17" of the first word "number" and the word number "83" of the last word "2013" included in display range (1) to the electronic dictionary 10 as display range data.

When the CPU 11 of the electronic dictionary 10 receives the display range data from the smartphone 20 (step B4, Yes), it determines the new display range from the entire text data previously received, i.e., the word number of the first word and the word number of the last word in the display range (step B5). For example, on the initial screen of the smartphone 20, the display range displayed on one screen becomes the new display range. Also, when a scroll operation is performed on the smartphone 20 and the display range of the text displayed on one screen is changed, the range newly displayed by the scroll becomes the new display range.

The CPU 11 determines the words included in the new display range and selected by the search target word selection process using the word number of each word (step B6).

For example, assume that the words shown in Figure 7 are selected from the text data as search targets. Here, if the range of word numbers "17-83" corresponding to the display range (1) shown in Figure 8 (A) is the new display range, the words "capital," "resurgence," "outflow," and "negative" are determined to be words included in the new display range.

The CPU 11 uses the dictionary search function of the dictionary control program 12a to search for heading words in the dictionary content (here, for example, an English-Japanese dictionary) for words included in the new display range, and obtains the meaning (explanatory information) corresponding to the searched heading word (step B7).

The CPU 11 displays the search results (meanings) for each word included in the new display range on the touch panel display unit 17.

Figure 8 (B) is a diagram showing an example of a search result screen D1 displayed on the touch panel display unit 17 of the electronic dictionary 10. As shown in Figure 8 (B), the search result screen D1 displays a list of only the search results for words included in the text (display range (1)) currently displayed on the smartphone 20. For example, the words W1, W2, and W7 ("migrating," "less," and "Affairs") in the full text (3) shown in Figure 8 (A) have been selected as search target words, but since they are not included in the display range (1), the search results are not displayed. This allows a user viewing text on the smartphone 20 to easily recognize the search results for words included in the text currently being viewed from the search result screen D1.

The search result screen D1 shown in FIG. 8(B) shows an example in which a portion of the main contents of the semantic information (explanatory information) registered in the dictionary content is extracted and displayed. For example, the electronic dictionary 10 allows the user to set in advance the level of detail of the search results to be displayed on the search result screen D1 to one of multiple levels. The CPU 11 extracts and displays the range of content corresponding to the level of detail from the semantic information (explanatory information) obtained from the dictionary content. This allows the content of the level of detail required by the user to be displayed on the search result screen D1.

In addition, instead of extracting information according to the study level set by the user operation, the amount of information displayed on the search result screen D1 may be adjusted according to predetermined conditions. For example, when the number of words displayed on the search result screen D1 is small, detailed information may be displayed, and when the number of words is large, the amount of information in the search results may be reduced in order to display the search results for all words on one screen.

Next, the CPU 11 notifies the smartphone 20 of the search target words displayed as search results on the search result screen D1 (step B9). That is, the CPU 11 transmits the word numbers of the words "capital," "resurgence," "outflow," and "negative" to the smartphone 20.

When the CPU 21 of the smartphone 20 is notified of the search target word from the electronic dictionary 10 (step A6, Yes), it changes the display form of the word corresponding to the search target word in the text being displayed on the touch panel display unit 27 (step A7). That is, the CPU 21 changes the display form of the words W3, W4, W5, and W6 ("capital", "resurgence", "outflow", and "negative") in the display range (1) shown in FIG. 8 (A) to a form different from that of the other words. Methods for changing the display form include, for example, changing the background color of the word (highlight), changing the font, and adding an underline. This allows the user viewing the text on the smartphone 20 to easily recognize the word for which the search result is displayed in the electronic dictionary 10 from the text displayed on the search result screen D1. This makes it easier to refer to the search results displayed in the electronic dictionary 10.

When a command to scroll the screen is issued by operating the cursor keys 16e or the like (step A8, Yes), the CPU 21 displays a screen of a web page (e.g., text) in which the text display range has been changed in response to the command to scroll the screen (step A4). The CPU 21 also transmits display range data indicating the display range of the text displayed on the touch panel display unit 27 to the electronic dictionary 10 (step A5).

In other words, since the smartphone 20 has already transmitted the entire text data, when the text display range is subsequently changed by a scroll operation, it transmits only the display range data, which has a small amount of data, to the electronic dictionary 10. In this way, by reducing the amount of communication data, the communication load can be reduced, and a reduction in power consumption can also be expected.

The CPU 11 of the electronic dictionary 10 then executes the same processing as described above according to the display range data received from the smartphone 20 (steps B4 to B9).

For example, assume that the text in the display range (2) shown in FIG. 8 (A) is scrolled and displayed on the touch panel display unit 27. In this case, since the word W7 ("Ministry") selected as the word to be searched is included in the new display range, a search is performed on the dictionary contents for this word W7 ("Ministry"), and the search results are displayed on the touch panel display unit 17.

Figure 8 (C) is a diagram showing an example of a search result screen D2 displayed on the touch panel display unit 17 of the electronic dictionary 10. As shown in Figure 8 (C), the search result screen D2 displays only the search results for words included in the display range (2). That is, explanatory information for the word W7 ("Ministry") is added to the search result screen D2, and the search results for the word W3 ("capital"), which has been scrolled out of the display range, are erased.

In this way, the contents of the search results displayed on the search result screen of the touch panel display unit 17 of the electronic dictionary 10 can be changed in conjunction with the screen scrolling of the touch panel display unit 27 of the smartphone 20. Therefore, the user does not need to perform operations such as scrolling to check the search results searched for in the electronic dictionary 10, and can easily check the search results that correspond to the range of text being viewed on the smartphone 20.

On the other hand, when an instruction to change the web page to be displayed is given (step A10, Yes), the CPU 21 of the smartphone 20 accesses the server 30 and receives data of the web page to be displayed next. In this case, the CPU 21 extracts the text data contained in the web page in the same manner as described above (step A2) and transmits the entire text data to the electronic dictionary 10 (step A3). Thereafter, the same process as described above is executed.

When the CPU 21 of the smartphone 20 is instructed to end the text (web page) display (step A10, Yes), it cuts the link to the electronic dictionary 10 and ends the viewing process. When the electronic dictionary 10 is instructed to end the linking process with the smartphone 20 (step B10, Yes), it cuts the link with the smartphone 20 and ends the linking process.

In this way, the electronic dictionary 10 of the first embodiment can search dictionary content for words contained in text displayed on the smartphone 20 without the need to specify the words to be searched on the smartphone 20. This reduces the operational burden on the user.

In the above explanation, as shown in Figures 8(B) and (C), only the search results for words that correspond to the text being displayed on the smartphone 20 are displayed, but search results for other words that have already been searched and are not included in the display range of the smartphone 20 may also be displayed. In this case, it is desirable to display the search results that correspond to the text being displayed on the smartphone 20 in a display form that is distinguishable from the search results for other words that are not included in the display range. This can achieve the same effect as when only the search results for words that correspond to the text being displayed are displayed.

In the above explanation, the electronic dictionary 10 only selects the words to be searched in its search word selection process, but a search may be performed for each of the words to be searched before receiving the display range data from the smartphone 20. That is, the search process for the words to be searched is performed first, regardless of the text viewing status on the smartphone 20. When the electronic dictionary 10 receives the display range data from the smartphone 20, it displays the search results that have been obtained in advance by the search process and that correspond to the words included in the display range data. This reduces the processing burden on the electronic dictionary 10 from receiving the display range data to displaying the search results.

In the above explanation, the smartphone 20 first sends the entire text data to the electronic dictionary 10, and then sends the display range data. However, it is also possible to send the text data included in the display range together with the display range data, without sending the entire text data first.

In this case, the electronic dictionary 10 executes a search target word selection process on the text data received from the smartphone 20 to select words to be searched from the text data, and executes a search of the dictionary content using these words. When the display range is changed by scrolling, the smartphone 20 transmits to the electronic dictionary 10 only the text data that has not been transmitted to the electronic dictionary 10. This makes it possible to prevent the total amount of data transmitted to the electronic dictionary 10 from increasing.

In this way, by sending text data together with the display range data, it is possible to prevent an increase in the amount of text data sent to the electronic dictionary 10, even when, for example, the amount of text data contained in a web page is large or when the web page is frequently changed, and it is also possible to avoid an increase in the processing load for the text data in the electronic dictionary 10.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a linking process of the electronic dictionary 10 and a browsing process of the smartphone 20 in the second embodiment.

In the first embodiment, the search results for a word selected from text data are displayed in the electronic dictionary 10, but in the second embodiment, the search results are displayed on the touch panel display unit 27 of the smartphone 20.

The browsing process of the smartphone 20 and the linking process of the electronic dictionary 10 in the second embodiment are basically executed in the same manner as in the first embodiment. That is, the processes of steps D1 to D5, D8 to D10, and steps E1 to E7, and E9 shown in FIG. 9 correspond to the processes of steps A1 to A5, A8 to A10, B1 to B7, and B10 shown in FIG. 4, respectively. Below, only the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described.

The CPU 11 uses the dictionary search function of the dictionary control program 12a to search for headings in the dictionary contents for words included in the new display range, and obtains the meaning (explanatory information) corresponding to the searched headings (step E7).

The CPU 11 transmits to the smartphone 20 the word number indicating the search target word and the corresponding search result (word meaning) for each word included in the new display range (step E8).

When the CPU 21 of the smartphone 20 receives the search target word (word number) and the search result from the electronic dictionary 10 (step D6, Yes), it temporarily stores them in the memory 22 as search result data 22d. The CPU 21 executes a search result display process based on the search result data 22d (step D7). That is, the CPU 21 displays the search result received from the electronic dictionary 10 together with the text being displayed on the touch panel display unit 27.

Fig. 10 (A) is a diagram showing an example of a text screen D10 (first display form) displayed on the touch panel display unit 27 of the smartphone 20. The text screen D10 (first display form) shown in Fig. 10 (A) changes the display form of words in the text that correspond to the search target word, and displays search results that correspond to the vicinity of the search target word. The display form of the words can be the same as in the first embodiment.

That is, based on the word number indicating the search target word, the CPU 21 changes the display form of the words W3, W4, W5, and W6 ("capital," "resurgence," "outflow," and "negative") shown in FIG. 10(A) to a form different from that of the other words. Also, the translation results (senses) T3, T4, T5, and T6 corresponding to the words W3, W4, W5, and W6 are displayed near the corresponding words. For example, the translation result T3 ("capital, center") corresponding to the word W3 ("capital") is displayed between the lines below the word W3.

In this way, in the first display form, the translation result is displayed near the search target word, so the user can easily recognize the correspondence between the search target word and the translation result.

Fig. 10 (B) is a diagram showing an example of a text screen D12 (second display form) displayed on the touch panel display unit 27 of the smartphone 20. The text screen D12 (second display form) shown in Fig. 10 (B) has a text area AR1 that displays text, and a search result display area AR2 that displays search results. In the text area AR1, the display form of the words W3, W4, W5, and W6 that correspond to the search target word is changed and displayed, similar to the first embodiment. In the search result display area AR2, the search results for the search target word are displayed in a list, similar to the display of the search results by the electronic dictionary 10 of the first embodiment. In the search result display area AR2, the display content of the search result is changed in coordination with the change in the text displayed in the text area AR1.

It is desirable to make the search result display area AR2 smaller when the number of words to be displayed is small, and larger when the number of words to be displayed is large, so that all of the information to be displayed can be displayed on one screen. This makes it unnecessary to perform operations such as scrolling to check the search results displayed in the search result display area AR2.

In this way, in the second display form, the search results are displayed in the search result display area AR2 in association with the range of text displayed in the text area AR1, allowing the user to easily recognize the correspondence between the search target word and the translation result.

In this way, in the smartphone 20 of the second embodiment, a search of dictionary content for words contained in the displayed text can be performed in the electronic dictionary 10 without the user having to specify the words to be searched, and the search results can be displayed together with the text. Therefore, in the same way as in the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the operational burden on the user.

In the above explanation, an example is used in which translations are displayed as explanatory information for words contained in the text, but the present invention can also be applied to the case where information other than translations is displayed as explanatory information obtained by searching dictionary content. For example, if the dictionary content targets dictionaries in various fields, it is possible to display explanatory information searched for in dictionaries corresponding to words.

The methods described in the embodiments, i.e., each method such as the processes shown in the flowcharts, can be stored and distributed as a program that can be executed by a computer on a recording medium such as a memory card (ROM card, RAM card, etc.), a magnetic disk (flexible disk, hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), or a semiconductor memory. The computer can then read the program recorded on the external recording medium, and by having its operation controlled by this program, it can realize processing similar to the functions described in the embodiments.

In addition, the program data for implementing each method can be transmitted over a network (Internet) in the form of program code, and the program data can be imported from a computer connected to this network to achieve functions similar to those of the above-mentioned embodiments.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and can be modified in various ways in the implementation stage without departing from the gist of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriate combinations of the multiple constituent elements disclosed. For example, even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiments, or some constituent elements are combined, if the problem described in the "Problem to be Solved by the Invention" column can be solved and the effect described in the "Effect of the Invention" column can be obtained, the configuration in which the constituent elements are deleted or combined can be extracted as an invention.

The inventions described in the original claims of this application are set forth below.

[1]
a dictionary storage unit that stores dictionary content in which an entry word is associated with information corresponding to the entry word;
A communication unit for communicating with other devices;
an information processing device having a control unit that receives text data to be displayed on the other device through the communication unit, identifies words that meet search conditions from the text data, searches for the headwords in the dictionary content using the words as search terms, and displays information corresponding to the headwords searched for using the words on a display unit.

[2]

The control unit is
The information processing device according to [1] receives range data indicating the range of the text data being displayed on the other device through the communication unit, and displays in an identifiable form only information searched for from the dictionary content that corresponds to words included in the range data.

[3]
The control unit is
receiving text data to be displayed on the other device through the communication unit, and selecting all words that meet the search criteria determined from the text data;
The information processing device according to [2], further comprising: a search for the entry words in the dictionary content using words included in the range data as search terms.

[4]
The control unit is
The information processing device according to [1], further comprising: notifying the other device of words that correspond to search conditions determined from the text data.

[5]
a dictionary storage unit that stores dictionary content in which an entry word is associated with information corresponding to the entry word;
A communication unit for communicating with other devices;
and a control unit that receives text data to be displayed on the other device through the communication unit, identifies words that meet search criteria from the text data, searches for the headword in the dictionary content using the words as search terms, and transmits information corresponding to the headword searched for by the words to the other device through the communication unit.

[6]
A communication unit for communicating with other devices;
an information processing device having a control unit that transmits text data to be displayed on a display unit to the other device via the communication unit, receives search results for dictionary content using a word selected from the text data based on search conditions as a search term from the other device, and displays the search results on the display unit together with text corresponding to the text data.

[7]
The control unit is
The information processing device according to [6], which displays search results corresponding to a word selected based on a search condition in the text in the vicinity of the word.

[8]
The control unit is
An information processing device according to [6], comprising a first area for displaying the text and a second area for displaying the search results, and displaying in the second area only the search results corresponding to words contained in the text displayed in the first area.

[9]
The information processing device according to [1] or [5], wherein the control unit determines, from the text data, words that correspond to search conditions set based on a search history for the dictionary content.

[10]
The information processing device according to [1] or [5], wherein the control unit determines from the text data words that correspond to search conditions set for at least one of importance, difficulty, or classification, for each entry word of the dictionary content.

[11]
a dictionary storage unit that stores dictionary content in which an entry word is associated with information corresponding to the entry word;
An information processing method for controlling an information processing device having a communication unit that communicates with another device, comprising:
An information processing method that receives text data to be displayed on the other device via the communication unit, identifies words that meet search criteria from the text data, searches for the headwords in the dictionary content using the words as search terms, and displays information corresponding to the headwords searched for using the words on a display unit.

[12]
a dictionary storage unit that stores dictionary content in which an entry word is associated with information corresponding to the entry word;
A computer that controls an information processing device having a communication unit that communicates with other devices,
A program for receiving text data to be displayed on the other device via the communication unit, determining words that meet search criteria from the text data, searching for the headwords in the dictionary content using the words as search terms, and displaying information corresponding to the headwords searched for using the words on a display unit.

10...electronic dictionary, 11, 21...CPU, 12, 22...memory, 12a...dictionary control processing program, 12b...linkage processing program, 12c...dictionary data, 12d...search condition data, 12d1...dictionary search history data, 13, 23...external recording medium, 14, 24...recording medium reading unit, 15, 25...communication unit, 16...key input unit, 17, 27...touch panel display unit, 22b...browsing processing program, 22d...search result data, 26...button input unit.

Claims (9)

an extraction means for extracting words that meet a preset condition from within a range of the predetermined text data that is being displayed on another device;
a display control means for displaying information corresponding to the search word on a predetermined display unit by searching a predetermined dictionary content using the word extracted by the extraction means as a search word, and for displaying text data displayed on the other device such that a display mode of the word extracted by the extraction means is different from a display mode of other words ;
An information processing device comprising: The extraction means extracts the words such that the extracted words are updated in response to changes in the range,
the display control means updates the information to be displayed on the display unit in response to the update of the word by the extraction means.
2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, When updating the information to be displayed on the display unit in response to the update of the word by the extraction means, the display control means maintains the display of the information in which the word outside the range is used as the search term, and adds and displays the information in which the word newly included in the range is used as the search term.
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 . When updating the information to be displayed on the display unit in response to the update of the word by the extraction means, the display control means makes a display mode of the information in which a word outside the range is used as the search term different from a display mode of the information in which a word newly included in the range is used as the search term.
4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 . the display control means, when a plurality of words are extracted by the extraction means, searches the predetermined dictionary content using each of the plurality of words as a search term, and when the total amount of the information for each of the search terms is greater than a predetermined amount of information or when the number of words extracted by the extraction means is greater than a predetermined number, reduces the amount of information for each of the search terms and displays it on the display unit.
5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus comprises: a first input section; The other device includes the display unit,
the display control means causes the display unit to display information corresponding to the search term by transmitting information corresponding to the search term to the other device;
6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus comprises: the conditions are set based on a search history for the dictionary content;
7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus comprises: An information processing method executed by an information processing device,
An extraction process for extracting words that meet preset conditions from the range of the predetermined text data that is being displayed on the other device;
a display control process for displaying information corresponding to the search word on a predetermined display unit by searching a predetermined dictionary content using the word extracted by the extraction process as a search word, and displaying text data displayed on the other device so that the display mode of the word extracted by the extraction process is different from the display mode of other words;
13. An information processing method comprising: Computer,
an extraction means for extracting words that meet preset conditions from within a range of the predetermined text data that is being displayed on another device;
a display control means for displaying information corresponding to the search word on a predetermined display unit by searching a predetermined dictionary content using the word extracted by the extraction means as a search word, and for displaying text data displayed on the other device such that a display mode of the word extracted by the extraction means is different from a display mode of other words;
A program characterized by causing the program to function as a