JP2003006230A - Method and server for information retrieval processing, method and device for presenting information, program and medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to simply and instinctively grasp information. SOLUTION: Text components and image components of an access screen (screen at the beginning of connection) such as a homepage to be a retrieval object and image of the access screen are stored in a server computer 83 as data in advance, and the stored data are provided to a user computer 85. When the user computer submits a request for retrieval, the server computer 83 retrieves the object URL from the stored data and provides the text data together with the image data of the access screen to the user computer 85. The user computer receives these data and displays them.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information search processing method, an information search processing server, an information presenting method, an information presenting apparatus, a program and a medium, and more particularly to an information search processing method for supporting the display of a homepage or an information site. The present invention relates to an information search processing server, an information presentation method, an information presentation device, a program, and a medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With recent rapid improvement in semiconductor technology and other manufacturing technologies, personal computers and their peripheral devices are becoming faster and more sophisticated. Along with this, the number of users who own high-speed and high-performance personal computers is increasing. By using such a personal computer, it has become possible for an individual user to perform various kinds of processing and complicated processing that have conventionally only been requested to an expert. For this purpose, the user may prepare in advance a personal computer and peripheral devices necessary for processing.

As an example, a personal computer (P
It has become possible to participate in a network by using C) as an information terminal and to transmit and obtain various kinds of information. Recently, the Internet has been known as a network that has become easily available, and it has become possible to easily exchange information by simply preparing a PC including a communication device, that is, interactive information exchange. Therefore, various types of information can be easily obtained from many PCs connected to a network such as the Internet.

By the way, when the available information increases,
The time required to reach that information also increases. Therefore, there is a computer (search site) for information search called a so-called search engine. In this search site,
For example, a company or a group that receives arbitrary keywords input by a user and transmits relevant information,
Or search for other computers operated by individuals,
The position on the network and a part of the text portion corresponding to the search result are provided as the search result.

[0005]

However, the user can obtain the search result of the keyword requested from the search site, but since the result is provided in text, it is necessary to intuitively grasp the search result. I can't. Therefore, there is a case where a complicated process of directly transiting to the relevant site and referring to it is performed from the search result.

In consideration of the above facts, the present invention provides an information retrieval processing method, an information retrieval processing server, an information presenting method, an information presenting device, a program and a medium that allow a user to easily and intuitively grasp information. To provide.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 receives a search condition from a requesting terminal connected to the communication line, and based on the received search condition, the communication line The presentation information to be presented from the reference side terminal connected to the reference side terminal, the storage location information of the reference side terminal in which the retrieved presentation information is stored, and an image displayed based on the retrieved presentation information And the image data of 1. is transmitted to the requesting terminal.

In the present invention, the search condition input from the request side terminal connected to the communication line such as the Internet is received, and the search result is transmitted to the request side terminal. For example, the server connected to the communication line searches for the presentation information to be presented from the reference terminal, and the storage position information of the reference terminal in which the retrieved presentation information is stored and the retrieved presentation information are stored. The image data of the image displayed based on the image data is transmitted to the requesting terminal. As a result, the presentation information is provided as an image that is intuitive to the user together with the image data.

In the information search processing method, the image data of the image displayed based on the presentation information may be an image of a page including the wording of the search condition.

In the information retrieval processing method, the image data can be stored in the storage device in advance and the image data stored in the storage device can be transmitted. More specifically,
The presentation information, the storage position information, and the image data are stored in a storage device in advance, the storage device is referred to, and the presentation information corresponding to the received search condition, the storage position information, and the image data are also stored. Can be transmitted to the requesting terminal as search result information indicating the search result.

More specifically, the server connected to the communication line stores in advance in the storage device the presentation information to be presented by the reference terminal and the storage location information indicating the location where the presentation information is stored in the reference terminal. In addition to storing the presentation information,
The image data corresponding to the display form of the requesting terminal is stored in the storage device in advance. As a result, the storage device stores the presentation information as an image that is intuitive to the user.

This server first receives a search request according to the search conditions input at the requesting terminal. Then, while referring to the storage device, the storage position information of the presentation information corresponding to the received search condition is acquired. The storage position information represents the position of the input device such as a URL or IP address on the communication line. By referring to this storage position information, the position can be specified on the communication line and information can be exchanged. Becomes For example, URL of homepage or F
The IP address of the TP server can be used. Conventionally, the data corresponding to the storage location information is transmitted,
In the present invention, the acquired storage position information and the presentation information and the image data corresponding to the storage position information are obtained as search result information representing the search result, and the search result information is transmitted to the requesting terminal. As a result, the user can refer to the search result as an image and can intuitively and easily grasp the search result.

In the information retrieval processing method, when the storage location information of the presentation information corresponding to the retrieval condition cannot be acquired, the presentation information corresponding to the retrieval condition is received from another reference side terminal connected to the communication line. And storage location information indicating the location where the presentation information is stored in the reference side terminal is stored in the storage device, and the presentation information is stored as image data corresponding to the display form of the requesting side terminal. It can be stored in the device.

When the presentation information and the like are stored in advance in the storage device of the server, the presentation information of a new site may not be retrieved. Therefore, when the storage location information of the presentation information corresponding to the search condition cannot be acquired, the server adds another reference side terminal connected to the communication line as a target and executes a search (search). Then, the presentation information corresponding to the search condition and the storage location information indicating the location where the presentation information is stored in the reference terminal are searched and further stored in the storage device, and the presentation information is displayed on the requesting terminal. It is further stored in the storage device as image data corresponding to the form. As a result, the storage device is updated with the latest information at the time of the search. Therefore, it is possible to store information related to all the presented information without storing it, and it is possible to reduce capacity addition.

The information search processing method can be easily realized by causing each of the means to function as described in the following information search processing server. Specifically, receiving means for receiving the search condition from the request-side terminal connected to the communication line,
Retrieval means for retrieving presentation information to be presented from the reference side terminal connected to the communication line based on the received retrieval condition, and storage location information of the reference side terminal in which the retrieved presentation information is stored. And transmitting means for transmitting the image data of the image displayed based on the retrieved presentation information to the requesting terminal.

The image data of the image displayed based on the presentation information may be the image of the page including the wording of the search condition.

The information retrieval processing server further includes a storage device that stores the image data in advance, and the transmission means can transmit the image data stored in the storage device. More specifically, the information search processing server further includes a storage device that stores the presentation information, the storage position information, and the image data in advance, and refers to the storage device and sets the received search condition according to the received search condition. The corresponding presentation information, the storage position information, and the image data can be transmitted to the requesting terminal as search result information indicating a search result.

Further, the search means includes an acquisition means that refers to the storage device and acquires the storage location information of the presentation information corresponding to the received search condition, and the acquired storage location information and the storage location. The presentation information and the image data corresponding to the information are obtained as search result information representing a search result, and the transmitting unit can transmit the search result information to the requesting terminal.

The information retrieval processing server may not be able to retrieve the presentation information of a new site. Therefore, as described in the following information search processing server, it can be easily realized by causing each unit to function. Specifically, in the information search processing server, when the storage location information of the presentation information corresponding to the search condition cannot be acquired, the presentation information corresponding to the search condition is received from another reference side terminal connected to the communication line. And the storage position information indicating the position where the presentation information is stored in the reference side terminal, searching and storing it in the storage device, and the presentation information as image data corresponding to the display form of the request side terminal, It further comprises storage means for storing in the storage device.

The information retrieval processing method can be carried out easily by any computer by carrying the program by the information retrieval processing program executed in the next server and causing the computer to execute the program. Is possible. Specifically, it is an information search processing program executed in a server that transmits a search result based on a search condition input from a requesting terminal connected to a communication line to the requesting terminal, and is connected to the communication line. The search condition is received from the requesting terminal, the presentation information to be presented is retrieved from the reference terminal connected to the communication line based on the received search condition, and the retrieved presentation information is stored. The storage position information of the reference side terminal and the image data of the image displayed based on the retrieved presentation information are transmitted to the request side terminal.

In the information retrieval processing program,
Receiving a search request according to the search condition input in the requesting terminal, and presenting the presentation information to be presented from the reference terminal and the storage location information indicating the location where the presentation information is stored in the reference terminal in advance. While storing the presentation information, the storage device stores the presentation information as image data corresponding to the display form of the requesting terminal, and stores the storage position information of the presentation information corresponding to the received search condition. , Obtaining the acquired storage position information and the presentation information and image data corresponding to the storage position information as search result information indicating the search result, and transmitting the search result information to the requesting terminal. You can

The information retrieval processing method makes it possible to carry a program for executing the processing function of the information retrieval processing method by storing it in the following medium, and by causing the computer to execute the program stored in the medium. It can be easily implemented by any computer. Specifically, a storage medium storing an information search processing program executed in a server that transmits a search result based on a search condition input from a requesting terminal connected to a communication line to the requesting terminal, The search condition is received from the request side terminal connected to the line, the presentation information to be presented is searched from the reference side terminal connected to the communication line based on the received search condition, and the retrieved presentation information is The stored storage location information of the reference side terminal and the image data of the image displayed based on the retrieved presentation information are transmitted to the request side terminal.

The storage medium receives a search request according to the search condition input in the requesting terminal, and the presentation information to be presented from the reference terminal and the presentation information are stored in the reference terminal. The storage position information indicating the position is stored in advance, the presentation information is referred to as a storage device stored in advance as image data corresponding to the display form of the requesting terminal, and the received search condition is satisfied. Get the storage location information of the presentation information,
Acquiring the acquired storage position information, the presentation information and the image data corresponding to the storage position information as search result information representing a search result, and transmitting the search result information to the requesting terminal. A characteristic information search processing program can be stored.

[0024] The invention of claim 9 is an information presenting method of presenting storage position information representing a storage position of presentation information to be presented from a reference side terminal connected to a communication line, and presenting the storage position information. The requesting terminal connected to the communication line stores the storage position information and the image data corresponding to the display form of the presentation information in a storage device in advance, and presents the presentation information. It is characterized in that the display data at the time of registration is registered so as to include the storage position information and the image data.

By the way, the presentation information is presented to the requesting terminal, but the requesting terminal preferably gives an instruction to present the presentation information more quickly. Therefore, when presenting the storage position information indicating the storage position of the presentation information, the requesting terminal connected to the communication line presenting the storage position information displays the storage position information and the presentation information on the requesting terminal display form. And image data corresponding to are stored in the storage device in advance. As a result, a part of the presentation information is stored in the storage device of the requesting terminal as an image intuitive to the user. Then, the storage position information and the image data are registered so as to be simultaneously included in the display data when the presentation information is requested to be presented. For example, registration is performed so that image data is displayed corresponding to text such as a name corresponding to a URL like a shortcut file in a so-called browser. As a result, the user can easily understand the presentation information at the storage position only by referring to the registered display data.

The information presenting method can be easily realized by causing each unit to function as described in the following information presenting apparatus. Specifically, an information presentation device connected to a communication line for presenting storage position information indicating a storage position of presentation information to be presented from a reference side terminal connected to the communication line, Information and image data corresponding to the display form of the requesting terminal of the presentation information, a storage device in advance, the display data when presenting the presentation information, the storage position information and the image data It is characterized in that it is provided with a registration means for registering to be included.

The information presenting method can be executed by the following information presenting program, and by making the computer execute the program, it can be easily performed by any computer. Specifically, it is an information presenting program that is executed by a requesting terminal connected to a communication line that presents storage location information that represents the storage location of presentation information that should be presented from a reference side terminal that is connected to the communication line. Then, the storage position information and the image data corresponding to the display mode of the requesting terminal of the presentation information are stored in a storage device in advance, and the storage position is included in the display data when the presentation information is requested to be presented. It is characterized in that information and image data are registered so as to be included at the same time.

The information presenting method makes it possible to carry a program for executing the processing function of the information presenting method by storing the program in the following medium, and by executing the program stored in the medium by a computer, It can be easily implemented even with the above computer.
Specifically, the storage position information indicating the storage position of the presentation information to be presented from the reference side terminal connected to the communication line, and the information presentation program executed by the requesting terminal connected to the communication line to be presented are stored. In the storage medium, the storage position information and the image data corresponding to the display form of the requesting terminal of the presentation information are stored in a storage device in advance, and the display data when the presentation information is requested to be presented. To
The storage position information and the image data are registered so as to be included.

[0029]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a computer network system in which terminals such as a computer and a PDA can be connected to a wireless or wired network. [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of a computer network system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The computer network system 80 may be, for example, a distributed network system. In a distributed network environment, each user does not need to be aware of the location of resource objects such as programs and data. Further, the procedures executed in the computer are also distributed and held and managed on the network. For example, a process running on one computer on the network can call and execute a procedure of a process running on another computer.

In the present embodiment, the computer network system 80 uses the LAN (Lo
calArea Network). The network 88 can be configured to include a communication network represented by a public telephone network constructed and provided by a telephone company in each country or region.
This communication network includes, for example, PSTN (Public Switched Te
lephone Network) and ISDN (Integrated Service Di
gital Network) is included. Further, as a communication network, PDC (Personal Digital Cellular) and PHS are further used.
(Personal Handyphone System) and various types of wireless telephone networks can be included. When the network 88 and the communication network are constructed as separate networks,
It can be constructed to be interconnected by a gateway system.

The communication network has a function of transmitting and receiving data to and from the mobile terminal, as well as a function of authenticating the caller number and a function of providing position data to the mobile terminal registered in the cell of each base station. It is preferable to be able to provide.

A network 88 typified by the Internet includes a user computer 8 operated by a user.
4 and various server computers 82 are respectively a modem, a router, and a TA (Terminal Adapter: Termin).
It is connected via a connection device 86 such as an al Adapter). These computers have a configuration capable of exchanging information by mutual communication via the network 88.

In the network 88 such as the Internet or each small-scale network, mutual connection is possible via a communication device 86 such as a modem or a router. Computers on such a network are connected to each other by, for example, TC.
P / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet P)
Mutual access is possible according to a predetermined communication protocol such as rotocol). Therefore, the computer network system 80 has a configuration in which numerous host terminals and user terminals are connected.
The system is a so-called server-client system in which some computers operate as “servers” that provide various resource services for a fee or free of charge, and other computers operate as “clients” that request resource services from the servers. Function as.

An example of the server is a WWW server in a WWW system built on a TCP / IP network such as the Internet. WWW server is HT
An HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) resource object such as ML (Hyper Text Markup Language) content can be provided. Other examples of the server include a mail server, a database server, a file server, etc. that provide an e-mail transmission / reception service to each user account.

Further, in the following description, as shown in FIG. 1, at least one computer 82 of the plurality of computers 82 executes a search process to provide various information (hereinafter, referred to as "server computer"). Functioning as 83, and also the requesting computer 8
4 will be described as an example of a configuration that functions as a computer (hereinafter, referred to as “user computer”) 85 that gives a search instruction by a user. It should be noted that the user computer 85 and the server computer 83 are described as one each, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of computers may be used.

The server computer 83 is
It is not limited to storing image data (thumbnail images, etc.) described later. In this case, for example, a storage server that stores image data is configured to be connected to the network 88. The server computer 83 does not store the storage location of the image data, but instead stores the location (URL) of the storage server.
May be stored and the image data may be stored in the server at that position.

A small-scale network such as a LAN may be operated by a specific organization / group such as a company, and is connected to an external wide area network via a server such as a firewall (not shown). ,
Access can be restricted to external networks. When the LAN is owned and managed by a specific company, a large number of various contents related to the company such as documents and data in the company are stored in the server installed on the LAN. The client is permitted access to this type of server when it is clear that the company has been given the proper authority through a predetermined authentication procedure.

The above-mentioned content means the content itself of electronic information including image data, particularly the content itself of information which is handled in a computer and distributed in a network. In addition, the content includes provision information to be provided including various data such as text data, graphic data, and multimedia data.

The computer is provided with input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse for inputting instructions by the computer, and a display for displaying processing results by the computer. Since the computer has a general and general hardware configuration, detailed description will be omitted.

When data is transmitted and received via the network 88, any computer can be accessed by installing and starting a WWW browser on the computer or terminal. At this time, the access position (data including the position of the server or the like of the access destination and the position of the information in the server or the like) is the URL (Unif
orm Resource Locator).

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configurations of the server computer 83 and the user computer 85, which mainly deal with the transfer of information in the present embodiment. Hereinafter, these devices will be described.

The server computer 83 is for executing processing for a search request for a site or the like from another computer. The server computer 83 is connected at a predetermined location (IP address) on the network 88, but the location where the server is installed is not limited. The location of the server computer 83 on the network may be specified by, for example, an IP address or a URL.

The processing executed by the server computer 83 may be executed by the server computer 83, or other processing on the network 88 by using a remote procedure call such as CGI (Common Gateway Interface). You may leave it to the server. In one example, the server computer 83 further includes a storage device that stores image data,
Some present the address to the stored device.

Specifically, the server computer 83
Is configured to include a microcomputer to which the CPU 12A, the ROM 12B, the RAM 12C, and the I / O 12D are connected so that commands and data can be exchanged. The I / O 12D is a read / write device 12E such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk device, an operating device 12F such as a keyboard, and a display device 12 such as a display.
Storage device 16 in which G and processing programs are stored
Are connected. The storage device 16 includes a memory 16A storing a processing program and a UR such as a homepage.
A memory 16B that stores L, a memory 16C that stores text data such as a homepage, a memory 16D that stores image data such as a homepage, and a memory 16E that stores thumbnail images of thumbnail images of toppage images such as homepages are provided. There is. The memory 16A has a processing program in the ROM 12B or the RAM 12
Not required if stored in C.

The read / write device 12E is a storage medium FD.
Is configured so that it can be inserted and removed. The storage medium FD includes a floppy disk and the like. It should be noted that processing routines and the like described later can be executed from the storage medium FD using the read / write device 12E. Therefore, the processing routine described below
Instead of being stored in the storage device 16 or the like, it may be recorded in a storage medium in advance and the processing program recorded in the storage medium may be executed via the read / write device 12E. In addition, with a mass storage device such as a hard disk device,
The processing program recorded in the storage medium may be stored (installed) and the corresponding processing may be executed. As the recording medium, there are discs such as CD-ROM, MD, MO and DVD, and magnetic tapes such as DAT. When these are used, the read / write device 12E has a CD-R.
An OM device, MD device, MO device, DVD device, DAT device or the like may be used.

A communication interface 14 is also connected to the I / O 12D. Communication interface 14
Is a device having an interface function for connecting to the communication device 86 of FIG. 1 for connecting to the network 88, and is a device for performing communication between the server computer 83 and an external device. .

The user computer 85 is a computer for instructing the search conditions to the server computer 83 and displaying the results.

Specifically, the user computer 85
Is similar to the server computer 83, CPU2
2A, ROM22B, RAM22C, and I / O22D
Is configured to include a microcomputer connected so that commands and data can be exchanged, and the I / O 22
A read / write device 22E, an operating device 22F, and a display device 22G are connected to D. In addition, I / O22D,
A storage device 26 that stores a processing program and the like is connected. The storage device 26 includes a memory 26A that stores a processing program, a memory 26B that stores a URL such as a home page, and a memory 26E that stores a thumbnail image that is a thumbnail of a top page image such as a home page. Further, the memory 26A is unnecessary when the processing program is stored in the ROM 22B or the RAM 22C. A communication interface 24 is also connected to the I / O 22D.

The server computer 83 of the present embodiment corresponds to the information retrieval processing server of the present invention, and the user computer 85 corresponds to the requesting terminal and the information presenting device of the present invention. The storage device 16 corresponds to the storage device of the present invention, and the storage device 26 corresponds to the storage device of the present invention.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the server computer 83 is the W
Functions as a WW (World Wide Web) server,
A case where the computer 85 functions as a WWW client will be described. In this case, the user computer 85
Is a network-accessible program (so-called W
WW browser) is installed and this WWW
By starting the browser, the server computer 83 can be accessed via the network 88.
Access position (access destination server computer 83
And the information position in the server computer 83) is a so-called URL (Uniform Resour).
ce Locator).

In this embodiment, the server computer 83 stores in advance the text components and image components of the access screen (the screen at the beginning of the connection) of the home page or the like to be searched and the image of the access screen itself as data. The stored data is provided to the user computer 85. When a search request is made by the user computer 85, the server computer 83 searches the stored data for the target URL, and the text data is retrieved together with the image data of the access screen from the user computer 8.
Provide to 5. The user computer 85 receives and displays these data.

First, the processing of the server computer 83 will be described.

The server computer 83 for the retrieval processing executes the processing routine shown in FIG. Step 1
At 00, it is determined whether or not a search request has been made by determining whether or not an input instruction indicating that a search process has been requested is issued from the user computer 85, and a negative operation is repeated until a search request is made. If affirmative, the process proceeds to step 102.

In step 102, the retrieval condition instructed by the user computer 85 is extracted (retrieval key is taken out), and the process proceeds to step 104 to refer to the text DB by referring to the memory 16C. Next Step 10
In step 6, the corresponding site is searched by searching the text DB using the search key extracted in step 102. Based on the search result, it is determined in step 108 whether the corresponding site exists. To judge. Step 10
If NO in step 8, the process proceeds to step 124, and data indicating that there is no site corresponding to the search result is generated as display data in a computer display form, and step 122 is performed.
Then, the display data is transmitted to the user computer 85 and this routine is finished.

On the other hand, if the result in step 108 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 110, and the site corresponding to the search key is specified. The specification of this site is a process of acquiring the URL that is the key of the text DB stored in the memory 16C. That is, although the text data of the site is stored in the text DB, the text data is associated with the URL of the site as a key (index). Therefore, if the search key or a keyword similar to the search key exists in the text data under a certain condition, the URL belonging to the text data can be specified.

In the next step 112, the above step 1
The URL DB stored in the memory 16B is referred to based on the URL acquired in step 10, and the thumbnail DB stored in the memory 16E is referred to in the next step 114. By referring to the above DB, the URL of the site corresponding to the search key, the text data, and the thumbnail image data can be specified.

In the next step 116, the specified text data is acquired, and in the next step 118, thumbnail image data is acquired. In the next step 120, display format data (data on the screen 150 of FIG. 5) in a form displayed on the display device 22G of the user computer 85 is generated for the acquired URL data, text data and thumbnail image data.
In the next step 122, the generated display format data is transmitted to the user computer 85.

The data of the initial screen of the site to be displayed on the user computer 85 corresponds to the presentation information of the present invention, and the URL data of the search result corresponds to the storage position information of the present invention. Further, the processing of receiving the search condition in step 102 corresponds to the operation of the receiving means of the present invention, the processing of URL acquisition in step 110 corresponds to the operation of the acquiring means of the present invention, and the processing of steps 112 to 120 is the main processing. Corresponding to the operation of the search means of the invention, step 122
Corresponds to the operation of the transmitting means of the present invention. Further, the computer or the storage means that operates the site corresponding to the search result in the present embodiment corresponds to the reference side terminal of the present invention.

Further, as the data generated in the above step 120, it is possible to generate image data including messages such as a message indicating a search condition and a keyword.

Next, the processing of the user computer 85 will be described.

In the user computer 85 requesting the search, the processing routine shown in FIG. 4 is executed. Step 1
In FIG. 30, a visual search site operated by the user computer 85 according to the present embodiment for executing a search process in the user computer 85 (see FIG. 3).
To the site which executes the processing (1), and in the next step 132, it is judged whether or not there is a response from the server computer 83. If there is no response, the determination is negative, and this routine is directly terminated. On the other hand, if there is a response from the server computer 83, the affirmative answer is obtained in step 132 and the operation proceeds to step 134.

At step 134, an initial screen (described later) for executing a visual search is displayed. In the next step 136, the operating device 2 of the user computer 85
A search character string (search key) is input by receiving a 2F operation signal. That is, the user operates the operation device 22F while referring to the initial screen and inputs a search character string (search key) for a search request. Next Step 13
In No. 8, the negative is repeated until there is a response from the server computer 83, and when the response is answered, the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 140, the search result is received, and the result is displayed on the display device 22G.

FIG. 5 shows the data transmitted from the server computer 83 to the user computer 85.
An example of the screen displaying the search condition input area for search and the search result displayed on the user computer 85 is shown. The screen 150 includes a display area 152 for inputting and displaying search conditions, and a display area 1 for displaying the search results.
Includes 60.

The display area 152 includes a display area 154 for inputting and displaying a character string to be searched and a display area 156 for displaying a search start instruction. The display area 156 is also an instruction area that functions as a button to be pressed, and by pressing the display area 156, which is the instruction area, with an input device such as a mouse (arrow mark 158), the characters input to the display area 154 are displayed. The column is sent as a search key to the server computer 83. When the user computer 85 outputs the data in response to the pressing instruction on the display area 156, the search process is executed in the server computer 83 (process in FIG. 3), and the user computer 85 receives the search result data. , Display area 16
Display to 0.

The display area 160 includes a display area 162 for displaying the number of relevant sites as search results and a display area 163 for displaying detailed search results. The example of FIG. 5 is an example of the case where there are three corresponding sites as the search result. The search results are displayed after being classified into three item data. The first is thumbnail image data of the initial display screen of the relevant site, the second is URL data of the relevant site, and the third is text data of the relevant site.

For example, the first relevant site includes a display area 164, a display area 166, and a display area 168. A thumbnail image of the initial display screen of the first relevant site is displayed in the display area 164, and the thumbnail image is based on the reduced display image data of the screen to be displayed first when the user accesses. In the display area 166, the URL of the first relevant site is displayed, and the URL is based on the data indicating the storage position of the site or the data in the site. In the display area 168, a text portion corresponding to the search key on the first relevant site is displayed, which is text data extracted from the text included in the first relevant site.

The display area 164 and the display area 166 are provided.
Is also an instruction area that functions as a button to be pressed, and the display area 164 and the display area 1 that are the instruction areas.
Press 66 with an input device such as a mouse (arrow mark 15
8) to jump to the relevant site. That is, the user computer 85 is connected to the first relevant site.

Similarly, for the second relevant site, the display area 170 displaying the thumbnail image of the second relevant site, the display area 172 displaying the URL of the second relevant site, and the second relevant site. It is composed of a display area 174 in which a text portion corresponding to the search key on the site is displayed. For the third relevant site, the display area 17 in which the thumbnail image of the third relevant site is displayed.
6, display area 1 where the URL of the third relevant site is displayed
78, and a display area 180 in which a text portion corresponding to the search key on the third relevant site is displayed.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the user requests the search by the user computer 85,
When the server computer 83 executes the search process and sends back the URL or text data of the corresponding site, it also returns the thumbnail image of the initial display screen of the corresponding site. As a result, the user can
It becomes possible to refer to the thumbnail image of the initial display screen of the corresponding site together with the display of the URL and text data of the related site in the related art. Therefore, the user can intuitively grasp the search result by referring to the image of the site, as compared with the grasp of the result of only the URL or the text as the search result.

In this embodiment, the URL of the site corresponding to the search result and the display of the text data and the thumbnail image of the initial display screen of the corresponding site are stored in the memory in advance so that they can be referred to. The URL, the text data, and the thumbnail image are called while referring to this memory, but the present invention is not limited to being stored or accumulated in the memory in advance. For example, based on information (URL, etc.) about a site obtained as a search result, text data or image data of the initial display screen of the site is extracted from the corresponding site, a thumbnail image is generated, and these are transmitted. May be. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce the amount of storage capacity used in the memory and the storage device. [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the present embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the above-mentioned embodiment, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In particular, the user computer 85
Since the above-mentioned configuration and operation are the same, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the case where thumbnail images are stored in advance in the server computer 83 has been described, but in the present embodiment, thumbnail images are additionally registered when they are not stored. This detection of non-accumulation of thumbnail images is applied at the time of search processing.

FIG. 6 shows the flow of processing executed by the server computer 83. In step 200, it is determined whether or not a search request has been made by determining whether or not an input instruction indicating that a search process has been requested is issued from the user computer 85, and a negative judgment is made until a search request is made. Repeatedly, if the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 202. In the next step 202, the user computer 8
The retrieval condition instructed from 5 is extracted (retrieval key is extracted), and the process proceeds to step 204.

At step 204, a WEB patrol is performed to search for a site that meets the search condition designated by the user. This WEB patrol is a process of referring to a site that can be connected to the network 88 and can provide information. For example, the URL is changed by mechanically changing the U
Receive information from the RL site. When the site moves to the WEB patrol, in the next step 206, the search process in the site by the input data, that is, the search key is executed.

Based on the search result in step 206, in the next step 208, it is judged whether or not the web-visited site is the corresponding site. When the result in step 208 is negative, the process returns to step 204 to continue the WEB patrol.
Although illustration is omitted, if there is no corresponding site as a result of the WEB patrol, data indicating that is generated as display data in a computer display form and the user
This routine can be terminated by transmitting to the computer 85 (corresponding to the negative determination in step 108 and the processing in step 124 in FIG. 3).

On the other hand, when the result in step 208 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 210, and the site corresponding to the search key is specified. This site is identified by the U
This is the process of acquiring the RL. In the next step 212,
Based on the URL acquired in step 210, the URL DB stored in the memory 16B is referred to, and it is determined whether or not the URL of the web-visited site is registered in the correspondence table. If already registered, affirmative determination is made in step 214, and in the next step 226, the memory 16
The corresponding text data is acquired by referring to the text DB stored in C, and the thumbnail image data is acquired by referring to the thumbnail DB stored in the memory 16E in the next step 228.

At the next step 230, the acquired URL data, text data and thumbnail image data are displayed on the display device 22 of the user computer 85.
Display format data (data of the screen 150 of FIG. 5) in the form displayed in G is generated. In this step 230, the data of the sequentially visited sites are additionally updated. In the next step 232, it is judged whether or not the WEB patrol has ended. If the result is negative, the process returns to step 204 to repeat the above process, and if the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 234, where the generated display format data is stored in the user computer 85. Send to.

On the other hand, if the result in step 214 is negative, step 2 is executed to execute the process of registering an unregistered site.
Proceed to 16. In step 216, the data of the initial screen (top page) of the unregistered site is acquired. This data acquisition acquires at least image data in a format when the initial screen is presented to the user side, for example, image data in a format such as a bitmap, URL data of the site, and text data.

In the next step 218, the acquired URL
The data is registered in the URLDB stored in the memory 16B (the URLDB is updated). In the next step 220, the acquired text data is registered in the text DB stored in the memory 16C (the text DB is updated). In the next step 222, the acquired image data of the initial screen is registered in the image DB stored in the memory 16D (the image DB is updated). In the next step 224, the image data of the initial screen registered in the image DB is converted into a thumbnail image of a predetermined size and registered in the thumbnail DB stored in the memory 16E (thumbnail DB is updated).

In this way, URLs, texts and thumbnail images are registered for unregistered sites. As a result, the data on the site is updated sequentially, and it becomes possible to add data on a new site. The image data of the initial screen is registered in the image DB because it is used as a reference image when creating thumbnail images of various sizes.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the user computer 85 can register the requested data even when he / she does not own the data of the corresponding site at the time of the requested search. , It is possible to easily provide the search result that can be intuitively grasped. Also,
Since the image data of the initial screen of the site is stored, the size of the thumbnail image can be freely changed based on this. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to store the data of all the sites in advance, it is possible to suppress an increase in storage capacity. [Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the present embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the above-mentioned embodiment, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In particular, the server computer 83
Since the above-mentioned configuration and operation are the same, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the case where the thumbnail image created by the server computer 83 is added to the search result and provided is described. However, in the present embodiment, the thumbnail image can be used by the user computer 85. It is a thing.

FIG. 7 shows the flow of processing executed by the user computer 85. The process of FIG. 7 is a process performed for the process of registering the URL of the site in order to facilitate the user's access to the information display program such as the browser program executed by the user. That is, when the user operates the operation device 22F of the user computer 85, the URL of the site
7 is instructed to execute the process of registering, the step 2 in FIG.
In step 40, the URL of the displayed site is acquired.

The URL of the displayed site
The acquisition of does not actually require a transition to the relevant site. For example, when selecting and instructing the display area 164 of the screen 150 shown in FIG. 5, a pull-down menu may be displayed, a registration item may be added to the item, and further a registration item may be selected and instructed.

At the next step 242, it is judged whether or not the image size is set. This determination is a determination as to whether or not the user sets the size of the thumbnail image to be registered, and causes the display device 22G of the user computer 85 to present an instruction screen as to whether or not to set the size and read the instruction data. You can judge with.

When the result in step 242 is negative, the process proceeds to step 244, and a standard size thumbnail image is obtained. For example, the thumbnail image data shown in FIG. 5 is acquired as it is. In the next step 246, the simple display format data in which the acquired thumbnail image data and the URL data are associated is generated, and the next step 248.
Register with to finish this routine. In step 248, the URL data is stored in the memory 26B and the thumbnail image data is stored in the memory 26E. Step two
The processes 46 and 248 are processes for registering the URL of the site in the pull-down menu for facilitating the access by the user in the information display program such as the browser program executed by the user.

On the other hand, when the result in step 242 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 250, in which the size of the thumbnail image is prompted and the size data is acquired. The size of the thumbnail image may be obtained by displaying a size input instruction screen on the display device 22G of the user computer 85 and acquiring the input instruction data. In the next step 252, thumbnail image data of a corresponding size is acquired. In step 252 of “k”, the size of the thumbnail image is transmitted from the user computer 85 to the server computer 83, and the thumbnail image data corresponding thereto is received. After that, simple display format data in which the acquired thumbnail image data and URL data are associated with each other is generated,
Register (steps 246 and 248).

FIG. 8 shows an example of a screen displaying the result of thumbnail image registration processing executed by the user computer 85. The screen of FIG. 8 shows a display area 260 for displaying a site. The display area 260 is composed of a menu bar 262 for instructing commands and a site display area 264. The menu bar 262 has a pull-down menu 266 for displaying a registered site that jumps to a site registered by the user.
Is included, and the display area 268 appears and the registration site is displayed by pointing the pull-down menu 266 with a mouse or the like.

In the display area 268, the name of the registered site and the thumbnail image representing the site are displayed.
In the example of FIG. 8, the A site, B site, and C site are registered as default (standard) folder images. Also, the three sites in the search results of FIG.
The ○○ site, △△△ site, and □□□ site are displayed next. These ○○○ site, △△△ site, and □□□ site have thumbnail images 16 shown in FIG.
4, 170, 176 are displayed in association with each other.

The processing of FIG. 7 executed by the user computer 85 corresponds to the operation of the registration means of the present invention.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the thumbnail image of the initial screen of the site can be registered on the user side in association with the URL, so that the user can easily intuitively display the site. Can be provided to.

In the above embodiment, the case where thumbnail images are created in the server computer 83 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.
It may be configured to be created by the user computer 85.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment,
It is obvious that those skilled in the art can modify or substitute the embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0093]

As described above, according to the present invention, the image data corresponding to the display form of the requesting terminal is transmitted together with the search result according to the search condition requested via the communication line such as the Internet. There is an effect that the presentation information can be presented as an image that is intuitive to the user.

Further, in the requesting terminal, the storage position information indicating the storage position of the presentation information is combined with the image data corresponding to the display form of the requesting terminal, and the display is made when the presentation information is requested to be presented. Since the information is registered in the data, it is easy to grasp the presented information at the storage position, and the user can give an instruction to present the presented information more quickly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a computer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is an image figure showing typically composition of a network system.

FIG. 2 is a computer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a schematic functional structure block diagram of each apparatus of a network system.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of a server computer.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of a user computer.

FIG. 5 is an image diagram of a search result display screen displayed on the user computer.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of a server computer.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of a user computer.

FIG. 8 is an image diagram of a display screen displayed on a user computer.

[Explanation of symbols]

FD storage medium 16 Storage device 26 storage devices 80 Computer Network System 83 server computer 85 User Computer 88 network 164,170,176 Thumbnail image

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification Code FI Theme Coat (Reference) G06T 1/00 200 G06T 1/00 200E

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A search condition is received from a request-side terminal connected to a communication line, and based on the received search condition, presentation information to be presented from a reference-side terminal connected to the communication line is searched for, The storage position information of the reference side terminal in which the retrieved presentation information is stored, and the image data of the image displayed based on the retrieved presentation information are transmitted to the request side terminal. Information retrieval processing method. 2. The information search processing method according to claim 1, wherein the image data of the image displayed based on the presentation information is an image of a page including the wording of the search condition. 3. The information search processing method according to claim 1, wherein the image data is stored in a storage device in advance, and the image data stored in the storage device is transmitted. 4. When the storage location information of the presentation information corresponding to the search condition cannot be acquired, the presentation information corresponding to the search condition and the presentation information are received from another reference side terminal connected to the communication line. Searching for storage position information indicating the position stored in the reference side terminal and storing it in the storage device, and storing the presentation information in the storage device as image data corresponding to the display form of the requesting terminal. The information search processing method according to claim 3, wherein 5. Receiving means for receiving search conditions from a request-side terminal connected to a communication line, and presentation information to be presented from a reference-side terminal connected to a communication line based on the received search conditions. The search means for searching, the storage position information of the reference side terminal in which the retrieved presentation information is stored, and the image data of the image displayed based on the retrieved presentation information are transmitted to the requesting terminal. An information retrieval processing server having a transmitting means for performing. 6. The information search processing server according to claim 5, wherein the image data of the image displayed based on the presentation information is an image of a page including the wording of the search condition. 7. The information search processing server according to claim 5, further comprising a storage device that stores the image data in advance, and the transmission unit transmits the image data stored in the storage device. . 8. When the storage location information of the presentation information corresponding to the search condition cannot be acquired, the presentation information corresponding to the search condition and the presentation information are received from another reference side terminal connected to the communication line. The storage position information indicating the position stored in the reference side terminal is searched and stored in the storage device, and the presentation information is stored in the storage device as image data corresponding to the display form of the request side terminal. The information search processing server according to claim 5, further comprising storage means. 9. An information retrieval processing program executed by a server for transmitting a search result based on a retrieval condition input from a requesting terminal connected to a communication line to the requesting terminal, the information search processing program being connected to the communication line. The search request is received from the requesting terminal, the presentation information to be presented is retrieved from the reference terminal connected to the communication line based on the received search condition, and the retrieved presentation information is stored. An information retrieval processing program, which causes the requesting terminal to transmit storage location information of the reference side terminal and image data of an image displayed based on the retrieved presentation information. 10. A storage medium storing an information search processing program executed in a server for transmitting a search result based on a search condition input from a requesting terminal connected to a communication line to the requesting terminal, The search condition is received from the requesting terminal connected to the communication line, the presentation information to be presented is searched from the reference terminal connected to the communication line based on the received search condition, and the retrieved presentation information is searched. An information retrieval processing program characterized by causing the requesting terminal to transmit the storage position information of the reference terminal in which is stored and image data of an image displayed based on the retrieved presentation information. Stored storage medium. 11. An information presenting method for presenting storage location information indicating a storage location of presentation information to be presented from a reference side terminal connected to a communication line, the method being connected to a communication line presenting the storage location information. The requested terminal is stored the storage location information and the image data corresponding to the display form of the presentation information in the storage device in advance, and the display data when the presentation information is requested to be presented. The information presenting method is characterized in that the storage location information and the image data are registered so as to be included therein. 12. An information presentation device connected to a communication line for presenting storage position information representing a storage position of presentation information to be presented from a reference side terminal connected to a communication line, The storage position information and the image data corresponding to the display form of the requesting terminal of the presentation information, a storage device in advance, and the storage position information and the image in the display data when the presentation information is requested to be presented. An information presenting apparatus, comprising: a registration unit that registers so as to include data. 13. An information presenting program executed by a requesting terminal connected to a communication line for presenting storage position information indicating a storage position of presentation information to be presented from a reference side terminal connected to a communication line. Then, the storage position information and the image data corresponding to the display form of the requesting terminal of the presentation information are stored in a storage device in advance, and the storage information is stored in the display data when the presentation request is made. An information presenting program, characterized in that it is registered so as to include position information and image data. 14. An information presenting program executed by a requesting terminal connected to a communication line for presenting storage position information indicating a storage position of presentation information to be presented from a reference side terminal connected to a communication line. A storage medium in which the storage position information and the presentation information and the image data corresponding to the display form of the requesting terminal are stored in a storage device in advance, and a display when the presentation information is requested to be presented A storage medium storing an information presenting program, characterized in that the data is registered so as to include the storage position information and the image data.