JP7803526B2 - Property search system, user terminal, property search device, property search program, and property search method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a property search system, a user terminal, a property search device, a property search program, and a property search method, and in particular to a property search system, a user terminal, a property search device, a property search program, and a property search method that allow users to visually search for properties of their choice using images.

Real estate agents and dealers offer stores and websites that allow users and agent representatives considering buying, selling, or renting real estate to search for properties. When searching for real estate, users typically enter their desired criteria (station name, line name, price, etc.), and properties that match the criteria are extracted from property information stored on a server or other device, and a list of properties is displayed on a display device. Users can then display individual properties from the list of properties displayed on the display device, and use image information such as floor plans and facilities, as well as text information with detailed property information, to find the property they want.

Technology for visually searching for real estate properties using images is also known (see Patent Document 1). The real estate information search device described in Patent Document 1 has a database that stores property data for each real estate property, including equipment image data for each piece of equipment. The database is searched based on a request from a computer specifying the equipment, and equipment image data for each real estate property is obtained for the relevant equipment. This equipment image data is then displayed as a list on the computer, and property data for the real estate property corresponding to equipment selected by the computer from the displayed equipment image data is retrieved from the database and displayed on the computer. This allows users to search for real estate properties while visually checking each piece of equipment, such as the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and toilet, using the equipment image data displayed in the list.

In this document, the initial screen displayed on the computer has links for specifying the categories of facilities to be displayed in a list, such as exterior, entrance, kitchen, living room, bathroom, and other facilities. When one of the links is specified by the computer, a database is searched for the facility corresponding to the specified link, and equipment image data for each real estate property is obtained for the corresponding facility. The computer then displays this obtained equipment image data for each real estate property in a list of multiple units vertically and horizontally. The equipment image data, property type, and rent text data displayed in a list on the computer each have links for selecting each real estate property and obtaining the property data. The property data display screen then displays the equipment image data for the real estate property corresponding to the facility selected by the computer, the property data, and contact information for that real estate property.

JP 2005-352885 A (Abstract, paragraphs 0023, 0034-0038, Figures 3-8, etc.)

In Patent Document 1, a user of a computer simply selects a link for each facility displayed on the left side of the initial screen, and images of the facilities of each real estate property are displayed in a list of multiple units.The user then clicks on the images while looking at the list screen to check the details of each property.The property information of the selected image is not stored in the computer, so it was necessary to record the information of the property they liked by making a note of it, for example.
In addition, in this document, the facility images for each real estate property are displayed in a list of multiple units, and therefore the individual images are small, making it difficult to distinguish the images on a small screen such as a smartphone.
Furthermore, in this document, the user cannot select information about each facility such as the kitchen or living room, and links to all facilities are displayed on the initial screen. As a result, the screen contains information about facilities other than the facility the user wants to view, which causes inconveniences such as time-consuming searching for facilities, cluttering the screen, and increasing the data processing load.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a property search system, user terminal, property search device, property search program, and property search method that improve user convenience when searching for properties based on images.

The present invention is a property search system for searching for real estate properties, comprising: a property information storage means for storing, for each property, a plurality of pieces of property information that correspond to detailed information about the property and an image related to the property that holds category information that is a search condition; a category registration means for registering arbitrary category information from a plurality of pieces of category information; a property information extraction means for extracting a plurality of pieces of property information from the property information storage means based on the category information registered by the category registration means to generate a property information group; an image display means for sequentially switching and displaying the images of each piece of property information included in the property information group generated by the property information extraction means; an image selection means for accepting a selection from a user for the images displayed by the image display means; a property search means for searching the property information group based on the image selected by the image selection means to extract property information; a search result storage means for storing the property information extracted by the property search means; and a property information display means for displaying information related to the property information stored in the search result storage means.

According to the present invention, property information included in a property information group is searched for based on an image selected by an image selection means, and the searched property information is stored, so that it is possible to narrow down and search property information based on a preferred image and store the results, eliminating the need to make separate notes on the property information.
Furthermore, since the images of each property information included in the property information group are displayed by switching them in sequence, it is easier to distinguish between images compared to when a list of multiple images is displayed.
Furthermore, you can register any category information from multiple categories, and a property information group is generated based on this registered category information. This allows you to search only for property information that has images in your favorite category, eliminating the need to search for categories and reducing the clutter on the screen.

In this case, it is preferable that the system comprises a property information server and a user terminal, the property information server comprising the property information storage means and the property information extraction means, and the user terminal comprising the category registration means, the image display means, the image selection means, the property search means, the search result storage means, and the property information display means.

In this way, the property search system can be constructed as a distributed processing system consisting of a property information server and user terminals. The property information server stores property information and extracts property information based on categories, while the user terminal registers categories, selects and displays images, and searches, stores, and displays properties based on images. In other words, major functions such as the interface with the user and image-based searches are realized by apps on the user terminals. Since image category information is often stored in many commonly used real estate search services, it is also possible to construct the property search system of the present invention using an existing property search server.

In this case, it is preferable that the image selection means detects a first operation by the user on the image and determines whether the image has been selected.

In this way, whether an image has been selected or not is determined by the user's operation on the image, allowing users to intuitively select images based on their preferences.

In this case, it is preferable that the image selection means, upon detecting a second operation by the user on the image that is different from the first operation, displays an image related to another category of information of the property information.

In this way, images related to other category information are displayed by performing a second operation on an image that is different from the first operation. This makes it possible to select an image using the first operation and change category images using the second operation on a single screen, making user operation easier.

Furthermore, in this case, it is preferable that the image selection means includes a touch panel that detects user operations, and that the first operation and the second operation are a swipe operation and a tap operation on the touch panel.

In this way, by making the first operation a swipe operation and the second operation a tap operation, the user can operate the device manually.

It is also preferable that the category registration means registers two or more pieces of category information by assigning priorities, and that the property information extraction means extracts property information that has images retaining the category information for the category information whose priority is equal to or higher than a predetermined rank, and extracts both property information that has images retaining the category information and property information that does not have images retaining the category information for the category information whose priority is lower than the predetermined rank.

In this way, among the category information registered by the user, category information with a high priority will only extract property information that has images that hold that category information, while category information with a low priority will extract property information regardless of whether or not there is an image that holds that category information. This means that necessary property information will not be missed because low-priority category information has been registered, and the user's range of property selection will be expanded.

The present invention also provides a user terminal that is provided with a property information server and a user terminal and that constitutes a property search system for searching for real estate properties, the user terminal comprising: a category registration means for registering any category information from a plurality of category information; a property information storage means for storing, for each property, a plurality of pieces of property information that correspond to detailed information of the property and an image related to the property that holds category information that is a search condition; a property information extraction means for extracting a plurality of pieces of property information from the property information storage means based on the category information registered by the category registration means to generate a property information group; an image display means for sequentially switching and displaying the images of each piece of property information included in the property information group generated by the property information server; an image selection means for accepting a selection from a user for the images displayed by the image display means; a property search means for searching the property information group based on the image selected by the image selection means and extracting property information; a search result storage means for storing the property information extracted by the property search means; and a property information display means for displaying information related to the property information stored in the search result storage means.

This invention makes it possible to provide a user terminal that constitutes the above-mentioned property search system.

The present invention is a property search device for searching for real estate properties, comprising: a property information storage means for storing, for each property, a plurality of pieces of property information that correspond to detailed information about the property and an image related to the property that holds category information that is a search condition; a category registration means for registering arbitrary category information from a plurality of pieces of category information; a property information extraction means for extracting a plurality of pieces of property information from the property information storage means based on the category information registered by the category registration means to generate a property information group; an image display means for sequentially switching and displaying the images of each piece of property information included in the property information group generated by the property information extraction means; an image selection means for accepting a selection from a user for the images displayed by the image display means; a property search means for searching the property information group based on the image selected by the image selection means to extract property information; and a property information display means for displaying information related to the property information extracted by the property search means.

This invention makes it possible to provide a property search device with functions equivalent to those of the property search system described above.

The present invention is a property search program for causing a property search system or property search device having at least one storage means, display means, and calculation means to execute a search for real estate-related properties, the program comprising: a property information storage step in which the storage means stores, for each property, a plurality of pieces of property information in which detailed information about the property is associated with an image related to the property and which holds category information that is a search condition; a category registration step in which the calculation means registers arbitrary category information from a plurality of pieces of category information; a property information extraction step in which the calculation means extracts, based on the category information registered in the category registration step, a plurality of pieces of property information from the storage means to generate a property information group; and a property information display step in which the display means displays the property information of the property related to the property. This property search program is characterized by executing the following steps: an image display step in which the images of each property information included in the property information group generated in the property information extraction step are sequentially switched and displayed; an image selection step in which a calculation means receives from a user a selection of the images displayed in the image display step; a property search step in which the calculation means searches the property information group based on the image selected in the image selection step and extracts property information; a search result storage step in which a storage means stores the property information extracted in the property search step ; and a property information display step in which a display means displays information related to the property information stored in the search result storage step.

This invention makes it possible to provide a property search program that causes the above-mentioned property search system or property search device to search for real estate properties.

The present invention is a property search method for searching for real estate properties using a property search system or property search device having at least one storage means, display means, and calculation means, the method comprising: a property information storage step in which the storage means stores, for each property, a plurality of pieces of property information in which detailed information about the property is associated with an image related to the property and which holds category information that is a search condition; a category registration step in which the calculation means registers arbitrary category information from a plurality of pieces of category information; a property information extraction step in which the calculation means extracts, based on the category information registered in the category registration step, a plurality of pieces of property information from the storage means to generate a property information group; and a display means for: This property search method comprises an image display step in which images of the property information included in the property information group generated in the property information extraction step are sequentially switched and displayed; an image selection step in which a calculation means receives a selection from the user for the image displayed in the image display step; a property search step in which a calculation means searches the property information group based on the image selected in the image selection step and extracts property information; a search result storage step in which a storage means stores the property information extracted in the property search step; and a property information display step in which a display means displays information related to the property information stored in the search result storage step.

This invention makes it possible to provide a property search method for searching for real estate properties using the above-mentioned property search system and property search device.

The present invention provides a property search system, user terminal, property search device, property search program, and property search method that improve user convenience when searching for properties based on images.

1 is a functional block diagram of a property search system according to a first embodiment. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a property search system according to a first embodiment. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a property search system according to a first embodiment. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the property search system according to the first embodiment. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the property search system according to the first embodiment. This is the top page and area selection page. This is a screen of a condition selection page. This is the screen for registering category information and property images. This is a screen where you can swipe through property images. This is a screen displaying a list of properties. This is the screen where you tap on property images.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the components, arrangements, etc. described below do not limit the present invention, and various modifications can be made in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.

In this invention, "property" refers to real estate, including real estate for rent or sale, for use as a residence, store, office, etc.

1. First Embodiment Hereinafter, a property search system, a property information server, a user terminal, and a property search method according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, a case where a user searches for a rental property in a desired area will be described.

As shown in the overall configuration diagram of Figure 2, the property search system 1 of this embodiment is a client/server distributed system consisting of a user terminal 10 and a property information server 20, which are interconnected via a network N. Each device will be described below.

(1) User terminal 10
The user terminal 10 is a device that serves as a user interface, is capable of performing various processes using programs, and has the function of exchanging information with the property information server 20. As shown in the hardware configuration diagram of FIG. 3, the user terminal 10 includes a processing unit 11 such as a CPU, a storage device 13 such as a hard disk or memory, an input device 16 such as a touch panel, a display device 17 such as an LCD panel for displaying information, and an input/output unit 19 for connecting to a network N and inputting and outputting information. The storage device 13 stores an operating system and application software such as an internet browser. While the user terminal 10 in this embodiment is a smartphone, the user terminal 10 is not limited to this and may be a desktop or notebook computer, a tablet PC, a mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone, or the like.

The storage device 13 stores a property search program 14 (property search app) and a property list database 15. The property search program 14 has the function of searching for properties based on images. Specifically, the property search program 14 has the functions of registering categories selected by the user, displaying property images on the display device 17, searching for properties based on image selections received from the user, and displaying a list of properties that are the results of the search. The property list database 15 is a database that stores property list information, and has the functions of storing property information groups sent from the property information server 20 and storing property information searched for by the property search program 14 based on images.

Next, the functional configuration of the user terminal 10 will be explained. As shown in the functional block diagram of Figure 1, the user terminal 10 is equipped with at least a category registration means 10a, an image display means 10b, an image selection means 10c, a property search means 10d, a search result storage means 10e, and a property information display means 10f.

Here, the arithmetic device 11, which performs the processing of step S05 described below using the property search program 14, corresponds to the "category registration means 10a." Furthermore, the display device 17, which displays the card screen of step S12 described below, corresponds to the "image display means 10b." Furthermore, the input device 16, which accepts operations of step S14 described below using the property search program 14, corresponds to the "image selection means 10c." Furthermore, the arithmetic device 11, which performs the processing of step S15 described below using the property search program 14, corresponds to the "property search means 10d." Furthermore, the storage device 13, which stores properties in step S15 described below in the property list database 15, corresponds to the "search result storage means 10e." Furthermore, the display device 17, which displays the property list of step S20 described below, corresponds to the "property information display means 10f."

The category registration means 10a has the function of registering any category information from multiple category information and generating registered category information. Here, category information is information on search conditions (search keys) that holds images related to the property. Category information can include type information such as equipment type (kitchen, bathroom, exterior, washbasin, entrance, etc.), as well as overall information such as floor plan.

The image display means 10b has a function to display images of property information included in a property information group (selectable property group) transmitted from the property information server 20 (described below) for each registered category information. The image selection means 10c has a function to receive a selection from the user for an image displayed on the image display means 10b and generate selected image information. The property search means 10d has a function to search the selectable property group based on the selected image information and extract property information. The search result storage means 10e has a function to store property information that is the result of a search by the property search means 10d. The property information display means 10f has a function to display information related to the property information stored in the search result storage means 10e.

(2) Property Information Server 20
The property information server 20 is a device that performs various processes in response to requests from a user terminal 10, which is a client, and provides the results to the user terminal 10. As shown in the hardware configuration diagram of FIG. 3, the property information server 20 includes a processing unit 21 such as a CPU, a storage device 23 such as a hard disk or memory, an input/output unit 29 that connects to the network N to input and output information, and an input/output device and a display device (not shown). An operating system and application software such as an Internet browser are installed in the storage device 23. The property information server 20 of this embodiment is configured as a computer, but is not limited to this and can be configured as any device that has server functionality.

The storage device 23 stores a property information search program 24 and a property information database 25. The property information search program 24 is a program that searches for properties based on requests from the user terminal 10, and corresponds to the property information extraction means of the present invention. The property information database 25 stores multiple pieces of property information, and corresponds to the property information storage means of the present invention. This property information associates detailed property information with images related to the property for each property. Category information is tagged to the images. This makes it possible for the property information search program 24 to search for and extract property information containing images that hold specified category information from the property information database 25 based on the category information.

Next, the functional configuration of the property information server 20 will be explained. As shown in the functional block diagram in Figure 1, the property information server 20 includes at least a property information extraction unit 20a and a property information storage unit 20b.

Here, the computing device 21, which performs the processing of step S06 described below using the property information search program 24, corresponds to the "property information extraction means 20a." Furthermore, the storage device 23, which stores the property information group extracted in step S07 described below in the property information database 25, corresponds to the "property information storage means 20b."

Next, we will explain the flow of property search processing by property search system 1 with reference to Figures 4 to 11. Figures 4 and 5 show flowcharts illustrating the processing flow in each device.

As shown in Figure 4, the user begins a property search using the user terminal 10 (step S01). When the property search program 14 on the user terminal 10 is launched, the top page of the property search program 14 is displayed on the display screen 30 of the display device 17 (step S02). Figure 6(a) shows an example of the top page. On this page, it is possible to search for properties by real estate type, such as rental, condominium, or detached house. Although not shown, it is also possible to register as a user and log in to this service. In this example, it is assumed that the user selects "rental."

Next, a page for selecting a route and area is displayed on the display device 17 of the user terminal 10 (step S03). Figure 6(b) shows the selection screen, which displays buttons for selecting prefectures and their corresponding routes and areas. The conditions displayed in this section may be selected from station names, prices, and other factors, in addition to routes and areas. In this example, the user selects the "area" of "Kanagawa Prefecture." As shown in Figure 7(a), the display device 17 of the user terminal 10 displays a screen for selecting specific place names within the selected prefecture. This screen displays two buttons: "Select Conditions" and "Select by Photo." When the user presses the "Select Conditions" button, the screen transitions to the screen shown in Figure 7(b) where various conditions can be selected. Here, the user can set conditions such as whether pets are allowed, as well as the property type (e.g., apartment or condominium), rent, and so on.

On the other hand, when the "Select by Photo" button 31 is pressed (step S04), a screen for selecting a photo category is displayed on the display device 17 of the user terminal 10 (step S05: category registration step). The "Select by Photo" button may be displayed when the image-based search function of the present invention is incorporated into an existing property search service. On the other hand, when building a new property search system incorporating an image-based property search function, the "Select by Photo" button may be omitted and the screen may automatically transition to one for selecting a photo category. Figure 8(a) shows the category selection screen. This screen has a "Selected Category" area 32 and an "Add Category" area 33, each of which displays the names of multiple categories with check boxes to the right of them.

Of the categories, three - "Kitchen," "Bathroom," and "Layout" - are included in the "Selected Categories" area 32, with the checkboxes checked. Categories such as "Exterior," "Bathroom," and "Entrance" are included in the "Add Category" area 33. The three categories included in the "Selected Categories" area 32 are categories that have been selected by default by the property search app. This may be done by setting categories that the user has previously selected, or by having the system administrator set commonly selected categories. These three categories can be removed from the "Selected Categories" by unchecking the checkboxes.

Selected categories are also prioritized from top to bottom. On this screen, the kitchen has the highest priority, followed by the bathroom, and then the floor plan. There is a three-line mark to the left of the category name; if the user presses and holds this mark, they can drag the category name line up or down. This allows them to change the priority of the categories included in the "selected categories."

On the other hand, the user can move a desired category to the "Selected Categories" area 32 by checking the checkbox for that category in the "Add Category" area 33. For example, the "Appearance" category can be moved to the "Selected Categories" area 32 by checking the checkbox to the right of the "Appearance" category.

In this example, the default number of categories is three, but by checking the checkboxes of categories included in "Add Category," the user can register four or more categories. Conversely, by unchecking the checkboxes of categories included in "Selected Categories," the user can register two or fewer categories.

After selecting a category, the user presses the confirm button 34 to confirm the category. Once the category is confirmed, the property search program 14 sends the conditions for searching for properties to the property information server 20. Here, the conditions include the above-mentioned information such as the type of rental property, area, rent, and whether pets are allowed, as well as the category information registered above.

In the property information database 25 of the storage device 23 of the property information server 20, detailed property information and images related to the property are pre-stored in association with each other for each property (property information storage step). In the property information server 20, the calculation device 21 uses the property information search program 24 to search the property information database 25 for property information that matches the search conditions sent from the user terminal 10 (step S06), and extracts it as a property information group (step S07: property information extraction step). Because the images included in the property information have a category, it is possible to search for property information that includes images that have the category information selected by the user in step S05.

Here, the properties included in the property information group are arranged in order of the conditions that match the user's criteria, such as property A, property B, etc., based on the above-mentioned rental type, area, etc. In other words, properties with rent, area, etc. that are closest to the user's preferences are ranked higher, and properties that are further from their preferences are ranked lower.

In addition, in this embodiment, the category information selected in step S05 is prioritized, and for category information with a predetermined priority (in this case, first place) ("Kitchen" in this example), only property information that contains images included in the category information is extracted, and for category information with a lower priority (in this case, second place or lower) ("Bathroom" and "Layout" in this example), property information is extracted regardless of whether or not the category information contains images. This priority can be set arbitrarily.

The property information group extracted in step S07 is sent to the user terminal 10 and stored as a group of properties to be selected in the property list database 15 of the storage device 13 (step S08). The properties included in the group of properties to be selected are arranged in order of matching the user's preferences, such as Property A, Property B, etc., based on the above-mentioned conditions such as type of rental, area, etc.

As shown in Figure 5, the displayed properties are displayed in the order of the above-mentioned conditions, with property A being selected first, followed by property B, then property C, and so on (step S11). This selection is not limited to this property order, and other methods, such as random selection, may also be used.

When a property is selected in step S11, a card image 36 of the selected property is displayed on the display device 17 of the user terminal 10 (step S12: image display step). Figure 8 (b) shows an example of a displayed card image 36, in which an image of a kitchen, which is ranked first in the property A category, is displayed. Below the card image 36, a tag 37 is displayed that describes the features of the equipment in the image. The description of this tag 37 may be entered manually by visually checking the contents of the card image 36, or may be automatically assigned by a computer based on data learned from the card image 36 using machine learning or other methods.

Next, if the input device 16 detects a swipe operation (first operation) or a tap operation (second operation) on this card image 36 (step S13), the process proceeds to the next step. Figure 9 shows the swipe operation screen. First, if a swipe operation is detected (step S14: image selection step), if it is a right swipe, it is assumed that the user likes the image, and the property list database 15 in the storage device 13 is searched and the property information is saved in the property list database 15 (step S15: property search step). This process is performed by adding a "selected" (not shown) flag to the property information in the property list database 15 stored in the storage device 13 (search result storage step).

On the other hand, if the swipe operation is a left swipe, it is assumed that the user does not like the image, and the property information is deleted from the property list database 15 in the storage device 13 (step S16). This process does not add a "selected" flag to the property information in the property list database 15 stored in the storage device 13.

Also, at the bottom of the screen are "Like" and "Not So Much" buttons; pressing the "Like" button performs the same action as a right swipe, and pressing the "Not So Much" button performs the same action as a left swipe. A rewind button is provided to the left of the "Not So Much" button; pressing this button displays the previous screen (step S17).

Below these buttons is a "View Results" button that performs the final processing. When this button is pressed (step S18), a list of properties with a "Selected" flag added to the property information in the property list database 15 stored in the storage device 13 is displayed (step S20: property information display step).

Figure 10 shows an example of this list display. From this property list display screen, users can click on the link for an individual property to view detailed information about that property. At the bottom of this screen is a "Favorite All" button, and by pressing this button, all of the properties displayed in the list can be registered as favorites. Also at the bottom of this screen is a "Inquire All" button, and by pressing this button, contact information and other information for all of the properties displayed in the list will be displayed.

On the other hand, if the "View Results" button is not pressed, it is checked whether all properties in the property list database 15 of the storage device 13 have been displayed (step S19), and if all properties have been displayed, the property list 41 is displayed in step S20. If not, the calculation device 11 selects the next property stored in the property list database 15 (steps S21 → S11) and displays its card image on the display device 17 (step S12). In this way, images of property information included in the group of properties to be selected are displayed on the display device 17 in sequence, one property at a time.

Next, we will explain what happens when the input device 16 detects a tap operation in step S13. Figure 11 shows the screen for the tap operation. When the input device 16 detects a tap operation in step S13 (step S31), processing is performed to change the photo displayed on the display device 17. If the tap operation is a right tap (i.e., a tap on the right side of the vertical center line of the screen), the next image of the property is displayed on the display device 17 (step S32). On the other hand, if the tap operation detected in step S31 is a left tap (i.e., a tap on the left side of the vertical center line of the screen), the previous image of the property is displayed (step S33).

Here, we will explain the order in which images are displayed on the display device 17 in response to tap operations. Each property contains multiple images, such as photographs, related to the facilities that make up the property. If there are multiple images in the same category, each tap operation will sequentially display other images in the same category, and when there are no more images in that category, images in the category with the lowest priority will be displayed.

For example, if there is one image (Image A) of "Kitchen" which is ranked first in the category, one image (Image B) of "Bathroom" which is ranked second in the category, and two images (Image C, Image D) of "Floor Plan" which is ranked third in the category, the order of images displayed for the property will be Image A → B → C → D. In Figure 11, the currently displayed image is "Bathroom" image B (card image 38), so a right tap will display "Floor Plan" image C (card image 39), and a left tap will display "Kitchen" image A (card image 36). In this way, by tapping on the display device 17, multiple photos of the property can be easily displayed while switching categories.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the category information has the highest priority, the property information included in the category information is extracted, and if the category information has the second highest priority or lower, the property information is extracted regardless of whether or not the category information contains images . Therefore, for example, if there is one image (Image A) for "Kitchen," which has the highest category priority, and no images for "Bathroom," which has the second highest category priority, or "Floor Plan," which has the third highest category priority, Image A will be the only image displayed for that property.

Furthermore, when the user taps the bottom of the card image 38, detailed information 40 about the property is displayed (step S34). The detailed information includes text information such as an introduction to the property. By further tapping or swiping down on the screen of this detailed information 40, the user can return to the original card image 38 (step S35). After the processing of steps S32, S33, and S35, the process returns to step S13.

In this way, the property search system 1 of the present invention makes it possible to search for properties based on images through distributed processing. In this embodiment, the user terminal 10 and the property information server 20 each have one arithmetic unit and one storage device, but this is not limited to this, and the system of the present invention may also be configured with multiple arithmetic units and storage devices.

In addition, in this embodiment, the user terminal 10 is equipped with a category registration means 10a, an image display means 10b, an image selection means 10c, a property search means 10d, a search result storage means 10e, and a property information display means 10f, and the property information server 20 is equipped with a property information extraction means 20a and a property information storage means 20b, but this is not limited to this and each means can be realized by a separate device as appropriate. For example, the property information server 20 can be equipped with the property search means 10d and the search result storage means 10e. In this way, the property information server 20 can perform the image-based property search process and store the search results.

2. Second Embodiment In the first embodiment described above, the embodiment of the present invention is implemented in a distributed system via a network N, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be realized in a stand-alone device.

The property search device of this embodiment is a single computer having a calculation device, a storage device, a display device, and an input device, with the "image display means 10b" and "property information display means 10f" in Figure 1 corresponding to the display device, the "category registration means 10a," "property search means 10d," and "property information extraction means 20a" corresponding to the calculation device, the "image selection means 10c" corresponding to the input device, and the "search result storage means 10e" and "property information storage means 20b" corresponding to the storage device. With this configuration, the property search device of the second embodiment performs processing similar to that of the property search system of the first embodiment, so a detailed description of the functions and processing of each device will be omitted.

As described above, the present invention can improve user convenience when searching for properties based on images. The present invention can be suitably used in fields such as providing real estate information such as rental and sales properties.

1 Property Search System, N Network, 10 User Terminal, 10a Category Registration Means, 10b Image Display Means, 10c Image Selection Means, 10d Property Search Means, 10e Search Result Storage Means, 10f Property Information Display Means, 11 Computing Unit, 13 Storage Device, 14 Property Search Program, 15 Property List Database, 16 Input Device, 17 Display Device, 20 Property Information Server, 20a Property Information Extraction Means, 20b Property Information Storage Means, 21 Computing Unit, 23 Storage Device, 24 Property Information Search Program, 25 Property Information Database, 25a Property Information, 29 Input/Output Unit, 30 Display Screen, 31 "Select by Photo" Button, 32 "Selected Category" Area, 33 "Add Category" Area, 34 Confirm Button, 36 Card Image, 37 Tag, 38 Card Image, 39 Card Image, 40 Detailed Information, 41 Property List

Claims (10)

A property search system for searching for real estate properties,
a property information storage means for storing, for each property, a plurality of pieces of property information in which detailed information about the property is associated with an image related to the property and which holds category information as a search condition;
a category registration means for registering any category information from a plurality of category information;
a property information extraction means for extracting a plurality of pieces of property information from the property information storage means based on the category information registered by the category registration means, and generating a property information group;
an image display means for sequentially switching and displaying the images of each piece of property information included in the property information group generated by the property information extraction means;
image selection means for receiving a selection from a user for the image displayed on the image display means;
a property search means for searching the property information group based on the image selected by the image selection means and extracting property information;
a search result storage means for storing the property information extracted by the property search means;
a property information display means for displaying information relating to the property information stored in the search result storage means. A property information server and a user terminal are provided,
The property information server includes the property information storage means and the property information extraction means,
The property search system of claim 1, characterized in that the user terminal is equipped with the category registration means, the image display means, the image selection means, the property search means, the search result storage means, and the property information display means. The property search system described in claim 1, characterized in that the image selection means detects a first operation by the user on the image and determines whether the image has been selected. The property search system described in claim 3, characterized in that the image selection means, when detecting a second operation by the user on the image that is different from the first operation, displays images related to other category information of the property information. the image selection means includes a touch panel that detects a user's operation;
The property search system according to claim 4 , wherein the first operation and the second operation are a swipe operation and a tap operation on the touch panel. the category registration means registers two or more pieces of category information by assigning a priority order;
The property search system of claim 1, characterized in that the property information extraction means extracts property information that has images that retain the category information for category information whose priority is higher than a predetermined rank, and extracts both property information that has images that retain the category information and property information that does not have images that retain the category information for category information whose priority is lower than the predetermined rank. A user terminal that constitutes a property search system for searching for real estate properties, the user terminal including a property information server and a user terminal,
a category registration means for registering any category information from a plurality of category information;
a property information storage means for storing, for each property, a plurality of pieces of property information in which detailed information about the property and an image related to the property that holds category information as a search condition are associated with each other, and a property information extraction means for extracting the plurality of pieces of property information from the property information storage means based on the category information registered by the category registration means to generate a property information group; and an image display means for sequentially switching and displaying the images of each piece of property information included in the property information group generated by the property information server, the property information storage means storing, for each property, a plurality of pieces of property information in which detailed information about the property and an image related to the property that holds category information as a search condition are associated with each other, and a property information extraction means for extracting the plurality of pieces of property information from the property information storage means based on the category information registered by the category registration means to generate a property information group.
image selection means for receiving a selection from a user for the image displayed on the image display means;
a property search means for searching the property information group based on the image selected by the image selection means and extracting property information;
a search result storage means for storing the property information extracted by the property search means;
a property information display means for displaying information relating to the property information stored in the search result storage means. A property search device for searching for real estate properties,
a property information storage means for storing, for each property, a plurality of pieces of property information in which detailed information about the property is associated with an image related to the property and which holds category information as a search condition;
a category registration means for registering any category information from a plurality of category information;
a property information extraction means for extracting a plurality of pieces of property information from the property information storage means based on the category information registered by the category registration means, and generating a property information group;
an image display means for sequentially switching and displaying the images of each piece of property information included in the property information group generated by the property information extraction means;
image selection means for receiving a selection from a user for the image displayed on the image display means;
a property search means for searching the property information group based on the image selected by the image selection means and extracting property information;
a search result storage means for storing the property information extracted by the property search means;
a property information display means for displaying information relating to the property information stored in the search result storage means. A property search program for causing a property search system or a property search device having at least one storage means, display means, and calculation means to search for real estate properties,
a property information storage step of storing, by a storage means, a plurality of pieces of property information in which detailed information of the property is associated with an image related to the property and which holds category information serving as a search condition;
a category registration step of registering arbitrary category information from a plurality of category information by a calculation means;
a property information extraction step of extracting, by a calculation means, a plurality of pieces of property information from the storage means based on the category information registered in the category registration step, to generate a property information group;
an image display step of displaying, by a display means, the images of each piece of property information included in the property information group generated in the property information extraction step by sequentially switching between the images;
an image selection step of receiving, by a computing means, a selection from a user for the image displayed in the image display step;
a property search step of searching the property information group based on the image selected in the image selection step by a calculation means to extract property information;
a search result storage step of storing the property information extracted in the property search step by a storage means;
a property information display step of displaying information relating to the property information stored in the search result storage step by means of a display means. A property search method for searching for real estate properties using a property search system or a property search device that includes at least one storage means, a display means, and a calculation means, comprising:
a property information storage step of storing, by a storage means, a plurality of pieces of property information in which detailed information of the property is associated with an image related to the property and which holds category information serving as a search condition;
a category registration step of registering arbitrary category information from a plurality of category information by a calculation means;
a property information extraction step of extracting, by a calculation means, a plurality of pieces of property information from the storage means based on the category information registered in the category registration step, to generate a property information group;
an image display step of sequentially switching and displaying the images of the property information included in the property information group generated in the property information extraction step by a display means;
an image selection step of receiving, by a calculation means, a selection from a user for the image displayed in the image display step;
a property search step of searching the property information group based on the image selected in the image selection step by a calculation means to extract property information;
a search result storage step of storing the property information extracted in the property search step by a storage means;
A property search method comprising: a property information display step of displaying information relating to the property information stored in the search result storage step by a display means.