JP2002073606A - Information retrieval device, idea operation device and those methods - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide information retrieval method and device by which the burden of a user involved in information retrieval is reduced. SOLUTION: An information retrieval support server device 124 transmits designated retrieval condition information to a patent journal retrieval server device 120, a Web retrieval server device 121 and a patent relevant information retrieval server device 122 in response to an information retrieval request, for example, from a terminal device 1101 or 1102, performs retrieval processing in parallel with these retrieval server devices, receives retrieval results information from the retrieval server devices, converts and edits the received retrieval results information and transmits the converted and edited retrieval results information to the terminal device 1101 or 1102.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information retrieval method, an idea operation method, and an apparatus for them.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, when a patent application is filed, a search server device is usually used to determine whether the same invention or a similar invention as the invention related to the patent application has become publicly known in advance. Access and investigate. At this time, when performing a search using a plurality of search server devices connected to the Internet,
The user sends a request to each of the plurality of search server devices.
A predetermined operation such as inputting search condition information in accordance with a predetermined format requested by each search server device is performed.

[0003]

However, as described above, performing individual operations on each of a plurality of search server devices to search for the same specific information results in poor search efficiency and There is a problem that the burden on the user is large. Conventionally, when a document such as a patent gazette is searched using a search server device, the search results include information for identifying the corresponding document (for example, a patent application publication number), the content of the document, This is character information indicating the number of relevant documents and the like, and there is a problem that it is not always easy to grasp the search result by the user. Conventionally, terms used in patent publications and the like obtained by searching are specialized, and there is a problem that ordinary users cannot easily understand the contents.

An object of the present invention is to provide an information search method, an idea operation method, and an apparatus thereof that can reduce the user's burden associated with information search in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. It is another object of the present invention to provide an information search method, an idea operation method, and an apparatus for displaying an information search result to a user in an easy-to-understand format.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to achieve the above-mentioned object, an information search method according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a search method specified in response to an information search request. Condition information is transmitted to a plurality of search server devices, search result information is received from the plurality of search server devices, and the received search result information is transmitted to a request source of the information search request. In the information search method of the present invention, specified search condition information is provided to a plurality of search server devices in response to an information search request from a user, and the plurality of search server devices perform search processing in parallel. .

In the information search method of the first invention, preferably, the specified search condition information is converted into a format corresponding to each of the plurality of search server devices, and the converted search condition information is converted. The information is transmitted to the corresponding search server device.

In the information search method according to the first invention, preferably, the received search result information is converted, summarized, or edited into terms used on a daily basis, and transmitted to the request source of the information search request. I do.

Further, the information search method of the first invention preferably receives, from each of the plurality of search server devices, information indicating a progress of a search process of the search server device, and stores the received information. By using this, screen information that visually indicates the progress of the search process of the search server device is generated, and the screen information is transmitted to the request source of the information search request.

Further, in the information search method according to the first invention, it is preferable that the search condition information is specified by communicating in an interactive manner with the request source of the information search request.

[0010] In the information search method according to the first invention, preferably, a plurality of items in the search condition information are specified in an arbitrary order.

[0011] The idea operation method of the second invention is as follows.
Evaluate the creative value of the idea, present the result of the evaluation to a predetermined person, perform a process of recruiting a fund provider that provides a fund for operating the idea, and perform the process of recruiting the fund provided by the fund provider. An idea operation method for performing a process for operating the idea by using, when evaluating the creative value of the idea, transmitting search condition information about the idea to a plurality of search server devices, And receives the search result information from the search server device, and evaluates the creative value of the idea based on the received search result information.

Further, an information search apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is an information search apparatus having transmission means and reception means for performing communication between a request source of an information search request and a plurality of search server apparatuses. Means for transmitting the specified search condition information to the plurality of search server devices in response to the information search request;
The receiving unit receives search result information from the plurality of search server devices, and the transmitting unit transmits the received search result information to a request source of the information search request.

[0013] Further, the idea operation apparatus of the fourth invention is as follows.
Creative value evaluation means for evaluating the creative value of the idea, and fund provider recruiting means for presenting the result of the evaluation to a predetermined person and recruiting a fund provider for providing funds for operating the idea And an operation means for performing a process for operating the idea using the fund provided by the fund provider,
The creative value evaluation means, when evaluating the creative value of the idea, transmits search condition information on the idea to a plurality of search server devices, receives search result information from the plurality of search server devices, and The creative value of the idea is evaluated based on the retrieved search result information.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An information retrieval system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. First Embodiment FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information search system 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in the information search system 1,
Via a network 100 such as the Internet, terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ , a patent publication search server device 120 of the Patent Office, a Web search server device 121, a patent-related information search server device 122, and an information search support server device 123 is connected. Here, the information search support server device 123 corresponds to the information search device of the present invention. In addition, patent publication search server device 120, Web search server device 121, and patent-related information search server device 1
Reference numeral 22 corresponds to the search server device of the present invention. In addition,
Other terminal devices and search server devices may be connected to the network 100.

[Terminal device 110 ₁ ] FIG.
It is a block diagram of 10 ₁ and 110 ₂ . As shown in FIG.
The terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ include, for example, an interface 112, a processing unit 113, a storage unit 114, and an operation unit 11.
5 and a display unit 116.

The terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ are, for example,
Personal computers, mobile phones and PDAs (Perso
nal Digital Assistants). The information search request generated by the processing unit 113 by the user operating the operation unit 125 such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a microphone is transmitted to the information search support server device 123 via the interface 112 and the network 100. Send. Also, the terminal device 110
_1, 110 _2, the screen information and voice information corresponding to the search results from the information retrieval assisting server device 123 receives the interface 112 via the network 100, processor display signals and audio signals in accordance with the information 1
13 and displays a screen corresponding to the display signal on the display unit 11.
6 and output audio according to the audio signal.

In this embodiment, for example, the terminal device 110
₁ is connected to the information retrieval assisting server device 123 via the dedicated line, the terminal device 110 ₂ is connected to the information retrieval assisting server device 123 via a network 100 such as the Internet.

[Patent Gazette Search Server Device 120] The patent gazette search server device 120 is a server device managed by a government office such as a patent office, for example. Providing information of the gazette.

[Web Search Server Device 121] The Web search server device 121 is a server device managed by a predetermined company and based on information search information such as keywords.
Various information disclosed on the network 100 is searched and provided.

[Patent-Related Information Search Server Device 122] The patent-related information search server device 122 is, for example, a server device managed by a predetermined company. Provide relevant information.

[Information search support server device 123] FIG.
Is a configuration diagram of the information search support server device 123. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the information search support server device 123 includes, for example, an interface 200, a storage unit 201, a processing unit 202, and a billing unit 203. Here, the interface 200 corresponds to the transmitting unit and the receiving unit of the present invention, and the processing unit 202 corresponds to the processing unit of the present invention.

The interface 200 is connected to the terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ , the patent publication search server device 120, and the Web search server device 121 via the network 100.
Requests and information are transmitted and received to and from the patent-related information search server device 122. The storage unit 201 stores, for example,
It temporarily stores search result information and the like received from the patent publication search server device 120, the Web search server device 121, and the patent-related information search server device 122, and the ID and personal information of a registered user and a user who made a search request. And so on.

Hereinafter, the processing section 202 will be described in detail. <Search condition information input> The processing unit 202 provides a predetermined navigation screen to the terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ , inputs search condition information and the like in an interactive manner with the terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 _2, and performs a search. The specific image of the patent (idea) to be obtained is quantitatively specified using, for example, a method such as OR (Operation Research). The navigation screen has an input screen and an easy-to-read and editable screen.
A navigation screen for setting search condition information and an explanation (help) screen are separately arranged. On the navigation screen, the search condition information setting end target, the currently set search condition information setting location, and the search condition information that has already been set can be determined. Further, the user can set a plurality of setting items of the search condition information in an arbitrary order. Further, after setting all the items of the search condition information, any item can be corrected before final confirmation. Further, the navigation screen may be realized by setting all items of the search condition information on one screen, or may be realized on a plurality of screens by combining arbitrary functions.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the navigation screen 300. In the navigation screen 300 shown in FIG. 4, for example, the setting items A, B, and D of the search condition information in which the inside is painted in dark color have already been set, and the setting items F, The settings for G and H have not been set yet, the setting is currently performed for the item E indicated by the thick dashed line, and the setting is not determined for the setting item C whose dotted line is displayed in a mesh pattern inside. It indicates that there is. For example, the state of each setting item may be expressed by using a different shape or giving a different color to the outer frame of the display of each setting item. In addition, visual elements such as figures, colors, still images, moving images, etc., such as the type of outer frame line and outer frame shape, and auditory elements, such as voice, can be used alone or in combination to set each setting. The state of the item may be expressed. For the setting of each setting item, for example, an item setting screen 301 displaying selectable items of the item currently set on the navigation screen 300 is displayed, and the user designates the setting contents with a mouse or the like. May be selected. The setting of each setting item may be performed by voice input or the like. Also,
As shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the navigation screen 300 using the flowchart, the search condition information can be specified in a list defined for each setting item by a check method or a bar graph can be displayed. The display of the progress of each setting item may be set.

<Selection of Search Server Device> Processing Unit 202
The terminal device 110 ₁ screen 310 shown in FIG. 5, 110
Provides _2, for example, one or more search server user specifies using the search server selecting column 311 of the screen 310 is selected as the destination of the search server information search request. In the search condition information display column 312, for example, the content of the search condition information determined through the above-described processing is displayed. The processing unit 202 converts the search condition information input as described above into a format of search condition information used by the selected search server device, and converts the converted search condition information via the interface 200. , Together with the information search request to the search server device. The format conversion is performed, for example, using a conversion table obtained by referring to the input specifications of the parameters of the search condition information used by each search server device.

Further, the processing unit 202 retrieves search status patterns 313 ₁ , 313 ₂ , and 313 shown in FIG. 5 based on search status information received from each search server device during the search process and indicating the progress of the search process. 313 ₃ is displayed on the screen 310. The search status pattern 313 ₁ ,
313 ₂ and 313 ₃ are, for example, the patent publication search server device 120 and the Web search server device 1 shown in FIG.
21 shows the progress of the search process of the patent-related information search server device 122 and the patent-related information search server device 122. As the search process progresses, the stripe pattern extends from “start” to “goal”. The screen 210 displays a display pattern 3 specified when instructing the start of the search process.
14, a display pattern 315 specified when instructing to stop the search processing, and a display pattern 316 specified when instructing to stop the search processing. For example, when a plurality of search server devices are selected, the execution start, interruption, and stop instructions of the search process are
It can be performed individually for each search server device. When the search process takes a long time, the terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ are optionally selected.
The connection between the server and the information search support server device 123 may be temporarily released, and the connection may be restarted after a predetermined time.

<Search Result Collection and Conversion Processing> The processing unit 202 transmits the search result information from one or more search server devices to which the information search request is transmitted to the interface 20.
0, the search result information is transmitted to the terminal device 110.
Into a format to be provided to the _1, 110 _2. The format conversion is performed using, for example, a conversion table obtained by referring to the output specification of the search result information of each search server device.

The processing unit 202 performs processing such as plain culture, summarization, and sorting on the search result information obtained by the above conversion according to a predetermined format or a format specified by the user. In plain culture,
For example, if the search result information is a patent gazette, convert the technical terms and sentences in the patent gazette into terms and sentences commonly used in daily life, and use figures, tables, colors, etc. Is converted or arranged so that is easy to understand. The content of the conversion may be arbitrarily selectable by the user from a plurality of predetermined patterns, for example. In the abstract, for example, important content in the search result information is extracted by treating a phrase used repeatedly as a demand frame. In the sorting, for example, the output order of a plurality of items (items) included in the search result information is determined according to a predetermined criterion specified by the user.

<Screen Information Generation Processing> The processing unit 202 edits search result information that has undergone the above-described processing such as plain text, summarization, and sorting, and displays screen information for displaying a predetermined search result screen. If necessary, audio information for audio output is generated, and these are output to the interface 20.
0 to the terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ . For example, the processing unit 202 generates screen information for displaying a search result screen 320 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the search result screen 320 includes a column 321 showing the summary of the contents of the searched patent publication, a column 322 showing the date of filing of the patent and the patentee, and a column 322 showing the patent publication of the patent. A column 323 indicating link information and a column 324 indicating similar patent information and link information to the patent publication of the similar patent are provided. For the search result screen 320, for example, an arbitrary display pattern is adopted according to the specification of the user. Further, the processing unit 202 generates, for example, audio information for outputting all or a part of the information displayed on the search result screen 320 and other information as audio. As described above, in the present embodiment, the search result information is not provided to the user as it is, but the information search support server device 123 processes and edits the search result information and provides it to the user. Further, depending on the setting of the user, the search hair or the information may be displayed as it is.

Hereinafter, the charging section 203 will be described. The billing unit 203 performs a billing process for a user to whom the above-described information search service is provided. The following can be considered as a form of the charging process. (1) Each time a service is used, a usage fee is collected from the user (metered system). A usage fee is collected based on the number of searches, the number of searches, the number of search server devices used, the search time, and the like. (2) A membership fee is collected in units of months or years, and the number of uses is limited according to the membership fee. (3) The difference between the estimated time of the search process and the actual search time is reflected in the fee to be charged. (4) Place an advertisement and charge the advertisement provider to the advertisement provider. (5) Request a questionnaire to the user and reduce the amount charged to the user who has responded to the questionnaire. (6) Charge in the future under predetermined conditions (for example, when an idea is registered, licensed, or sold). (7) A service that enables provision of contents such as newspapers, radio, music, and video, for example, during the search together with the output of the search results, and charges a provider of these contents. (8) Enable linking to the homepage of the affiliated business and charge the business.

Hereinafter, an operation example of the information search support server device 123 will be described. FIG. 7 shows the information search support server device 12.
13 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of No. 3; The transmission and reception of requests and information between the terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ shown in FIG. ₂ and the information search support server device 123 shown in FIG. 3 are performed via the network 100 and the interface 112 shown in FIG. 3 is performed, however, in order to simplify the description, the matters are not explicitly described.

Step ST1: In the information search support server device 123, when the interface 200 shown in FIG. 3 receives, for example, an information search request from the terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ , the processing unit 202 searches the storage unit 201 for a user search. The screen information for displaying the navigation screen shown in FIG. 4 used when inputting the condition information is read out and transmitted to the transmission source of the information search request via the network 100. The terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ enter search condition information interactively with the information search support server device 123 while displaying the navigation screen on the display unit 116 shown in FIG. The information is transmitted to the information search support server device 123. The information search support server device 123 receives the search condition information via the interface 200 illustrated in FIG. 3 and stores the information in the storage unit 201. The terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ may remotely log in to the information search support server device 123 and input search condition information on the information search support server device 123. That is, the search condition information may be input on the information search support server device 123 side. In addition, the information search support server device 123 performs setting of a search server device for performing a search and setting of a condition for terminating a search in accordance with designation from a user.

Step ST2: The processing unit 202 reads out the search condition information from the storage unit 201, and sends the information search request and the search condition information to one or a plurality of search server devices specified in step ST1 via the interface 200. Send As a result, predetermined search processing is performed in each search server device based on the received search condition information. In the present embodiment, the processing unit 202 transmits the information search request and the search condition information to three search server devices of the patent publication search server device 120, the Web search server device 121, and the patent-related information search server device 122 shown in FIG. , Almost simultaneously.

Step ST3: The processing section 202 transmits search processing status information indicating the progress of the search processing from the search server device to which the information search request has been made to the interface 2
00 receives screen information for displaying the screen 310 shown in FIG.
To terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ .

Step ST4: The processing section 202 determines whether or not the search termination condition set in step ST1 has been satisfied, based on the search processing status information received from the search server device in step ST3, and has been satisfied. If it is determined that there is not, the process returns to step ST3, and if it is determined that the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step ST5.

Step ST5: The processing section 202 converts the search result information received from the search server device to which the information search request has been made, according to a predetermined format or a format specified by the user, in accordance with a format, a plain culture, Performs processing such as summarization and sorting.

Step ST6: The processing section 202 executes the step
Edit the search result information obtained in step ST5,
Screen information for displaying the search result screen of
Audio information for performing audio output
From the interface 200 to the terminal device 110 ₁ , 11
0_Two Send to

Step ST7: The processing section 202 determines whether or not the interface 200 has received a request for resetting the search condition information from the terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ . Returning, if it is determined that it has not been received, the process ends.

Hereinafter, the process of step ST1 shown in FIG. 7 will be described with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the process of step ST1 shown in FIG. Step ST11: processing unit 202 provides a navigation screen as shown in FIG. 4 to the terminal device 110 _1, 110 _2, inputting a search condition information interactively between the terminal device 110 _1, 110 _2.

Step ST12: The processing section 202 performs the processing shown in FIG.
Is provided to the terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 _2. For example, the search server device selection field 311 on the screen 310 is provided.
Is used to select one or more search server devices designated by the user as the search server device to which the information search request is sent.

Step ST13: The processing section 202 converts the search condition information input in step ST11 into a format of search condition information used by the selected search server device, and converts the converted search condition information into an interface. The information is transmitted to the search server device together with the information search request via 200. The format conversion is, for example,
The search is performed using a conversion table obtained by referring to the input specifications of the parameters of the search condition information used by each search server device.

Step S14: The processing section 202 transmits the search condition information obtained in step ST13 to step S12.
Is transmitted to the corresponding search server device selected in.

Hereinafter, the process of step ST5 shown in FIG. 7 will be described with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the process of step ST5 shown in FIG. Step ST21: The interface 200 receives search result information from one or more search server devices to which the information search request is sent.

Step ST22: The processing unit 202 converts the search result information received by the interface 200 in step ST21 into a format provided to the terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ . The format conversion is performed using, for example, a conversion table obtained by referring to the output specification of the search result information of each search server device.

Step ST23: The processing section 202 performs processing such as plain culture, summarization, and sorting on the search result information obtained by the conversion according to a predetermined format or a format designated by the user. .

As described above, the information retrieval system 1
According to this method, an information search request is issued from the information search support server device 123 to a plurality of search server devices at the same time, so that a wide range of information can be searched in a short time. Further, according to the information search system 1, the information search support server device 123 uses the terminal devices 110 ₁ , 110
_Since the search condition information received from ₂ is converted to match the format of each search server device, the burden on the user when inputting the search condition information can be reduced.

Further, according to the information search system 1, the information search support server device 123 converts and edits the search result information received from the plurality of search server devices and provides it to the user. It can be provided to the user in an easy format. Further, information on patents can be provided to users with little knowledge of patents in an easy-to-understand format. Further, according to the information search system 1, since the search condition information is input interactively with the user using the navigation screen 300 as shown in FIG. Can easily set search condition information corresponding to information desired by the user, and can improve search efficiency.

In addition, according to the information search system 1, since information search requests are issued to a plurality of search server devices at a time, some of the search server devices among the plurality of search server devices have some problems. Even in such a case, search result information of other search server devices can be obtained. Also,
According to the information search system 1, when obtaining the output results of a plurality of search server devices, for example, they may be displayed simultaneously after the search output of all the search server devices, or may be answered quickly. The search results may be sequentially displayed from the search server device. In the latter, the user can obtain search information at an early stage.

Second Embodiment Hereinafter, an idea operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is an overall configuration diagram of the idea operation system of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG.
In the idea operation system, the terminal device 110 used by the idea holder, one or more terminal devices 20 used by the investor, the idea creation support server device 28, the novelty evaluation server device 30, the economic value evaluation server device 3
1. Investor recruitment server device 32, management server device 33,
The patent publication search server device 120, Web search server device 121, patent-related information search server device 122, and information search support server device 123 are connected via the network 40. Here, the terminal device 110 corresponds to the terminal devices 110 ₁ and 110 ₂ of the first embodiment. The patent publication search server device 120, Web search server device 121, patent-related information search server device 122, and information search support server device 123 are the same as those described in the first embodiment. In addition, the novelty evaluation server device 3
0 and the patent-related information search server device 122 at least partially correspond to the creative value evaluation means of the present invention, the investor recruitment server device 32 corresponds to the fund provider recruiting means of the present invention, and the management server device 33 It corresponds to the operation means of the invention.

Here, the idea holder means a person who has proposed the idea, or a person who has been assigned the right to obtain a patent from the proposer. In the present embodiment, as an example of the idea of the present invention, for example, creation of a technical idea using a law of nature corresponding to the invention of the patent law is illustrated. Also,
The investor is a person who invests in a business using the idea, and corresponds to the funder of the present invention. Investors also provide financial assistance, such as expenses for performing various processes, to license the idea.

In the idea operation system, the idea creation support server device 28, the novelty evaluation server device 30, the economic value evaluation server device 31, the investor recruitment server device 32,
The management server device 33 operates in cooperation with each other while communicating via the network 40.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a case is shown in which a single terminal device 110, 20 is connected to the network 40, but in practice, a plurality of terminal devices 110, 20 are connected. 20 is connected to the network 40. Further, each server device of the idea operation system of the present embodiment is functionally divided, and it is sufficient that at least one server device is configured.

The terminal device 110 is, for example, a personal computer, and transmits a request corresponding to an operation of an operation means such as a keyboard and a mouse by the idea holder to the various server devices described above via the network 40.

The terminal device 20 is, for example, a personal computer, and transmits a request corresponding to an operation of an operating means such as a keyboard and a mouse by an investor to the above-described server device via the network 40.

The idea creation support server device 28 receives from the terminal device 110 an idea creation support request corresponding to an operation by the idea holder, and supports the idea creation by the idea holder.

The novelty evaluation server device 30 investigates whether or not the idea held by the idea holder is a new idea, and provides information to be used by investors and the like when investing in the idea. . Preferably, they are also provided to the idea holder. The novelty evaluation server device 30 can issue an information search request to the information search support server device 123 when performing the survey.

The economic value evaluation server device 31 receives information for determining the growth potential of the field (category) to which the idea to be evaluated belongs, for example, by linking it to a database that handles economic indicators, or Such a database is constructed, information is obtained therefrom, and an economic value evaluation value indicating the economic value of the idea in the market is calculated.

The investor recruitment server device 32 registers the ideas evaluated by the economic value evaluation server device 31, and browses, invests, establishes and fails the investment of the ideas from the terminal device 20 by a predetermined authorized investor. And the like in the case of.

The management server device 33 transmits the ideas successfully recruited by the investor recruiting server device 32 to the
It uses investment to fund, manage, manage, close accounts, distribute profits, go bankrupt and liquidate.

Hereinafter, the overall operation of the idea operation system using each server device shown in FIG. 10 will be described. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the overall operation of the idea operation system. Step ST71: The idea holder operates the terminal device 110 and sends an idea creation support request to the idea creation support server device 2 when he wants to know the value of his or her own idea.
8 In response to the idea creation support request, the idea creation support server device 28 uses the information obtained by searching a built-in database or an external database to convert the idea for which the idea creation support request is present in the market. Or determine how much economic value it will have in the future. In addition, the idea creation support server device 2
8 transmits, to the terminal device 110, predetermined information that is effective to increase the economic value of the idea in order to support (assist) creation of an idea having a high economic value. And that the idea holder modifies the idea with reference to the above. The idea creation support server device 28 further determines the economic value of the revised idea.

Step ST72: The novelty evaluation server device 30 transmits an information search request to the information search support server device 123, for example, in response to a novelty evaluation request from the terminal device 110 in response to the operation of the idea holder. Then, information related to the idea, such as a patent gazette, is searched to determine whether the idea for which novelty evaluation is requested is new in relation to a known technique, and calculate a novelty evaluation value.

Step ST73: The economic value evaluation server device 31 responds to the economic value evaluation request for an idea whose novelty evaluation value satisfies a predetermined criterion in the novelty investigation by the novelty investigation server device 30, for example. Considering the growth potential of the field to which the idea belongs, the market size, and the binding effect on market activities when the idea becomes a patent, how much profit can be obtained if the idea is patented and commercialized? Calculate an economic value evaluation value that indicates whether it can be expected (the business value of the idea).

Step ST74: The investor recruiting server device 32 performs a process for recruiting investors who invest in the idea, for example, with respect to the ideas evaluated in steps ST72 and ST73. Investor recruitment server device 3
2 is, for example, the content of the idea and the step S
The novelty evaluation value and the idea evaluation value calculated in T72 and ST73 are provided to an investor who has concluded a predetermined confidentiality agreement with the idea, and investors who invest in the idea are invited. In this case, when adopting a form such as a stock as an investment, the investor recruiting server device 32, for example, allows the idea holder to determine its own right interest (share holding ratio), and Process to recruit investors.

Step ST75: Management server device 33
Calculates the amount of operating funds necessary for the operation of the idea, and starts the management process for the idea when the calculated amount of operating funds is obtained by the investor's investment in step ST74. In the management process, the management server device 33 performs, for example, a process for requesting creation of a specification used for a patent application of the idea, which is performed in cooperation with a specification creator recruitment server device (not shown), and a filing step with the Patent Office Management process of interim procedures, and process related to license agreement after patent.

Step ST76: Management server device 33
In the event of a bankruptcy, the bankruptcy of the business related to the idea is performed.

As described above, according to the idea operation system, in the novelty evaluation in the novelty evaluation server device 30, the information search support server device 123 of the first embodiment described above is used. The same effect can be obtained.

In the idea operation system according to the present embodiment, the idea holder can access the idea creation support server device 28 to know the economic value of his / her own idea, and also to access the idea creation support server. Based on information from the device 28, one can modify one's ideas to further increase economic value. In addition, by using the idea creation support server device 28, a person who has come up with an idea can easily know the economic value of his / her own idea like a game, promote the idea creation act, Can be promoted.

In the idea operation system, as described above, by using the economic value evaluation server device 31 and the investor recruitment server device 32, an excellent idea having a high economic value can be converted into an economic value of the idea. To the investor who signed a confidentiality agreement with the network 40
And the funds required for the operation (implementation) of the idea can be collected from the investor via the network 40. Therefore, according to the idea management system, the investor can know the economic value of each idea, and can obtain effective information as a material for determining an investment target. Further, according to the idea management system, there is a possibility that excellent ideas can be obtained from many investors.

Further, according to the idea operation system, an idea obtained by the novelty investigation server device 30 that satisfies an evaluation satisfying a predetermined criterion is subjected to an evaluation process by the economic value evaluation server device 31, thereby achieving economic efficiency. The processing load on the value evaluation server device 31 can be reduced.

Further, according to the idea operation system, provided that the economic value evaluation server device 31 satisfies a predetermined criterion, the investor recruitment server device 3 of the idea concerned.
By permitting the registration to the second, it is possible to prevent a large number of ideas having a low value as an investment object from being registered in the investor recruiting server device 32, and to make the search process by the investor more efficient.

Further, in the idea operation system, by operating the idea using the management server device 33, the procedural part relating to the operation of the idea can be automated, and errors in the procedure can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In the embodiment described above, the information search support server device 1
Although the case where the search processing is performed by a meta type is described as an example, the present invention can be applied to a case of performing a search processing of a directory type, a robot type, or a combination thereof. Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case where patent information is searched is described as an example, but the present invention is applicable to a case where other information is searched. In the above-described embodiment, the information search support server device 123
Although the case where the information is sequentially received from the search server devices on the network 100 has been illustrated, all or a part of the information provided by these search server devices is temporarily stored in a database in the information search support server device 123, A search process may be performed using this.

[0073]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide an information search method device, an idea operation method, and a device thereof that can reduce the user's burden associated with the information search. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information search method, an idea operation method, and an apparatus for displaying an information search result to a user in an easy-to-understand format.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an information search system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a terminal device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the information search support server device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a navigation screen for inputting search condition information provided by the information search support server device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a screen that displays a status of a search status provided by the information search support server device illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a search result screen provided by the information search support server device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the information search support server device shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of step ST1 shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a process of step ST5 shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is an overall configuration diagram of an idea operation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of the idea operation system shown in FIG. 10;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... information retrieval system, 100 ... network, 11
0, 110 ₁ , 110 ₂ ... terminal device, 28 ... idea creation support server device, 30 ... novelty research server device, 31
... Economic value evaluation server device, 32 ... Investor recruitment server device, 33 ... Management server device, 112 ... Interface, 113 ... Processing unit, 114 ... Storage unit, 115 ... Operation unit, 116 ... Display unit, 120 ... Patent publication search Server device, 121 Web search server device, 122 Patent-related information search server device, 123 Information search support server device, 200 Interface, 201 Storage unit, 20
2 Processing unit 203 Billing unit

Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Kenichi Fukabori 6-7-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Inside Sony Corporation (72) Inventor Mitsuo Osawa 6-35-35 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Sony Corporation In-house F term (reference) 5B049 AA01 AA06 EE05 FF01 GG00 5B075 KK02 NS01 PP23 PQ02 PQ05 PQ32 QS05

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A method for transmitting specified search condition information to a plurality of search server devices in response to an information search request, receiving search result information from the plurality of search server devices, and transmitting the received search result information to the plurality of search server devices. An information search method sent to the requester of the information search request. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the designated search condition information is converted into a format corresponding to each of the plurality of search server devices, and the converted search condition information is transmitted to the corresponding search server device. Information search method described. 3. The information search method according to claim 1, wherein the received search result information is converted, summarized, or edited into terms used on a daily basis and transmitted to the request source of the information search request. 4. Receiving, from each of the plurality of search server devices, information indicating the progress of the search process of the search server device, and using the received information, the progress status of the search process of the search server device. 2. The information search method according to claim 1, wherein screen information that visually indicates the information is generated, and the screen information is transmitted to a request source of the information search request. 5. The information search method according to claim 1, wherein communication is performed interactively with a request source of the information search request, and the search condition information is specified. 6. The information search method according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of items in the search condition information are specified in an arbitrary order. 7. A process for evaluating a creative value of an idea, presenting a result of the evaluation to a predetermined person, and recruiting a fund provider for providing funds for operating the idea. An idea operation method for performing a process for operating the idea using the funds provided, when evaluating the creative value of the idea, the search condition information about the idea to a plurality of search server devices Transmitting the search result information from the plurality of search server devices; and evaluating the creative value of the idea based on the received search result information. 8. An information retrieval apparatus having a transmission unit and a reception unit for communicating between a request source of an information retrieval request and a plurality of retrieval server devices, wherein the transmission unit responds to the information retrieval request, Transmitting the specified search condition information to a plurality of search server devices; the receiving unit receiving search result information from the plurality of search server devices; and the transmitting unit searching the received search result information for the information search. An information retrieval device to send to the requester of the request. 9. A processing unit for converting the designated search condition information into a format corresponding to each of the plurality of search server devices, wherein the transmitting unit corresponds to the converted search condition information. The information search device according to claim 8, wherein the information is transmitted to the search server device. 10. The apparatus further comprises processing means for converting, summarizing, or editing the received search result information into terms used on a daily basis, wherein the transmission means converts the search result information processed by the processing means. 9. The information retrieval request is transmitted to a request source.
An information retrieval device according to item 1. 11. The receiving means receives, from each of the plurality of search server devices, information indicating the progress of a search process of the search server device, and the information search device uses the received information to And a processing unit for generating screen information visually indicating a progress of a search process of the search server device, wherein the transmission unit transmits the screen information to a request source of the information search request. 8. The information search device according to 8. 12. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said transmission means and said reception means communicate in an interactive manner with a request source of said information retrieval request and receive designation of said retrieval condition information. 13. The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said transmitting means and receiving means receive designation of a plurality of items in said retrieval condition information in an arbitrary order. 14. A creative value evaluation means for evaluating a creative value of an idea, and a process of presenting a result of the evaluation to a predetermined person and recruiting a fund provider for providing a fund for operating the idea. An idea operation apparatus comprising: a fund provider recruiting unit; and an operation unit that performs a process for operating the idea using the fund provided by the fund provider, wherein the creative value evaluation unit includes: When evaluating the creative value of an idea, transmitting search condition information regarding the idea to a plurality of search server devices, receiving search result information from the plurality of search server devices, based on the received search result information, An idea operation device for evaluating the creative value of the idea.