JP7651899B2 - Server device, learning support method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a server device, a learning support method, and a program that effectively support language learning.

There have been vocabulary books in the past as a tool for learning English vocabulary. A vocabulary book is made by bundling together vocabulary cards, each with an English word on one side and its translation on the other. A user looks at the English word on the vocabulary card, answers the translation of the word, then turns over the vocabulary card and checks whether the translation he or she answered is correct, thereby learning the English word.

In recent years, electronic dictionaries have come into widespread use. When a user searches for a word in dictionary data and has explanatory information including the word and its translation displayed, the history of word searches is saved as a search history. Some electronic dictionaries have a wordbook function that, when a user selects a word from a list of words saved as search history, reads explanatory information for the selected word from the dictionary data and displays it (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-292303 A

When learning words using a conventional vocabulary book, users must repeatedly check and memorize the words and their translations, which is a form of rote memorization. Although memorization ability differs from person to person, this method has the problem of being difficult to memorize efficiently.

The object of the present invention is to provide a server device, a learning support method, and a program that enable learning of the target language effectively and efficiently.

The server device according to the present invention comprises:
The Communications Department and
A control unit;
Equipped with
The control unit is
acquiring, via the communication unit, a search history of at least one word or phrase searched by a user;
For each word included in the search history, obtain word information corresponding to the word from a dictionary database;
generating wordbook data in which the word, explanatory information of the word included in the word information, and a first word-related image related to the word are associated with each other;
if the word information includes a synonym of the word, the synonym and a first synonym-related image related to the synonym are added to data of the wordbook data corresponding to the word;
It is configured as follows.

1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a learning support system 1 according to an embodiment of a server device, a learning support method, and a program of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic circuit of an electronic dictionary (electronic device) 10. 13 is a diagram showing the contents of search history data stored in a search history data storage area 12d of the electronic dictionary 10. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic circuit of a user terminal (communication device) 20. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic circuit of a WES server (server device) 30. 13 is a diagram showing the contents of dictionary data stored in a dictionary database storage area 32c of the WES server 30. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the contents of user management data stored in a user management database storage area 32d of the WES server 30. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the contents of the flashcard data stored in the flashcard database storage area 32e of the WES server 30. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a WES server synchronization process of the electronic dictionary 10. 13 is a flowchart showing a WES usage process of the user terminal 20. 11 is a flowchart showing a wordbook generation process of the WES server 30. 11 is a flowchart showing a wordbook usage process of the user terminal 20. 11 is a flowchart showing a related image update process (part 1) of the user terminal 20. 13 is a flowchart showing a related image update process (part 2) of the user terminal 20. 11 is a flowchart showing a wordbook process (part 1) of the WES server 30. 13 is a flowchart showing the wordbook process (part 2) of the WES server 30. 11 is a flowchart showing a Web-related image list generating process included in the wordbook process of the WES server 30; 11 is a flowchart showing a WES-related image list generating process included in the wordbook process of the WES server 30. 13 is a diagram showing a menu screen GW for WES usage according to the WES usage process of the user terminal 20. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an English word page TCa corresponding to the word card “archive” when the word book is displayed in accordance with the word book usage process of the user terminal 20. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a switching state between an English word page TCa corresponding to the word card “archive” and a related image page TCb and a word translation page TCc in association with the display of the wordbook on the user terminal 20. FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing examples of display of a Web related image list RL1 and a WES related image list RL2 corresponding to the word card "archive" in accordance with the related image update process of the user terminal 20. 13 is a diagram showing the operation of setting to not display an irrelevant related image RaN in accordance with the Web related image list generating process of the WES server 30; 13 is a diagram showing an example of a divided display of a Web related image list RL1 and a Web synonym related image list SLa corresponding to the word card "road" in accordance with the related image update process of the user terminal 20. FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of an operation for narrowing down related images in the display of the WES related image list RL2 in accordance with the related image update process of the user terminal 20. 26 shows the display state of another user's English word page TCa, related image page TCb, and word translation page TCc when an arbitrary WES related image Rb2 is specified from the WES related image list RL2 corresponding to the word card "archive" in FIG. 25.

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

(Configuration of the embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a learning support system 1 according to an embodiment of a server device, a learning support method, and a program of the present invention.

The learning support system 1 includes an electronic dictionary (electronic device) 10, a user terminal (communication device) 20, and a WES (Worldwide Education Service) server (server device) 30 provided on a communication network N such as the Internet. Note that the WES (Worldwide Education Service) server here refers to a dedicated server that connects electronic dictionaries and electronic dictionary applications with cloud services.

The electronic dictionary (electronic device) 10 can be configured as a dedicated electronic dictionary 10 described below, as well as a smartphone, tablet terminal, PC (personal computer), mobile phone, e-book, portable game machine, etc., that has a dictionary function.

The user terminal (communication device) 20 may be configured as a smartphone, tablet terminal, electronic dictionary, PC, mobile phone, e-book, portable game console, etc., that has communication capabilities.

An application program (here, a WES-using app) that uses the WES server 30 is installed on the user terminal 20.

The learning support system 1 shown in FIG. 1 has at least the following functions (10a), (20a), (20b), (20c), (20e), (30a), (30b), and (30c).

A function (10a) in the electronic dictionary 10 that encodes electronic dictionary information including a dictionary ID (dictionary identification information that may also serve as user identification information: dictionary <user> ID) and word search history into a two-dimensional QR code and displays it.

In the user terminal 20, a function (20a) for reading the two-dimensional QR code displayed on the electronic dictionary 10 and decrypting it into electronic dictionary information (including dictionary ID and search history) in accordance with the WES-using application, and a function (20b) for sending data that includes the decrypted electronic dictionary information plus user information including user identification information to the WES server 30.

In the WES server 30, a function (30a) is provided for generating a vocabulary book that associates, for each word in the search history, the word translation and its explanatory information read from the dictionary data with an image related to the word (including synonyms and related images of the synonyms (synonym-related images) if there are synonyms for the word) based on the electronic dictionary information (including dictionary ID and search history) received from the user terminal 20, and storing the generated vocabulary book in association with the dictionary <user> ID.

The user terminal 20 has a function for receiving and displaying vocabulary list data corresponding to the user's own dictionary <user> ID stored in the WES server 30 (20c), a function for specifying an image related to any word included in the displayed vocabulary list and instructing the WES server 30 to update the related image (20d), and a function for adding any memo data to the explanatory information of any word included in the displayed vocabulary list and instructing the WES server 30 to update the vocabulary list (20e).

In the WES server 30, a function (30b) for updating the related images and/or updating the vocabulary book including adding memo data in response to an instruction from the user terminal 20 to update related images of a specified word and/or an instruction to update the vocabulary book by adding memo data to the explanatory information of the specified word, and a function (30c) for updating the vocabulary book including adding synonyms and their related images (synonym-related images) when synonyms exist for the specified word when updating the related images.

The learning support system 1 can automatically generate a vocabulary book for a user based on the word search history obtained by the electronic dictionary 10. Furthermore, the vocabulary book is configured by associating a word with an image related to the word and/or any memo data in addition to the word and its explanatory information, so that the user can, for example, intuitively understand the meaning of a word by looking at an image related to the word, or intuitively remember a word by looking at a mnemonic for the pronunciation of the word added as memo data, thereby effectively and efficiently learning and memorizing words.

If the electronic dictionary 10 and the user terminal 20 have a short-range wireless communication function such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), the electronic dictionary information of the electronic dictionary 10 (including the dictionary ID and search history) may be transmitted to the user terminal 20 via short-range wireless communication.

In addition, if the electronic dictionary 10 has a communication function with a communication network N such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), a WES-utilizing application may be installed in the electronic dictionary 10, and the electronic dictionary 10 may also have each of the functions (20a), (20b), (20c), and (20e) of the user terminal 20 described above.

In addition, if the user terminal 20 has a dictionary function, the word search history may be generated and stored by the user terminal 20 itself. In addition, if the user terminal 20 does not have a dictionary function and searches dictionary data using the dictionary function of the WES server 30, the word search history may be generated and stored by the WES server 30.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic circuit of the electronic dictionary (electronic device) 10.

The electronic dictionary (electronic device) 10 is equipped with a control unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 11, which is a computer.

The control unit 11 controls the operation of each part of the circuit according to a dictionary control program (12a) stored in the memory unit 12. The dictionary control program (12a) may be pre-stored in the memory unit 12, read from an external storage medium 14 such as a memory card by the storage medium reading unit 14 and stored in the memory unit 12, or downloaded from a web server (here, a program server) 40 on the communication network N via the communication unit 15 and stored in the memory unit 12.

The dictionary control program (12a) includes a system program that controls the entire electronic dictionary 10, as well as a program for searching dictionary data (12c) in response to user operations, a program for generating search history data (12d), and a program for executing the aforementioned functions (10a).

The control unit 11 is connected to a memory unit 12, a recording medium reading unit 14, a communication unit 15, a key input unit 16 including character input keys and a [translate/confirm] key, and a touch panel type display unit 17 via a system and data bus.

In the memory unit 12, in addition to a program memory area 12a for storing a dictionary control program (12a), a dictionary ID memory area 12b for storing a dictionary ID (dictionary identification information) (12b), a dictionary data memory area 12c for storing dictionary data (12c), a search history data memory area 12d for storing search history data (12d), etc. are secured.

The dictionary ID storage area 12b stores dictionary identification information unique to the electronic dictionary 10 as a dictionary ID. The dictionary ID may also serve as user identification information (in this case, it is called "Dictionary <user> ID").

In the dictionary data storage area 12c, various dictionary data such as an English-Japanese dictionary, a Japanese-English dictionary, and a Japanese dictionary are stored as dictionary data that associates words that are headwords with explanatory information that includes the word translation, example sentences, and example sentence translations that correspond to the headwords.

Figure 3 shows the contents of the search history data stored in the search history data storage area 12d of the electronic dictionary 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the search history data storage area 12d stores, for each type of dictionary data (12c), the entry words (words) that the user has searched for in the dictionary data (12c) and the search date and time in association with each other. Note that FIG. 3 shows an example of search history data for an English-Japanese dictionary.

In the electronic dictionary 10 configured in this manner, the control unit 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 various functions as described in the operation explanation below.

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic circuit of the user terminal (communication device) 20.

The user terminal (communication device) 20 is equipped with a control unit (CPU) 21, which is a computer.

The control unit 21 controls the operation of each part of the circuit according to a terminal control program (22a) and a WES-utilizing application program (WES-utilizing app) (22b) stored in the storage unit 22. The terminal control program (22a) may be pre-stored in the storage unit 22, read from an external storage medium 24 such as a memory card by the storage medium reading unit 24 and stored in the storage unit 22, or downloaded from a web server (here, a program server) 40 on the communication network N via the communication unit 25 and stored in the storage unit 22.

The WES usage application (22b) is downloaded from a web server (here, an application store program server) 40 on the communication network N via the communication unit 25 and stored in the memory unit 22.

The terminal control program (22a) includes a system program that controls the entire user terminal 20, as well as a program for linking with various application programs stored in the memory unit 22 to establish a communication connection at any time with external communication devices, including the WES server 30 and Web server 40 on the communication network N.

The WES usage application (22b) includes a program for executing the above-mentioned functions (20a), (20b), (20c), and (20e).

The control unit 21 is connected to a memory unit 22, a recording medium reading unit 24, a communication unit 25, a key input unit 26 including a power key and a volume control key, a touch panel display unit 27, an imaging unit 28, and the like via a system and data bus.

In the memory unit 22, in addition to program memory areas 22a and 22b for storing a terminal control program (22a) and a WES usage application (22b), a terminal data memory area 22c for storing terminal data (22c), a dictionary information memory area 22d for storing dictionary information (22d), etc. are secured.

In the terminal data storage area 22c, data such as a terminal device number for connecting to external communication devices including the WES server 30 and the Web server 40 on the communication network N, as well as a telephone number, an email address, etc. are stored as terminal data specific to the user terminal 20.

The dictionary information storage area 22d stores data including the dictionary <user> ID and search history obtained by decoding the two-dimensional code QR read from the electronic dictionary 10 as dictionary information.

In the user terminal 20 configured in this manner, the control unit 21 controls the operation of each part of the circuit according to the commands written in the terminal control program (22a) and the WES usage application (22b), and the software and hardware work together to realize various functions as described in the operation explanation below.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic circuitry of the WES server (server device) 30.

The WES server (server device) 30 has a control unit (CPU) 31, which is a computer.

The control unit 31 controls the operation of each part of the circuit according to the server control program (32a) and the image recognition program (including AI learning function) (32b) stored in the memory unit 32.

The server control program (32a) and/or the image recognition program (32b) may be pre-stored in the memory unit 32, read from an external recording medium 34 such as a CD-ROM by the recording medium reading unit 34 and stored in the memory unit 32, or downloaded from a web server (here, a program server) 40 on the communication network N via the communication unit 35 and stored in the memory unit 32.

The server control program (32a) includes a system program that controls the entire WES server 30, a program for establishing a communication connection with external communication devices including the user terminal 20 at any time, and a program for executing the above-mentioned functions (30a), (30b), and (30c) in cooperation with the image recognition program (32b) at any time.

The image recognition program (32b) includes a program for, for example, recognizing whether one or more related images of a word that are obtained by a web search (searching for a text match with the word or image recognition from a web server 40 on the communication network N) corresponding to an entry word (word) of dictionary data in the dictionary database (32c) are related to the meaning of the word.

The image recognition program (32b) has, for example, a characteristic image database that stores characteristic images highly related to the meaning of each entry word (word) included in the dictionary data, and for images related to a word searched on the Web, quantifies the degree of relationship with the word as a probability of "0" to "1" depending on the degree to which the characteristic images of the word match, recognizing, for example, an image with a probability of "0.8" or more as related to the meaning of the word, and recognizing an image with a probability of "0.7" or less as related to the meaning of the word.

The control unit 31 is connected to a memory unit 32, a recording medium reading unit 34, a communication unit 35, an input unit 36 including a pointing device and a keyboard, and a display unit 37 via a system and data bus.

In the memory unit 32, in addition to program memory areas 32a and 32b for storing a server control program (32a) and an image recognition program (32b), a dictionary database memory area 32c, a user management database memory area 32d, a vocabulary database memory area 32e, a working data memory area 32f, etc. are secured.

Figure 6 shows the contents of the dictionary data stored in the dictionary database storage area 32c of the WES server 30.

In the dictionary database storage area 32c, for each type of dictionary data, a headword (word), explanatory information including the word translation, example sentences, and example sentence translations of the word, an image related to the word, and a synonym of the word and an image related to the word (image related to the synonym) are stored in advance in correspondence with each other.

Figure 7 shows the contents of the user management data stored in the user management database storage area 32d of the WES server 30.

The user management database memory area 32d stores, in association with each other, the dictionary <user> ID of the electronic dictionary 10 of a user who has downloaded and is using the WES usage application (22b), the terminal device number of the user terminal 20, user attributes such as the user's occupation (for example, school and year for a student, or type of job for a working person), image characteristics that the user prefers as related images to words (related image characteristics: illustrated images, photographic images, images that play on words of words, etc.), and the search history of the user's electronic dictionary 10.

The dictionary <user> ID, terminal device number, user attributes, and related image features in the user management database storage area 32d may be input and stored from the user terminal 20, for example, when the user terminal 20 initializes the WES usage app (22b). The search history of the electronic dictionary 10 is stored by the user sending it to the WES server 30 using the user terminal 20 at any time.

The related image features may be input and stored by the user via the user terminal 20, or the features of related images included in the user's vocabulary book data stored in the vocabulary book database storage area 32e may be obtained by image recognition processing and stored.

Figure 8 shows the contents of the vocabulary book data stored in the vocabulary book database storage area 32e of the WES server 30.

In the vocabulary database storage area 32e, for each user's dictionary <user> ID stored in the user management database storage area 32d, the following vocabulary data is stored in association with each other: words in the search history, explanatory information for the word (word translation, example sentence, example sentence translation), related images for the word (including update date and time, whether or not it can be shared), memo data entered by the user corresponding to the word (including whether or not it can be shared), synonyms for the word, and related images for the synonyms (synonym-related images).

The work data memory area 32f temporarily stores various data generated or acquired in response to the control of the operation of each part by the control unit 31 as necessary.

In the WES server 30 configured in this manner, the control unit 31 controls the operation of each part of the circuit according to the commands written in the server control program (32a) and the image recognition program (32b), and the software and hardware work together to realize various functions as described in the operation explanation below.

(Operation of the embodiment)
Next, the operation of the learning support system 1 according to the embodiment will be described.

<Process for synchronizing search history of electronic dictionary 10 with WES server 30 (FIGS. 9 and 10)>
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the WES server synchronization process of the electronic dictionary 10. As shown in FIG.

Figure 10 is a flowchart showing the WES usage process of the user terminal 20.

Figure 19 shows the menu screen GW for using WES according to the WES usage process of the user terminal 20.

When the WES usage application (22b) is started on the user terminal 20 (step T1 (Yes)), the control unit 21 causes the touch panel display unit 20 to display a menu screen GW for using the WES, as shown in FIG. 19.

The menu screen GW for using WES displays, for example, an item "Synchronize dictionary with WES server" M1 for sending and synchronizing the search history data (12d) of the electronic dictionary 10 to the WES server 30, and an item "Use vocabulary book" M2 for using the vocabulary book generated by the WES server 30.

When the user selects the item "Synchronize dictionary with WES server" M1 on the menu screen GW (step T2 (Yes)), the control unit 21 displays on the touch panel display unit 27 a guide for obtaining search history data (12d) from the electronic dictionary 10, for example, "Please read the two-dimensional code of the search history from the electronic dictionary."

In the electronic dictionary 10, for example, when the user presses the [Menu] key on the key input unit 16 on the menu screen displayed on the touch panel display unit 17, and selects an item for synchronizing the electronic dictionary 10 with the WES server 30 (step D1 (Yes)), the control unit 11 generates a two-dimensional code QR by encoding the dictionary ID (dictionary <user> ID) stored in the dictionary ID storage area 12b and the search history data stored in the search history data storage area 12d (step D2). The control unit 21 causes the generated two-dimensional code QR to be displayed on the touch panel display unit 17 (step D3).

When the two-dimensional code QR displayed on the electronic dictionary 10 is photographed by the imaging unit 28 in the user terminal 20 (step T3), the control unit 21 decodes the two-dimensional code QR and transmits the decoded dictionary <user> ID and search history data to the WES server 30 (step T4).

When the screen displaying the two-dimensional code QR is closed on the electronic dictionary 10 (step D4 (Yes)), the control unit 11 ends the WES server synchronization process on the electronic dictionary 10.

When the screen on the user terminal 20 on which the two-dimensional code QR is captured is closed (step T5 (Yes)), the control unit 21 ends the WES usage process on the user terminal 20.

<Processing for generating a wordbook by the WES server 30 (FIG. 11)>
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the wordbook generation process of the WES server 30.

When the WES server 30 receives the dictionary <user> ID and search history data sent from the user terminal 20 (step S1 (Yes)), the control unit 31 stores the received search history data in the user management database storage area 32d (see Figure 7) in association with the received dictionary <user> ID, and retrieves the search history words contained in the search history data in order from the top (step S2).

The control unit 31 acquires explanatory information including the word translation, example sentences, and example sentence translations, and related images for the acquired word from dictionary data (e.g., an English-Japanese dictionary for English words: see FIG. 6) stored in the dictionary database storage area 32c, and generates a flashcard in which the word is associated with the related images and explanatory information. Furthermore, if there are synonyms for the acquired word, the synonyms and related images for the synonyms are added to the flashcard. (Step S3).

The control unit 31 determines whether all words included in the search history data have been acquired (step S4), and if it is determined that there are words that have not yet been acquired (step S4 (No)), it acquires the next word from the search history data and generates a word card (steps S2, S3).

Then, when it is determined that all words included in the search history data have been obtained and flashcards corresponding to all of the words have been generated (step S4 (Yes)), the control unit 31 stores the data of each generated flashcard as a flashcard in the flashcard database storage area 32e (see Figure 8) in association with the received dictionary <user> ID (step S5).

This allows a wordbook to be automatically generated that matches each word's description and related image with all words in the user's unique word search history.

<Processing for using the wordbook via the user terminal 20 (FIGS. 10, 12, and 15)>
In accordance with the WES usage process (FIG. 10) of the user terminal 20, when the user selects the item “Use vocabulary book” M2 on the menu screen GW of the WES usage application (22b) displayed on the touch panel display unit 27 as shown in FIG. 19 (step T6 (Yes)), the control unit 21 proceeds to the vocabulary book usage process (FIG. 12) (step TA).

Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the wordbook usage process of the user terminal 20.

Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the vocabulary book processing (part 1) of the WES server 30.

Figure 16 is a flowchart showing the vocabulary book processing (part 2) of the WES server 30.

Figure 20 shows an English word page TCa corresponding to the word card "archive" when the wordbook is displayed in accordance with the wordbook usage process of the user terminal 20.

Figure 21 shows the switching state between the English word page TCa, the related image page TCb, and the word translation page TCc corresponding to the word card "archive" when the wordbook is displayed on the user terminal 20.

The control unit 21 establishes a communication connection with the WES server 30 based on the dictionary <user> ID and transmits a signal requesting the vocabulary book (step TA1).

When the WES server 30 receives a signal requesting the vocabulary list sent from the user terminal 20 together with the dictionary <user> ID (step S6 (Yes)), the control unit 30 transmits the vocabulary list data corresponding to the dictionary <user> ID stored in the vocabulary list database storage area 32e to the user terminal 20 that requested the vocabulary list based on the terminal device number stored in the user management database storage area 32d (step S7).

When the user terminal 20 receives the vocabulary book data sent from the WES server 30 (step TA2 (Yes)), the control unit 21 causes the touch panel display unit 27 to display the English vocabulary page TCa of any vocabulary card (here, "archive" is specified) included in the received vocabulary book, for example as shown in FIG. 20 (step TA3).

Here, for example, when the user swipes the screen on the touch panel display unit 27 displaying the English word page TCa of the specified word to turn the page, the control unit 21 switches between displaying the English word page TCa, the related image page TCb, and the word translation page TCc of the specified word card in the received vocabulary book, as shown in (A), (B), and (C) of FIG. 21 (step TA3).

The English word page TCa displays the English word "archive" from the specified word card, the related image page TCb displays a related image (here, a file storage shelf) associated with the English word "archive," and the word translation page TCc displays explanatory information and memo data Me including a Japanese translation Ya, example sentence Re, and example sentence translation Ry associated with the English word "archive."

Note that the memo data "The red part is in the archive..." Me on the word translation page TCc corresponding to the English word "archive" shown in FIG. 21C is entered and added to the wordbook by the user as, for example, a mnemonic for the English word "archive" when the user uses the wordbook, as described below.

This allows users to learn and remember words effectively and efficiently, by intuitively understanding the meaning of a word by looking at related images of the word in the vocabulary book, and intuitively memorizing the word by looking at the mnemonic for the pronunciation of the word that has been added as memo data.

The display example of a word card in a vocabulary book shown in FIG. 21 shows a display example in which synonyms are not associated with synonym-related images.

<Processing for updating the wordbook according to the user terminal 20 (FIGS. 12 to 18)>
FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a display example of a Web related image list RL1 and a WES related image list RL2 corresponding to the word card "archive" following the related image update process of the user terminal 20. In FIG.

For example, as shown in FIG. 21(B), when the related image page TCb of the specified word card "archive" is displayed on the touch panel display unit 27 of the user terminal 20 (step TA3), in order to update the currently displayed related image to, for example, a related image preferred by the user by searching images on the Web, when the [Web] button BT1 displayed in the margin of the related image page TCb is pressed as shown in FIG. 22(A) (step TA4 (Yes)), the control unit 21 transmits the specified word "archive" and a press signal of the [Web] button BT1 to the WES server 30 (step TA5).

When the WES server 30 receives the specified word "archive" and a press signal of the [Web] button BT1 sent from the user terminal 20 (step S8 (Yes)), the control unit 31 proceeds to the Web-related image list generation process (Figure 17) (step SE).

Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the Web-related image list generation process included in the wordbook processing of the WES server 30.

The control unit 31 stores the specified word "archive" as an initial value in the list of search target words secured in the working data storage area 32f (step SE1), and determines whether the search target word "archive" stored in the list of search target words has any synonyms based on the dictionary data stored in the dictionary database storage area 32c (see FIG. 6) (step SE2).

For example, if it is determined that the search target word "archive" has no synonyms (step SE2 (No)), the control unit 31 searches for and acquires a preset number (20 in this case) of related images Ra1, Ra2, Ra3, ... related to the search target word "archive" from the web servers 40 ... on the communication network N, as shown in FIG. 22 (B) (step SE5).

The control unit 31 performs an image recognition program (32b) for each related image obtained in step SE5, converting the degree of relationship with the search target word "archive" into a numerical value as a probability between "0" and "1", and determines whether the probability is "0.7" or less, i.e., whether the related image is unrelated to the meaning of the search target word (step SE6).

Figure 23 shows the operation of setting irrelevant related images RaN to not be displayed according to the Web related image list generation process of the WES server 30.

If it is determined that the related image is unrelated to the search target word "archive" (step SE6 (Yes)), then the unrelated related image RaN is set to not be displayed (step SE7), as shown in FIG. 23, for example.

When the process of determining related images RaN that are unrelated to the search target word "archive" and setting them as hidden is performed for each related image (20 images in this case) obtained in step SE5 (step SE8 (Yes)), the control unit 31 determines whether there are any search target words in the list of search target words secured in the working data memory area 32f for which related images have not been searched for from the web server 40... (step SE9).

In this case, since only the specified word "archive" in the vocabulary book being displayed on the user terminal 20 is stored as a search target word in the list of search target words, it is determined that there are no search target words for which related images have not been searched for from the web server 40... (step SE9 (No)).

The control unit 31 also determines whether there are two or more search target words (step SE10), and determines that there are not two or more search target words (step SE10 (No)).

The control unit 31 then transmits data of a list of related images Ra1, Ra2, Ra3, ... that correspond to the specified word "archive" to the user terminal 20 as Web related image list data (step SE11).

When the user terminal 20 receives the Web related image list data corresponding to the specified word "archive" sent from the WES server 30 (step TA6 (Yes)), the control unit 21 proceeds to the related image update process (Figure 13) (step TB).

Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the related image update process (part 1) of the user terminal 20.

Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the related image update process (part 2) of the user terminal 20.

When the control unit 21 receives Web-related image list data from the WES server 30 (step TB1 (Yes)), it determines whether the Web-related image list data includes synonyms and synonym-related images of the specified word (step TB2).

If it is determined that synonyms and synonym-related images of the specified word are not included (step TB2 (No)), the control unit 21 causes the touch panel display unit 27 to display a list of related images Ra1, Ra2, Ra3, ... of the specified word "archive" received from the WES server 30 as a Web related image list RL1, as shown in FIG. 22 (B) (step TB3).

If the list of related images Ra1, Ra2, Ra3, ... for the specified word "archive" includes a related image RaN that is unrelated to the specified word "archive" and has been set to hidden (step SE7) in accordance with the Web related image list generation process (Figure 17) in the WES server 30, the control unit 21 causes the touch panel display unit 27 to display a Web related image list RL1 in which a related exclusion mark Nd has been added to the related image RaN that has been set to hidden, as shown in Figure 23 (step TB3). The related image RaN that has been set to hidden may be hidden.

Here, for example, when a related image Ra3 preferred by user H is specified in the Web related image list RL1 corresponding to the specified word "archive" displayed as shown in FIG. 23 (step TB4 (Yes)), the control unit 21 displays a designation frame W around the specified related image Ra3 and transmits data of the specified related image Ra3 to the WES server 30 (step TB5).

In addition, in the Web related image list RL1 displayed on the user terminal 20, if the related image Ra3 specified by user H is allowed to be shared in other users' vocabulary books, the user presses the [Shareable] button BCy displayed together with the Web related image list RL1 to specify the related image Ra3, and if the related image Ra3 is not allowed to be shared, the user presses the [Not shareable] button BCn to specify the related image Ra3.

As a result, the data of the related image Ra3 specified from the Web related image list RL1 on the user terminal 20 is sent to the WES server 30 along with information on whether it can be shared or not (step TB5). Note that the data of the specified related image Ra3 sent to the WES server 30 may not be the image data itself, but may be identification information (such as an index) that identifies the image data.

When the WES server 30 receives data of the specified related image Ra3 (including whether it can be shared or not) sent from the user terminal 20 (step S9 (Yes)), the control unit 31 updates the related image corresponding to the word card "archive" of the relevant wordbook in the wordbook database storage area 32e (see Figure 8) that was sent to and displayed on the user terminal 20, as shown in Figure 22 (A), to the received related image Ra3, including the update date and time and whether it can be shared or not (step S10).

This allows the user to update the related image associated with any word in his/her vocabulary book generated by the WES server 30 to the specified related image Ra3 by selecting a related image Ra3 preferred by the user H from the Web related image list RL1 retrieved from the Web servers 40 on the communication network N.

<Process of updating the wordbook by adding synonyms and images related to synonyms>
Furthermore, in the wordbook usage process (Figure 12) of the user terminal 20, when the related image page TCb (see Figure 22 (A)) on which related images associated with the specified word "road" are displayed (step TA3), if the [Web] button BT1 is pressed and the specified word "road" and a press signal of the [Web] button BT1 are sent to the WES server 30 (steps TA4, TA5), the wordbook process of the WES server 30 executes a Web related image list generation process including the synonym "street" of the specified word "road" and images related to the synonym, as follows (step S8 (Yes) → SE).

Figure 24 shows an example of a split display of a Web related image list RL1 and a Web synonym related image list SLa corresponding to the word card "road" following the related image update process of the user terminal 20.

The control unit 31 stores the specified word "road" as an initial value in the list of search target words secured in the working data storage area 32f (step SE1), and determines whether the search target word "road" stored in the list of search target words has any synonyms based on the dictionary data stored in the dictionary database storage area 32c (see FIG. 6) (step SE2).

For example, if it is determined that the search target word "road" has the synonym "street" (step SE2 (Yes)), the control unit 31 determines whether the synonym "street" is included in the search history stored in the user management database storage area 32d (see Figure 7) in association with the dictionary <user> ID of the user terminal 20 that is the sender of the specified word (search target word) "road" (step SE3).

Here, if it is determined that the synonym "street" of the search target word "road" is included in the search history of the corresponding user (step SE3 (Yes)), the control unit 31 adds the synonym "street" to the list of search target words in the working data storage area 32f and stores it therein (step SE4).

The control unit 31 then searches for and acquires a preset number (20 in this example) of related images Ra1, Ra2, Ra3, ... related to the search target word (specified word) "road" at the top of the list of search target words from the web servers 40 on the communication network N, as shown in FIG. 24(A), for example (step SE5).

Then, the control unit 31, as described above, determines whether there are any related images unrelated to the meaning of the search target word "road" among the 20 related images Ra1, Ra2, Ra3, ... obtained in step SE5 (step SE6), and if it is determined that there are any (step SE6 (Yes)), sets the unrelated related image RaN to not be displayed (steps SE7, SE8).

The control unit 31 determines that the list of search target words contains the next search target word (synonym) "street" for which related images have not been searched for from the Web servers 40... (step SE9 (Yes)), and similarly to the above, searches for and acquires a preset number (20 in this case) of related images (synonym-related images) SR1, SR2, SR3... relating to the search target word "street" from the Web servers 40... on the communication network N, as shown in FIG. 24(A), for example (step SE5).

Then, the control unit 31, as described above, determines whether there are any related images unrelated to the meaning of the search target word "street" among the 20 related images SR1, SR2, SR3, ... obtained in step SE5 (step SE6), and if it is determined that there are any (step SE6 (Yes)), sets the unrelated related image RaN to not be displayed (steps SE7, SE8).

After this, if it is determined that there are no search target words in the list of search target words for which related images have not been searched for from the Web server 40... (step SE9 (No)), and it is also determined that there are two or more search target words, the specified word "road" and the synonym "street" (step SE10 (Yes)), the control unit 31 transmits data of a list of related images Ra1, Ra2, Ra3,... corresponding to the specified word "road" and data of a list of related images SR1, SR2, SR3,... corresponding to the synonym "street" to the user terminal 20 as Web related image list data (step SE12).

When the user terminal 20 receives the Web related image list data corresponding to the specified word "road" and the synonym "street" sent from the WES server 30 (step TA6 (Yes)), the control unit 21 proceeds to the related image update process (Figure 13) (step TB).

The control unit 21 receives web-related image list data from the WES server 30 (step TB1 (Yes)) and determines that the web-related image list data includes the synonym "street" of the specified word "road" and synonym-related images (step TB2 (Yes)).

As shown in FIG. 24A, the control unit 21 causes the touch panel display unit 27 to display the list of related images Ra1, Ra2, Ra3, ... of the specified word "road" received from the WES server 30 and the list of related images SR1, SR2, SR3, ... of the synonym "street" as a related image list screen GL divided into a Web related image list RL1 and a Web synonym related image list SLa (step TB6).

Here, user H's preferred related image Ra3 is selected from the Web related image list RL1 corresponding to the specified word "road," and user H's preferred synonym related image SR1 is selected from the Web synonym related image list SLa corresponding to the synonym "street," and the [Create Image] button BM is pressed (step TB7 (Yes)). The control unit 21 then displays a designation frame W around the selected related image Ra3 and synonym related image SR1, and transmits data for each related image Ra3, SR1 to the WES server 30 (step TB8).

As described above, here too, in the Web related image list RL1 and the Web synonym related image list SLa displayed on the user terminal 20, if the related image Ra3 (SR1) specified by user H is allowed to be shared in other users' vocabulary books, the user presses the [Shareable] button BCy as shown in FIG. 23 before specifying the related image Ra3 (SR1), and if the related image is not allowed to be shared, the user presses the [Not shareable] button BCn before specifying the related image Ra3 (SR1).

As a result, data of the related image Ra3 (synonym related image SR1) specified from the Web related image list RL1 (Web synonym related image list SLa) on the user terminal 20 is sent to the WES server 30 along with information on whether it can be shared or not (step TB8). Note that the data of the specified related image Ra3 sent to the WES server 30 may not be the image data itself, but may be identification information (such as an index) that identifies the image data.

When the WES server 30 receives the data of the specified related image Ra3 and synonym related image SR1 (including whether it can be shared or not) sent from the user terminal 20 together with the pressing signal of the [Create Image] button BM (step S11 (Yes)), the control unit 31 updates the related image corresponding to the word card "road" of the relevant word book in the word book database storage area 32e (see FIG. 8) that was sent to and displayed on the user terminal 20 in step S7 to the received related image Ra3, including the update date and time and the shareable/unshareable information. The control unit 31 also updates the word card "road" of the same word book by adding the received synonym "street" and its synonym related image SR1 (including the update date and time and the shareable/unshareable information) (step S12).

This allows the user to update the related image associated with any word (here, "road") in his/her own vocabulary book generated by the WES server 30 to the specified related image Ra3 by specifying the related image Ra3 preferred by user H from the Web related image list RL1 searched from the Web servers 40... on the communication network N. Then, if the synonym "street" of the word "road" is included in the user's search history, the user can update the vocabulary card for the word "road" by adding the synonym "street" and the synonym related image SR1 preferred by user H specified from the Web synonym related image list SLa.

In this case, when the user terminal 20 displays the word card of the specified word (here, "road") in the user's vocabulary book received from the WES server 30 (steps TA1 to TA3) as shown in FIG. 21, the related image page TCb displays the related image Ra3 specified by the user for the word "road" and the related image SR1 specified by the user for the synonym "street" side by side for comparison, as shown in FIG. 24(B), for example.

Therefore, the user can easily and deeply understand the difference in meaning between the word "road" and the synonym "street" (for example, "road" is a road that cars use that runs from town to town, and "street" is a road in a city lined with buildings and roadside trees), and can effectively and efficiently learn not only the word "road" but also its synonym "street". In this embodiment, if the synonym is in the user's search history, that is, if the synonym itself is registered separately and independently in the vocabulary book, it is used as the search target for related images, making it easier to remember and learning more efficiently. On the other hand, it is also possible for the synonym to not be included in the search history. In this case, the synonym is a word that the user has not looked up, but it is a word related to a word included in the vocabulary book, and related images are also displayed for the synonym, so that the number of words to be learned can be increased effectively and efficiently.

<Process of adding memo data Me to the vocabulary book and updating it>
Furthermore, in the wordbook usage process (FIG. 12) of the user terminal 20, when the word translation page TCc corresponding to the specified word "archive" is displayed (step TA3) as shown in FIG. 22 (C) and the memo data Me field of the word translation page TCc is specified (step TA10 (Yes)), the control unit 21 displays a soft keyboard (not shown) and sets the specified memo data Me field to a state where characters can be input (step TA11).

Here, the user operates the screen to input and display any memo (here, "The red part is in the archive...", a play on the Japanese word "archive"), and presses the [Shareable] button BCy or the [Not shareable] button BCn (see Figure 23) to specify whether the memo can be shared or not.

The control unit 21 transmits the specified word "archive" and the input memo data "The red part is in the archive..." Me, together with information on whether sharing is possible or not, to the WES server 30 (step TA12).

When the WES server 30 receives the specified word "archive" and the memo data "The red part is in the archive..." Me (including whether it can be shared or not) sent from the user terminal 20 (step S20 (Yes)), the control unit 31 stores the received memo data Me, including the information on whether it can be shared or not, in association with the word "archive" in the corresponding vocabulary book in the vocabulary book database storage area 32e, and updates the memo data Me (step S21).

This allows users to associate any word in their vocabulary book with any memo data Me that they think will help them remember that word, allowing them to learn words effectively and efficiently.

When an operation to close the displayed screen is performed on the user terminal 20 (step TA7 (Yes)), the control unit 21 ends the series of wordbook usage processes.

<Process of searching for and updating related images of a flashcard from within the WES server 30>
For example, as shown in FIG. 21 (B), when the related image page TCb of the specified word card "archive" is displayed on the touch panel display unit 27 of the user terminal 20 (step TA3), in order to update the currently displayed related image to, for example, a related image preferred by the user by searching through another user's word book in the WES server 30, when the [WES] button BT2 on the related image page TCb is pressed as shown in FIG. 22 (A) (step TA8 (Yes)), the control unit 21 transmits the specified word "archive" and a press signal of the [WES] button BT2 to the WES server 30 (step TA9).

When the WES server 30 receives the specified word "archive" sent from the user terminal 20 and a press signal of the [WES] button BT2 (step S13 (Yes)), the control unit 31 proceeds to the WES related image list generation process (Figure 18) (step SF).

Figure 18 is a flowchart showing the WES-related image list generation process included in the wordbook processing of the WES server 30.

The control unit 31 searches through the vocabulary book data of other users stored in the vocabulary book database storage area 32e to obtain a preset number of related images Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, ... associated with the specified word "archive," as shown in FIG. 22(C), for example (step SF1).

The control unit 31 transmits the list data of related images Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, ... corresponding to the acquired specified word "archive" to the user terminal 20 as WES related image list data (step SF2).

When the user terminal 20 receives the WES related image list data corresponding to the specified word "archive" sent from the WES server 30 (step TA6 (Yes)), the control unit 21 proceeds to the related image update process (Figure 13) (step TB).

When the control unit 21 receives the WES related image list data from the WES server 30 (step TB9 (Yes)), it causes the touch panel display unit 27 to display a list of related images Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, ... of the specified word "archive" received from the WES server 30 as a WES related image list RL2, as shown in FIG. 22 (C) (step TB10).

Figure 25 shows an example of the operation of narrowing down related images in the display of the WES related image list RL2 according to the related image update process of the user terminal 20.

When the [Refine] button PD is pressed in the WES related image list RL2 to narrow down the related images Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, ... as shown in FIG. 25, the control unit 21 displays, as a pull-down menu, a [Recent] button BX to narrow down the related images to be searched from the vocabulary database (32e) in order of most recent update date and time, a [Popular] button BY to narrow down the search from the vocabulary books of other users who have the same user attributes as the user, and a [Recommended] button BZ to narrow down the search from the vocabulary books of other users who have the same related image characteristics as the user.

In response to pressing the displayed [Recent] button BX, [Popular] button BY, or [Recommended] button BZ, the control unit 21 transmits a pressing signal of the button BX, BY, or BZ to the WES server 30 (step TB11).

When the WES server 30 receives a press signal of the [Recent] button BX from the user terminal 20 (step SF3 (Yes)), the control unit 31 searches and acquires related images of the specified word "archive" from the data of other users' vocabulary books in the vocabulary book database (32e) in order of most recent update date and time (posted order) (step SF4), and transmits the acquired list data of related images to the user terminal 20 as "recent" WES related image list data (step SF5).

In addition, when a press signal of the [Popular] button BY is received from the user terminal 20 (step SF6 (Yes)), the control unit 31 obtains the user attributes (e.g., a third-year high school student) associated with the user's dictionary <user> ID from the user management database (32d) (step SF7).

Then, related images of the specified word "archive" are searched and obtained from the vocabulary books of other users in the vocabulary book database (32e) who have the same user attribute (third year high school student) as the obtained user attribute (step SF8), and the obtained list data of related images is sent to the user terminal 20 as "popular" WES related image list data (step SF9).

In addition, when a press signal of the [Recommend] button BZ is received from the user terminal 20 (step SF10 (Yes)), the control unit 31 retrieves related image features (e.g., a word mnemonic image) associated with the user's dictionary <user> ID from the user management database (32d) (step SF11).

Then, related images of the specified word "archive" are searched and acquired from other users' vocabulary books in the vocabulary book database (32e) that have the same related image features (word-mnemonic images) as the acquired related image features (step SF12), and the acquired list data of related images is sent to the user terminal 20 as "recommended" WES related image list data (step SF13).

When the user terminal 20 receives the "recent", "popular" or "recommended" WES related image list data that has been narrowed down and sent from the WES server 30 (step TB9 (Yes)), the control unit 21 causes the touch panel display unit 27 to display a list of related images Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, ... after narrowing down the received specified word "archive" as a WES related image list RL2, as shown in Figure 22 (C), for example (step TB12).

When user H's preferred related image Rb2 (here, a related image that is a pun on the word "archive" and the Japanese translation "Keep a red pig") is specified in the WES related image list RL2 for the specified word "archive" displayed in step TB10 or TB12, the control unit 21 displays a designation frame W around the specified related image Rb2 and transmits data of the specified related image Rb2 to the WES server 30 (step TB13). The data of the specified related image Rb2 transmitted to the WES server 30 may not be the image data itself, but may be identification information (such as an index) that identifies the image data.

When the WES server 30 receives the specified related image Rb2 (here, a related image that is a pun on the word "archive" and means "keep a red pig") sent from the user terminal 20 (step S14 (Yes)), the control unit 31 transmits data of the word card (including the word "archive", the related image Rb2, explanatory information, and notes) to which the specified related image Rb2 is associated in the wordbook of the other user from whom the specified related image Rb2 was searched, together with information on whether the related image Rb2 and the notes can be shared or not, to the user terminal 20 (step S15).

In the user terminal 20, the control unit 21 receives the data of the vocabulary card of the other user's vocabulary book corresponding to the specified related image Rb2 transmitted from the WES server 30 (including information on whether the related image Rb2 and notes can be shared or not). Then, as shown in (A), (B), and (C) of FIG. 26, for example, the English vocabulary page TCa, the related image page TCb, and the word translation page TCc of the received vocabulary card "archive" of the other user are switchably displayed on the touch panel display unit 27 (step TB14).

At this time, if sharing information has been added to the related image Rb2 of the received flashcard of another user, a download mark DL indicating sharing is added and displayed on the related image page TCb, as shown in FIG. 26(B). Also, if sharing information has been added to the memo data of the received flashcard of another user, a copy mark CP indicating sharing is added and displayed on the word translation page TCc, as shown in FIG. 26(C).

Now, as shown in FIG. 26B, when a related image on the related image page TCb (here, a related image that is a pun on the word "archive" and means "keep a red pig") is specified on the related image page TCb with the download mark DL added (step TB15 (Yes)), the control unit 21 transmits data of the specified related image (which can be shared) (the data of the specified related image may be identification information of the related image) to the WES server 30 (step TB16).

When the WES server 30 receives the data of the specified related image (which can be shared) sent from the user terminal 20 (step S16 (Yes)), the control unit 31 updates the related image corresponding to the word card "archive" of the relevant wordbook in the wordbook database (32e) that was sent to and displayed on the user terminal 20, as shown in FIG. 22 (A), to the related image Rb2 of the received wordcard of another user (the related image is a pun on the word "archive" and means "keep a red pig"), including the update date and time and the information on whether it can be shared (step S17).

This allows the user to update the related image associated with any word in his/her own vocabulary book generated by the WES server 30 to the related image Rb2 that user H prefers, for example, a related image Rb2 that the user thinks will make it easier to remember the word than the previous related image in user H's vocabulary book, from the WES related image list RL2 searched from the data of other users' vocabulary books in the WES server 30, and to the specified related image Rb2.

Furthermore, the user can update the related images associated with words in his/her own vocabulary book by selecting the related image Rb2 preferred by user H from the WES related image list RL2 searched by narrowing down the search to "recent," "popular," or "recommended." In the case of "recent," the search targets recently updated related images. In the case of "popular," the search targets related images in the vocabulary books of other users who have the same attributes as the user, and in the case of "recommended," the search targets related images in the vocabulary books of other users who have the same characteristics as the related images in the user's vocabulary book.

<Process of updating memo data Me of a vocabulary book using another user's vocabulary book>
Furthermore, following the processing of step TB14 at the user terminal 20, when memo data Me (here, a pun on the word "archive," meaning "to store a red pig") of the word translation page TCc displayed with a copy mark CP added as shown in FIG. 26C among the English word page TCa, related image page TCb, and word translation page TCc of another user's word card "archive" that are displayed in a switchable manner as shown in FIG. 26 (A), (B), and (C) is specified (step TB17 (Yes)), the control unit 21 transmits the specified memo data (which can be shared) Me to the WES server 30 (step TB18).

When the WES server 30 receives the specified memo data (shareable) Me sent from the user terminal 20 (step S18 (Yes)), the control unit 31 updates the memo data "The red part is in the archive..." Me corresponding to the word card "archive" of the corresponding wordbook in the wordbook database (32e) that was sent to and displayed on the user terminal 20, as shown in FIG. 21 (C), to the received memo data "Keep the red pig" Me of the wordcard of another user by including the shareable information (step S19).

This allows a user to update memo data Me associated with any word in their own vocabulary book, generated by the WES server 30, to memo data Me from another user's vocabulary book in the WES server 30 that has an associated image that the user likes (a memo that the user finds easier to remember than the memo in the user's own vocabulary book), and to the specified memo data Me.

In step TB14 of the related image update process (FIG. 13) of the user terminal 20, when the English word page TCa, the related image page TCb, and the word translation page TCc of the vocabulary book of another user received from the WES server 30 are displayed in a switchable manner as shown in FIG. 26, for example, when the "Back" button (not shown) is pressed (step TB19 (Yes)), if a narrowing down operation was performed in step TB11, the control unit 21 returns to the process of step TB12 and displays the narrowed down WES related image list RL2 (step TB20 (Yes) → TB12), and if a narrowing down operation was not performed, the control unit 21 returns to the process of step TB10 and displays the unnarrowed WES related image list RL2 (step TB20 (No) → TB10).

(Summary of the embodiment)
According to the learning support system 1 of the embodiment, when search history data in which a word is searched for using the electronic dictionary 10 is transmitted to the WES server 30 by the user terminal 20, which is a communication device, the WES server 30 generates a word card that corresponds, for each word included in the search history data, the word, explanatory information including the word translation, and an image related to the word (including synonyms and synonym-related images if there are synonyms for the word) obtained from the dictionary data in the dictionary database (32c), and automatically generates a word list according to the user and stores it in the word list database (32e) in correspondence with the dictionary <user> ID.

The user acquires the vocabulary book automatically generated by the WES server 30 onto the user terminal 20, and studies by switching between displaying each word card in the vocabulary book on the user terminal 20 between the English word page TCa, the related image page TCb, and the word translation page TCc.

At this time, if the user specifies the memo data Me field on the word translation page TCc and inputs any memo data Me that is thought to help remember the word (such as a memo that is a mnemonic between the pronunciation of the word and the word translation), the memo data Me is added to the word card of the corresponding wordbook on the WES server 30 and updated, and from then on, the memo data Me is added to the word translation page TCc displayed on the user terminal 20.

This allows users to learn and remember words effectively and efficiently, by intuitively understanding the meaning of a word by looking at related images of the word in the vocabulary book, and intuitively memorizing the word by looking at the mnemonic for the pronunciation of the word that has been added as memo data.

In addition, according to the learning support system 1 of the embodiment, when the [Web] button BT1 is pressed on the related image page TCb of any flashcard displayed on the user terminal 20, a list of related images related to the word on the flashcard, which have been searched for on the Web by the WES server 30, is displayed as a Web related image list RL1. When any related image is specified from the Web related image list RL1, the WES server 30 updates the related image of the flashcard of the corresponding flashcard in the flashcard database (32e) to the related image specified by the user.

This allows the user to update the related image associated with any word in his/her vocabulary book by selecting the related image Ra3 preferred by user H from the list of Web related images RL1 searched from the Web.

When the WES server 30 searches the Web for related images related to a word on any flashcard displayed on the user terminal 20, if the synonym of the word is in the dictionary database (32c) and is included in the user's search history, the WES server 30 also searches the Web for related images of the synonym, and displays a list of the searched synonym-related images as a Web synonym-related image list SLa on the user terminal 20 in a separate screen from the Web related image list RL1. When an arbitrary related image is specified from each of the Web related image list RL1 and the Web synonym-related image list SLa, the WES server 30 updates the related image of the flashcard of the corresponding flashcard in the flashcard database (32e) to the related image specified by the user, and updates the flashcard by adding the synonym and the synonym-related image specified by the user.

This allows the user to easily and deeply understand the difference in meaning between a word on a word card displayed on the user terminal 20 and its synonyms from the difference in content between the related image of the word and the related image of the synonym, and to effectively and efficiently learn not only the word but also its synonyms.

Furthermore, according to the learning support system 1 of the embodiment, when the [WES] button BT2 is pressed on the related image page TCb of any word displayed on the user terminal 20, the WES server 30 displays a list of related images related to the same word, searched from other users' vocabulary books in the vocabulary book database (32e), as the WES related image list RL2. Then, when any related image is specified from the WES related image list RL2, the WES server 30 updates the related image of the vocabulary card of the vocabulary book of the user of the same user terminal 20 in the vocabulary book database (32e) to the specified related image.

This allows a user to update the related image associated with any word in his/her own vocabulary book to a related image Rb2 that the user thinks will make it easier to remember the word than, for example, the previous related image in the user's own vocabulary book, by selecting the related image Rb2 from the WES related image list RL2 retrieved from the vocabulary books of other users in the WES server 30.

The WES related image list RL2 searched for from other users' vocabulary books by the WES server 30 and displayed on the user terminal 20 can be narrowed down to a list of related images sorted by most recent update date and time, to a list of related images searched from the vocabulary books of other users who have the same user attributes as the user of the user terminal 20, or to a list of related images searched from the vocabulary books of other users who have the same related image characteristics as the same user, by operating the [Recent] button BX, the [Popular] button BY, or the [Recommended] button BZ. The user can update the related images associated with words in their own vocabulary book by specifying a more appropriate related image Rb2 from the vocabulary books of other users that is closer to the user's preferred learning style.

Furthermore, according to the learning support system 1 of the embodiment, when a user specifies any related image Rb2 in the WES related image list RL2 corresponding to a specified word displayed on the user terminal 20, the WES server 30 transmits data of the word card of the other user's vocabulary book from which the specified related image Rb2 was searched to the user terminal 20, and switches between displaying the English word page TCa, the related image page TCb, and the word translation page TCc. When the user specifies memo data Me of the word translation page TCc, the WES server 30 updates the current memo data Me corresponding to the specified word in the user's vocabulary book to the memo data Me of the specified other user.

As a result, a user can designate memo data Me from another user's vocabulary book in the WES server 30 that has an associated image that the user likes as memo data Me that the user finds easier to remember for the current memo data Me associated with any word in the user's vocabulary book, and update the memo data Me to the designated better memo data.

Other Embodiments
In addition, the process of narrowing down related images according to the [Popular] button BY in the WES related image list generation process of the WES server 30 stores the selection time from the display of the Web related image list RL1 or the WES related image list RL2 until the user selects and specifies the related image in association with the data of the related image in the flashcard. A method of narrowing down related images whose selection time is shorter than a predetermined time may be used, assuming that the related images are easy for the user to remember.

In addition, related images with clear overall contrast, related images in which the characteristic parts corresponding to the meaning of the word are clearly visible against the background, and related images in which the size of the characteristic parts is larger than a predetermined size may be analyzed through image recognition, and these may be used as targets for narrowing down the results according to the [Popular] button BY.

The process of narrowing down related images in response to the [Recommend] button BZ may also be a method of narrowing down related images in the vocabulary books of other users who have updated related images in the past by specifying their preferred related images based on the WES related image list RL2.

In addition, in the web related image list generation process, for related images that are prohibited from being downloaded from the web, the web URL of the related image may be obtained and displayed in the web related image list RL1 in place of the related image that is prohibited from being downloaded.

In addition, when the WES server 30 generates a vocabulary list based on the search history data, the related images associated with a word are the related images of that word in the dictionary data of the dictionary database (32c), but this is not limited to this, and related images searched for on the web may also be used.

Of course, the words in the search history described in the embodiment may be phrases such as idioms, compound words, and abbreviations that exist as head words in dictionary data.

Therefore, the learning support system 1 of the embodiment makes it possible to effectively and efficiently memorize and learn the target language.

The methods of each process performed by the learning support system 1 described in each of the above embodiments, i.e., the WES server synchronization process in the electronic dictionary 10 shown in the flowchart of Figure 9, the WES utilization process in the user terminal 20 shown in the flowchart of Figure 10, the vocabulary book generation process in the WES server 30 shown in the flowchart of Figure 11, the vocabulary book utilization process in the user terminal 20 shown in the flowchart of Figure 12, the related image update process in the user terminal 20 shown in the flowcharts of Figures 13 and 14, the vocabulary book processing in the WES server 30 shown in the flowchart of Figures 15 and 16, the Web-related image list generation process in the WES server 30 shown in the flowchart of Figure 17, and the WES-related image list generation process in the WES server 30 shown in the flowchart of Figure 18, can all be stored and distributed as programs that can be executed by a computer on an external storage device such as a memory card (ROM card, RAM card, etc.), a magnetic disk (floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), or a semiconductor memory. The control unit (CPU) of the electronic device then loads the program recorded on the medium of this external recording device into the storage device, and the operation is controlled by this loaded program, thereby realizing the various functions described in each embodiment and executing similar processing using the methods described above.

In addition, the program data for implementing each method can be transmitted in the form of program code over a communications network (N), and the program data can be imported into an electronic device from a computer device (program server) connected to this communications network (N) and stored in a storage device to realize the various functions described above.

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. The embodiments may also be implemented in appropriate combinations, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combinations selected from the multiple constituent elements disclosed. For example, if the problem can be solved and an effect can be obtained even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiments, the configuration from which these constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention.

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

[Appendix 1]
The Communications Department and
A control unit;
A storage unit for storing a dictionary database,
The control unit is
acquiring, via the communication unit, a search history of at least one word or phrase searched by a user;
For each word included in the search history, word information corresponding to the word is obtained from a dictionary database stored in the storage unit;
generating wordbook data in which the word, explanatory information of the word included in the word information, and a first word-related image related to the word are associated with each other;
if the word information includes a synonym of the word, the synonym and a first synonym-related image related to the synonym are added to data of the wordbook data corresponding to the word;
A server device configured as follows.

[Appendix 2]
The control unit is
transmitting said vocabulary book data to said user's communication device;
2. The server device according to claim 1, configured as follows:

[Appendix 3]
The control unit is
When receiving information on one word or phrase designated by the user in the transmitted vocabulary book,
obtaining data of a second word-related image list related to the specified word from another server device and transmitting the data to the communication device of the user;
When receiving information on one second word-related image selected by the user from the transmitted list of second word-related images,
updating a first word-related image associated with the specified word to an image corresponding to the received second word-related image information;
3. The server device according to claim 2, configured as follows:

[Appendix 4]
The control unit is
If there is a synonym associated with the specified term,
acquiring data of a second synonym-related image list related to the synonym from the other server device;
Transmitting data of the second synonym-related image list to the communication device of the user;
When the user receives information on one of the second synonym-related images selected from the transmitted list of second synonym-related images,
updating the first synonym-related image associated with the specified word to an image corresponding to the received information of the second synonym-related image;
4. The server device according to claim 3, configured as follows:

[Appendix 5]
The control unit is
If a synonym of the specified word is included in the search history data,
acquiring data of a second synonym-related image list related to the synonym from the other server device;
Transmitting data of the second synonym-related image list to the communication device of the user;
When the user receives information on one of the second synonym-related images selected from the transmitted list of second synonym-related images,
updating the first synonym-related image associated with the specified word to an image corresponding to the received information of the second synonym-related image;
4. The server device according to claim 3, configured as follows:

[Appendix 6]
The control unit is
receiving and acquiring the search history data from a communication device of the user;
6. The server device according to claim 1, configured as follows:

[Appendix 7]
The Communications Department and
A control unit;
A storage unit that stores a dictionary database;
The control unit of the server device
acquiring, via the communication unit, a search history of at least one word or phrase searched by a user;
For each word included in the search history, word information corresponding to the word is obtained from a dictionary database stored in the storage unit;
generating wordbook data in which the word is associated with explanatory information of the word included in the word information and a word-related image related to the word;
if the word information includes a synonym of the word, the synonym and a synonym-related image related to the synonym are added to data of the wordbook data corresponding to the word;
A learning support method like this.

[Appendix 8]
The Communications Department and
A control unit;
A storage unit that stores a dictionary database;
The control unit of the server device
acquiring, via the communication unit, a search history of at least one word or phrase searched by a user;
For each word included in the search history, word information corresponding to the word is obtained from a dictionary database stored in the storage unit;
generating wordbook data in which the word, explanatory information of the word included in the word information, and a word-related image related to the word are associated with each other;
if the word information includes a synonym of the word, the synonym and a synonym-related image related to the synonym are added to data of the wordbook data corresponding to the word;
A program to make it function like this.

1 ... Learning support system 10 ... Electronic dictionary (electronic device)
11 ... control unit (CPU)
12 ... storage unit 12a ... program storage area (dictionary control program)
12b: Dictionary ID storage area 12c: Dictionary data storage area 12d: Search history data storage area 15: Communication unit 16: Key input unit 17: Touch panel display unit 20: User terminal (communication device)
21 ... control unit (CPU)
22 ... Storage unit 22a ... Program storage area (terminal control program)
22b...Program storage area (WES use application)
22c: Terminal data storage area 25: Communication unit 27: Touch panel display unit 28: Imaging unit 30: WES server (server device)
31 ... control unit (CPU)
32 ... storage unit 32a ... program storage area (server control program)
32b...Program storage area (image recognition program)
32c...Dictionary database storage area 32d...User management database storage area 32e...Vocabulary book database storage area 32f...Work data storage area N...Communication network QR...Two-dimensional code TCa...English word page TCb...Related image page TCc...Word translation page Me...Memo data BT1...[Web] button BT2...[WES] button RL1...Web related image list RL2...WES related image list BCy...[Shareable] button BCn...[Not shareable] button SLa...Web synonym related image list GL...Related image list screen BM...[Create image] button PD...[Refine] button DL...Download mark CP...Copy mark

Claims (8)

The Communications Department and
A control unit;
Equipped with
The control unit is
acquiring, via the communication unit, a search history of at least one word or phrase searched by a user;
For each word included in the search history, obtain word information corresponding to the word from a dictionary database;
generating wordbook data in which the word, explanatory information of the word included in the word information, and a first word-related image related to the word are associated with each other;
if the word information includes a synonym of the word, the synonym and a first synonym-related image related to the synonym are added to data of the wordbook data corresponding to the word;
A server device configured as follows. The control unit is
transmitting said vocabulary book data to said user's communication device;
2. The server device according to claim 1, configured to: The control unit is
When receiving information on one word or phrase designated by the user in the transmitted vocabulary book,
obtaining data of a second word-related image list related to the specified word from another server device and transmitting the data to the communication device of the user;
When receiving information on one second word-related image selected by the user from the transmitted list of second word-related images,
updating a first word-related image associated with the specified word to an image corresponding to the received second word-related image information;
3. The server device according to claim 2, configured as follows. The control unit is
If there is a synonym associated with the specified term,
acquiring data of a second synonym-related image list related to the synonym from the other server device;
Transmitting data of the second synonym-related image list to the communication device of the user;
When the user receives information on one of the second synonym-related images selected from the transmitted list of second synonym-related images,
updating the first synonym-related image associated with the specified word to an image corresponding to the received information of the second synonym-related image;
4. The server device according to claim 3, configured as follows. The control unit is
If a synonym of the specified word is included in the search history data,
acquiring data of a second synonym-related image list related to the synonym from the other server device;
Transmitting data of the second synonym-related image list to the communication device of the user;
When the user receives information on one of the second synonym-related images selected from the transmitted list of second synonym-related images,
updating the first synonym-related image associated with the specified word to an image corresponding to the received information of the second synonym-related image;
4. The server device according to claim 3, configured as follows. The control unit is
receiving and acquiring the search history data from a communication device of the user;
6. The server device according to claim 1, configured as follows: The Communications Department and
A control unit;
The control unit of the server device
acquiring, via the communication unit, a search history of at least one word or phrase searched by a user;
For each word included in the search history, obtain word information corresponding to the word from a dictionary database;
generating wordbook data in which the word is associated with explanatory information of the word included in the word information and a word-related image related to the word;
if the word information includes a synonym of the word, the synonym and a synonym-related image related to the synonym are added to data of the wordbook data corresponding to the word;
A learning support method like this. The Communications Department and
A control unit;
The control unit of the server device
acquiring, via the communication unit, a search history of at least one word or phrase searched by a user;
For each word included in the search history, obtain word information corresponding to the word from a dictionary database;
generating wordbook data in which the word, explanatory information of the word included in the word information, and a word-related image related to the word are associated with each other;
if the word information includes a synonym of the word, the synonym and a synonym-related image related to the synonym are added to data of the wordbook data corresponding to the word;
A program to make it function like this.