JP2007066131A - Information retrieval support method, information retrieval support system, information retrieval support apparatus, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a retrieval support method which enables easy retrieval of desired information even if unfamiliar to the operation. <P>SOLUTION: The retrieval support method has; a step to display a first scroll menu which is transferrable in one direction on a screen, and in which a plurality of first retrieval items are arranged in one direction (S103); a step to receive designation of a specific first retrieval item out of a plurality of first retrieval items which are arranged in the first scroll menu (S105); a step to display a second scroll menu which is transferrable to the other direction on the screen, and in which a plurality of second retrieval items relating to the above specific retrieval items and arranged in the other direction in crossing the above first scroll menu (S106); a step to receive designation of a specific second retrieval item out of a plurality of second retrieval items arranged in the above second scroll menu (S108); and a step to retrieve the content data relating to the specific second retrieval item from the above contents data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information search support method for assisting a user when searching for desired information from information existing on a communication network. In particular, the present invention suffices with an easy operation, and the user can clearly specify desired information. Information search support method capable of reaching desired information even when unconscious, information search support system for implementing the method, information search support device used in the information search support system, and method The present invention relates to a computer program for causing a computer to execute.

  In recent years, with the rapid spread of communication networks, a vast amount of information has been present on communication networks. Therefore, it is difficult for a user to search for desired information from such a vast amount of information, and some kind of support is required.

  As an information search support system for performing such support, a system that receives an input of a keyword related to desired information from a user and outputs information including the keyword is common.

In addition, a system for displaying such search results by image display or the like has been proposed so that the user can easily grasp the output of the search results. For example, in Patent Document 1, a web page including an object that matches an input keyword is searched, and a reduced image of the searched web page is displayed, so that the search result is visually grasped by the image. A search system is disclosed. With such a search system, even a user unfamiliar with the operation of a computer or the like can easily search for desired information.
JP 2004-157668 A

  However, in the case of a keyword-type search, there is no problem if the desired information is clear from the beginning. However, if the information is ambiguous, it is not clear what keyword should be used, and the desired result is obtained. There are cases where it is not possible to reach the information.

  In addition, in the case of a user who is unfamiliar with the operation of a computer or the like, there is a problem that inputting a keyword using a keyboard may be complicated. For this reason, it is not sufficient to visually grasp the search result as an image as in the search system disclosed in Patent Document 1, and it is preferable that there is a means that can perform the search operation itself visually.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to implement an information search support method and method for searching for desired information even when the desired information is unclear. It is an object to provide an information search support system for carrying out information, an information search support device used in the information search support system, and a computer program for causing a computer to execute the method.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a means by which the search operation itself can be visually performed with an image, so that even a user unfamiliar with the operation of a computer or the like can easily search for information. An information search support method, an information search support system, an information search support device, and a computer program are provided.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an information search support method according to the present invention is used when a user searches for desired content data from among a plurality of content data stored in a content server connected to a communication network. In the information search support method for supporting the search, the user can move in one direction on the display screen of the information search support apparatus used by the user, and a plurality of first search items are arranged in the one direction. A step of displaying a first scroll menu, a step of accepting designation of a specific first search item from among a plurality of first search items arranged in the first scroll menu, and others on the display screen And a second scroll menu in which a plurality of second search items related to the specific first search item are arranged in the other direction. Displaying so as to intersect with the first scroll menu; receiving a designation of a specific second search item from among a plurality of second search items arranged in the second scroll menu; And searching for content data related to the second search item from the content data.

  An information search support system according to the present invention is connected to a communication network, stores a plurality of content data, and is connected to the content server via the communication network so that the user can search desired content data. In an information search support system comprising an information search support device used in the case, the information search support device is movable in one direction on a display screen, and a plurality of first search items are in the one direction. And a first display means for displaying a first scroll menu arranged in the first scroll menu, and a first display for accepting designation of a specific first search item from among a plurality of first search items arranged in the first scroll menu. A plurality of second search items that are movable in the other direction on the display screen and are associated with the specific first search item; A second display means for displaying the second scroll menu arranged in the other direction so as to intersect the first scroll menu; and a plurality of second search items arranged in the second scroll menu. Second receiving means for accepting designation of a specific second search item from the above, and transmission means for transmitting information indicating the specific second search item to the content server, wherein the content server When the information indicating the second search item is received, search means for searching the content data related to the second search item from the content data, and the content data searched by the search means for the information search Means for transmitting to the support apparatus.

  An information search support device according to the present invention is connected to a content server that stores a plurality of content data via a communication network so that the user can search for desired content data. A first display means for displaying a first scroll menu which is movable in one direction on the screen and a plurality of first search items are arranged in the one direction; and arranged in the first scroll menu. First accepting means for accepting designation of a specific first search item from among the plurality of first search items, and the specific first search item that is movable in another direction on the display screen A second display means for displaying a second scroll menu in which a plurality of second search items related to the second scroll item are arranged in the other direction so as to intersect with the first scroll menu; A second receiving means for receiving designation of a specific second search item from among a plurality of second search items arranged in the second scroll menu, and information indicating the specific second search item; Transmission means for transmitting to a server.

  In the information search support device according to the invention, a determination unit that determines whether or not the specific second search item received by the second reception unit is a search final item, and the determination unit determines the specific second search item. 2 When it is determined that the search item is not the final search item, the first scroll menu is displayed on the first display means, the first reception means is designated to accept the designation of a specific first search item, and the second Means for displaying the second scroll menu on a display means, and causing the second accepting means to accept designation of a specific second search item, wherein the transmitting means uses the determining means to perform the specific second search When it is determined that the item is the final search item, it is preferable that the information indicating the specific second search item is transmitted to the content server.

  In the information search support device according to the invention, it is preferable that the first search item and / or the second search item are displayed with an icon indicating a search target.

  Furthermore, in the information search support device according to the invention, a keyword input screen display means for displaying a keyword input screen for inputting a keyword to be searched; a keyword accepting means for receiving a keyword input on the keyword input screen; Preferably, the transmission unit is configured to transmit information indicating the keyword received by the keyword reception unit to the content server.

  A computer program according to the present invention is a computer for allowing a computer connected to a content server that stores a plurality of content data via a communication network so as to be communicable to assist the user in searching for desired content data. In the program, the computer causes the computer to display a first scroll menu that is movable in one direction on the display screen and has a plurality of first search items arranged in the one direction, and the first A procedure for accepting designation of a specific first search item from among a plurality of first search items arranged in a scroll menu, and a movement in another direction on the display screen, A second scroll menu in which a plurality of second search items related to one search item are arranged in the other direction; A procedure for displaying to intersect with the roll menu; a procedure for accepting designation of a specific second search item from among a plurality of second search items arranged in the second scroll menu; (2) A procedure for transmitting information indicating search items to the content server.

  According to the information search support method of the present invention, the information search support system for performing the method, the information search support device used in the information search support system, and the computer program for causing the computer to execute the method Even users who are unfamiliar with such operations can easily search for desired information from a vast amount of information existing on the communication network.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information search support system of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the information search support system of the present invention includes information search support devices 1, 1... Used when a user searches for information, and a content server 2 that stores content data. Here, the information search support devices 1, 1... And the content server 2 are communicably connected via a communication network 3.

  Communication between the information search support apparatuses 1, 1... And the content server 2 is performed using a communication protocol such as HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol).

  The information retrieval support apparatuses 1, 1... Have a CPU 11, which is connected to each hardware described later via a bus. Then, the CPU 11 controls the operation of the hardware and executes a computer program loaded into the memory 12. As a result, the information search support devices 1, 1,... Can execute processing to be described later.

  The memory 12 is composed of, for example, a DRAM or an SRAM, and stores temporary data generated when the computer program is executed.

  The display unit 13 is composed of a CRT, a liquid crystal display, or the like, and displays a processing result or the like by the CPU 11. The input unit 14 includes a keyboard and a mouse, and is used when the user gives an instruction to the information search support devices 1, 1.

  The communication unit 15 is an interface for communicating with the content server 2.

  The information retrieval support devices 1, 1,... Are configured by, for example, a personal computer, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a mobile phone, and the like.

  Further, the content server 2 includes a CPU 21, and the CPU 21 is connected to each hardware described later via a bus. The CPU 21 controls the operation of the hardware and executes a computer program loaded into the memory 22. As a result, the content server 2 can execute processing to be described later.

  The memory 22 is configured in the same manner as the memory 11 described above, and stores temporary data generated when the computer program is executed.

  The communication interface (I / F) 23 is an interface for communicating with the information search support devices 1, 1.

  The hard disk 24 is composed of a readable / writable magnetic disk or the like, and stores a computer program and an OS (operating system) necessary for the operation of the content server 2, various data, and the like. The hard disk 24 is provided with a content database (DB) 25 in which a plurality of content data is stored.

  Next, the operation of the information search support system of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to a flowchart.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of the information search support devices 1, 1... And the content server 2 included in the information search support system of the present invention.

  First, the information search support devices 1, 1... Transmit display data request information for requesting display data to be displayed on the display unit 11 during information search to the content server 2 in accordance with a user instruction (S101).

  When the content server 2 receives the display data request information transmitted from the information search support devices 1, 1,... (S201), the content server 2 transmits display data including an information search support program which is a computer program for supporting information search. (S202). This display data is generated using, for example, Shockwave (registered trademark), Flash (registered trademark), or the like, and can be displayed by a WWW browser.

  When receiving the display data transmitted from the content server 2 (S102), the information search support devices 1, 1,... Display the up / down scroll menu and the left / right scroll menu on the display screen of the display unit 13 (S103).

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 13 of the information search support devices 1, 1... Provided in the information search support system of the present invention.

  3, the code | symbol 100 has shown the display screen displayed on the display part 13 of information search assistance apparatus 1,1, .... On the display screen 100, an up / down scroll menu 101 and a left / right scroll menu 102 are displayed. Here, the vertical scroll menu 101 is a scroll menu formed so as to be movable in the vertical direction on the screen. Similarly, the left / right scroll menu 102 is a scroll menu formed to be movable in the left / right direction on the screen. As shown in FIG. 3, the up / down scroll menu 101 and the left / right scroll menu 102 are arranged so as to intersect at an appropriate position (position indicated by reference numeral 105 in FIG. 3).

  In the left / right scroll menu 101, a plurality of first search items 103, 103,... Are arranged in the left / right direction. These first search items 103, 103,... Are displayed with icons indicating search targets.

  In the vertical scroll menu 102, a plurality of second search items 104, 104... Are arranged in the vertical direction as icons. However, the second search item 104 is not arranged at the position (hereinafter referred to as an intersection area) 105 intersecting with the left and right scroll menu 101, and the first search item 103 is arranged. These second search items 104, 104... Represent search items related to the first search item 103 arranged in the intersection area 105.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an operation button group 110 for the user to perform various operations is displayed on the display screen 100. The operation button group 110 includes a movement button group 111 including an upward movement button 111A, a downward movement button 111B, a rightward movement button 111C, and a leftward movement button 111D, and an area 106 provided below the intersection area 105. And a confirmation button 112 for accepting the designation of the second search item 104 arranged at.

  In addition, the display screen 100 is used to switch between a screen for displaying the up and down scroll menus 102, 102... And the left and right scroll menus 101, 101... As shown in FIG. A display switching button 113 is displayed. The function of this display switching button will be described later.

  As described above, in step S103, the information search support devices 1, 1,... Display the up / down scroll menu and the left / right scroll menu as shown in FIG.

  The user selects one first search item 103 from among a plurality of first search items 103, 103... In order to search his / her desired content data while referring to the display screen displayed on the display unit 13. select. At this time, the user uses the input unit 14 to move the desired first search item 103 to the intersection area 105 by pressing the right direction movement button 111C or the left direction movement button 111D.

  Further, the user selects one second search item 104 from among the plurality of second search items 104, 104... In order to search his / her desired content data. At this time, using the input unit 14, the user presses the upward movement button 111 </ b> A and the downward movement button 111 </ b> B to move the desired second search item 104 to the area 106, and then presses the confirmation button 112.

  When the user presses the move button as described above, the information search support devices 1, 1... Detect the press, and whether the press is for a button related to the movement in the horizontal direction, or in the vertical direction. It is determined whether the button is for a button related to movement (S104). Here, if it is determined that the button is for a button related to movement in the left-right direction (left and right in S104), the information search support apparatus 1, 1,... Displays the left-right scroll menu 101 when the right-direction movement button 111C is pressed. When the leftward movement button 111D is pressed in the right direction, the leftward movement button 111D is similarly moved in the left direction (S105). As a result, the first search items 103, 103... That have not been displayed on the display screen until now are displayed, and the first search item 103 desired by the user can be moved to the intersection area 105. Therefore, the specific first search item 103 is accepted in step S105.

  As a result of the movement, the information search support device 1, 1... Has an up / down scroll menu 102 in which a plurality of second search items 104, 104. Is displayed on the display screen (S106).

  The above processing will be described with reference to FIG. That is, when the user wants to search for “wine”, the user operates the first search item 103 representing “wine” to be arranged in the intersection area 105. As a result, the first search item 103 representing “wine” is displayed in the intersection area 105.

  In this case, an up / down scroll menu 102 in which “Oregon wine”, “California wine”, “Washington wine”, “Montana wine”... Which are the second search items 104, 104. Will be displayed.

  On the other hand, when the button related to the vertical movement is pressed in step S104 (up and down in S104), the information search support devices 1, 1,... Display the vertical scroll menu 102 when the upward movement button 111A is pressed. When the downward movement button 111B is pressed down, it is similarly moved downward (S107). As a result, the second search items 104, 104... That have not been displayed on the display screen until now are displayed, and the second search item 104 desired by the user can be moved to the area 106.

  Next, the information search support apparatus 1, 1... Determines whether or not designation of a specific second search item has been received, that is, whether or not the confirm button has been pressed by the user (S108). If it is determined that the button has not been pressed (NO in S108), the process returns to step S104.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the button has been pressed (YES in S108), the information search support device 1, 1,... Determines whether or not the second inspection item 104 in the area 106 is the final item of the search (S109). ). Here, the final item of the search indicates a search target to which the content data is directly connected without further subdividing the search.

  When it is determined in step S109 that the second inspection item 104 in the area 106 is not the final item of the search (NO in S109), the information search support devices 1, 1,... Return to step S103. Steps S103 to S108 are repeated until it is determined in step S109 that the second inspection item 104 in the area 106 is the final item of the search.

  When it is determined in step S109 that the second inspection item 104 in the area 106 is the final item of search (YES in S109), the information search support devices 1, 1,... Indicate the second search item 104. The content data request information is transmitted to the content server 2 (S110).

  When the content server 2 receives the content data request information transmitted from the information search support devices 1, 1,... (S203), the content server 2 searches the content DB 25 for content data related to the second search item indicated by the content data request information. The searched content data is transmitted to the information search support devices 1, 1,... (S204).

  When receiving the content data transmitted from the content server 2 (S111), the information search support devices 1, 1,... Display the received content data on the display screen of the display unit 13 (S112).

  Hereinafter, an example of the processing described above will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, repetitive processing from steps S103 to S108 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams showing other examples of display screens displayed on the display unit 13 of the information search support apparatuses 1, 1... Provided in the information search support system of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the user presses the confirm button 112 when “California wine” is arranged as the second inspection item 104 in the area 106, the information search support devices 1, 1. It is determined that “wine” is not the final item of the search (NO in S109), and the process returns to step S103 to display the up / down scroll menu and the left / right scroll menu. FIG. 4 shows an example of the display screen in that case.

  As shown in FIG. 4, “AVA”, “Winery”, “Price Range”, “Red White”, etc. are arranged as the first search items 103, 103. Here, only the characters are displayed in these first search items 103, 103..., But such a form may be used, and a form in which an image showing these characters is displayed as an icon. It may be.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the first search item 103 arranged in the intersection area 105 is “Winery”, the information search support devices 1, 1... Are “Winery A”, “Winery B”. , “Winery C”, “Winery Z” and the like are displayed.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, when the user presses the confirm button 112 when “Winery A” is arranged in the area 106, the information search support apparatuses 1, 1,. It is determined that the item is not the last item (NO in S109), the process returns to step S103 again, and the vertical scroll menu and the horizontal scroll menu are displayed. FIG. 5 shows an example of the display screen in that case.

  As shown in FIG. 5, “Winery A”, “Winery B”, “Winery C”, “Winery Z”, and the like are arranged as the first search items 103, 103. These first search items 103, 103... Are the same as the second search items 104, 104. As described above, the first search items 103, 13... May not be listed as search items so far, or may be the same as the previous second search items 104, 140.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the first search item 103 arranged in the intersection area 105 is “Winery A”, the information search support devices 1, 1. An up and down scroll menu 102 is displayed in which “Product A-b”, “Product A-c”, “Owner Message”, and the like are arranged.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, when the confirmation button 112 is pressed by the user when “product A-a” is arranged in the area 106, the information search support devices 1, 1. It is determined that “a” is the final item of the search (YES in S109), and the process proceeds to step S110 described above.

  As a result, the information search support devices 1, 1... Receive the content data transmitted from the content server 2 (S111), and display the content data (S112).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 13 of the information search support devices 1, 1... Provided in the information search support system of the present invention when displaying content data.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the display screen 100 displays a photograph, a product name, and the like of a product related to “Product A-a” in “Winery A”.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the processes of steps S103 to S108 are repeated three times, but the present invention is not limited to this number of times. For example, the processing of steps S103 to S108 may be performed only once without being repeated, or may be repeated twice or four times or more.

  If the processing of steps S103 to S108 is repeated three times, and 30 search items are arranged in the up / down scroll menu and the left / right scroll menu in each of the three times, the first search item is confirmed for the first time. Thus, one search item is selected from 900 (= 30 × 30) search items, and one search is performed from 810000 (= 900 × 30 × 30) search items by determining the second search item for the second time. That is, the item is selected, and one search item is selected from the search items of 729000000 (= 810000 × 30 × 30) by the second determination of the second search item. As described above, a user-desired search item can be selected from a large number of search items with a simple operation.

  As described above, in the case of a search using the up / down scroll menu and the left / right scroll menu, the search operation can be performed only by selecting a search item shown in these scroll menus. Even a user can easily search for information. When the search item is iconized, the search operation itself can be visually performed using an image. Therefore, an intuitive and user-friendly search operation can be realized.

  Further, in the case of selecting the desired item from the search items shown on the display screen as in the present invention, even if the desired information is unclear for the user, the user is guided to the search item. As a result, the desired information may be reached. For example, if you want to search for wine that you have drunk before, but the name, place of origin, etc. of that wine are unclear, and you can easily search by specifying a winery, the concept of winery is In cases such as when it is unthinkable, it is difficult to set an appropriate keyword, and it may be difficult to reach desired information in a search using a keyword input method. However, according to the present invention, even in such a case, there is a case where it is guided to a search item such as “California Wine”, “Winery A”, etc., and the desired information can be reached efficiently.

  Further, for example, speaking of US wines, only “California wine”, “Oregon wine”, and “Washington wine” are known, and a user who is thinking of searching for any of them uses the information search support device of the present invention. When used, you can know that there is “Montana Wine” in addition to these. Then, by selecting the “Montana wine”, it may be possible to search for a wine that suits one's taste more than the wine originally assumed by the self. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to search for things other than those expected by the user. On the other hand, it is difficult to realize the same by searching by keyword input.

  Furthermore, when the search item is displayed as an icon as in the present embodiment, the search target that was initially unclear by the user performing an analogy using the image and symbol represented by the icon Sometimes it becomes clear. This can also be said to be difficult to achieve with a search using only characters.

  Next, the screen display switching described above will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of the information search support devices 1, 1... And the content server 2 included in the information search support system of the present invention when the screen display is switched.

  When the user decides not to search using the up / down scroll menu and the left / right scroll menu as described above, but to perform a search by keyword input that has been conventionally performed, the user is prompted to display on the display screen shown in FIGS. The display switching button 113 is pressed using the input unit 14.

  When detecting that the display switching button 113 is pressed, the information search support devices 1, 1,... Transmit switching request information for requesting switching of the display screen to the content server 2 (S301).

  When the content server 2 receives the switching request information transmitted from the information search support devices 1, 1,... (S401), the currently displayed screen is used for searching using the up / down scroll menu and the left / right scroll menu. If it is a screen, display data related to a screen for searching by keyword input, and if the currently displayed screen is a screen for searching by keyword input, a vertical scroll menu and a horizontal scroll menu are displayed. The display data related to the screen for searching using is transmitted to the information search support devices 1, 1... (S402).

  When the display data transmitted from the content server 2 is received (S302), the information search support devices 1, 1,... Display the received display data on the display screen of the display unit 13 (S303).

  Here, when the display data relates to a screen for searching by keyword input, a display screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 13 of the information search support devices 1, 1... Provided in the information search support system of the present invention when searching by keyword input.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the display screen 100 includes a keyword input unit 120 for inputting a keyword, a search button 121 for instructing to execute a search using the keyword input to the keyword input unit 120, The display switching button 113 described above is displayed.

  When the user inputs a desired keyword in the keyword input unit 120 and then presses the search button 121, the information search support devices 1, 1,... Transmit information indicating the keyword to the content server 2. As a result, the information search support devices 1, 1... Receive the content data related to the keyword from the content server 2, and display it.

  In this case, when the display switching button 113 is pressed by the user, the above-described steps S301 to S303 and steps S401 and S402 are executed, and a display screen for searching using the up / down scroll menu and the left / right scroll menu is executed. Are displayed on the display unit 13 of the information search support apparatus 1, 1.

  In this way, according to the user's request, it is possible to freely switch between the case of performing a search using the up / down scroll menu and the left / right scroll menu, which is a feature of the present invention, and the case of performing a search by conventional keyword input. it can. As a result, for example, since the desired information was unclear at the beginning, when a search using the up / down scroll menu and the left / right scroll menu was performed, an appropriate keyword was found during the search. It is possible to execute a flexible search such as.

  The information search support method, the information search support system, the information search support device, and the computer program according to the present invention can visually perform a search operation, so that the information search support used by a user who is unfamiliar with the operation of a computer or the like Useful for systems and the like.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the information search assistance system of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of operation | movement of the information search support apparatus and content server with which the information search support system of this invention is provided. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen displayed on the display part of the information search assistance apparatus with which the information search assistance system of this invention is provided. It is a figure which shows the other example of the display screen displayed on the display part of the information search assistance apparatus with which the information search assistance system of this invention is provided. It is a figure which shows the other example of the display screen displayed on the display part of the information search assistance apparatus with which the information search assistance system of this invention is provided. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen displayed on the display part of the information search assistance apparatus with which the information search assistance system of this invention with which content data is displayed is provided. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of operation | movement of the information search assistance apparatus and content server with which the information search assistance system of this invention is provided when a screen display is switched. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen displayed on the display part of the information search assistance apparatus with which the information search assistance system of this invention with which a search by keyword input is provided is provided.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information retrieval support apparatus 2 Content server 3 Communication network 11 CPU
12 memory 13 display unit 14 input unit 15 communication unit 21 CPU
22 Memory 23 Communication Interface 24 Hard Disk 25 Content DB
101 Left / right scroll menu 102 Up / down scroll menu 103 First search item 104 Second search item 120 Keyword input section

Claims (7)

In an information search support method for supporting search when a user searches for desired content data from a plurality of content data stored in a content server connected to a communication network,
Displaying a first scroll menu which is movable in one direction on the display screen of the information search support device used by the user and in which a plurality of first search items are arranged in the one direction;
Receiving a designation of a specific first search item from among a plurality of first search items arranged in the first scroll menu;
A second scroll menu that is movable in the other direction on the display screen and has a plurality of second search items related to the specific first search item arranged in the other direction is displayed on the first scroll menu. Displaying to intersect with the scroll menu;
Receiving a designation of a specific second search item from among a plurality of second search items arranged in the second scroll menu;
And a step of searching the content data related to the specific second search item from the content data. A content server that is connected to a communication network and stores a plurality of content data, and is connected to the content server via the communication network so as to be communicable, and is used when a user searches for desired content data. In an information retrieval support system comprising:
The information search support device includes:
A first display means for displaying a first scroll menu which is movable in one direction on the display screen and in which a plurality of first search items are arranged in the one direction;
First receiving means for receiving designation of a specific first search item from among a plurality of first search items arranged in the first scroll menu;
A second scroll menu that is movable in the other direction on the display screen and has a plurality of second search items related to the specific first search item arranged in the other direction is displayed on the first scroll menu. Second display means for displaying so as to intersect with the scroll menu;
Second accepting means for accepting designation of a specific second search item from among a plurality of second search items arranged in the second scroll menu;
Transmission means for transmitting information indicating the specific second search item to the content server;
The content server
When receiving information indicating the specific second search item, search means for searching the content data related to the second search item from the content data;
Means for transmitting content data searched by the search means to the information search support apparatus. An information search support method, comprising: In an information search support device that is communicably connected to a content server that stores a plurality of content data via a communication network and is used when a user searches for desired content data,
A first display means for displaying a first scroll menu which is movable in one direction on the display screen and in which a plurality of first search items are arranged in the one direction;
First receiving means for receiving designation of a specific first search item from among a plurality of first search items arranged in the first scroll menu;
A second scroll menu that is movable in the other direction on the display screen and has a plurality of second search items related to the specific first search item arranged in the other direction is displayed on the first scroll menu. Second display means for displaying so as to intersect with the scroll menu;
Second accepting means for accepting designation of a specific second search item from among a plurality of second search items arranged in the second scroll menu;
An information search support apparatus comprising: transmission means for transmitting information indicating the specific second search item to the content server. Determination means for determining whether or not the specific second search item received by the second reception means is a search final item;
When the determination unit determines that the specific second search item is not the final search item, the first display unit displays the first scroll menu, and the first reception unit displays the specific first search item. Means for accepting designation, displaying the second scroll menu on the second display means, and causing the second accepting means to accept designation of a specific second search item;
The transmission unit is configured to transmit information indicating the specific second search item to the content server when the determination unit determines that the specific second search item is a final search item. The information search support apparatus according to claim 3.   The information search support device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first search item and / or the second search item are displayed with an icon indicating a search target. A keyword input screen display means for displaying a keyword input screen for inputting a keyword to be searched;
Keyword receiving means for receiving a keyword input on the keyword input screen;
The information search support device according to claim 3, wherein the transmission unit is configured to transmit information indicating a keyword received by the keyword reception unit to the content server. In a computer program for supporting a search when a user searches for desired content data to a computer communicably connected to a content server that stores a plurality of content data via a communication network,
In the computer,
A procedure for displaying a first scroll menu that is movable in one direction on the display screen and in which a plurality of first search items are arranged in the one direction;
A procedure for accepting designation of a specific first search item from among a plurality of first search items arranged in the first scroll menu;
A second scroll menu that is movable in the other direction on the display screen and has a plurality of second search items related to the specific first search item arranged in the other direction is displayed on the first scroll menu. The procedure to make it appear to cross the scroll menu,
A procedure for accepting designation of a specific second search item from among a plurality of second search items arranged in the second scroll menu;
A computer program for causing the content server to transmit information indicating the specific second search item.

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