JP2004038867A - Adaption information outputting method and device, adaption information outputting program, storage medium storing it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To offer sufficient explanation of a function and operation just enough according to a knowledge level of a user about an operation object such as an apparatus and a program that a user has never use. <P>SOLUTION: A known operation object information acquiring means 6 acquires information (known operation object information) about an operation object known by a user, and a learning degree acquiring means 9 acquires the learning degree of the user. An unknown operation object information acquiring means 7 acquires information (unknown operation object information) about an operation object unknown by the user. A classification and comparison means 10 compares classification information included in the known operation object information with that included in the unknown operation object information, and if they belong to the same classification, a learning degree estimating means 11 estimates the learning degree of the unknown operation object information from that of the known operation object information. According to the learning degree (including estimation) of the known operation object information and that of the unknown operation object information, an adaption information outputting means 12 outputs explanation of a function and operation while varying the degree of details. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method, a program, a program medium, and an apparatus for adaptively outputting a description such as a difference in a function or an operation method of hardware or software to be handled by a user such as a device, a program, or a service.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Manuals for operating devices and software are usually created for beginners so that even those who do not have knowledge or experience with the device or software can use it.
[0003]
However, this has a drawback that excessive explanation is given to a user who has some knowledge and experience of the device.
[0004]
On the other hand, in the operation guidance display device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-155391, means for judging the proficiency of the user's operation and automatically selecting and displaying the operation display according to the level is used. Thus, it is possible to present detailed information to a user with a low proficiency level and minimally necessary information to a user with a high proficiency level.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the operation guidance display device described in the above-mentioned publication, an operation target which has not been used yet and has no proficiency information has to be treated as proficiency 0, and the description is necessarily redundant for beginners. There is a disadvantage that it becomes.
[0006]
The present invention provides a method capable of explaining a necessary and sufficient operation target without any excess or deficiency in accordance with a user's knowledge level as much as possible even with respect to an operation target without proficiency information, an apparatus and a program for performing the method. The purpose is to:
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problem, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention includes: classification information indicating one or more types of functions or operations that can be executed on an operation target known to a user; A known operation target information obtaining step for obtaining known operation target information including explanation information on a method; a proficiency obtaining step for obtaining a user's proficiency with respect to the known operation target information; and an operation target unknown to the user. Classification information indicating the type of one or more functions or operations, unknown operation target information obtaining step of obtaining unknown operation target information including explanatory information on the function or operation method, and classification information of the known operation target information A classification comparison step of determining whether the classification information of the unknown operation target information is equivalent to the unknown operation target information; The proficiency of the user with respect to the crop target information, the proficiency estimation step of estimating from the proficiency of the corresponding known operation target information, and the unknown level of the unknown operation target information obtained from the proficiency estimation step, An adaptive information output step of outputting operation target information.
[0008]
In the above configuration, the “operation target” is a target on which a user performs an operation, and may be any of hardware and software. For example, in the case of hardware, it corresponds to some device operated by a user, a computer executing computer software processing, and the like. Alternatively, in the case of software, the operation target corresponds to software for operating a stand-alone computer or software for operating a computer while performing mutual communication between computers connected via a network.
[0009]
In addition, regarding the content used through devices and computer software, the user is more conscious of operating the content than operating the device or computer software. Operation) often changes. Therefore, the content also corresponds to the operation target.
[0010]
“Operation target information” includes “classification information” and “description information”.
[0011]
"Explanation information" is the content of the function to be operated and the manner of operation. In the case of a device, it corresponds to, for example, a functional specification or an instruction manual (manual) of the device.
[0012]
When the operation target is a content, for example, when a Web page is set as an operation target, the operation target information includes a procedure for arriving at a Web page following a link using a WWW (world wide web) browser.
[0013]
Further, the operation target information is not limited to one for one operation target, and may be plural. Further, each piece of operation target information or a group of operation target information may have a data structure such as a hierarchical structure or a list structure.
[0014]
Note that the information constituting the description information includes all types of information that can be used for description, such as characters, still images, moving images, and audio.
[0015]
“Classification information” is information indicating a function to be operated and a type of operation. For example, the classification of the operation target information including the explanation information “Description of the operation method of the device” is the type of operation. For example, if the operation target is a VCR, the classification information is “stop operation”, “reproduction operation”, or the like. The classification information may be represented by a character string, or may be represented by an ID number or the like.
[0016]
The “unknown operation target” is an operation target that the user has no experience of operating.
“Known operation target” refers to an operation target that the user has experience of operating. However, when there is little experience in operation, it may be treated as an unknown operation target.
[0017]
The “proficiency level” indicates the degree to which the user is familiar and familiar with the function or operation to be operated.
[0018]
According to the above configuration, in the known operation target information acquiring step, the operation target information (hereinafter, “known operation target information”) including classification information and explanation information regarding one or more functions or operations related to the operation target known to the user. Call) is obtained.
[0019]
Note that “obtaining information” means reading information from a main memory, an external storage device, a network destination, or receiving information from a network destination. The information to be read may be created in advance or may be created when it is read. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the expression “obtain information” has the meaning described here.
[0020]
In the proficiency acquisition step, the proficiency of the user with respect to the known operation target information is obtained.
Further, in the unknown operation target information acquisition step, operation target information (hereinafter, referred to as “unknown operation target information”) including classification information and explanation information regarding one or more functions or operations relating to an operation target unknown to the user is obtained. .
[0021]
One is selected from the obtained unknown operation target information, the classification information of the known operation target information is compared with the classification information of the unknown operation target information, and it is determined in the classification comparison step whether the classification information is equal or not. When there are a plurality of pieces of known operation target information, the determination is performed on each of the known operation target information.
[0022]
If the classifications are determined to be equivalent, in a proficiency estimation step, the proficiency of the user with respect to the unknown operation target information is estimated from the proficiency of the user with respect to the known operation target information having equivalent classification information.
[0023]
As a form of estimating the proficiency level, a form in which the proficiency level of the corresponding known operation target information is directly applied, or when there is a plurality of corresponding known operation target information, comparing or calculating the proficiency level of each of the known operation target information. Accordingly, it is possible to adopt a form in which the highest value, average value, lowest value, etc. of the proficiency level is determined and applied, or a form in which the proficiency level is low or low when there is no corresponding known operation target information. it can.
[0024]
When there is a plurality of pieces of unknown operation target information, the above-described determination and estimation processing is repeated for all the unknown operation target information.
[0025]
Then, in the adaptive information output step, unknown operation target information is output in accordance with the estimated skill level. As a method of outputting in accordance with the proficiency level, for example, a method in which the unknown operation target information is divided into a plurality of pieces of information having different details according to the proficiency level, and information which has the closest proficiency level is selected from the information and output. There is. In addition, each unknown operation target information is processed and output so that the details change according to the proficiency level, the output is limited, and multiple unknown operation target information is combined and output according to the proficiency level Or there are other methods.
[0026]
As a result, for example, when the proficiency level is high, a simple small amount of explanation is output, and when the proficiency level is low, a large amount of detailed explanation is output.
[0027]
As a result, with respect to an unknown operation target whose proficiency is unknown, it is possible to obtain an effect that information output of a necessary and sufficient operation target can be obtained in accordance with the knowledge level of the user as much as possible.
[0028]
More specifically, if there is an excess or deficiency, if the information output does not match the user's knowledge level and the information output is insufficient, that is, if information that the user does not know well is not output, it is output. The user may not be able to obtain necessary information from the information. Conversely, if there is too much information output, that is, if information that the user already knows is already output, when searching for necessary information from the output information, the user does not search from unnecessary information. I can not do it.
[0029]
Alternatively, even if the user wants to fully understand the output information, if the information output is insufficient, the user does not know the information that the user does not know well. Conversely, if there is too much information output, the amount of information that must be read increases, and the trouble of selecting whether or not to know the information also increases.
[0030]
As in the present invention, if information output of a necessary and sufficient operation target can be obtained without excess or deficiency according to the knowledge level of the user, the effect that the possibility that the information necessary for the user exists in the output information increases. Comes out. In addition, since the entire output information amount is not unnecessarily large, the effect of increasing the possibility that the trouble required to search for necessary information can be minimized is increased. In addition, even when the user wants to understand the output information as a whole, there is an effect that the possibility that the amount of information that must be read must be minimized is increased.
[0031]
The form of information output according to the proficiency level is not limited to detailing the information as the proficiency level is lower and simplifying the information as the proficiency level is higher. For example, the reverse form may be adopted. That is, a mode in which the lower the proficiency level is, the more limited the basic information is output, and the higher the proficiency level is, the more advanced and advanced information is added, is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, as the proficiency level is lower, illustrations (still images, moving images, etc.) for easier understanding are added and output, and as the proficiency level is higher, such illustrations are omitted or a more advanced and detailed illustration is obtained. It may be changed.
[0032]
In order to solve the above problem, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention, in the adaptive information output step, learns the known operation target information in addition to the output of the unknown operation target information. It is characterized in that it is output according to the degree.
[0033]
According to the above configuration, in the adaptive information output step, in a manner similar to outputting the unknown operation target information in accordance with the estimated proficiency of the unknown operation target information, in accordance with the proficiency of the known operation target information, Outputs known operation target information.
[0034]
As a result, not only the unknown operation target information but also the known operation target information is output together, so that both information can be compared. By comparing, for example, with respect to a certain operation, there is an effect that the user can check for himself / herself how the operation is different between the unknown operation target and the known operation target.
[0035]
Further, the output of the known operation target information is output in accordance with the skill level, similarly to the output of the unknown operation target information, so that there is an effect of obtaining necessary and sufficient information without excess or deficiency.
[0036]
In order to solve the above problem, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention, in the adaptive information output step, the lower the proficiency of the unknown operation target information, or the lower the proficiency of the known operation target information. It is characterized in that the unknown operation target information or the known operation target information whose proficiency is low is output in detail, and the higher the level is, the easier it is to output.
[0037]
According to the above configuration, the information output mode according to the proficiency level includes various modes as described above. Among them, for example, a plurality of pieces of information on a certain operation are prepared for each proficiency level. If the level is lower, the more detailed information is output, the lower the guessed proficiency level is, so that the minimum required information is efficiently used for both high and low level users. It will be well available.
[0038]
In particular, a user who has a high level of proficiency has a large time saving effect of not having to look at excessive information.
[0039]
In the adaptive information output method according to the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, in the adaptive information output step, the proficiency of the unknown operation target information or the proficiency of the known operation target information is a predetermined level. When the proficiency is higher than the proficiency, the unknown operation target information or the known operation target information having the higher proficiency is not output.
[0040]
According to the above configuration, the estimated proficiency of the unknown operation target information is obtained and compared with the predetermined proficiency. If the guessed proficiency is higher than the predetermined proficiency, that is, what can be considered to be well known by the user is not output, and the guessed proficiency is less than or equal to the predetermined proficiency, that is, if the user is not familiar with it Output what is guessed.
[0041]
Similarly, as for the known operation target information, information higher than a predetermined skill level is not output.
[0042]
As a result, there is an effect that the output of information that is well known is suppressed, and only information that is not well known can be selected and output.
[0043]
Note that this method may be arbitrarily combined with the above-described each method of the present invention as needed.
[0044]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention compares the known operation target information and the unknown operation target information in the adaptive information output step, and determines that the classification information is equivalent. If not, the unknown operation target information and the known operation target information are not output, and if there is no classification information determined to be equivalent, the unknown operation target information is adjusted according to the proficiency level estimated for the unknown operation target information. Or outputting the known operation target information in accordance with the proficiency level of the known operation target information.
[0045]
According to the above configuration, one is selected from the obtained unknown operation target information, and it is determined whether the classification information is equal to each of the known operation target information in order. If there is no known operation target information whose classification information is equivalent to the selected unknown operation target information, the unknown operation target information is estimated to have no or low proficiency. The unknown operation target information is output according to the learned level. If the classification information is equivalent, the unknown operation target information is not output.
The above process is repeated for all unknown operation target information.
[0046]
Similarly, for the known operation target information, one is selected from the obtained known operation target information, and it is determined whether the classification information is equal to each of the unknown operation target information in order. If there is no unknown operation target information whose classification information is equivalent to the selected known operation target information, the known operation target information is output according to the proficiency obtained in the proficiency acquisition step. If the classification information is equivalent, the known operation target information is not output. The above process is repeated for all known operation target information.
[0047]
As a result, only the operation information of the class that is in the known operation object information and not in the unknown operation object information or, conversely, only the operation information of the class that is in the unknown operation object information but not in the known operation object information is adjusted to the proficiency level. Output.
[0048]
For example, if you have information on the function or operation method of the operation target as the operation target information, and want to know the difference between the function or operation method of the known operation target and the unknown operation target, If the information is classified, only the operation target information of a portion having a different function or operation method can be obtained.
[0049]
To give a more specific example, assuming that there is a successor model (unknown operation target) of a known device (known operation target), since the functions and operation methods of known devices are generally known, This is especially useful when you want to quickly know if something has changed. Or, even if it is not a successor model, for example, there is a known company A's device (known operation target) and an unknown company B's device (unknown operation target), and both are the same type of device (for example, VCR), This is convenient when you want to quickly find out how the functions and operation methods differ between the two devices.
[0050]
In addition, since the operation target information having the same classification information is not output, the absolute amount of the information is easily reduced as compared with the original operation target information, and the smaller the amount, the easier it is for the user to search for and understand the information. The effect comes out.
[0051]
In addition, since the operation target information itself is output according to the proficiency level, the effect that the user can easily and efficiently understand the information in a short time is further obtained.
[0052]
Note that it is not necessary to output both the known operation target information and the unknown operation target information, and only one of them may be output.
[0053]
By outputting only one of the known operation object information and the unknown operation object information, there is an effect that information centering on one of the operation object information can be obtained. For example, when you want to know what can be used with an unknown operation target, it is meaningless to obtain information on a function that is in a known operation target but not in the unknown operation target information. Thus, there is an effect that it is possible to efficiently obtain information only on what can be used in the unknown operation target.
[0054]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention is configured such that, when a request for information acquisition is received from a user regarding the unknown operation target and / or the known operation target, an unknown operation An operation object information extraction step of extracting object information and / or known operation object information, wherein in the adaptive information output step, unknown operation object information and / or known operation object information obtained from the operation object information extraction step Is output.
[0055]
Here, the “information acquisition request” is to specify the content that the user wants to output. For example, if the user wants to know an operation with an operation target, the request is “I want to know the operation **”.
[0056]
According to the above configuration, for example, from a request obtained by asking the user to input a keyword or the like indicating information the user wants to know from the keyboard or the like, the operation target information to be output is extracted in the operation target information extraction step. Extract. For example, classification information including the requested keyword may be selected, and operation target information having the classification information may be extracted. Since the operation target information includes the classification information, the classification information may be determined from the request, and the operation target information having the classification information corresponding to the classification information may be extracted.
[0057]
The processing of the operation target information extracting step may be performed simultaneously with the processing of the known / unknown processing target information obtaining step, or the processing of the operation target information extracting step may be collectively performed after the processing of the known / unknown processing target information obtaining step. May go.
[0058]
Then, only the operation target information obtained from the operation target information extraction step is to be output in the adaptive information output step. At the time of output, various processes as described above are further performed to narrow down or process information to be output.
[0059]
As a result, there is an effect that the information required by the user can be provided in a minimum and necessary and sufficient form in accordance with the knowledge level of the user.
[0060]
In addition, if the request obtaining step of obtaining a request for obtaining information from the user regarding the unknown operation target and / or the known operation target is performed at the very first stage, the information required by the user in each of the subsequent steps is obtained. The processing can be narrowed down, and necessary information can be output quickly.
[0061]
Further, the present method may be arbitrarily combined with the above-described respective methods of the present invention as needed.
[0062]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention obtains a plurality of pieces of known operation target information in the known operation target information obtaining step.
It is characterized by the following.
[0063]
In the above configuration, to obtain a plurality of pieces of known operation target information in the step of acquiring known operation target information, a part or all of the plurality of known operation targets may be selected. For example, it is preferable that the user displays a list of known operation targets and allows the user to select the target by selecting with a tablet. Alternatively, there is a method of selecting a known operation target closest to the unknown operation target based on information such as a model number of the operation target.
[0064]
The output processing described above is repeated for each of the selected known operation targets. Alternatively, in the process of obtaining known operation information, known operation target information is collectively obtained from a plurality of known operation targets, and subsequent processing is performed.
[0065]
As a result, the absolute amount of the known operation target information is increased as compared with the case of a single operation. Therefore, the probability that the known operation target corresponding to the classification information to the unknown operation target information exists is increased, and the possibility that the proficiency can be estimated is increased. Come out. If a plurality of pieces of known operation object information correspond to the unknown operation object information of one piece of classification information, a plurality of proficiency levels can be obtained, and the effect of estimating the proficiency level can be improved.
[0066]
The adaptive information output method according to the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, in the case where a plurality of known operation target information has one classification information, the highest level of proficiency is given priority to the highest known operation target information. It is characterized in that it is used for estimation and / or is preferentially output.
[0067]
In the above configuration, by comparing the classification information of the unknown operation target with the classification information of each of the known operation target information, a case where a plurality of pieces of known operation target information correspond may appear. Among the plurality of pieces of known operation target information, the one with the highest proficiency is selected. The skill level is estimated from the selected known operation target information in a skill level estimation step. Alternatively, the selected known operation target information is output in the adaptive information output step.
[0068]
As a result, by estimating the proficiency from the known operation target information having the highest proficiency, the unknown operation target information can be output in a state where the proficiency is considered to be the highest for each classification information, and the unknown operation target can be output. This has the effect of preventing information from being output redundantly.
[0069]
Similarly, when the difference between the unknown operation target information and the known operation target information is output according to the skill level, the effect of preventing the unknown operation target and the known operation target information from being redundantly output is also obtained. come.
[0070]
Note that this method may be arbitrarily combined with the above-described each method of the present invention as needed.
[0071]
In order to solve the above problem, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention selects a known operation target whose known operation target information is most similar to the unknown operation target information from the plurality of known operation targets. The method has a similar known operation target selection step, and when a plurality of known operation targets have one classification information, the operation target information of the known operation target selected in the similar known operation target selection step is given priority to acquire the proficiency level. And / or preferentially targeted for output.
[0072]
In the above configuration, by comparing the classification information of the unknown operation target with the classification information of each of the known operation target information, a case where a plurality of known operation target information corresponds to one classification information comes out. Among the plurality of pieces of known operation target information, a known operation target most similar to the unknown operation target is selected in the known operation target selection step. For the known operation target information of the selected known operation target, the proficiency of the corresponding unknown operation target information is estimated in the proficiency estimation step using the previously acquired proficiency. Alternatively, the selected known operation target information is output in the adaptive information output step according to the proficiency level.
[0073]
As a result, even if the same classification information is used, the above method is effective when information such as proficiency is not very useful depending on the type of operation target.
[0074]
For example, as to the classification information “playback operation”, it is assumed that there are two known operation targets “video deck” and “answering machine”, and the user wants to know “playback operation” of the unknown operation target “tape recorder”. "Voicemail" is mainly for making phone calls, and "VCR" and "tape recorder" are devices mainly for recording / playing back on recording media. Is similar to a "tape recorder".
[0075]
For operation buttons, the answering machine has a user interface designed to handle mainly numeric keys, whereas the "VCR" and "tape recorder" mainly handle recording / recording and playback buttons. The user interface is designed as follows. Therefore, even if the "answering machine" is more proficient in "playback operation" than the "video deck", the "video deck" with a similar user interface is the "playback operation" of the "tape recorder". Is likely to be suitable for estimating the proficiency level.
[0076]
In this way, by estimating the proficiency level from the known operation target information of the most similar known operation target, it is possible to output the unknown operation target information in a state where the proficiency level is most appropriately estimated for each classification information. . In other words, the estimated proficiency level is different from the actual proficiency level, and the effect of preventing the unknown operation target information from being output in excess or deficiency is obtained as much as possible.
[0077]
In addition, not only for proficiency estimation but also for output, the “playback operation” procedure and button arrangement of the “VCR” are more similar to those of the “tape recorder” than the “answering machine”. It is more likely to be similar to button arrangement. Therefore, regarding the difference of the operation target information to be output, the amount of information can be reduced, and the difference in the content can be reduced, and the effect of preventing output in an excessive or insufficient state can be obtained. Further, since the output is not performed in a state where there is an excess or deficiency, there is an effect that the user can easily understand the output information.
[0078]
Note that this method may be arbitrarily combined with the above-described each method of the present invention as needed.
[0079]
In order to solve the above problem, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the proficiency estimation step, the unknown operation target information is determined to have the same classification information in the known operation target information. When there is no proficiency, it is assumed that the proficiency level is low or low.
[0080]
According to the above configuration, it is determined whether or not the obtained classification information of the unknown operation target information is equal to the classification information of the known operation target information.
In this case, if there are a plurality of pieces of known operation target information, the determination is sequentially performed for each piece of the classification information. Also, when there is a plurality of pieces of unknown operation target information, the determination is repeated for each of them.
[0081]
As a result, if there is no known operation target information determined to be equivalent, the proficiency of the unknown operation target information is determined to be no proficiency or low in the proficiency estimation step.
[0082]
As a result, the proficiency of the unknown operation target information having non-equivalent classification information is not or low, and as a result, the unknown operation target information suitable for the guessed proficiency is output. For example, as the proficiency level is lower, the operation target information is output in detail or in an easy-to-understand manner, so that an effect that the output of the unknown operation target information is insufficient or insufficient can be avoided.
[0083]
Note that this method may be arbitrarily combined with the above-described each method of the present invention as needed.
[0084]
In order to solve the above problem, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention compares the known operation target information and the unknown operation target information in the adaptive information output step, and includes equivalent classification information. When the contents of the explanation information are different, the difference of the explanation information is output according to the proficiency of the unknown operation target information or the proficiency of the known operation target information.
[0085]
According to the above configuration, the unknown operation target information and the known operation target information determined to be equivalent in the classification comparison step are compared with each other in explanation information. If they are different from each other, difference information is generated, and the difference information is output according to the skill level.
[0086]
The difference information may be, for example, information relating to a difference between the two pieces of explanation information, an excerpt of the explanation information that is present in the known operation object information and is not included in the unknown operation object information, or, conversely, a known information that is present in the unknown operation object information An excerpt of the explanation information that is not included in the operation target information may be used.
[0087]
As a result, regarding the unknown operation target information and the known operation target information having the same classification but different contents, information on only the different portions can be obtained, and the information is output according to the proficiency level. The effect that comes to be able to obtain well comes out.
[0088]
Note that this method may be arbitrarily combined with the above-described each method of the present invention as needed.
[0089]
In order to solve the above problem, an adaptive information output method according to the present invention includes an identification information obtaining step of obtaining information for identifying a known and / or unknown operation target from a user.
[0090]
In the above configuration, “information for identifying an operation target” is information that can be distinguished from other operation targets. For example, if the operation target is a product, its model number, serial number, and the like correspond to it. Whether the same type has the same identification information depends on the level at which the operation target information is different. For example, the model numbers are the same for the same model, but the serial numbers are different for individual products even with the same model number. Therefore, in the case of the operation method of the product and the like, if the model number is the same, the operation method and the like are the same, so that the identification information may be the model number. On the other hand, information on the usage status of individual products, such as information on proficiency such as how many functions of the product are used by the user, differs for each product. Good.
[0091]
According to the above configuration, the known operation target and the unknown operation target can be determined from the information to be identified obtained from the identification information acquisition step, and are passed to the known operation target information acquisition step and the unknown operation information acquisition step. , To be processed. Subsequent processing is the same as the processing described above.
[0092]
Information for identifying a known operation target or an unknown operation target is input by a user or the like using a keyboard or selected from a list of operation targets by a tablet.
[0093]
If the unknown operation target or the known operation target is fixed, there is no need to acquire the information to be identified again, but if the operation target is not fixed and there are a plurality of operation target candidates, the operation target is selected by the user. As a result, there is an effect that flexible processing can be performed without fixing the processing target.
[0094]
In addition, known operation targets of apparently different types are removed in advance, or the user is allowed to select a known operation target that has a high level of proficiency or is similar to an unknown operation target, so that the processing amount can be reduced or the proficiency can be reduced. The effects of increasing the degree of estimation accuracy and suppressing redundant output are obtained.
[0095]
Note that this method may be arbitrarily combined with the above-described each method of the present invention as needed.
[0096]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention includes, in the known operation target information acquiring step, information of a list of operation targets that the user has used to identify the known operation target information. Is obtained.
[0097]
According to the above configuration, for example, a list of operation targets that the user has used is recorded on a server, a memory card, or the like, and information on the list of operation targets is obtained therefrom in the known operation target list acquisition step. , A known operation target. The known operation target obtained from the known operation target list obtaining step is passed to the known operation target information obtaining step, and is processed. Subsequent processing is the same as the processing described above.
[0098]
For example, even in the case of home appliances, the number of types commercialized so far is enormous, and selecting an operation target that the user has used from among them is a very time-consuming task. By obtaining a list of operation targets that the user has used and narrowing down the range of known operation targets, the user does not have to select or narrow down the known operation targets, or the work becomes easier, or the burden of the selection process on the server is reduced. This has the effect of being reduced.
[0099]
Even if the user removes a known operation object that is clearly different in advance or selects a known operation object with a high level of proficiency or a similar operation to an unknown operation object, the operation object Since the options of the candidates can be narrowed down, the effect that the user's work becomes easy can be obtained.
[0100]
Note that this method may be arbitrarily combined with the above-described each method of the present invention as needed.
[0101]
The adaptive information output device according to the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, classification information indicating a type of one or more functions or operations that can be performed on an operation target known to a user, A known operation target information obtaining unit that obtains known operation target information including explanation information on a method, a proficiency obtaining unit that obtains a user's proficiency with respect to the known operation target information, and an operation target that is unknown to the user. Classification information indicating one or more types of functions or operations, unknown operation target information obtaining means for obtaining unknown operation target information including explanatory information on the function or operation method, and classification information of the known operation target information. A classification comparing unit that determines whether the classification information of the unknown operation target information is equivalent to the unknown operation target information determined to be equivalent by the classification comparison unit. The proficiency of the user, the proficiency estimating means for inferring from the proficiency of the corresponding known operation object information, and the unknown operation object information according to the proficiency of the unknown operation object information obtained from the proficiency estimating means. And adaptive information output means for outputting
[0102]
According to the above configuration, first, the known operation target information obtaining unit obtains the known operation target information. Although there is no particular limitation on the form of acquisition, when information on an operation target known to the user is stored in the storage unit in association with the user, a form in which the information is read from the storage unit and acquired may be adopted. it can. In this case, it does not matter whether the storage unit is built in the device or provided in an external storage device or a computer connected to the device by wire or wirelessly.
[0103]
Alternatively, when the operation target is communicable, the operation target and the adaptive information output device communicate with each other, and by adding the operation targets that the user has used to the list, the user and the operation target information are combined. A configuration may be adopted in which the information is recorded in association with each other, and the required operation target information is read out by the known operation target information acquisition unit based on the record.
[0104]
Next, a proficiency acquisition unit acquires information on the proficiency of the user with respect to the known operation target information. The method of acquiring this information is not particularly limited. For example, in the case where the information of the proficiency obtained from the user is recorded together with the known operation target information in a storage unit in which the known operation target information is accumulated, or in an external storage device or a computer, When the known operation target information acquisition unit acquires the known operation target information, the proficiency acquisition unit can acquire the proficiency information.
[0105]
Alternatively, the known operation target information acquired by the known operation target information acquisition means may be presented to the user, and the user may input the respective proficiency levels. Further, the number of times the user has used the function or operation possessed by the operation target is recorded in association with the known operation target information of the operation target, and the proficiency acquisition unit based on the proficiency information based on the number of times, A configuration in which the information is obtained through a route such as described above may be adopted.
[0106]
Next, the unknown operation target information acquisition unit acquires the unknown operation target information. The unknown operation target may be determined in advance, and the adaptive information output device may be used as an unknown operation target dedicated device. In this case, the process of specifying the unknown operation target again becomes unnecessary. In addition, a form may be obtained based on a user's designation from a record accumulated in the same manner as the known operation target information.
[0107]
Hereinafter, the operations of the classification comparing unit, the proficiency estimating unit, and the adaptive information output unit are as described in the corresponding steps in the above-described adaptive information output method.
[0108]
Various effects resulting from this are as described above as effects of the adaptive information output method corresponding to the configuration of the adaptive information output device.
[0109]
An adaptive information output program according to the present invention causes a computer to execute each step of the adaptive information output method in order to solve the above-mentioned problem.
[0110]
An adaptive information output program according to the present invention causes a computer to function as each unit included in the adaptive information output device in order to solve the above-mentioned problems.
[0111]
A recording medium according to the present invention is characterized by recording the above-mentioned adaptive information output program in order to solve the above-mentioned problems.
[0112]
Accordingly, the adaptive information output method is implemented using the computer by installing the adaptive information output program on a general computer via the recording medium or the network. It can function as an information output device.
[0113]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0114]
First, the definition of words is explained.
[0115]
The “operation target” is a target on which a user performs an operation, and may be either hardware or software. For example, in the case of hardware, it corresponds to some device operated by a user, a computer executing computer software processing, and the like. Alternatively, in the case of software, the operation target corresponds to software for operating a stand-alone computer or software for operating a computer while performing mutual communication between computers connected via a network.
[0116]
The devices include, for example, home appliances, AV products, office devices such as copy machines, vehicles such as cars, robots, ticket vending machines at stations, and the like. Examples of the software include OA (office automation) software such as a word processor and a spreadsheet, graphics software, and moving image editing software.
[0117]
In addition, regarding the content used through devices and computer software, the user is more conscious of operating the content than operating the device or computer software. Operation) often changes. Therefore, the content also corresponds to the operation target. Examples of the content include, for example, a web page and an RPG (role playing game).
[0118]
“Operation target information” includes “classification information” and “description information”.
[0119]
"Explanation information" is the content of the function to be operated and the manner of operation. In the case of a device, it corresponds to, for example, a functional specification or an instruction manual (manual) of the device.
[0120]
When the operation target is content, for example, when a Web page is set as an operation target, the operation target information includes a procedure for arriving at a Web page following a link with a WWW browser. In addition, for example, in the case of RPG, explanation information corresponds to information on where to solve a game or an item or the like can be obtained.
[0121]
Further, the operation target information is not limited to one for one operation target, and may be plural. Further, each piece of operation target information or a group of operation target information may have a data structure such as a hierarchical structure or a list structure.
[0122]
Note that the information constituting the description information includes all types of information that can be used for description, such as characters, still images, moving images, and audio.
[0123]
“Classification information” is information indicating a function to be operated and a type of operation. For example, the classification of the operation target information including the explanation information “Description of the operation method of the device” is the type of operation. For example, if the operation target is a VCR, the classification information is “stop operation”, “reproduction operation”, or the like. The classification information may be represented by a character string, or may be represented by an ID number or the like.
[0124]
The “unknown operation target” is an operation target that the user has no experience of operating.
[0125]
“Known operation target” refers to an operation target that the user has experience of operating. However, when there is little experience in operation, it may be treated as an unknown operation target.
[0126]
The “proficiency level” indicates the degree to which the user is familiar and familiar with the function or operation to be operated.
[0127]
The “information acquisition request” is to specify the content that the user wants to output. For example, if the user wants to know an operation with an operation target, the request is “I want to know the operation **”.
[0128]
“Information for identifying an operation target” is information that can be distinguished from other operation targets. For example, if the operation target is a product, its model number, serial number, and the like correspond to it. Whether the same type has the same identification information depends on the level at which the operation target information is different. For example, the model numbers are the same for the same model, but the serial numbers are different for individual products even with the same model number. Therefore, in the case of the operation method of the product and the like, if the model number is the same, the operation method and the like are the same, so that the identification information may be the model number. On the other hand, in the case of information relating to the use status of each product, the identification information is preferably a serial number or the like, since the information differs for each product.
[0129]
Note that “obtaining information” means reading or receiving information from a main memory, an external storage device, a network destination, or the like via a data bus or a wireless or wired communication line. The information to be read may be created in advance or may be created when it is read. Here, it is assumed that it has been created in advance. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the expression “obtain information” has the meaning described here.
[0130]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an adaptive information output method and an adaptive information output device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0131]
That is, the main part of the adaptive information output device is composed of input means 1, known operation target list obtaining means 2, identification information obtaining means 3, similar known operation target selection means 4, request obtaining means 5, known operation target information obtaining means 6, Expanded into main functional blocks of unknown operation target information acquisition unit 7, operation target information extraction unit 8, proficiency acquisition unit 9, classification comparison unit 10, proficiency estimation unit 11, adaptive information output unit 12, and output unit 13. Can be shown.
[0132]
An outline of a processing example will be described from the viewpoint of data transfer between these units 1 to 13. In order to make the explanation concrete and easy to understand, it is assumed here that a video deck is used as an operation target, and that the user wants to know “restart method from recording pause” for a video deck (unknown operation target) that the user has not used.
[0133]
First, information on an unknown operation target specified by the user (information for identifying the operation target) is input to the identification information acquisition unit 3 using the input unit 1. Although it is not essential for the present invention to have the user input the information to be identified first, the search efficiency of the unknown operation target information required by the user can be improved.
[0134]
FIG. 2 is an example of an input dialog in which the user inputs a model name of an unknown operation target. In the middle editable area, a character string representing a model name is input by the input means 1 such as a keyboard. Here, "A-V2" is input as the model name of the video deck. After inputting, press the "OK" button to complete the input. Thus, the identification information acquisition unit 3 acquires the model name “A-V2” as information for identifying the unknown operation target.
[0135]
Next, the unknown operation target information acquisition unit 7 receives information for identifying the unknown operation target from the identification information acquisition unit 3, and based on the information for identification, sets the operation target information of the unknown operation target as unknown operation target information. Read. It is assumed that the operation target information is recorded in advance as a database associated with various operation targets in an external storage unit or the like.
[0136]
Note that a plurality of pieces of operation target information usually exist for one unknown operation target. For example, operation target information (classification information and description information) exists for each function to be operated, each operation, and the like.
[0137]
Next, the known operation target list obtaining unit 2 obtains a list of operation targets that the user has used in the past. The list is made up of an array of identification information of the operation targets that have been used, and is associated with each user. It is assumed that this list is also recorded in the external storage means or the like in advance.
[0138]
The known operation target information obtaining means 6 obtains operation target information of each known operation target in the known operation target list obtained by the known operation target list obtaining means 2 as known operation target information. It is assumed that the known operation target information is obtained by reading the corresponding operation target information from a database recorded in advance in an external storage unit or the like, like the unknown operation target information. As with the unknown operation target information, there is usually a plurality of operation target information for one known operation target.
[0139]
Next, the request acquisition means 5 obtains information desired by the user using the input means 1. FIG. 3 is an example of an input dialog for inputting information desired by the user, and is functionally almost the same as FIG. Here, "Restart method from recording pause" is input. As described above, it is not essential for the present invention that the user inputs the information to be obtained, but the search efficiency of the unknown operation target information required by the user can be improved.
[0140]
The operation object information extraction means 8 selects, from the operation object information obtained by the unknown operation object information acquisition means 7 and the known operation object information acquisition means 6, the operation object related to the user's request obtained by the request acquisition means 5. Extract information. There are various methods for this, but for example, it is easy to select the operation target information that includes the keywords “recording pause” and “resume” included in the request sentence “How to resume from recording pause”. It is.
[0141]
Subsequently, the proficiency acquisition means 9 obtains the proficiency of the known operation target information obtained from the operation target information extraction means 8. It is assumed that the proficiency of the known operation target information is recorded in advance in a database associated with the known operation target information in an external storage unit or the like. Alternatively, the proficiency information may be included as a part of the known operation target information. Alternatively, the user can input the proficiency through an input dialog, and the proficiency can be passed from the input unit 1 to the proficiency acquisition unit 9.
[0142]
Next, the classification comparing means 10 and the proficiency estimating means 11 which are important means of the present invention will be described. First, the classification comparing unit 10 receives the unknown operation target information and the classification information included in the known operation target information extracted by the operation target information extraction unit 8, and compares these classification information with each other for equality.
[0143]
Subsequently, for the unknown operation target information whose classification information is determined to be equivalent by the classification comparison unit 10 by the proficiency estimation unit 11, the unknown operation target information is obtained from the proficiency of the corresponding known operation target information (acquired by the proficiency acquisition unit 9). Estimate the user's proficiency in the operation target information. When there is no corresponding known operation target information (that is, there is no known operation target information having equivalent classification information), it is estimated that the proficiency of the unknown operation target information is none (0) or low.
[0144]
The adaptive information output unit 12 outputs the unknown operation target information obtained from the operation target information extraction unit 8 to the output unit 13 in accordance with the proficiency obtained by the proficiency estimation unit 11. For example, as the proficiency level is lower, each operation target information is output in detail or is easily understood.
[0145]
The output unit 13 outputs the operation target information output from the adaptive information output unit 12 as a character or an image from a display device such as a monitor or a synthesized voice from a sound output device such as a speaker.
[0146]
FIG. 5 is an example in which the operation target information is output to the display device. The explanation about the operation of resuming the recording pause is displayed according to the estimated skill level. (FIG. 5 will be described later.)
By the above means 1 to 13, adaptive information output processing of estimating a proficiency level from a known operation target with respect to an unknown operation target having no proficiency level information and outputting unknown operation target information in accordance with the proficiency level is performed. become able to. Further, by inputting the content requested by the user and narrowing down the operation target information by the content, the possibility that only unknown operation target information matching the content requested by the user is output is increased.
[0147]
As a result, there is an effect that the unknown operation target information can be obtained in a state in which there is no excess or deficiency in only the contents that the user wants to know in accordance with the expected proficiency of the user (estimated proficiency).
[0148]
FIG. 4 is a configuration example of an apparatus that specifically realizes the units 1 to 13 of FIG. The configuration and processing of each of the units 1 to 13 will be described below in association with each unit of the apparatus shown in FIG.
[0149]
The CPU (central processing unit) 70 includes an input unit 1, a known operation target list obtaining unit 2, an identification information obtaining unit 3, a similar known operation target selection unit 4, a request obtaining unit 5, a known operation target information obtaining unit 6, an unknown operation. It functions as the target information obtaining means 7, the operation target information extracting means 8, the proficiency obtaining means 9, the classification comparing means 10, the proficiency estimating means 11, the adaptive information output means 12, and the output means 13. A program in which the processing procedure is described is obtained from the main storage 74, the external storage 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, or the like.
[0150]
Further, the CPU 70 exchanges data with the display 71, the printer 72, the tablet 73, the main memory 74, the external memory 75, the mouse 76, the communication device 77, and the keyboard 78 which are interconnected through the bus 79 including the CPU 70. And perform the processing.
[0151]
Note that the exchange of data may be performed not only via the bus 79 but also via a communication cable or a wireless communication device such as a device capable of transmitting and receiving data. The means for realizing each of the units 1 to 13 is not limited to the CPU, but may be a DSP (digital signal processor) or a logic circuit in which a processing procedure is incorporated as a circuit.
[0152]
The main memory 74 is usually constituted by a memory device such as a DRAM (dynamic random access memory) or a flash memory. The external storage 75 is a removable storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a personal computer (PC) card. Alternatively, a main storage or an external storage attached to another network device that is connected to the CPU 70 via a network by wire or wirelessly can be used as the external storage 75.
[0153]
As means for inputting a user's instruction, there are a mouse 76, a tablet 73, a keyboard 78, and the like. The user's instruction is input to the input means 1 via a bus 79. In addition to these, various means such as a button and voice input by a microphone can be used.
[0154]
The display 71 is usually realized in combination with a graphic card or the like, has a VRAM (video random access memory) on the graphic card, converts data in the VRAM into a display signal, and displays the display (display / display) such as a monitor. Output medium), and the display displays the display signal as an image.
[0155]
The printer 72 prints the print data obtained via the bus 79 on paper (output medium). The communication device 77 is realized by a network interface card or the like, and exchanges data with another network device connected wirelessly or by wire.
[0156]
The CPU 70 as the input unit 1 in FIG. 1 obtains input data from the user as data input from the mouse 76, the tablet 73, the keyboard 78, and the like by the operation of the user, and obtains the request obtaining unit 5, the identification information obtaining unit 3, It is passed to the similar known operation target selecting means 4.
[0157]
If necessary, the input data is processed based on a program read from a main storage 74, an external storage 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, and the like, and then passed to other means. For example, the motion data of the pen or mouse 76 input from the tablet 73 or the mouse 76 is converted into stroke data, the stroke data is converted to text data by online character recognition, and the characters obtained from the keyboard are converted to kana-kanji characters. Convert to kanji kana mixed text, recognize voice input from microphone and convert it to text data, or select from one of the displayed items in the list selected when the user selects one The input means 1 executes processing such as returning an index number of the input data.
[0158]
Further, if necessary, an output such as an input user interface display required for the user to make an input is performed on an output device such as the display 71.
[0159]
Further, the input from the user is not always performed directly from the input device, but may be performed via the network through the communication device 77 or the like.
[0160]
The CPU 70 as the known operation target list acquisition unit 2 obtains a list of known operation targets that the user has used so far from the main storage 74, the external storage 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, and the like. It is assumed that the known operation target list is prepared in advance and records information for identifying the known operation target.
[0161]
Further, when each operation target can communicate, the operation target and the adaptive information output device communicate with each other through the communication device 77 and the like when necessary, and the adaptive information output device determines whether or not each operation target has experience of use. By inquiring each operation target, returning the presence / absence of the user's experience with each operation target, and adding only the operation target returned as having experience to the known operation target list, it is not prepared in advance, dynamic There is also a method of generating a known operation target list.
[0162]
The CPU 70 as the identification information acquiring means 3 performs an unknown operation based on a program read from a main memory 74, an external memory 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, or the like, from a user's instruction input obtained from the input means 1 or the like. The target and the known operation target are identified, and the information to be identified is passed to the unknown operation target information acquisition means 7 and the known operation target information acquisition means 6.
[0163]
The case where the user's input obtained from the input means 1 is used is, for example, a case where the identification information is directly input as shown in FIG. 2 or a case where the operation target list is displayed and selected from the list. And so on. Instead of direct input by the user, for example, a case where the user inputs a barcode indicating the operation target or a model on which a model name is printed by a scanner or the like may be considered.
[0164]
In addition, for example, the operation target and the identification information acquisition unit 3 are connected by a communication line, and the unknown operation target or the known operation target identifies the information to be identified in response to the identification information transmission request from the identification information acquisition unit 3. In some cases, the information is transmitted to the information acquisition unit 3. In some cases, information for identifying an unknown operation target or a known operation target may be obtained through a recording medium, even if it is not a communication line.
[0165]
The CPU 70 serving as the similar known operation target selection unit 4 is configured to execute known operation target information obtained from the known operation target information acquisition unit 6 based on a program read from a main memory 74, an external storage 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, or the like. Among the known operation targets, the known operation target most similar to the unknown operation target of the unknown operation target information obtained from the unknown operation target information acquisition unit 7 is selected and passed to the proficiency estimation unit 11 and the adaptive information output unit 12. . When the user makes a selection, the selection is made using the input of the user obtained from the input means 1.
[0166]
The selected most similar known operation target is used for, for example, a process of preferentially using the proficiency of the operation target information of the known operation target for estimating the proficiency of the corresponding unknown operation target information.
[0167]
The CPU 70 serving as the request acquisition unit 5 obtains a request for information acquisition from the user based on a program read from a main storage 74, an external storage 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, and sends the request to the operation target extraction unit 8. hand over. The request is obtained from a user's instruction input from the input unit 1. For example, as described with reference to FIG. 3, using a window or the like for inputting a request, the input unit 1 obtains an input from a user using an input device such as a keyboard 78, a mouse 76, a tablet 73, a microphone, and makes a request. get information. As described in the description of the input unit 1, the input is not always performed directly from the input device, but may be performed via the network through the communication device 77 or the like.
[0168]
The CPU 70 as the known operation target information acquiring means 6 obtains the known operation target information based on a program read from a main storage 74, an external storage 75, a network destination or the like via the communication device 77, and obtains the operation target information extraction means 8 Then, the known operation target information is passed to the similar known operation target selection means 4. The known operation target may be determined in advance, or may be specified by the identification information acquired by the known operation target list acquisition unit 2 or the identification information acquisition unit 3.
[0169]
The case where the known operation target is predetermined is, for example, a case where the adaptive information output program or the adaptive information output device is made exclusively for the known operation target. Specific examples include a handling explanation program and a help for the known operation target.
[0170]
The known operation target information is created in advance and is read from the main storage 74, the external storage 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, and the like, and is designated by the known operation target list acquisition unit 2 and the identification information acquisition unit 3 from among them. The obtained operation target information of the known operation target is obtained. For example, if the known operation target information that has been created in advance is configured by a set of identification information and explanation information, the known operation target information that has the identification information that matches the specified identification information is known operation target information. You only need to extract it.
[0171]
If there is no need to specify the known operation target and it is predetermined, it is not necessary to obtain the specification of the known operation target from the known operation target list acquisition unit 2 and the identification information acquisition unit 3 and the predetermined operation is determined in advance. The known operation target information may be obtained from the main memory 74, the external memory 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, or the like.
[0172]
When the operation target information extracting unit 8 is not used, the known operation target information is directly passed from the known operation target information obtaining unit 6 to the proficiency level obtaining unit 9, the classification comparing unit 10, and the similar known operation target selecting unit 4. .
[0173]
The CPU 70 as the unknown operation target information acquisition unit 7 obtains the unknown operation target information based on a program read from a main memory 74, an external storage 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, and the like, and obtains the operation target information extraction unit 8 The unknown operation target information is passed to the similar known operation target selection unit 4 and the adaptive information output unit 12. The unknown operation target may be determined in advance, or may be specified by the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 3.
[0174]
The case where the unknown operation target is predetermined is, for example, a case where the adaptive information output program or the adaptive information output device is made exclusively for the unknown operation target. As a specific example, a handling explanation program and help for the unknown operation target can be considered.
[0175]
It is assumed that the unknown operation target information is created in advance and is read from the main storage 74, the external storage 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, or the like.
[0176]
The CPU 70 as the operation target information extracting unit 8 is configured to execute an unknown operation target information obtaining unit 7 and a known operation target information obtaining unit 6 based on a program read from a main memory 74, an external storage 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, or the like. The unknown operation target information and the known operation target information related to the request obtained by the request obtaining unit 5 are extracted from the unknown operation target information and the known operation target information obtained in the above, and the proficiency level obtaining unit 9 The extracted operation target information is passed to the means 10 and the adaptive information output means 12.
[0177]
If necessary for the extraction, the classification comparing means 10 may be used to determine whether the classification information is equivalent (in this case, the classification information passed from the operation target information extracting means 8 to the classification comparing means 10 is extracted. Extracted from the operation target information before the operation.)
[0178]
The CPU 70 as the proficiency acquisition means 9 is based on a program read from a main storage 74, an external storage 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, or the like, from known operation target information obtained from the operation target information extraction means 8, or Using the known operation target information as a clue, proficiency information is obtained and passed to the proficiency estimating means 11 and the adaptive information output means 12.
[0179]
There are two methods for acquiring proficiency information, and one is an acquisition method when the proficiency information is included in the known operation target information. In this case, it is sufficient to simply extract the skill level information from the known operation target information. Another method is a method of obtaining proficiency level information corresponding to the known operation target information from information recorded separately from the known operation target information. The recorded information is, for example, information recorded as a database that associates each piece of known operation target information with its proficiency level information in a main memory 74, an external memory 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, or the like. is there.
[0180]
It is assumed that the skill level information has been created in advance. As a method of creating the proficiency information, for example, as the simplest method, there is a method in which the user himself / herself inputs the proficiency information for each piece of known operation target information. In this case, a user input program and an interface are separately required.
[0181]
As another method, there is a method in which the operation target itself automatically creates proficiency level information. For example, when the user uses a certain function as an operation target or performs a certain operation, the number of uses and the operation / reaction time are recorded. The higher the number of uses and the shorter the operation / reaction time, the higher the proficiency level may be.
[0182]
Based on a program read from a main storage 74, an external storage 75, a network destination via a communication device 77, or the like, the CPU 70 serving as the classification comparing unit 10 is configured to output the known operation target information and the unknown operation target information obtained from the operation target information extraction unit 8 respectively. The classification information is extracted from the operation target information, it is determined whether the classification information is the same between the known operation target and the unknown operation target, and the determination result is passed to the adaptive information output unit 12.
[0183]
When the operation target extracting unit 8 is not used, the known operation target information is directly obtained from the known operation target information obtaining unit 6 and the unknown operation target information is directly obtained from the unknown operation target information obtaining unit 7. Further, when the operation target extraction unit 8 needs information on whether or not the classification information is equivalent, information may be exchanged with the operation target information extraction unit 8.
[0184]
The CPU 70 serving as the proficiency estimating means 11 is based on a program read from a main memory 74, an external memory 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, or the like. The information and the known operation target information are obtained, the proficiency of the known operation target is obtained from the proficiency acquisition means 9, the proficiency of the unknown operation target information is estimated from the proficiency of the known operation target, and the adaptive information output means 12 is obtained. Pass to
[0185]
When there is a plurality of pieces of known operation target information corresponding to one piece of unknown operation target information, there is a method of estimating the proficiency using the known operation target information having the highest proficiency. If the classification information is the same, the functions and operations should be almost the same, so that the proficiency of the actual user can be estimated as the highest proficiency. The known operation target information having a low proficiency level may be that the known operation target has not been used recently and the proficiency level information has not been updated. Therefore, by estimating the proficiency using the known operation target information having the highest proficiency, the proficiency becomes closer to the actual proficiency, and the output of the adaptive information output unit 12 is simplified by the high proficiency, or vice versa. The effect becomes more sophisticated and applied.
[0186]
When there are a plurality of pieces of known operation target information corresponding to one piece of unknown operation target information, there is a method of estimating the proficiency using the known operation target information having the lowest proficiency. If the classification information is the same, the functions and operations should be almost the same, but in reality there should be some differences, so if you guess it with the highest proficiency, the output of the adaptive information output means 12 will be simple or sophisticated. Danger comes out too much. The use of the lowest proficiency level for estimation has the effect of reducing the risk. Further, even if there is not much difference between the functions and the operations, there may be a case where the operation procedure or the like has been forgotten after a long time has elapsed since the previously operated known operation target. It is similarly effective in such a case.
[0187]
Also, use the known operation target information with the highest level of proficiency, use the known operation target information with the lowest level of proficiency, or use the average value if both are too extreme or too dangerous. As a result, there is an effect that the output is neither too simple nor too detailed, and an intermediate detailed output is obtained.
[0188]
When the similar known operation target selecting means 4 is used, a known operation target which is most similar to the unknown operation target is obtained from the similar known operation target selection means 4, and the corresponding operation target information is obtained based on the proficiency of the operation target information of the known operation target. Of the proficiency of the unknown operation target information to be performed. The specific processing of the similar known operation target selecting means 4 will be described later.
[0189]
The CPU 70 as the adaptive information output unit 12 acquires unknown operation target information from the operation target information extraction unit 8 based on a program read from a main memory 74, an external storage 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, etc. The information is output to the output means 13 in accordance with the proficiency of the unknown operation target information obtained from the degree estimating means 11.
[0190]
When displaying not only the unknown operation target information but also the known operation target information, the known operation target information is obtained from the operation target information extracting means 8 and the proficiency of the known operation target information obtained from the proficiency obtaining means 9 is obtained. Output according to.
[0191]
When outputting the unknown operation target information in accordance with the proficiency level, there is a method of outputting in detail as the proficiency level is lower. When the proficiency of the operation target information is higher than a predetermined proficiency, there is a method of not outputting the operation target information. Details of this processing will be described later.
[0192]
Also, based on the judgment obtained from the classification comparing means 10, if the operation target information having a certain classification information is either the known operation target information or the unknown operation target information, the operation target information having only one of them is collected. , May be output according to the proficiency level. As a result, difference information based on the classification information of the known operation object information and the unknown operation object information, that is, the output of the difference between the known operation object information and the unknown operation object information is obtained. As a result, when it is desired to know the difference between the function and the operation of the known operation target and the unknown operation target, there is an effect that only the difference can be known without excess or shortage. Details of this processing will be described later.
[0193]
Further, when there are a plurality of pieces of known operation target information related to one classification, there is a method of outputting the known operation target information having the highest proficiency with priority. In general, it is considered that the user often wants to mainly know the unknown operation target information. However, the output of the known operation target information is also effective for deepening the understanding of the function and operation method of the operation target. For example, to know how the functions and operation methods differ between an unknown operation object and a known operation object, compare the explanation output of both functions and operation methods, and see the differences between them. It makes it easier to understand the differences in functions and operation methods.
[0194]
When the similar known operation target selecting means 4 is used, a method of obtaining a known operation target most similar to an unknown operation target from the similar known operation target selecting means 4 and outputting the known operation target information with priority is also available. is there.
[0195]
Note that the unknown operation target information and the known operation target information are obtained directly from the known operation target information obtaining unit 6 and the unknown operation target information obtaining unit 7 when the operation target information extracting unit 8 is not used.
[0196]
The CPU 70 as the output unit 13 obtains and outputs operation target information to be displayed from the adaptive information output unit 12 based on a program read from a main memory 74, an external storage 75, a network destination via the communication device 77, or the like.
[0197]
The output destination is a visual output device such as a display 71 or a printer 72, an audio output device such as a speaker, a data recording device such as an external storage 75, or a network destination via a communication device 77. It is an output / recording device.
[0198]
FIG. 5 shows an example of the appearance of an adaptive information output device according to the present invention. A display unit / tablet 91 is provided on the main body 90, and a pen 92 is provided as input operation means. The display unit / tablet 91 corresponds to an input / output device (the display 71, the tablet 73, and the like). By operating the pen 92 on the display unit / tablet 91, the identification information acquiring unit 3 can acquire / select an operation target, and the request acquiring unit 5 can acquire a request. The operation target information output by the adaptive information output unit 12 is displayed on the display unit / tablet 91 as shown in FIG.
[0199]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an adaptive information output method according to an embodiment of the present invention. This corresponds to the processing performed on each unit of the adaptive information output device described above.
[0200]
First, at step S1 (hereinafter, “step S” is abbreviated as “S”) via connection point P10 (hereinafter, “connection point P” is abbreviated as “P”), unknown operation target information is acquired. The means 7 (and the operation target information extracting means 8 based on the request input of the request obtaining means 5) obtains the unknown operation target information, and proceeds to S2 via P20. Note that parentheses may be used as described above when the operation target information extraction unit 8 is used and when it is not used. If there is a parenthesis including the operation target information extraction unit 8 without any particular matter, it may be interpreted as a case where the operation target information extraction unit 8 is used.
[0201]
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the unknown operation target information. It is assumed that a group of adjacent rectangles is one piece of unknown operation target information, the whole is an array of a plurality of unknown operation target information, and each of the unknown operation target information can be accessed by an index number. FIG. 7 shows an array of five pieces of unknown operation target information of unknown operation target information 20 to 24.
[0202]
Each of the unknown operation target information 20 to 24 is composed of information of “equipment ID”, “classification information”, “estimation proficiency”, “detailed degree”, “content information”, and “correspondence”. “Device ID” is ID information for identifying an operation target, and is represented here by a numeral. It may be the same as the identification information used in the identification information acquisition means 3. “Classification information” is, as the word indicates, classification information of the operation target information. Although there are various ways of expressing the classification information, it is expressed here as a character string. If the classification information is managed by any number or symbol, those numbers and symbols may be used. It is desirable that the classification information has the same format and type for all operation targets, but if it is not uniform, it can be used to determine whether it is equivalent, such as a correspondence table with the classification information of other operation targets It would be nice if there was auxiliary information.
[0203]
The “estimated skill level” is the skill level of the unknown operation target information estimated by the skill level estimating means 11. If it has not been guessed yet, it may be blank or 0. “Content information” is the content of the operation target information corresponding to the classification information, and corresponds to the explanation information. In FIG. 7, the description is a character string. However, the description may be a combination of still image data or moving image data representing the operation content. Alternatively, information for designating a data storage destination (such as an address or a file name) may be recorded.
[0204]
“Detail level” indicates the detail of “content information” (description information). It is assumed that “content information” and “detail level” are treated as a set, and one set of operation target information can have a plurality of different sets of “detail level” and “content information”. The “correspondence destination” is an array of information indicating the known operation target information determined by the classification comparing unit 10 to be equivalent to the unknown operation target information and the classification information. Here, the numbers of the known operation target information in FIGS. 8 and 9 are recorded. Note that the array of the set of “content information” and “detail level” and the array of the “correspondence” are arranged in the figure, but only an example in which there are two corresponding known operation targets is shown. There is no correspondence for each time, and they are independent from each other as an array.
[0205]
Details of the processing in S1 will be described later with reference to FIG.
In S2, the known operation target information acquisition unit 6 (and the operation target information extraction unit 8 based on the request input of the request acquisition unit 5) acquires the known operation target information, and the process proceeds to S3 via P30.
[0206]
8 and 9 are diagrams illustrating an example of the structure of known operation target information. Like FIG. 7, the known operation target information 30 to 34 or 40 to 44 is arranged.
[0207]
Each of the known operation target information 30 to 34 or 40 to 44 includes information of “device ID”, “classification information”, “proficiency level”, “detail level”, and “content information”. The “device ID”, “classification information”, “detail level”, and “content information” are the same as the unknown operation target information in FIG.
[0208]
“Skill level” is the skill level of the known operation target information obtained by the skill level obtaining unit 9. In addition, since the user does not always have experience using all the functions of all the known operation targets, the proficiency level of all the known operation target information is not necessarily set. Depending on how the data is set, in this case, like the known operation target information 34, the proficiency level may be set to 0 or may be left blank without setting. If the proficiency level is set to 0, it is difficult to distinguish between those who are not really proficient and those who do not know whether they are proficient. Good.
[0209]
In S3, the classification comparing means 10 acquires the classification information of the unknown operation target information and the known operation target information, further acquires the unknown and known operation target information equivalent to the classification information, and proceeds to S4 via P40.
Details of the processing in S3 will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0210]
In S4, the proficiency estimating means 11 estimates the proficiency of the unknown operation target information acquired in S3 and obtained from the classification comparing means 10, and proceeds to S5 via P50.
Details of the processing in S4 will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0211]
In S5, the adaptive information output unit 12 generates information according to the proficiency level using the unknown operation target information and / or the known operation target information, and proceeds to S6 via P60.
Details of the processing in S5 will be described later with reference to FIGS.
[0212]
In S6, the output unit 13 outputs the information obtained from the adaptive information output unit 12 (S5) to an output device or the like, and ends the processing.
[0213]
With the above-described processing, even for an unknown operation target having no proficiency level information, the estimated proficiency level of the unknown operation target information is obtained using the proficiency level of the known operation target information. The operation target information can be output (other effects and the like will be described later).
[0214]
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of the process of S1 in FIG. 6, that is, a process of acquiring unknown operation target information.
[0215]
In S1-1 after the connection point P10, the unknown operation target information acquiring unit 7 acquires the identification information of the unknown operation target from the identification information acquiring unit 3, and proceeds to S1-2. Here, it is assumed that “device ID” (see FIG. 7) is obtained as the identification information. If the identification information is determined in advance, that is, if the unknown operation target is determined in advance, there is no need to obtain the identification information from the identification information acquisition unit 3.
[0216]
In S1-2, the unknown operation target information acquisition unit 7 obtains an unknown operation target information candidate corresponding to the identification information of the unknown operation target obtained in S1-1, and proceeds to S1-3. Since the unknown operation target information is created in advance, the unknown operation target information acquiring means 7 may extract the unknown operation target information having the matching identification information (for example, the device ID) from the external storage 75 or the like. If the unknown operation target information is determined in advance, S1-1 may be omitted, and the predetermined unknown operation target information may be obtained.
[0219]
In S1-3, the request acquisition unit 5 acquires a request for information acquisition from the user, and proceeds to S1-4. As described in FIG. 3, the information requested by the user is obtained by the input means 1 such as a keyboard. Not only from the input unit 1 but also from the network destination via the communication device 77. For example, there is a case where a user on the client side inputs a request with a WWW (world wide web) browser and transmits the request to the server side, and the request acquisition unit 5 of the adaptive information output device on the server side receives the request. In this case, the output is also transmitted from the server to the client, and may be displayed on a WWW browser.
[0218]
The input by the user is not limited to being input as a sentence as shown in FIG. 3, but may be selected from, for example, a list of functions possessed by the unknown operation target. In such a case, if a user interface such as a list display of a function list or a tree display (if the functions are structured) is used, the user can easily select.
[0219]
The obtained request may be obtained as a sentence as shown in FIG. 3, or may be an index number when selecting from a list display of a function list. Any form can be used as long as the operation target information extracting means 8 (S1-4) can be used for extraction.
[0220]
In S1-4, the operation target information extracting means 8 selects the unknown operation target information obtained from the unknown operation target information obtaining means 7 (S1-1) from the unknown operation target information obtained from the request obtaining means 5 (S1-3). The unknown operation target information related to the request is extracted, and the process goes to P20.
[0221]
There are various ways to extract the unknown operation target information. For example, if the information is input as a free text as shown in FIG. 3, an unknown operation that extracts a keyword from the text and includes the keyword in the classification information or the content information What is necessary is just to extract target information. For example, in the case of FIG. 3, "recording pause", "resume operation", and the like are keywords. When this keyword is used to extract the unknown operation target information in FIG. 7, only the unknown operation target information 22 includes both keywords, and the unknown operation target information 21, 22 includes either keyword. It is.
[0222]
In the case where the request is selected from the list in S1-3, the obtained request may be in the form of an index number in the list. In this case, the unknown operation target information whose index number is included in the unknown operation target information itself and whose index number matches may be extracted. Alternatively, a correspondence table or database from which the corresponding unknown operation target information can be obtained from the index number may be used.
[0223]
Steps S1-3 and S1-4 are omitted when the request acquisition unit 5 and the operation target extraction unit 8 are not used. In this case, the unknown operation target information candidate obtained by the unknown operation target information acquisition means 7 (S1-2) is used as it is as the unknown operation target information obtained in S1.
[0224]
The processing of S1 of FIG. 6 is performed by the processing of S1-1 to S1-4 described above.
[0225]
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of the process of S2 of FIG. 6, that is, a process of acquiring known operation target information.
[0226]
In S2-1 after P20, the known operation target information acquiring means 6 acquires a known operation target information candidate, and the process proceeds to S2-2 via P21. Details of the process in S2-1 will be described later with reference to FIGS.
[0227]
In S2-2, the operation target information extracting unit 8 obtains from the request obtaining unit 5 (S1-3) from among the candidates for the known operation target information obtained from the known operation target information obtaining unit 6 (S2-1). The known operation target information related to the user request is extracted, and the process proceeds to S2-3. The method of extraction is the same as that of S1-4 if “unknown” is replaced with “known”.
[0228]
Step S2-2 is omitted when the request input unit 5 and the operation target extraction unit 8 are not used. In this case, the known operation target information candidate obtained by the known operation target information acquisition means 6 (S2-1) is used as it is as the known operation target information obtained in S2. Also, when the adaptive information output unit 12 (S6) does not output the known operation target information but outputs only the unknown operation target information, S2-2 may be omitted.
[0229]
In S2-3, the similar known operation target selecting unit 4 selects a known operation target whose operation target information is most similar to the unknown operation target, and the process goes to P30.
[0230]
There are various ways to make the selection, but the easiest is to have the user choose. This is a method in which a window is displayed as shown in FIG. 12 (to be described later in S2-1A-1), and the most similar one is selected from the list of known operation targets using the obtaining means 1 or the like.
[0231]
If it is performed automatically, as a simple method, a method of preparing a correspondence table of known operation objects most similar to the unknown operation object in advance and referencing the correspondence table can be considered. The correspondence table may be recorded in an external storage or the like, or may be obtained from a network destination server or the like via the communication device 77. As a method that does not use the correspondence table, a method of inferring from the information on the operation target, for example, the type and the manufacturer name and the model name in FIG. 12 can be considered. This is a method in which the type and manufacturer of the unknown operation target are the same as much as possible, and further, the one with the highest character matching of the model number is selected. Generally, when the type, the maker, and the model number are the same / similar as much as possible, the operation target information is often similar.
[0232]
Instead of the relatively simple method as described above, there is also a method of comparing the content information of the operation target information and selecting a similar known operation target. The method of creating the correspondence table is troublesome, and the method of estimating from the model number has the disadvantage that it is difficult between different manufacturers, but if content information is compared, it can be compared between any operation targets. .
[0233]
As a method of comparing the operation target information itself, for example, a method of searching for a similar page using a Web page search engine can be used. For example, a keyword is cut out from the text of a Web page (content information of operation target information in the present invention), and the field to which the keyword belongs and the degree to which the keyword belongs are obtained from a dictionary created in advance, and the field is set in the direction axis and the degree. Can be interpreted as a vector in the semantic space. Then, a vector composed of all keywords of the Web page is set as a vector of the Web page. Since the closeness between any two vectors can be quantified by taking the inner product, if the closeness between the vectors of each Web page is set to the closeness of the text of the Web page, the closest Web-like content is obtained. You will be able to find the page.
The processing of S2 in FIG. 6 is performed by the processing of S2-1 to S2-3 described above.
[0234]
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating one method of the process of S2-1 in FIG. 11, that is, a process of acquiring a known operation target information candidate.
[0235]
In S2-1A-1 after P20, the known operation target information obtaining unit 6 obtains the identification information of the known operation target from the identification information obtaining unit 3, and proceeds to S2-1A-2. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface for acquiring identification information. Each operation target is listed and displayed in a list format such as "type", "manufacturer", and "model name" of the operation target in a window format, and if there are many, it can be scrolled and viewed with a scroll bar. . The user selects an unknown operation target or a known operation target with a pen or a mouse, and presses the OK button to have the user select the operation target. Thereby, the identification information of the operation target of the selected row is obtained.
[0236]
If the identification information is determined in advance, that is, if the known operation target is determined in advance, there is no need to obtain the identification information from the identification information acquisition unit 3.
[0237]
In S2-1A-2, the known operation target information acquiring unit 6 obtains a known operation target information candidate corresponding to the identification information of the known operation target obtained in S2-1A-1, and the process goes to P21. The method of obtaining the operation target information corresponding to the identification information is the same as in S1-2. When the known operation target information is determined in advance, S2-1A-1 may be omitted, and the predetermined known operation target information may be obtained.
[0238]
The processing of S2-1 in FIG. 11 is performed by the processing of S2-1A-1 to S2-1A-2 described above.
[0239]
FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating another method of the process of S2-1 in FIG. 11, that is, a process of acquiring a known operation target information candidate.
[0240]
In S2-1B-1 after P20, the known operation target list acquisition unit 2 obtains a known operation target list that is a list of operation targets that the user has used, and proceeds to S2-1B-2. The format of the obtained list is, for example, an array of identification information and “type”, “manufacturer”, “model name” of the operation target as shown in FIG.
[0241]
It is assumed that the known operation target list is created in advance and obtained from the external storage 75 or the like. As a method of dynamically creating a known operation target list without creating in advance, as described in the identification information acquisition means 3, when acquiring identification information from an operation target by communication, it is determined whether or not the user has used the identification information. A method of returning information together is also conceivable.
[0242]
In S2-1B-2, the known operation target information acquisition unit 6 determines a known operation target to be used for processing from the known operation target list obtained from the known operation target list acquisition unit 2 (S2-1B-1) as necessary. And the user proceeds to S2-1B-3. For example, the user may narrow down the known operation targets using a user interface as shown in FIG.
[0243]
When the processing of S2-1B-2 is included, the effect that the output of unnecessary information can be suppressed by narrowing down the known operation targets appears, but it can be omitted because it is not an essential processing.
[0244]
If the known operation target information is determined in advance, S2-1B-1 and S2-1B-2 may be omitted, and the known operation target information determined in S2-1B-3 may be obtained. .
[0245]
In S2-1B-3, the known operation target information acquiring unit 6 acquires the known operation target information acquired in S2-1B-2 (or S2-1B-1 (known operation target list acquiring unit 2 if S2-1B-2 is omitted)). As for the operation target (identification information thereof), known operation target information is obtained, and the process proceeds to P21. The process of obtaining the known operation target information is the same as that of S2-1A-2 in FIG.
[0246]
The processing of S2-1 in FIG. 11 is performed by the processing of S2-1B-1 to S2-1B-3 described above.
[0247]
FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method of the process of S3 in FIG. 6, that is, a process of the classification comparing unit 10 acquiring the operation target information equivalent to the classification information.
[0248]
In S3-1 after P30, the classification comparing unit 10 acquires the first unknown operation target information among the one or more unknown operation target information obtained from the operation target information extraction unit 8 (S1-4), Proceed to S3-2. For the sake of explanation, this unknown operation target information is hereinafter referred to as “current unknown operation target information”. Since the obtained unknown operation target information is arranged as shown in FIG. 7, the first unknown operation target information 20 may be set as the current unknown operation target information.
[0249]
In S3-2, the classification comparing means 10 determines whether or not the current unknown operation target information exists. If the information does exist, the process proceeds to S3-3, and if not, the process proceeds to S3-11.
[0250]
In S3-3, the classification comparing means 10 acquires the classification information from the current unknown operation target information, and proceeds to S3-4. In this case, the classification comparing means 10 looks at the item of "classification information" in FIG. If it is the unknown operation target information 20, “recording start operation” is acquired as the classification information.
[0251]
In S3-4, the classification comparison unit 10 acquires the first known operation target information among the one or more known operation target information obtained from the known operation target information acquisition unit 6 (S2), and proceeds to S3-5. move on. For the sake of explanation, this known operation target information is hereinafter referred to as “current known operation target information”. Since the known operation target information obtained from the known operation target information acquiring means 6 is arranged as shown in FIG. 8, the first known operation target information 30 may be used as the current known operation target information.
[0252]
In S3-5, the classification comparing unit 10 determines whether or not the current known operation target information exists. If the information exists, the process proceeds to S3-6, and if not, the process proceeds to S3-7.
[0253]
In S3-6, the classification comparing means 10 acquires the classification information from the current known operation target information, and proceeds to S3-8. In this case, the classification comparing means 10 looks at the item of "classification information" in FIG. For example, in the case of the known operation target information 30, “recording start operation” is acquired as the classification information.
[0254]
In S3-7, when the current known operation target information does not exist in S3-5, the classification comparing unit 10 sets the next unknown operation target information as the current unknown operation target information, and returns to S3-2.
[0255]
In S3-8, the classification comparing unit 10 determines whether the classification information of the current unknown operation target information obtained in S3-3 is equal to the classification information of the current unknown operation target information obtained in S3-6, If they are equal, the process proceeds to S3-9, and if not, the process proceeds to S3-10.
[0256]
For example, in the case of the unknown operation target information 20 and the known operation target information 30, both of them are determined to be equivalent because the classification information is a character string of “recording start operation”. If the classification information is managed by an ID number or the like, it can be determined based on whether the ID numbers are equal.
[0257]
However, if the format of the classification information is not standardized, it is difficult to determine whether or not they are equivalent. For example, as the classification information of the operation target information for the description of the operation of starting the recording, a certain maker may be referred to as “recording start operation” and another maker may be referred to as “operation for starting recording”. Alternatively, in the case of an ID number, the ID number may not be unified among manufacturers. Alternatively, one maker may be represented by a character string and another maker may be an ID number.
[0258]
If the words are slightly different, it can be determined to some extent by keyword matching, but in the case of an ID number or the like, it cannot be determined by this alone. In this case, the correspondence table between the ID numbers and the character strings representing the ID numbers is separately stored in an external storage device or the like, and compared with the character strings, or the correspondence table of the ID numbers between the manufacturers is separately stored in the external storage device or the server. It is necessary to store it and refer to it.
[0259]
In S3-9, the classification comparing unit 10 adds the current unknown operation target information determined to be equivalent to the “equivalent unknown operation target information list” and adds the current known operation target information to the “equivalent known operation target information list”. , S3-10. If the same operation target information as the operation target information to be added already exists in the list, it is not added.
[0260]
If the equivalent unknown operation target information list or the equivalent known operation target information list is used to estimate the proficiency level in S4, there is no meaning unless the proficiency level is set in the known operation target information. If the skill level is not set in the operation target information, it is not added to the equivalent unknown operation target information list or the equivalent known operation target information list.
[0261]
In S3-10, the classification comparing means 10 sets the next known operation target information as the current known operation target information, and returns to S3-5.
[0262]
In S3-11, if the current unknown operation target information does not exist in S3-2, the classification comparing unit 10 adds the unknown operation target information that has never been determined to be equivalent to the “non-equivalent unknown operation target information list”. Then, the known operation target information that has never been determined to be equivalent is added to the “non-equivalent known operation target information list”, and the process goes to P40.
[0263]
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the structure of each list. From left to right, “equivalent unknown operation target information list”, “equivalent known operation target information list”, “non-equivalent unknown operation target information list”, and “non-equivalent known operation target information list” are included, and the elements of each list are Below that is arranged as an array. Each element has operation target information (or reference information to the operation target information). In the rectangle of each operation target information, a classification information character string is inserted for easy understanding, and the number of the operation target information is shown in parentheses. For example, the “equivalent known operation target information list” includes known operation target information 30 to 33 and 40 to 43 determined to be equivalent.
[0264]
The “equivalent unknown operation target information list” has a slightly different structure from the other lists, and each element includes “unknown operation target information” and “(corresponding known operation target information)”. “Unknown operation target information” is unknown operation target information determined to be equivalent, and “corresponding known operation target information” is known operation target information corresponding to the unknown operation target information determined to be equivalent (or to the known operation target information). Reference information). For example, in the first element of the equivalent unknown operation target information list, the unknown operation target information is the unknown operation target information 20, and the corresponding known operation target information is the known operation target information 30, 40. In FIG. 16, the correspondence is indicated by arrows so that the correspondence can be easily understood.
[0265]
How each operation target information is added to these lists will be described with a specific example in which various information lists shown in FIG. 16 are created from each operation target information shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. Although FIGS. 8 and 9 show different arrangements for easy viewing, they are actually one connected arrangement, and the current known operation target information is set in order.
[0266]
First, since the current unknown operation target information 20 is determined to be equivalent to the current known operation target information 30, the unknown operation target information 20 is included in the equivalent unknown operation target information list, and the known operation target information 30 is included in the equivalent known operation target information list. Will be added. Thereafter, by updating the current known operation target information, the known operation target information 40 is also added to the equivalent known operation target information list.
[0267]
By repeating these operations, the unknown operation target information 24 and the known operation target information 44 remain without being added to the equivalent unknown operation target information list or the equivalent known operation target information list. These are added to the non-equivalent unknown operation target information list and the non-equivalent known operation target information list. In this manner, the various information lists in FIG. 16 are generated from the operation target information in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9.
[0268]
The processing of S3 in FIG. 6 is performed by the processing of S3-1 to S3-11 described above.
[0269]
FIG. 17 is a flowchart for explaining a method of the process of S4 in FIG. 6, that is, a process of the proficiency estimating means 11 estimating the proficiency of unknown operation target information.
[0270]
In S4-1 after P40, the proficiency estimating unit 11 determines the first unknown operation target information among the one or more unknown operation target information obtained from the operation target information extraction unit 8 (S1-4) by the current unknown operation. The target information is set, and the process proceeds to S4-2. This process is the same as in S3-1.
[0271]
In S4-2, the skill level estimating means 11 determines whether or not the current unknown operation target information exists. If the current unknown operation target information exists, the process proceeds to S4-3. If not, the process proceeds to P50. This process is the same as S3-2.
[0272]
In S4-3, the skill level estimating means 11 determines whether or not the current unknown operation target information is included in the equivalent unknown operation target information list, and if it is included, the process proceeds to S4-4 and is included. If not, proceed to S4-5.
[0273]
In S4-4, the proficiency estimating means 11 obtains the corresponding known operation target information equivalent to the current unknown operation target information included in the equivalent unknown operation target information list in the classification information, and obtains the known operation target information. The skill level of the current unknown operation target information is estimated from the skill level of the information, and the process proceeds to S4-6.
[0274]
The corresponding known operation target information may be obtained by viewing “corresponding known operation target information” in the equivalent unknown operation target information list in FIG. For example, the known operation target information corresponding to the unknown operation target information 20 is the known operation target information 30, 40.
[0275]
There are various methods for estimating the proficiency, but the simplest method is a method in which the proficiency of the corresponding known operation target information is directly used as the proficiency of the unknown operation target information. Alternatively, in consideration of the fact that the degree of relevance of the known operation target information corresponding to the unknown operation target information is high and low, and that there is a certain range, the proficiency is slightly lower than the proficiency of the known operation target information. It is also conceivable.
[0276]
Also, various methods of estimating the proficiency when there are a plurality of corresponding known operation target information such as the unknown operation target information 20 can be considered.
[0277]
For example, a method of taking the average of the proficiency of all pieces of known operation target information, a method of taking the highest proficiency, and a method of taking the lowest proficiency are conceivable. In the case of taking the one with the highest proficiency, the effect of suppressing the output from being unnecessarily redundant appears, but the guess is wrong and the proficiency of the real unknown operation target information is higher than the guessed proficiency When it is low, there is a problem that required output becomes insufficient. In the case of taking the lowest proficiency, it is possible to avoid the problem that the required output is insufficient when the guessed proficiency is higher than the proficiency of the real unknown operation target information. When the proficiency of the target information is higher than the guessed proficiency, there arises a problem that the output becomes unnecessarily redundant.
[0278]
As another method, for example, a method of selecting known operation target information with the closest date and time when the proficiency level is set may be considered. To perform this method, the date and time when the proficiency level is set is required in the data structure of the known operation target information. If time has passed since the operation of the known operation target, knowledge of the operation may be forgotten. Has the effect of becoming higher.
[0279]
In addition, using the operation target obtained by the similar known operation target selection means 4 (S2-3), a method of estimating the proficiency level by giving priority to the known operation target information of the known operation target most similar to the unknown operation target. There is also. “Priority” simply means which proficiency level of known operation target information is used as described above. In the case of averaging, for example, there is also a method of weighting the proficiency level with priority and calculating. Conceivable. By giving priority to the proficiency of the known operation target information similar to the unknown operation target information, there is an effect that the possibility of increasing the accuracy of the proficiency estimation is increased.
[0280]
In S4-5, if the current unknown operation target information is not included in the equivalent unknown operation target information list in S4-3, the proficiency estimating means 11 sets the proficiency of the unknown operation target information to 0 or a low value. Then, the process proceeds to S4-6. Since there is no way to estimate the proficiency, it must be set to 0 or a low value. The low value is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a predetermined value or a value obtained by multiplying the estimated proficiency of other operation target information of the unknown operation target by a certain ratio.
[0281]
As a result, for example, as the skill level is lower, the operation target information is output in more detail, so that there is an effect that it is possible to avoid a situation in which the output of the unknown operation target information is insufficient or insufficient.
[0282]
In S4-6, the skill level estimating means 11 sets the next unknown operation target information as the current unknown operation target information, and returns to S4-2. The processing here is the same as in S3-7.
[0283]
The processing of S4 in FIG. 6 is performed by the processing of S4-1 to S4-6.
[0284]
FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method of the process of S5 in FIG. 6, that is, a process in which the adaptive information output unit 12 outputs the operation target information according to the skill level. Note that another processing method of S5 will be described later with reference to FIGS.
[0285]
In S5A-1 via P50, the adaptive information output unit 12 converts the first unknown operation target information among the one or more unknown operation target information obtained from the operation target information extraction unit 8 (S1-4) into the current unknown operation. The target information is set, and the process proceeds to S5A-2. The processing here is the same as in S3-1.
[0286]
In S5A-2, the adaptive information output unit 12 determines whether or not the current unknown operation target information exists. If the current unknown operation target information exists, the process proceeds to S5A-3 via P51, and if not, the process exits to P60. The processing here is the same as in S3-2.
[0287]
In S5A-3, the adaptive information output unit 12 creates information to be output according to the proficiency level and the like, and proceeds to S5A-4 via P53. Details of the processing here will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0288]
In S5A-4, the adaptive information output unit 12 sets the next unknown operation target information as the current unknown operation target information, and returns to S5A-2. The processing here is the same as in S3-7.
[0289]
The processing of S5 of FIG. 6 is performed by the processing of S5A-1 to S5A-4 described above.
[0290]
As a result, it is possible to estimate the proficiency of the unknown operation target information having no proficiency, and to output the necessary and sufficient information without excess or deficiency.
[0291]
In addition, the adaptive information output method of the present invention can be used not only when the user himself / herself directly obtains the operation target information of the unknown operation target without excess or deficiency, but also when another person teaches the operation. If you want to know how to operate a product that you use for the first time or a product that you do not use often, you may contact the support center of the manufacturer, etc.If the support center can obtain the information on the known operation target of the inquiring user, , A simple operation method can be notified to the user.
[0292]
FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a method of the process of S5A-3 in FIG. 18, that is, a process in which the adaptive information output unit 12 outputs the operation target information in accordance with the skill level.
[0293]
In S5A-3-1 after P50, the adaptive information output unit 12 determines whether or not the estimated proficiency of the current unknown operation target information is equal to or less than a predetermined value. If not, it means that the proficiency level is high, and there is no need to output the operation target information.
[0294]
In S5A-3-2, the adaptive information output unit 12 creates information to be output according to the proficiency level, and the process goes to P53.
[0295]
There are various methods for outputting according to the proficiency level. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, if the content information of each operation target information is divided according to the level of detail, it may be used. For example, in the case of the unknown operation target information 20, the guess proficiency level is 1, and the corresponding detail level is obtained by, for example, an equation of (detail level) = 4- (guess proficiency level), and the detail level 3 “ Press the red recording button (●). ”As the output information.
[0296]
When the content information is not divided by detail level and only holds a single sentence, etc., a method of summarizing the sentence and changing the detail by changing the degree of summarization is also considered. Can be
[0297]
A creation processing method using a structured data structure is also conceivable, but the details of the processing will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0298]
The processing of S5A-3 of FIG. 18 is performed by the processing of S5A-3-1 to S5A-3-2 described above.
[0299]
By not outputting the operation target information having the proficiency level higher than the predetermined value, an effect that the output of the operation level information with a high proficiency level, that is, the familiar operation target information can be suppressed can be obtained.
[0300]
FIG. 20 is a flowchart for explaining one method of the process of S5A-3-2 in FIG. 19, that is, a process of creating information output by the adaptive information output unit 12 according to the proficiency level.
[0301]
In order to perform this processing, the operation target information also needs to have a hierarchical structure instead of the simple structure shown in FIG. FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a data structure of hierarchized operation target information.
[0302]
The data that is an element of the array is hereinafter referred to as “element data”, and it is assumed that the element data can be stored in a hierarchical manner. That is, as child data of a certain element data, an array of another element data can be provided.
[0303]
The structure of the operation target information at the top of the hierarchy is almost the same as the operation target information in FIG. 7, but has “child element data” instead of the “detail level” and “content information” items in FIG. “Child element data” holds reference information to the element data array of the layer below it. For example, in the case of the operation target information 50, reference information to an array of element data 51 to 54 and 55 to 57 is held as child element data. That is, the array of the operation target information 50 and the element data 51 to 54, 55 to 57 has a hierarchical structure.
[0304]
Each child element data has “detail level”, “content information”, and “child element data”. “Detail level” and “content information” have the same meanings as in FIG. 7, and “child element data” has the same meaning as in the operation target information 50. For example, in the case of the element data 54, reference information to an array of the element data 58 and 59 is held as child element data.
[0305]
In S5A-3-2-1 via P52, the adaptive information output unit 12 sets the first element data as the current element data, and proceeds to S5A-3-2-2. For example, in the case of the operation target information 50, the first element data is the element data 51. Later, this processing is recursively called in S5A-3-2-6. In this case, since the array of child element data of the current element data of the caller becomes the target array, the first element in the array is called. Data. For example, assuming that the element data 54 is the current element data, when this processing is called recursively in S5A-3-2-6, the element data 58 is (child element data) in S5A-3-2-1 in the called processing. (Current layer data). Since the current element data is set recursively, it is necessary to hold the current element data for each layer.
[0306]
In S5A-3-2-2, the adaptive information output unit 12 determines whether or not the current element data exists. If the current element data exists, the process proceeds to S5A-3-2-2-3, and if not, the process proceeds to P53. The processing here is the same as in S3-2.
[0307]
In S5A-3-2-2-3, the adaptive information output unit 12 determines whether the detail of the current element data is the detail to be output, and if so, proceeds to S5A-3-2-2-4 and should not output. In this case, the process proceeds to S5A-3-2-5. The determination as to whether the level of detail is to be output is based on the level of detail (4- (estimated skill)) of the current unknown operation target information calculated using the estimated skill described in S5A-3-2 and the current element data. The comparison is made with the level of detail. As a result of the comparison, if the level of detail of the current element data is greater (that is, if the level of detail is high), it is sufficient to determine that the output should not be performed because a very detailed output is not required. This is because it can be determined that the current element data has content information with a higher degree of detail than the user needs for the current unknown operation target information.
[0308]
In S5A-3-2-2-4, the adaptive information output unit 12 outputs the content information of the current element data, and proceeds to S5A-3-2-2-5. When actually creating an output, it is difficult to understand simply using the content information of the current element data as it is, so it is better to supplement the words to some extent using a type sentence or the like. For example, a type sentence will be described later with a specific example.
[0309]
In S5A-3-2-2-5, the adaptive information output means 12 determines whether or not the current element data has child element data. If there is, the procedure goes to S5A-3-2-2-6. Go to -2-7.
[0310]
In S5A-3-2-6, the adaptive information output unit 12 recursively calls the processing in S5A-3-2 with the child element data of the current element data as a target array.
[0311]
In S5A-3-2-2-7, the adaptive information output unit 12 sets the current element data to the next element data, and proceeds to S5A-3-2-2.
[0312]
An example of the recursive processing in S5A-3-2-6 will be described with reference to data in FIG.
[0313]
In the case of FIG. 21, the output processing of the current element data is advanced to element data 51, 52, 53, and 54. Since the element data 54 includes child element data, an array of child element data, element data 58, 59 Is called for S5A-3-2. Then, the processing from S5A-3-2-1 to S5A-3-2-2-7 is performed in the order of the element data 58 and 59, the processing exits the recursive processing, and is processed in the order of the element data 55, 56 and 57. .
[0314]
The processing of S5A-3-2-1 of FIG. 19 is performed by the processing of S5A-3-2-1 to S5A-3-2-2-7 described above.
[0315]
An output example of the processing of S5A-3-2 will be described with reference to the case of FIG.
[0316]
It is assumed that the guess proficiency of the unknown operation target information 50 is 1. Then, 4- (estimated proficiency) = 4-1 = 3, and all descriptions with a detail level of 3 or less are output. In the case of FIG. 21, since the detail level of all the element data 51 to 57 and the element data 58 and 59 is 3 or less, the content information of all the element data 51 to 57 and the element data 58 and 59 is eventually output.
[0317]
As the type sentence, for the first operation target information, for example,
"<Unknown operation target><Unknown operation target classification information> can be performed by the following procedure."
It becomes. For <Unknown operation target>, enter the device name in an easy-to-understand manner. What is necessary is just to obtain the corresponding operation target name from the device ID from a previously created correspondence table as used in FIG. Here, it is set to “video deck D”. <Classification information of unknown operation target> uses “recording reservation operation”.
[0318]
As a type sentence for subsequent element data, for example,
"(<List number>) <content information of unknown operation target>,"
It becomes. <Content information of unknown operation target> is used for each level of detail. The <list number> is a number starting from “1” and increasing for each element data. When the list is hierarchized, the list number is also hierarchized as “4-1”. Although not described in the flowchart, when setting the current unknown operation target or the current known operation target, these list numbers may be updated.
[0319]
Using these type statements,
[0320]
"You can use the following procedure to make a recording reservation for VCR D.
[0321]
(1) Check that the tape is inserted,
(2) open the lid of the remote control,
(3) Press the G code button,
(4) input the G code button of the program,
(4-1) It is written in the program column of the newspaper,
(4-2) Input in order with numeric keys,
(5) Point the remote control at the video,
(6) Press the send button,
(7) Confirm the reservation on the TV. "
The output from the type statement may be created gradually for each processing of the element data, or the content information of each element data is stored, and finally, the contents of all the element data are stored. It may be created at once from information. The first or last sentence, for example, "The operation for making a reservation for video deck D can be performed by the following procedure." Is not shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 18 and 20, but if necessary, S5A-3. May be created before and after the processing of.
[0322]
Looking at the created text, the detailed contents of the (4) G code button operation are output in (4-1) and (4-2) because of the hierarchical structure.
[0323]
It is assumed that the guess proficiency of the unknown operation target information 50 is 2. Then, 4- (estimated proficiency) = 4-2 = 2, and all descriptions with a detail level of 2 or less are output. The resulting text is as follows:
[0324]
"You can use the following procedure to make a recording reservation for VCR D.
[0325]
(1) Open the remote control lid,
(2) Press the G code button,
(3) input the G code button of the program,
(3-1) It is written in the newspaper program column,
(4) Press the send button. "
Compared to the case where the guess proficiency level is 1, it is a simple explanation sentence.
[0326]
It is assumed that the guess proficiency of the unknown operation target information 50 is 3. Then, 4- (estimated proficiency) = 4-3 = 1, and all descriptions below the detail level 1 are output. In this case, the generated text is as follows.
[0327]
"You can use the following procedure to make a recording reservation for VCR D.
[0328]
(1) Press the G code button,
(2) input the G code button of the program,
(3) Press the send button. "
Compared to the case where the guess proficiency level is 2, the sentence is more concise. In addition, the output of the child element data 58 and 59 of the element data 54 having a hierarchical structure is suppressed, and is summarized in the brief description (2).
[0329]
As described above, by using a structured data structure, it is possible to dynamically generate an output with a different degree of detail. Although the structure information shown in FIG. 7 and the structure information shown in FIG. 21 are created in advance according to the level of detail, if all the information to be output is created according to the level of detail as shown in FIG. The content information according to the level of detail is confused. For example, in the unknown operation target information 20, the sentence "press the recording button" is included in the output of any level of detail. By dynamically generating the data, it is possible to reduce the size of the data and reduce the amount of data created in advance.
[0330]
FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating another method of the process of S5 in FIG. 6, that is, the process in which the adaptive information output unit 12 outputs the operation target information in accordance with the skill level.
[0331]
In S5B-1 after P50, the adaptive information output unit 12 sets the first unknown operation target information in the unequal unknown operation target information list obtained from the classification comparison unit 10 (S3) as the current unknown operation target information. Then, the process proceeds to S5B-2.
[0332]
In S5B-2, the adaptive information output unit 12 determines whether or not the current unknown operation target information exists. If the information does exist, the process proceeds to S5B-3, and if not, the process proceeds to S5B-5.
[0333]
In S5B-3, the adaptive information output unit 12 creates information to be output from the current unknown operation target information according to the proficiency level and the like, and proceeds to S5B-4. This process is the same as S5A-3.
[0334]
For example, output is generated using the following type statement.
[0335]
"<Unknown operation target> has <classification information of unknown operation target>, but <known operation target> does not.
[0336]
<Classification information of unknown operation target> in <Unknown operation target> is “<Content information of unknown operation target>”. "
What is necessary is just to apply the data of the operation target information to this type sentence.
[0337]
The case of the unknown operation target information 24 included in the non-equivalent unknown operation target information list in FIG. 16 will be specifically described. Here, the <unknown operation target> and the <known operation target> are referred to as “VCR A” and “VCR B”, respectively. <Classification information of unknown operation target> is “slow reproduction operation”, and <content information of unknown operation target> is “press the white slow reproduction button (> | use.
[0338]
The result is the following output:
[0339]
"VCR A has slow playback, but VCR B does not.
[0340]
The slow playback operation on the video deck A is performed by pressing the white slow playback button (> |) on the remote controller. "is. "
In S5B-5, the adaptive information output unit 12 sets the first known operation target information in the unequal known operation target information list obtained from the classification comparison unit 10 (S3) as the current known operation target information, and proceeds to S5B-5. Proceed to -6.
[0341]
In S5B-6, the adaptive information output unit 12 determines whether or not the current known operation target information exists. If it exists, the process proceeds to S5B-7, and if not, the process exits to P60.
[0342]
In S5B-7, the adaptive information output unit 12 creates information to be output according to the proficiency level or the like from the current known operation target information, and proceeds to S5B-8. This process is the same as S5A-3.
[0343]
For example, output is generated using the following type statement.
[0344]
"<Known operation target> has <Known operation target classification information>, but <Unknown operation target> does not.
[0345]
<Classification information of known operation target> in <Known operation target> is “<Content information of known operation target>”. "
What is necessary is just to apply the data of the operation target information to this type sentence.
[0346]
The case of the known operation target information 44 included in the unequal known operation target information list in FIG. 16 will be specifically described. The <unknown operation target> and the <known operation target> are set to “VCR A” and “VCR B” as in S5B-3. For <classification information of the known operation target>, “fast-forward operation” is used, and for “content information of the known operation target”, the skill level is 3, so “press the fast-forward button.” Is used as the detail level 1.
[0347]
The result is the following output:
[0348]
"VCR B has a fast forward operation, but VCR A does not.
[0349]
The fast forward operation on the video deck B is performed by pressing the "fast forward button. "is. "
In S5B-8, the adaptive information output unit 12 sets the current known operation target information to the next known operation target information, and proceeds to S5B-6.
[0350]
The processing of S5 of FIG. 6 is performed by the processing of S5B-1 to S5B-8 described above.
[0351]
This makes it possible to output the operation target information in accordance with the proficiency level when there is no other operation target information having the same classification information as the unknown operation target information and the known operation target information.
[0352]
For example, in FIG. 16, the unknown operation target information 24 exists in the unequal unknown operation target information list, and the known operation target information 44 exists in the unequal known operation target information list. This means that the “slow playback operation” of the unknown operation target information 24 does not exist in the known operation target information, and the “fast forward operation” of the known operation target information 44 does not exist in the unknown operation target information. Therefore, the “slow playback operation” of the unknown operation object information 24 is output in S5B-3 of FIG. 22, and the “fast forward operation” of the known operation object information 44 is output in S5B-7 of FIG. If there is no operation target information having the same classification information as the information and the known operation target information, the operation target information can be output according to the proficiency level.
[0353]
As a result, it is possible to quickly know what the operation target information of the unknown operation target and the known operation target do not have. In addition, if the proficiency is obtained from the known operation target information, there is an effect that information can be obtained in a simple form with no excess or deficiency according to the proficiency.
[0354]
For example, assume that the user already has a VCR and has bought a new VCR. The basic operation of the VCR is roughly understood by the old VCR (known operation target), so how the operation differs from the new VCR (unknown operation target information) Sometimes you want to quickly and succinctly know what a missing feature is, or, conversely, what a new VCR is missing from an old one. In the past, you had to look for manuals on both VCRs and find out for yourself the differences. By using the present invention, these operations can be automatically performed, and information can be obtained in a simple and appropriate manner according to the skill level.
[0355]
Note that this process can be used not only after purchasing a product or the like, but also when considering whether to buy it. For example, at a storefront or online shop, you can immediately see how your product will operate differently and how it functions differently, so you can use it very effectively when considering purchasing.
[0356]
FIG. 23 is a flowchart for explaining another method of the process of S5 in FIG. 6, that is, the process in which the adaptive information output unit 12 outputs the operation target information in accordance with the skill level.
[0357]
In S5C-1 after P50, the adaptive information output unit 12 sets the first unknown operation target information in the equivalent unknown operation target information list obtained from the classification comparison unit 10 (S3) as the current unknown operation target information. , S5C-2.
[0358]
In S5C-2, the adaptive information output unit 12 determines whether or not the current unknown operation target information exists. If it exists, the process proceeds to S5C-3, and if not, the process exits to P60.
[0359]
In S5C-3, the adaptive information output unit 12 sets the first known operation target information of the corresponding destination in the equivalent unknown operation target information list obtained from the classification comparison unit 10 (S3) as the current known operation target information. , S5C-4.
[0360]
In S5C-4, the adaptive information output unit 12 determines whether or not the current known operation target information exists. If it exists, the process proceeds to S5C-5, and if not, the process proceeds to S5C-6.
[0361]
In S5C-5, the adaptive information output unit 12 acquires the difference information between the current unknown operation target information and the current known operation target information, and proceeds to S5C-7.
[0362]
As for the difference information, it is not always necessary to extract a different part within a minimum range. For example, in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9, the content information of the detail level 3 of the unknown operation target information 22 and the content information of the detail level 3 of the known operation target information 42 are different. If the difference is minimized, the only difference between the “pause button (‖)” and the “play button (>)” is to create the output information. It has been changed to a “play button (>)” ”, which makes it difficult to understand what it is.
[0363]
Therefore, it is better to obtain the difference information not in character units or the like but in more unity units. Although various units can be considered, here, the content information of each detail level in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 is set as one unit. In other words, when comparing the content information of the unknown operation target information and the content information of the known operation target information, if there is a difference even in one character, the difference information is not only a character string of a different part but also content information including the character string. The whole. For example, since the content information of the detail level 3 of the unknown operation target information 22 and the content information of the detail level 3 of the known operation target information 42 are different, the difference information includes a “pause button (‖)” and a “play button ( >), But “press the white pause button (‖) on the remote control” and “press the white play button (>) on the remote control”.
[0364]
Further, even when the content information is used as a unit of the difference information, it changes depending on the data structure of the original operation target information. If all the content information to be output is already created for each level of detail as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, as the content information becomes larger, the difference information becomes larger, and the difference information becomes larger. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to understand at a glance where the difference is.
[0365]
Therefore, a data structure having a certain structure, such as the hierarchical structure shown in FIG. 21, is more effective in preventing the difference information from being enlarged. Here, as an example, assume that the operation target information 50 in FIG. 21 is unknown operation target information, and there is known operation target information having substantially the same data as this (not shown in the figure). The only difference is that the content information of the element data 59 of the unknown operation target information is "input sequentially with the numeric keys", but the content information of the corresponding element data of the known operation target is "input sequentially with the up / down key and the enter button". Suppose it was. The difference information is not only a different word but also these two sentences of the entire content information including the word, "input sequentially with numeric keys", and "input sequentially with up / down keys and the enter button".
[0366]
As described above, when each operation target information has a data structure, it becomes easier to extract the minimum difference information.
[0367]
In S5C-6, the adaptive information output unit 12 sets the current unknown operation target information to the next unknown operation target information, and proceeds to S5C-2.
[0368]
In S5C-7, the adaptive information output means 12 determines whether there is difference information obtained in S5C-5 (that is, whether there is a difference), and if so, proceeds to S5C-8; Go to 9.
[0369]
In S5C-8, the adaptive information output unit 12 creates information to be output according to the proficiency or the like from the difference information obtained in S5C-5, and proceeds to S5B-8.
[0370]
First, a method of generating output information from difference information will be described with reference to the examples of FIGS.
[0371]
For example, output is generated using the following type statement.
[0372]
"<Classification information>
<Unknown operation target> is “<Difference of content information of unknown operation target>”,
<Known operation target> is “<difference in content information of known operation target>”. "
What is necessary is just to apply the data of the operation target information to this type sentence.
[0373]
In the examples of FIGS. 7 and 9, <unknown operation target> and <known operation target> are “video deck A” and “video deck C”. <Classification information> is “recording pause / resume operation”, <difference in content information of unknown operation target> is “press pause button (‖) on remote control”, and <difference in content information of known operation target> is “ Press play button (>) on remote control. "
[0374]
The result is the following output:
[0375]
"Regarding the recording pause / resume operation,
VCR A is "Press the pause button (‖) on the remote control."
VCR C is "Press the play button (>) on the remote control". "
If you want to reflect your proficiency, you can use the abbreviated type sentence for those with higher proficiency. For example, if the proficiency of the known operation target is high and there is no need to output the difference in the content information of the known operation target, the pattern sentence
"<Classification information>
<Unknown operation target> is "<Difference of content information of unknown operation target>". "
And the output information generated is
"Regarding the recording pause / resume operation,
VCR A is "Press the pause button (‖) on the remote control". ".
[0376]
Next, a method of generating output information from difference information in the case of FIG. 21 will be described.
[0377]
For example, output is generated using the following type statement.
[0378]
Regarding "<content information of parent data element of difference data element>" of <classification information>
<Unknown operation target> is “<Difference of content information of unknown operation target>”,
<Known operation target> is “<difference in content information of known operation target>”. "
What is necessary is just to apply the data of the operation target information to this type sentence.
[0379]
In the example of FIG. 21, <unknown operation target> and <known operation target> are “VCR D” and “VCR E”. <Classification information> is “recording reservation operation”, <difference in content information of unknown operation target> is “enter sequentially with numeric keys”, and <difference in content information of known operation target> is “up and down key and enter button in order.” Input. " The <content information of the parent data element of the difference data element> is the content information of the parent element data of the element data having the difference (or may include the element data of its ancestor). Enter button ".
[0380]
The result is the following output:
[0381]
"With regard to" input G code button of program "of recording reservation operation,
VCR D is "Input sequentially with numeric keys"
VCR E is "Input in order with up / down key and enter button". "
If you want to reflect your proficiency, you can use the abbreviated type sentence for those with higher proficiency. For example, if the proficiency of the known operation target is high and there is no need to output the difference in the content information of the known operation target, the pattern sentence
Regarding "<content information of parent data element of difference data element>" of <classification information>
<Unknown operation target> is "<Difference of content information of unknown operation target>". "
And the output information generated is
"With regard to" input G code button of program "of recording reservation operation,
VCR D is "Enter with numeric keys in order.""
It becomes.
[0382]
In S5B-9, the adaptive information output unit 12 sets the current known operation target information to the next known operation target information, and proceeds to S5C-4.
[0383]
The processing of S5 in FIG. 6 is performed by the processing of S5C-1 to S5C-9 described above.
[0384]
As a result, the unknown operation target information and the known operation target information have the same classification information, but even if the contents of the operation target information are different, the difference in the contents of the operation target information is output according to the skill level without excess or shortage. Will be able to The effect is the same as the effect described with reference to FIG.
[0385]
The use of the operation target information having a hierarchical structure has an effect of suppressing output due to redundant differences.
[0386]
An object of the present invention is to provide a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus, and a computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus to store the storage medium. Needless to say, this can also be achieved by reading and executing the program code stored in the program.
[0387]
In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the function of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.
[0388]
As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, and the like can be used.
[0389]
Further, the program code may be downloaded from another computer system to the storage unit 74 or the external storage 75 of the apparatus via a transmission medium such as a communication network.
[0390]
When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a part or all of the actual processing is performed and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
[0391]
Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function is executed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU included in the expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.
[0392]
When the present invention is applied to the storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the flowcharts described above.
[0393]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims.
[0394]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention includes, as described above, classification information indicating one or more types of functions or operations that can be performed on an operation target known to a user, and explanatory information regarding the function or operation method. A known operation target information obtaining step of obtaining known operation target information including: a proficiency acquisition step of obtaining a user's proficiency with respect to the known operation target information; and one or more operations that can be performed on an operation target unknown to the user. An unknown operation target information obtaining step of obtaining unknown operation target information including classification information indicating a type of a function or an operation, and explanation information on the function or operation method; classification information of the known operation target information; and the unknown operation A classification comparison step of determining whether the classification information of the target information is equivalent to the unknown operation target information determined to be equal in the classification comparison step; The proficiency of the user to be performed, the proficiency estimation step of estimating from the proficiency of the corresponding known operation target information, and the proficiency of the unknown operation target information obtained from the proficiency estimation step, the unknown operation target information And outputting an adaptive information.
[0395]
Thereby, the proficiency of the user with respect to the unknown operation target information is estimated from the proficiency of the user with respect to the known operation target information having the same classification information, and the unknown operation target information is output according to the estimated proficiency. With respect to an unknown operation target whose proficiency is unknown, there is an effect that it is possible to obtain a sufficient and sufficient information output of the operation target according to the user's knowledge level as much as possible.
[0396]
In addition, if information output of a necessary and sufficient operation target without excess or deficiency in accordance with the knowledge level of the user can be obtained, there is an effect that the possibility that information necessary for the user exists in the output information is increased. . Furthermore, since the entire output information amount is not unnecessarily large, the effect of increasing the possibility that the trouble required to search for necessary information can be minimized is increased. In addition, even if the user wants to understand the output information as a whole, there is an effect that the possibility that the amount of information that must be read must be minimized is increased.
[0397]
As described above, in the adaptive information output method according to the present invention, in the adaptive information output step, in addition to the output of the unknown operation target information, the known operation target information is adjusted according to the proficiency of the known operation target information. It is characterized by outputting.
[0398]
As a result, not only the unknown operation target information but also the known operation target information is output together, so that both information can be compared. By comparing, for example, with respect to a certain operation, there is an effect that the user can check for himself / herself how the operation is different between the unknown operation target and the known operation target.
[0399]
Further, the output of the known operation target information is output in accordance with the skill level, similarly to the output of the unknown operation target information, so that there is an effect of obtaining necessary and sufficient information without excess or deficiency.
[0400]
As described above, in the adaptive information output method according to the present invention, in the adaptive information output step, as the proficiency of the unknown operation target information or the proficiency of the known operation target information is lower, the proficiency is higher. It is characterized in that the unknown operation target information or the known operation target information having a low level is output in detail, and the higher the level is, the easier it is to output.
[0401]
As a result, it is possible to efficiently obtain the minimum necessary information for each of users with high and low proficiency, and in particular, for a user with high proficiency, a time saving effect of not having to look at excessive information. Is large.
[0402]
As described above, in the adaptive information output method according to the present invention, in the adaptive information output step, the proficiency of the unknown operation target information or the proficiency of the known operation target information is higher than a predetermined proficiency. In this case, unknown operation target information or known operation target information having a high level of proficiency is not output.
[0403]
As a result, there is an effect that the output of information that is well known is suppressed, and only information that is not well known can be selected and output.
[0404]
As described above, in the adaptive information output method according to the present invention, in the adaptive information output step, the known operation target information is compared with the unknown operation target information, and when the classification information is determined to be equivalent. If the unknown operation target information and the known operation target information are not output, and there is no such thing that the classification information is determined to be equivalent, the unknown operation target information is output in accordance with the guessed skill level of the unknown operation target information. Alternatively, the known operation target information is output in accordance with the proficiency of the known operation target information.
[0405]
As a result, only the operation information of the class that is in the known operation object information and not in the unknown operation object information or, conversely, only the operation information of the class that is in the unknown operation object information but not in the known operation object information is adjusted to the proficiency level. Output. Therefore, there is an effect that the user can efficiently acquire information on the difference between the functions and the operation methods.
[0406]
In addition, since the operation target information having the same classification information is not output, the absolute amount of the information is easily reduced as compared with the original operation target information, and the smaller the amount, the easier it is for the user to search for and understand the information. The effect comes out.
[0407]
In addition, since the operation target information itself is output according to the proficiency level, the effect that the user can easily and efficiently understand the information in a short time is further obtained.
[0408]
Note that it is not necessary to output both the known operation target information and the unknown operation target information, and only one of them may be output. Thus, by outputting only one of the known operation target information and the unknown operation target information, there is an effect that information centering on one of the operation target information can be obtained.
[0409]
As described above, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention is configured such that, when a request for information acquisition is received from a user regarding the unknown operation target and / or the known operation target, the unknown operation target information and / or Or an operation information extraction step of extracting known operation object information, wherein the adaptive information output step outputs only the unknown operation object information and / or the known operation object information obtained from the operation object information extraction step. It is characterized by.
[0410]
As a result, there is an effect that the information required by the user can be provided in a minimum and necessary and sufficient form in accordance with the knowledge level of the user.
[0411]
If the request acquisition step is performed at the very first stage, in each of the subsequent steps, it is possible to perform processing focused on the information required by the user, and to quickly output necessary information.
[0412]
As described above, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention is characterized in that in the known operation target information obtaining step, a plurality of known operation target information is obtained.
[0413]
As a result, the absolute amount of the known operation target information is increased as compared with the case of a single operation. Therefore, the probability that the known operation target corresponding to the classification information to the unknown operation target information exists is increased, and the possibility that the proficiency can be estimated is increased. Come out. If a plurality of pieces of known operation object information correspond to the unknown operation object information of one piece of classification information, a plurality of proficiency levels can be obtained, and the effect of estimating the proficiency level can be improved.
[0414]
The adaptive information output method according to the present invention, as described above, when one piece of classification information has a plurality of known operation target information, is used for estimating the proficiency by giving priority to the highest known operation target information having the highest proficiency. And / or preferentially output.
[0415]
As a result, by estimating the proficiency from the known operation target information having the highest proficiency, the unknown operation target information can be output in a state where the proficiency is considered to be the highest for each classification information, and the unknown operation target can be output. This has the effect of preventing information from being output redundantly.
[0416]
Similarly, when the difference between the unknown operation target information and the known operation target information is output according to the skill level, the effect of preventing the unknown operation target and the known operation target information from being redundantly output is also obtained. come.
[0417]
The adaptive information output method according to the present invention includes a similar known operation target selecting step of selecting, from the plurality of known operation targets, a known operation target whose known operation target information is most similar to the unknown operation target information. When a plurality of known operation objects have one classification information, the operation object information of the known operation object selected in the similar known operation object selection step is preferentially used for estimating the skill level, and / or And output it.
[0418]
In this way, by estimating the proficiency level from the known operation target information of the most similar known operation target, it is possible to output the unknown operation target information in a state where the proficiency level is most appropriately estimated for each classification information. . In other words, the estimated proficiency level is different from the actual proficiency level, and the effect of preventing the unknown operation target information from being output in excess or deficiency is obtained as much as possible.
[0419]
Also, when outputting the difference between the unknown operation target information information and the known operation target information according to the proficiency level, similarly, the unknown operation target and the known operation target information are output in a state where there is an excess or deficiency. The effect of prevention comes out.
[0420]
In addition, since the output is not performed in a state where there is an excess or deficiency, an effect that the user can easily understand the output information is obtained.
[0421]
The adaptive information output method according to the present invention, as described above, in the proficiency estimating step, for the unknown operation target information, when there is no such that the classification information is determined to be equivalent in the known operation target information, It is assumed that the proficiency level is low or low.
[0422]
As a result, the proficiency of the unknown operation target information having non-equivalent classification information is not or low, and as a result, the unknown operation target information suitable for the guessed proficiency is output. For example, as the proficiency level is lower, the operation target information is output in detail or in an easy-to-understand manner, so that an effect that the output of the unknown operation target information is insufficient or insufficient can be avoided.
[0423]
As described above, in the adaptive information output method according to the present invention, in the adaptive information output step, the known operation target information and the unknown operation target information are compared to include the same classification information, but the content of the explanation information is included. Is different, the difference of the explanation information is output according to the proficiency of the unknown operation target information or the proficiency of the known operation target information.
[0424]
As a result, regarding the unknown operation target information and the known operation target information having the same classification but different contents, information on only the different portions can be obtained, and the information is output according to the proficiency level. The effect that comes to be able to obtain well comes out.
[0425]
As described above, the adaptive information output method according to the present invention is characterized by including an identification information obtaining step of obtaining information for identifying a known and / or unknown operation target from a user.
[0426]
With this, if the unknown operation target or the known operation target is fixed, it is not necessary to obtain the information to be identified again, but if the operation target is not fixed and there are a plurality of operation target candidates, the operation target is selected by the user. By having the processing performed, there is an effect that a flexible processing without fixing the processing target can be performed.
[0427]
In addition, known operation targets of apparently different types are removed in advance, or the user is allowed to select a known operation target that has a high level of proficiency or is similar to an unknown operation target, so that the processing amount can be reduced or the proficiency can be reduced. The effects of increasing the degree of estimation accuracy and suppressing redundant output are obtained.
[0428]
As described above, in the adaptive information output method according to the present invention, in the known operation target information obtaining step, the known operation to obtain information of a list of operation targets that the user has used in order to identify the known operation target information An object list obtaining step is provided.
[0429]
Thus, by obtaining a list of operation targets that have been used by the user and narrowing the range of known operation targets, there is no need for the user to select / narrow down known operation targets, or the operation becomes easier, or the server performs a selection process. This has the effect of reducing the burden on the user.
[0430]
Even if the user removes a known operation target with a clearly different type in advance or selects a known operation target with a high level of proficiency or a similar operation to an unknown operation target, narrow down the selection of operation target candidates. Therefore, there is an effect that the work of the user becomes easier.
[0431]
As described above, the adaptive information output device according to the present invention includes, as described above, classification information indicating one or more types of functions or operations that can be executed on an operation target known to a user, and explanatory information regarding the function or operation method. A known operation target information obtaining unit that obtains known operation target information including: a proficiency acquisition unit that obtains a user's proficiency with respect to the known operation target information; Unknown operation target information obtaining means for obtaining unknown operation target information including classification information indicating a type of a function or an operation, and explanation information on the function or operation method; classification information of the known operation target information; and the unknown operation Classification comparing means for judging whether or not the classification information of the target information is equivalent, and a user's proficiency with respect to the unknown operation target information determined to be equal by the classification comparison means A proficiency estimating means for inferring from the proficiency of the corresponding known operation target information, and an adaptive information output for outputting the unknown operation target information in accordance with the proficiency of the unknown operation target information obtained from the proficiency estimating means. Means.
[0432]
Various effects resulting from this are as described above as effects of the adaptive information output method corresponding to the configuration of the adaptive information output device.
[0433]
As described above, an adaptive information output program according to the present invention causes a computer to execute each step of the adaptive information output method.
[0434]
As described above, the adaptive information output program according to the present invention causes a computer to function as each unit included in the adaptive information output device.
[0435]
The recording medium according to the present invention is characterized by recording the above-mentioned adaptive information output program.
[0436]
Accordingly, the adaptive information output method is implemented using the computer by installing the adaptive information output program on a general computer via the recording medium or the network. It can function as an information output device.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an adaptive information output device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an input dialog in which a user inputs a model name of an unknown operation target.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an input dialog in which a user inputs a model name of an unknown operation target.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an apparatus that specifically realizes each unit.
FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the adaptive information output device.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an entire adaptive information output method.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the structure of unknown operation target information.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the structure of known operation target information.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating another example of the structure of known operation target information.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of acquiring unknown operation target information.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of acquiring known operation target information.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user interface for acquiring identification information.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method of acquiring a known operation target information candidate.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating another method of processing for acquiring a known operation target information candidate.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method of processing in which the classification comparing unit acquires operation target information equivalent to the classification information.
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the structure of each list.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a method of estimating the proficiency of unknown operation target information by a proficiency estimating unit.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method in which an adaptive information output unit outputs operation target information in accordance with a proficiency level.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a method of processing in which adaptive information output means outputs operation target information in accordance with a proficiency level.
FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a method of creating information output by an adaptive information output unit in accordance with the proficiency level.
FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a data structure of hierarchized operation target information.
FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating another method of processing in which the adaptive information output unit outputs operation target information in accordance with the proficiency level.
FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating another method of processing in which adaptive information output means outputs operation target information in accordance with proficiency.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Input means
2 Known operation target list acquisition means
3 Identification information acquisition means
4 Similar known operation object selection means
5 Request acquisition means
6 Known operation target information acquisition means
7 Unknown operation target information acquisition means
8 Operation target information extraction means
9 Proficiency acquisition means
10 Classification comparison means
11 Skill level estimation means
12 Adaptive information output means
13 Output means
20-24 Unknown operation target information
30-34 Known operation target information
40-44 Known operation target information
74 Main memory (recording medium)
75 External storage (recording medium)
90 body (body of adaptive information output device)

Claims (17)

A known operation target information obtaining step of obtaining known operation target information including classification information indicating one or more types of functions or operations that can be executed by an operation target known to the user, and explanation information on the function or operation method; When,
A proficiency acquisition step of acquiring a proficiency of a user with respect to the known operation target information,
Unknown operation target information obtaining step of obtaining classification information indicating one or more types of functions or operations that can be executed by an operation target unknown to the user, and unknown operation target information including explanation information on the function or operation method; When,
A classification comparison step of determining whether the classification information of the known operation target information is equal to the classification information of the unknown operation target information,
A proficiency estimating step of estimating the user's proficiency for the unknown operation target information determined to be equivalent in the classification comparison step from the proficiency of the corresponding known operation target information,
Adaptive information output step of outputting the unknown operation target information in accordance with the proficiency of the unknown operation target information obtained from the proficiency estimation step,
An adaptive information output method, comprising: 2. The adaptive information according to claim 1, wherein, in the adaptive information output step, the known operation target information is output in accordance with a proficiency level of the known operation target information, in addition to the output of the unknown operation target information. 3. output method. In the adaptive information output step,
The guessed proficiency of the unknown operation target information, or the lower the proficiency of the known operation target information, the lower the proficiency is to output the unknown operation target information or the known operation target information in detail. The adaptive information output method according to claim 2, wherein the adaptive information is output. In the adaptive information output step,
If the proficiency level estimated for the unknown operation target information or the proficiency level of the known operation target information is higher than a predetermined proficiency level, the proficiency level of the unknown operation target information or the known operation target information is not output. 3. The adaptive information output method according to claim 2, wherein: In the adaptive information output step,
The known operation target information and the unknown operation target information are compared, and if the classification information is determined to be equivalent, the unknown operation target information and the known operation target information are not output, and the classification information is determined to be equivalent. If there is no such information, the unknown operation target information is output according to the proficiency level estimated for the unknown operation target information, or the known operation target information is output according to the proficiency level of the known operation target information. The adaptive information output method according to claim 2, wherein An operation target information extraction step of extracting unknown operation target information and / or known operation target information related to the request when the user obtains information regarding the unknown operation target and / or the known operation target; And
The adaptive information output method according to claim 2, wherein in the adaptive information output step, only the unknown operation target information and / or the known operation target information obtained from the operation target information extracting step are output. 3. The adaptive information output method according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of known operation target information is obtained in the known operation target information obtaining step. In the case where one piece of classification information has a plurality of known operation target information, the known operation target information having the highest proficiency is preferentially used for estimating the proficiency, and / or is preferentially output. The adaptive information output method according to claim 7. From the plurality of known operation targets, the known operation target information has a similar known operation target selection step of selecting a known operation target most similar to the unknown operation target information,
When a plurality of known operation objects have one classification information, the operation object information of the known operation object selected in the similar known operation object selection step is preferentially used for estimating the proficiency, and / or The adaptive information output method according to claim 7, wherein the adaptive information is output by an output method. In the proficiency estimation step,
2. The adaptation information according to claim 1, wherein, if the unknown operation target information does not include any of the known operation target information in which the classification information is determined to be equivalent, it is assumed that the proficiency is low or low. output method. In the adaptive information output step,
Comparing the known operation target information and the unknown operation target information, if the contents of the description information include the same classification information is different, the proficiency of the difference of the description information estimated for the unknown operation target information, 2. The adaptive information output method according to claim 1, wherein the output is performed in accordance with the proficiency of the known operation target information. The adaptive information output method according to claim 1, further comprising an identification information obtaining step of obtaining information for identifying a known and / or unknown operation target from a user. The method according to claim 1, wherein the known operation target information obtaining step includes a known operation target list obtaining step of obtaining information of a list of operation targets that a user has used in order to identify the known operation target information. The described adaptive information output method. A known operation target information obtaining unit that obtains known operation target information including classification information indicating one or more types of functions or operations that can be executed by an operation target known to the user, and explanation information on the function or operation method. When,
Proficiency acquisition means for acquiring the proficiency of the user with respect to the known operation target information,
Unknown operation object information obtaining means for obtaining unknown operation object information including classification information indicating one or more types of functions or operations that can be executed on an operation object unknown to the user, and explanation information on the function or operation method When,
Classification information of the known operation target information, a classification comparison unit that determines whether the classification information of the unknown operation target information is equal to,
A proficiency estimating means for estimating the user's proficiency for the unknown operation target information determined to be equivalent by the classification comparing means from the proficiency of the corresponding known operation target information,
Adaptive information output means for outputting the unknown operation target information in accordance with the proficiency of the unknown operation target information obtained from the proficiency estimation means,
An adaptive information output device comprising: An adaptive information output program for causing a computer to execute each step of the adaptive information output method according to any one of claims 1 to 13. An adaptive information output program for causing a computer to function as each means included in the adaptive information output device according to claim 14. A recording medium on which the adaptation information output program according to claim 15 or 16 is recorded.

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