JP7697242B2 - Information search device, information search method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information search device, information search method, and program suitable for electronic dictionaries, etc.

Technology has been proposed for electronic dictionaries equipped with dictionary functions that allow for more widespread and effective vocabulary learning. (For example, Patent Document 1)

JP 2015-179335 A

When searching for a search string in an electronic dictionary, including the technology described in Patent Document 1, in addition to the normal search in which search candidates are narrowed down as each character of the search string is entered, search methods that refer to past search history to predict search candidates have also been put into practical use.

Of these, the search method that predicts search candidates refers to the past search history of the electronic dictionary alone, and does not reflect search results from electronic dictionaries owned by others.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an information search device, information search method, and program that can effectively utilize search information from other people in the vicinity to improve search efficiency.

One aspect of the present invention includes a shared search history memory unit that receives and stores information on headwords whose explanatory information is referenced by user operation in another information search device that is communicatively connected , a headword extraction unit that extracts a headword from a dictionary memory unit and the shared search history memory unit based on at least one character when at least one character is input as a key for searching for a headword, and a first display control unit that displays the headword extracted from the dictionary memory unit by the headword extraction unit in a first display area and displays the headword extracted from the shared search history memory unit in a second display area.

The present invention makes it possible to effectively utilize search information from other people in the vicinity, thereby improving search efficiency.

1 is a diagram showing the external configuration of an electronic dictionary according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an electronic circuit of the electronic dictionary according to the embodiment. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of a dictionary search in a mode in which a search status is shared with surrounding people according to the embodiment. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the touch panel display unit when an "English-English-Japanese Dictionary" is selected according to the embodiment; FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electronic dictionary will be described with reference to the drawings.
[composition]
1 is a front view showing the external configuration of an electronic dictionary 10 according to the embodiment. Note that this embodiment can be configured not only as the electronic dictionary 10 described below, but also as a tablet-type PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, an electronic book, a portable game machine, a server on a communication network, or the like equipped with a dictionary function.

The electronic dictionary 10 is configured with a foldable case in which the main body case 11 and the cover case 12 can be opened/closed via a hinge section 13. On the surface of the main body case 11 when the foldable case is opened, there are provided a key input section 14 (hardware keys) including a [Home] key 14a, function designation keys 14b, character input keys 14c, [Decision] key 14d, [Back] key 14e, [BOX] key 14f, cursor movement keys 14g, and a [Shift] key 14h, an audio output section (including a speaker) 15, and an audio input section (including a microphone) 16, etc.

A touch panel display unit 17 is provided on the surface of the cover case 12. The touch panel display unit 17 is an integrated structure of a touch position detection device that detects the position touched by the user of the electronic dictionary 10 with a pen or finger, and a display device, and is constructed by layering a transparent touch panel on a backlit LCD screen.

The [Home] key 14a of the key input unit 14 is a key for displaying a home screen on the key input unit 14. Although not specifically shown, multiple icons are displayed that are registered according to the initial settings of the electronic dictionary 10 or user operations. Each icon is a drawing or symbol for realizing a function corresponding to the notation of the icon. For example, it includes an application icon that directly launches a function (application) that uses dictionary content or learning content, and a group icon that displays a list screen of icons of multiple functions belonging to one category.

The function specification keys 14b of the key input section 14 are used to directly specify the dictionary content (e.g., "Daijirin") displayed on each key, the category of dictionary content (e.g., "Japanese language", "Classical Japanese", "English-English-Japanese", etc.), the "Contents list", or one of the tool categories, "Study notebook".

In addition, when a key on the key input unit 14 is operated after the [Shift] key 14h is operated, the key functions as a key with a frame on the key top, rather than as a key without a frame. For example, when the [Delete] key is operated after the [Shift] key 14h is operated, the key functions as a [Setting] key, not a [Delete] key.

In FIG. 1, an example is shown in which [English-English-Japanese Dictionary] has been selected and the first two letters of the entry, [te], have been entered into the search string input section 41 located at the top of the touch panel display section 17. At the bottom left of the search string input section 41, a certain number of English words that match the string [te] are displayed as a search candidate display section 42, with the English word [Te] at the beginning of the display being provisionally selected by the cursor C. At the bottom right of the search string input section 41, a box display section 43 shows part of the explanatory information based on the English-English-Japanese dictionary content being displayed in correspondence with the English word [Te] that is currently selected.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the electronic circuit of the electronic dictionary 10. As shown in FIG.
The electronic circuit of the electronic dictionary 10 includes a control unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 21, which is a computer. The control unit 21 controls the operation of each part of the circuit in accordance with a control program prestored in a storage unit 22 such as a flash ROM. The number of processors such as a CPU may be one or two or more.

In addition, at least one of the control program and the dictionary data described later may be read by the recording medium reading unit 24 from an external recording medium 23 such as a memory card and stored in the memory unit 22, or may be downloaded via the communication unit 25 from a web server or the like on an external network (not shown) and stored in the memory unit 22.

The control unit 21 is connected to the memory unit 22, recording medium reading unit 24, and communication unit 25 via a data bus and a control bus, as well as to the key input unit 14, audio output unit 15, audio input unit 16, and touch panel display unit 17.

The memory unit 22 stores a system program that controls the overall operation of the electronic dictionary 10, a communication program for connecting to external devices via the communication unit 25, and other memory areas for storing programs and data for executing various functions by the electronic dictionary 10, such as a search processing program memory area 22a, a dictionary data memory area 22b, a search history memory area 22c, a common search history database 22d, and a work data memory area 22e.

The search processing program storage area 22a is an area for storing control programs and the like for searching for and displaying a user-desired headword and explanatory information such as translations, meanings, examples, and explanations associated with the headword, based on various dictionary content (English-English-Japanese dictionary/English-Japanese dictionary/Japanese-English dictionary/English-English dictionary/Japanese dictionary/encyclopedia/...) stored as dictionary data in the dictionary data storage area 22b. The dictionary data storage area 22b stores various dictionary content, and headwords and explanatory information for the headwords are stored in association with each other. In other words, the dictionary data storage area 22b functions as a dictionary storage unit that stores headwords and their explanatory information in association with each other.

When a search is performed in response to a user operation when the electronic dictionary 10 is operating independently, the search history storage area 22c stores the headword that was the subject of the search as search history together with information on the number of searches performed.

The common search history database 22d stores the headwords to be searched for together with information on the number of searches as a database of search history, in accordance with the operation described below, when the user of this electronic dictionary 10 shares the fact that an headword has been selected and its explanatory information has been displayed in an external similar electronic dictionary 10 with other users, including the user of this electronic dictionary 10. In other words, the common search history database 22d functions as a shared search history storage unit that receives and stores information on headwords whose explanatory information has been referenced by user operations in other information search devices connected in communication with the common search history database 22d.
The search processing program memory area 22a functions as a headword extraction unit that, when at least one character is input as a key for searching for a headword from the dictionary memory unit, extracts a headword from the dictionary memory unit as well as the shared search history memory unit based on the at least one character.

In the working data memory area 22e, various data input in response to user operations and data acquired or generated by the control unit 21 are temporarily stored (held) as necessary in accordance with the control of the operation of each part of the circuit according to the control program by the control unit 21.

The communication unit 25 wirelessly connects to similar information retrieval devices such as electronic dictionaries present in the vicinity based on, for example, the Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (BLE) standard, which is one of the wireless Personal Area Network (PAN) technologies.
The communication unit 25 receives information on a heading word for which explanatory information is referenced by a user operation in another information search device connected for communication with the communication unit 25. Furthermore, the communication unit 25 functions as a transmission unit that transmits information on the heading word for which explanatory information is displayed to the other information search device connected for communication with the communication unit 25.
The communication unit 25 also wirelessly connects to a web server or the like on an external network (not shown) via a wireless router or the like to download control programs and the like.

[Operation]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
This operation assumes that a user of electronic dictionary 10 in a classroom in a school shares his or her search history with classmates in order to improve the efficiency of dictionary searches during class.

In this embodiment, when performing a dictionary search with the electronic dictionary 10, a mode for sharing the search history with other people in the vicinity can be selected. In the touch panel display unit 17 in FIG. 1, as shown at the top right of the screen as "Communication with peripheral terminals/Waiting for permission," operation is shown in a mode in which the search history is not shared with other people in the vicinity. In this mode, for example, in response to the operation of the [Enter] key 14d at the time when a part of the character string "te" from the beginning of the headword is entered, a certain number of search candidates are displayed in alphabetical order.

In addition, in this mode, if a setting to use the search history of the electronic dictionary 10 is selected, a certain number of search candidates for the entry word corresponding to the input search string are displayed based on the contents stored in the search history storage area 22c.

When the user touches the text portion of the touch panel display unit 17 that reads "Waiting for permission," the display of that portion of the text changes to "Permission granted," and the device transitions to a mode in which the search history can be shared with other people in the vicinity.

Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the dictionary search process that the control unit 21 executes by turning on the function of the communication unit 25 in a mode in which search history is shared with nearby people.

The control unit 21 starts operation as a basic observer (receiving device) by broadcast communication by the communication unit 25 in accordance with the BLE (registered trademark) standard (step S101).

When operating as an observer, the control unit 21 continues to receive a pre-established electronic dictionary beacon via the communication unit 25, indicating that it is operating as an electronic dictionary.

Next, the control unit 21 determines whether the reliability of the information to be stored in the common search history database 22d is ensured based on whether the number of electronic dictionary beacons received from other devices in the vicinity at that time exceeds a preset threshold value, for example, 10 if there are 35 students in a class (step S102).

When receiving this electronic dictionary beacon, it is thought that the radio wave strength will decrease as the beacon passes through the walls between adjacent classrooms. Therefore, by limiting the number of devices that provide an RSSI (received signal strength) above an appropriate threshold in advance, it is possible to select and count only the devices of classmates in the same classroom.

If it is determined in step S102 that the number of received electronic dictionary beacons is less than a preset threshold value (NO in step S102), the reliability of the information stored in the common search history database 22d cannot be ensured, and the contents of the common search history database 22d are reset (step S111), and the process returns to step S102.

Also, in step S102, if it is determined that the number of received electronic dictionary beacons is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value (YES in step S102), the control unit 21 determines that the reliability of the information stored in the common search history database 22d is ensured, and then determines whether the [Enter] key 14d of the key input unit 14, which commands a search based on the search string input to the search string input unit 41 in the electronic dictionary 10, has been operated (step S103).

If it is determined that the [Decision] key 14d has not been operated (NO in step S103), the control unit 21 then determines whether an entry word has been selected on another nearby terminal and displayed and referenced in the explanatory information box display unit 43 for that entry word, depending on whether at least one of the received electronic dictionary beacons contains information about the search word (step S109).

If it is determined that an electronic dictionary beacon containing information about the search word has not been received (NO in step S109), the control unit 21 assumes that no headword has been selected on any other nearby terminal and returns to the process from step S102.

In this way, in an operating environment where the number of received electronic dictionary beacons is equal to or exceeds a preset threshold, the control unit 21 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S102, S103, and S109, waiting for a search command to be issued on the electronic dictionary 10 or for the reception of an electronic dictionary beacon containing information on the search word.

In step S109, if it is determined that at least one of the received electronic dictionary beacons contains search word information, and that an entry word has been selected on another nearby terminal, and explanatory information for the entry word has been displayed and referenced (YES in step S109), the control unit 21 updates and stores the included search word information in the common search history database 22d (step S110). At this time, if the search word information to be stored is already stored in the common search history database 22d, the information on the number of receptions corresponding to that search word is updated by "+1".

After completing the update and storage of the common search history database 22d in step S110, the control unit 21 returns to the process from step S102.

In addition, in step S103, if it is determined that the [Decision] key 14d has been operated to command a search based on the search string input in the search string input section 41 (YES in step S103), the control section 21 searches for an entry word by referring to the dictionary data storage area 22b and the shared search history database 22d based on the input search string, and displays a list of the entry words as the search results (step S104).

Figure 4 shows an example of the display state when [English-English-Japanese Dictionary] is selected, the first two letters of the entry word [te] are entered into the search string input section 41 located at the top of the screen of the touch panel display unit 17, and the [Enter] key 14d is operated. The top right corner of the screen displays "Communication with surrounding terminals/permitted", indicating that a mode for sharing search history with other people in the vicinity has been selected. When this sharing mode is selected, the same screen as in Figure 4 is displayed on other surrounding terminals as well, although the input state of the search string differs from terminal to terminal.

On the lower left side of the search string input section 41, two English words, [tender] and [temporary], are displayed in the common search candidate display section 42A as English words that correspond to the input string [te] in the common search candidate display section 42, in order of the most overlapping received words in the shared search history information based on the contents of the common search history database 22d.

In the common search candidate display section 42A, the English word [tender] at the top, which has a larger number of duplicated receptions, is displayed with a cursor C to indicate that it is provisionally selected. In accordance with the position of the cursor C, a detailed explanation based on the actual dictionary content regarding the meaning of the English word [tender] is also displayed in the box display section 43 on the right. Note that in this figure, in order to avoid cluttering the drawing, the wording in the box display section 43 has been significantly abbreviated ([*~meaning of tender~]).
In other words, the control unit 21 functions as a first display control unit that displays headwords extracted from the dictionary storage unit by the headword extraction unit in a first display area, and displays headwords extracted from the shared search history storage unit in a second display area.

In addition, in the search candidate display section 42 below the common search candidate display section 42A, for example, six English words [team], [teem], [telegram], [term(1)], [term(2)], and [terrorism] are displayed as heading words searched for using the English-English-Japanese dictionary content stored in the dictionary data storage area 22b based on the input search string [te].

In this way, when the mode for sharing search history with other nearby terminals is set, in response to character input from the beginning of a headword, the headwords that have already been searched for on nearby terminals are displayed preferentially in order of the number of times they have been searched. Therefore, during a lesson, for example, search results obtained by someone who is quick in performing a search can be quickly shared as history on other nearby terminals in the same classroom, and can be used for search operations on one's own electronic dictionary 10.

In response to the list of search results for heading words, the control unit 21 accepts key operations using the cursor movement keys 14g and the [Decision] key 14d to select and confirm a heading word, and displays detailed explanatory information corresponding to the selected heading word in the box display unit 43 (step S105).
That is, the control unit 21 functions as a second display control unit that reads explanatory information from the dictionary memory unit corresponding to one selected from the multiple headwords displayed by the first display control unit and displays it in the third display area.

The control unit 21 updates and stores the common search history database 22d to reflect the information of the entry word selected in the electronic dictionary 10 (step S106).

In addition, the observer (receiving device) operation in the broadcast communication is temporarily stopped and switched to broadcaster (transmitting device) operation, and an electronic dictionary beacon containing information on the entry word selected in step S105 is transmitted to surrounding terminals (step S107). By receiving this electronic dictionary beacon, the surrounding terminals use the included entry word information to update and store their respective common search history databases 22d.

In regard to this transmission operation, rather than sequentially transmitting electronic dictionary beacons containing information on the entry word, a dictionary beacon containing information on the entry word may be transmitted when a predetermined number of search histories searched on the electronic dictionary 10 are accumulated in the search history storage area 22c.

Then, the control unit 21 temporarily stops the broadcaster operation in the broadcast communication, switches back to observer (receiving device) operation (step S108), and returns to the processing from step S102.

[Effects of the embodiment]
As described above in detail, according to this embodiment, search information of other people in the vicinity can be effectively utilized to further improve search efficiency.

In addition, in this embodiment, not only can search results be received from other people's devices in the vicinity and stored as history, but information results for headwords selected from searches in one's own electronic dictionary 10 can be sent to other people's devices, allowing search histories to be shared with each other.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, search results received from other people's nearby devices are stored in the common search history database 22d only if the number of electronic dictionary beacons capable of communication is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value, thereby ensuring the reliability of the shared search history information.

In addition, in this embodiment, other people's nearby devices that meet a certain received signal strength are enabled, making it easier to distinguish from other areas and control operation, especially when limiting the area to a spatially separated area such as a school classroom.

Although not shown in this embodiment, for example, if identification information given each time during classes or the like is attached to the header of the electronic dictionary beacon transmitted by the electronic dictionary 10, and only electronic dictionary beacons with the same identification information are determined to be valid and operated accordingly, information exchanged within the same space can be grouped and individual types of information can be used without becoming confused.

Furthermore, it is also possible to implement time control so that the information stored in the common search history database 22d is automatically cleared after a period of time equivalent to, for example, one hour of class has elapsed. By clearing the contents stored in the common search history database 22d in such a relatively short time, it is possible to search for appropriate headings each time in response to the transition of classes.

Conversely, the information stored in the common search history database 22d may be stored for a relatively long period of time, for example, about one year. In this case, if the contents stored in the common search history database 22d can be transferred to other people's terminals, search history information accumulated in other classes or grades can be inherited, making it possible to further improve search efficiency.

In this embodiment, it has been described that when at least one character of a headword is input, corresponding headword candidates are displayed. However, even before a search string is input, a certain number of search word candidates may be displayed in order from the search word information stored in the common search history database 22d, starting with the search word with the highest corresponding number of receptions. In this case, the desired headword may appear among the candidates even when no characters are input, which can further improve search efficiency.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the gist of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments may be implemented in combination as appropriate as possible, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiment includes 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 embodiment, if the problem stated in the "Problem to be Solved by the Invention" column can be solved and the effect stated in the "Effect of the Invention" column can be obtained, the configuration from which the constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as the invention.

The invention as originally claimed in the present application is set forth below.
[Claim 1]
a dictionary storage unit that stores entry words and their explanatory information in association with each other;
a shared search history storage unit that receives and stores information on an entry word whose explanatory information has been referenced by a user operation in another information search device that is communicatively connected;
an entry word extraction unit that, when at least one character is input as a key for searching an entry word from the dictionary storage unit, extracts an entry word from the dictionary storage unit and also from the shared search history storage unit based on the at least one character;
a first display control unit that causes the entry word extracted by the entry word extracting unit from the dictionary storage unit to be displayed in a first display area and causes the entry word extracted from the shared search history storage unit to be displayed in a second display area;
An information retrieval device comprising:
[Claim 2]
a second display control unit that reads explanatory information from the dictionary storage unit in correspondence with one selected from the plurality of entry words displayed by the first display control unit, and displays the explanatory information in a third display area;
a transmitting unit that transmits information on the entry word for which explanatory information is displayed by the second display control unit to the other information search device that is communicatively connected;
The information retrieval device of claim 1 , further comprising:
[Claim 3]
3. The information search device according to claim 1, wherein said shared search history storage unit stores the received information on the entry word when a communication connection with a number of said other information search devices equal to or greater than a preset threshold value is possible.
[Claim 4]
4. The information search device according to claim 1, wherein the shared search history storage unit stores information on entry words acquired by reception from the other information search device that satisfies a predetermined received radio wave intensity.
[Claim 5]
5. The information search device according to claim 1, wherein the shared search history storage unit stores information on search character strings from the other information search devices, the search character strings including predetermined identification information.
[Claim 6]
6. The information search device according to claim 1, wherein the shared search history storage unit clears the stored contents in accordance with a preset time condition.
[Claim 7]
An information search method for a device having a dictionary storage unit that stores entry words and their explanatory information in association with each other, comprising:
a shared search history storage step of receiving and storing information on the entry word whose explanatory information has been referenced by a user operation in another information search device that is communicatively connected;
an entry word extraction step of, when at least one character is input as a key for searching an entry word from the dictionary storage unit, extracting an entry word from the dictionary storage unit and also from the contents stored in the shared search history storage step, based on the at least one character;
a first display control step of displaying in a first display area the entry words extracted from the dictionary storage unit in the entry word extraction step, and displaying in a second display area the entry words extracted from the contents stored in the shared search history storage step;
The information retrieval method includes:
[Claim 8]
A program executed by a computer included in an apparatus having a dictionary storage unit that stores search strings and their explanatory information in association with each other, the program comprising:
a shared search history storage unit that receives and stores information on an entry word whose explanatory information has been referenced by a user operation in another information search device that is communicatively connected;
an entry word extraction unit that, when at least one character is input as a key for searching an entry word from the dictionary storage unit, extracts an entry word from the dictionary storage unit and also from the shared search history storage unit based on the at least one character;
a first display control unit that causes the entry word extracted by the entry word extracting unit from the dictionary storage unit to be displayed in a first display area and causes the entry word extracted from the shared search history storage unit to be displayed in a second display area;
A program that makes it work.

10... Electronic dictionary 11... Main body case 12... Lid case 13... Hinge section 14... Key input section 14a... [Home] key 14b... Function designation key 14c... Character input key 14d... [Decision] key 14e... [Back] key 14f... [BOX] key 14g... Cursor movement key 14h... [Shift] key 15... Audio output section 16... Audio input section 17... Touch panel display section 21... Control section (CPU)
22...Memory unit 22a...Search processing program memory area 22b...Dictionary data memory area 22c...Search history memory area 22d...Common search history database 22e...Work data memory area 23...External recording medium 24...Recording medium reading unit 25...Communication unit 41...Search string input unit 42...Search candidate display unit 42A...Shared search candidate 43...Box display unit C...Cursor

Claims (8)

a shared search history storage unit that receives and stores information on an entry word whose explanatory information has been referenced by a user operation in another information search device that is communicatively connected ;
an entry word extraction unit that, when at least one character is input as a key for searching an entry word , extracts an entry word from a dictionary storage unit and the shared search history storage unit based on the at least one character;
a first display control unit that causes the entry word extracted by the entry word extracting unit from the dictionary storage unit to be displayed in a first display area and causes the entry word extracted from the shared search history storage unit to be displayed in a second display area;
An information retrieval device comprising: a second display control unit that reads explanatory information from the dictionary storage unit in correspondence with one selected from the plurality of entry words displayed by the first display control unit, and displays the explanatory information in a third display area;
a transmitting unit that transmits information on the entry word for which explanatory information is displayed by the second display control unit to the other information search device that is communicatively connected;
The information retrieval device of claim 1 , further comprising: The information search device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shared search history storage unit stores the received information on the headword when a communication connection with a number of the other information search devices equal to or greater than a preset threshold value is possible. The information search device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the shared search history storage unit stores information on entry words acquired by reception from the other information search device that satisfies a predetermined reception radio wave strength. The information search device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shared search history storage unit stores information on search strings from the other information search devices that includes predetermined identification information. The information search device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the shared search history storage unit clears the stored contents according to a preset time condition. An information retrieval method for an information retrieval device , comprising:
a shared search history storage step of receiving and storing information on the entry word whose explanatory information has been referenced by a user operation in another information search device that is communicatively connected;
an entry word extraction step of extracting an entry word from the contents stored in the dictionary storage unit and the contents stored in the shared search history storage step , based on at least one character input as a key for searching an entry word;
a first display control step of displaying in a first display area the entry words extracted from the dictionary storage unit in the entry word extraction step, and displaying in a second display area the entry words extracted from the contents stored in the shared search history storage step;
The information retrieval method includes: A program executed by a computer , the computer comprising:
a shared search history storage unit that receives and stores information on an entry word whose explanatory information has been referenced by a user operation in another information search device that is communicatively connected;
an entry word extraction unit that, when at least one character is input as a key for searching an entry word , extracts an entry word from a dictionary storage unit and the shared search history storage unit based on the at least one character;
a first display control unit that causes the entry word extracted by the entry word extracting unit from the dictionary storage unit to be displayed in a first display area and causes the entry word extracted from the shared search history storage unit to be displayed in a second display area;
A program that makes it work.