JP2008046713A - Processing apparatus, method for controlling processing apparatus, and program for controlling processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To match a display with a use environment. <P>SOLUTION: A display control part 20a has an item table 20b prioritizing items according to environmental information, and when receiving an operation input for displaying content from an operation input device 11, acquires content items from the item table 20b, generates display data corresponding to the respective content items, and displays the display data corresponding to the content item that has the highest display priority on the screen of a display 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a processing device that performs processing based on various types of information, a control method for the processing device, and a control program for the processing device.

  In recent computers, a plurality of operation items such as icons and menu items are displayed side by side, and when the user selects these operation items, an application is executed and information is displayed. In addition, in order to acquire information from the Web, target information can be acquired by inputting a keyword with a search engine or the like, or directly inputting a target URL.

  However, with the increase in the number of functions of computers, there are many users who give up using PCs without reaching desired information and applications even within their own PCs, and users who are always frustrated. Moreover, the information on the Web is increasing day by day, and it is almost impossible to input a URL directly. To acquire appropriate information from these vast amounts of information, skilled technology and specialized knowledge are required. It is harsh to request one user.

The following technologies and services are known for dealing with such situations.
That is, in order to cope with an increase in icons, a technique is known in which icon arrangement is automatically changed in order of frequency of use to create an easy-to-use icon menu. (For example, Patent Document 1 etc.)
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-175813

  However, the technique of Patent Document 1 only changes the arrangement order of the icons, and it is unclear which icon should be operated when the user recognizes only the purpose of use. First, for the user, the function of each icon is determined. If it was not understood, it could not be used, and it could not be said that it fully responded to the situation where there are too many options. The same applies to the case where information is prepared on a site on the Web and the technique of Patent Document 1 is applied.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. Even if the user is an expert or a user who does not have specialized knowledge in a computer or Web with excessive information and options, the present invention can provide appropriate information suitable for the purpose of use. It is an object of the present invention to provide a processing device, a processing device control method, and a processing device control program that enable acquisition and execution of an appropriate application.

A processing apparatus that can execute a plurality of processes, and includes a priority setting unit, an operation input unit, and a processing unit.
In the processing apparatus configured as described above, the priority setting unit sets a priority order for each of a plurality of processes according to the environment information indicating the usage environment of the processing apparatus. Then, when the operation input unit receives an operation input from the user, the processing unit causes the process with the highest priority among the plurality of processes to be executed.

  The processing includes acquisition processing of information necessary for the processing, and the processing means performs processing based on the acquired information. Further, display data of the acquired information may be generated in advance. The plurality of processes includes that a plurality of processing targets can be processed in one processing unit, and does not prevent different types of processing executed in one processing unit. In the processing, one or a plurality of display data may be generated corresponding to the processing. When there are a plurality of corresponding display data, each of the plurality of display data corresponding to each processing is provided. Further priority may be set.

  The processing apparatus described above includes various aspects such as being implemented together with other methods in a state of being incorporated in a certain device. The present invention is also applicable to a control method having steps corresponding to the configuration of the above-described apparatus, a program for causing a computer to realize functions corresponding to the above-described apparatus configuration, a computer-readable storage medium storing the program, and the like. Is possible. The inventions of these control methods, control programs, and media on which the programs are recorded also have the above-described operations and effects.

As described above, according to the present invention, a process having a higher priority is selected and executed among a plurality of processes in accordance with the priority order set for each process, so that the process suitable for the use environment is executed. It is possible to provide a processing device.
According to the invention of claim 2, it is possible to execute processing more suitable for the use environment.
According to the invention of claim 3, processing can be executed only during a specific period by setting the period information, and timely processing can be executed.
According to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to obtain information seamlessly by searching from the local and the Web.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to seamlessly acquire information directly from the local site and the Web and start up the application.
Furthermore, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, low priority processing can be executed by a user operation.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
(1) Configuration of the present invention:
(2) Item display processing:

(1) Configuration of the present invention:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a PC (Personal Computer) embodying a processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The PC 10 includes a CPU 10a that forms the center of arithmetic processing, and the CPU 10a can access a ROM 10b and a RAM 10c in which BIOS is recorded via a bus 10h. Also, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 10f as an external storage device is connected to the bus 10h, and the OS and various application programs stored in the HDD 10f are transferred to the RAM 10c. The CPU 10a accesses the ROM 10b and the RAM 10c as appropriate. Various programs are executed while the RAM 10c is used as a temporary work area.

  An operation input device 11 such as a mouse 11a and a keyboard 11b is connected to the USB port 10e, and a predetermined operation input signal is output to the CPU 10a via the bus 10h in accordance with a user operation input. Also, peripheral devices such as a printer 15 are connected to the USB port 10e, and various printing processes are executed in accordance with a print job output by each application executed on the PC 10. A graphic card 10g that converts a video signal into a signal that can be displayed on a display and outputs the signal is connected to the bus 10h, and the video signal is output to the display 13 under the control of the CPU 10a. Furthermore, a LAN cable is connected to the LAN port 10d for external communication so that it can communicate with the Internet or an intranet.

  Although the configuration of the PC 10 has been described in a simplified manner, a PC 10 having a general configuration can be employed. Of course, the computer to which the present invention is applied is not limited to a PC. The external communication need not be limited to that via a LAN cable, and various communication modes such as a telephone line, radio, and infrared can be adopted, and any connection mode developed in the future is the same. In this embodiment, each program is stored in the HDD 10f, but may be stored in various storage media such as an FD (Flexible Disk), a CD-ROM, and a USB memory, or in a storage medium of an external server via a communication line. Of course, it does not matter if it is executed from these storage media.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the PC 10 is connected to the Internet IN via the LAN port 10d, and the server SV1 and the server SV2 are connected to the Internet IN. The server SV1 is a web server (WWW server) or FTP server that publishes a web page (Web Page), an update file, and the like so as to be accessible from the Internet IN. The server SV2 is a search engine having a search database that collects information such as web pages and documents on the Internet IN. The server SV2 searches the search database with a predetermined keyword transmitted via the Internet IN, and the search result is obtained. Reply to the sender. In this embodiment, there are two servers, SV1 and SV2. However, in reality, there may be many web servers, FTP servers, and search servers, and even if these server functions are realized by a single server. Good.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the PC 10.
In the present embodiment, the display processing program 20 performs processing for accessing the OS 21, the Internet IN, and the local search engine 22 as appropriate to acquire information, and storing the acquired information in the HDD 10f. Further, the information is acquired from the HDD 10f and displayed on the display 13. In the present embodiment, description will be made assuming that Windows (registered trademark) is used as the OS 21. However, the OS is not limited to this. In the present invention, “local” means the PC 10 and the LAN to which the PC 10 belongs, and “Web” means the entire Web excluding the local.

  The OS 21 includes at least a management database 21a (for example, a registry in Windows (registered trademark)) that stores hardware configuration information and software configuration information inside the PC 10 on which the OS 21 operates, and a file that stores file names and directory names. A management table 21b, and a timer 21c that holds current time information (including date) and outputs this time information when an external request is received. With this configuration, various programs operating on the OS 21 access the management database 21a to acquire driver information, hardware information, software information, and the like, and access the file management table 21b to acquire file names and directory names. It is possible to acquire a current time information by outputting a request to the timer 21c.

The display processing program 20 includes a display control unit 20a, an item table 20b, a configuration table 20c, and a search engine list 20d.
The display control unit 20a performs communication such as HTTP communication and FTP communication via the Internet IN, communication with the OS 21 and the local search engine, and acquisition of item information in the item table 20b according to the operation input input from the operation input device 11. And update, acquisition and update of each component of the configuration table 20c, recording and reading of information to the HDD 10f, and output of display commands and display data to the graphic card 10g.

  When the display processing program 20 is activated and display data is output to the graphic card 10g, a UI (User Interface) as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the screen. In this UI, main items Item1, Item2, Item3,... Are displayed side by side in the horizontal direction on the main item display section at the top of the UI. Here, for example, when Item1 is selected, the subitems sub1-1, sub1-2, sub1-3,... Associated with Item1 are displayed side by side in the vertical direction on the subitem display section at the lower left of the UI. . Further, when sub1-1 is selected, display data corresponding to the content item with the highest priority among the content items associated with sub1-1 is displayed in the content display section at the lower right of the UI. Of course, the arrangement method of each item in the UI can be selected as appropriate, and the UI shape may be a separate window for the main item display unit, sub-item display unit, and content display unit. And can be adopted.

  The local search engine 22 searches a file name, a directory name, a file content, a registry, and the like stored in the HDD 10f of the PC 10. When the local search engine 22 receives a keyword output from the display control unit 20a, the local search engine 22 executes a search based on the keyword and outputs the search result to the display control unit 20a. In the present embodiment, the local search engine 22 searches the management database 21a and the file management table 21b of the OS 21. When the local search engine 22 is realized as an application outside the display processing program 20, for example, a file name or directory name search application provided in the OS 21, an index search, a search of the management database 21a, Grep, or the like can be considered. Of course, the local search engine may be provided in the display processing program 20.

The configuration table 20c includes device information for specifying each hardware constituting the PC 10, software information for specifying each software constituting the PC 10, and version information for specifying the version of this software. Is done. The device information is a part constituting the PC 10 or a model number (PM-A950 or the like) or a general name (printer or the like) of a peripheral device connected to the PC 10. The software information corresponds to the name of the OS 21 installed in the PC 10 (Windows (registered trademark), etc.), the name of the application (Word (registered trademark), Excel (registered trademark), etc.), the driver provider, and the corresponding driver. Device name, etc. The version information is version information of the OS 21, application, driver, and the like.
The device information, software information, and version information are stored in the management database 21a of the OS 21, and can be obtained by accessing the management database 21a. The display processing program 20 accesses the management database 21a every time it is activated, and obtains the latest information. Of course, the user may be able to manually input and set these pieces of information.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the search engine list 20d includes an ID and a URL, or an ID and a predetermined instruction set. The search engines A to H correspond to those that search the Web, those that search the manufacturer's Web site, the local search engine 22 described above, and the like. Hereinafter, what searches the Web and what searches the Web site are collectively referred to as a Web search engine. The search engine list 20d includes a URL (including an instruction set for specifying a search method and the number of search results) corresponding to the Web search engine, and a local search engine for executing a predetermined search. Some instruction sets are described. The display control unit 20a can acquire a URL and a command set by specifying an ID from the search engine list 20d.

  The figure which shows the structure of the item table 20b in FIGS. 5-7 was shown. The item structure of FIG. 5A is a structure of item information corresponding to the main item of UI, and the item structure of FIG. 5B is a structure of item information corresponding to the sub-item of UI, and FIG. ) Is an item information structure corresponding to a content item. The item information of the main item includes an ID, a title, a display priority, a learning result, and a display deadline. The item information of the sub item includes an ID, a title, a display priority, a learning result, and a display deadline. The item information of the content item includes an ID, a title, a display priority, a learning result, a display deadline, and a content type. Hereinafter, the main item, the sub item, and the content item are collectively referred to as an item.

  ID is an identifier of each item, and is used when the display processing program 20 identifies each item. In FIG. 5, the ID is unique between the main items and between the sub-items, but can be duplicated between the content items. The main item and the sub item associated with the main item have IDs associated with each other. For example, if the main item ID is 5, the associated sub item has 5-1, 5-2, 5 IDs such as -3,. Moreover, the same ID can be attached | subjected to the content item linked | related with the subitem and this subitem. For example, if the sub-item ID is 5-2, the ID of the associated content item can also be 5-2. Of course, the method of assigning the ID is arbitrary, and it is only necessary to be able to determine the association between the main item and the subitem associated therewith, and the subitem and the content item associated therewith.

The title is displayed at the display position of each item in the UI. This title is used so that the user can intuitively grasp the specific purpose of use, and titles such as “application” and “help file” that cannot be specifically understood are not employed. For example, in the case of a main item, “photos and videos”, “documents”, “try to make”, “support”, “setting”, etc. can be adopted. In addition, the item names of the sub-items are divided according to the purpose of use, and user-friendly names that can be grasped at a glance are given. For example, “support” of the main item is associated with “about your model”, “driver update information”, “about consumables”, “print normalization confirmation”, and “see help”. In other words, the specific usage purpose can be grasped, and the title is adapted to the usage purpose of support. This provides an interface that makes it easy to grasp the purpose of each item even for users who did not know what item to select to obtain the desired information or work in a conventional menu structure that was difficult to grasp. can do.
Also, instead of trying to display all types of items comprehensively, only items that meet the needs of the user are displayed according to the display priority described later. That is, items that are unnecessary in the user's hardware environment or software environment are hidden in advance. In addition, items frequently used by the user are displayed with a higher priority, and items not used by the user are displayed with a lower priority. In other words, the items to be displayed are not exhaustive, and only items that are suitable for the user's usage environment are displayed.

  The display priority is to determine which item is preferentially displayed when each item is displayed. In the present embodiment, “display”, “display candidate”, and “non-display” are set roughly as the display priorities, and finer priorities are respectively set. When starting up or selecting an item, items for which “display” is set are displayed. Items for which “display candidates” are set are not displayed unless user settings are made. An item for which “non-display” is set is not displayed even if the user setting is performed. This “non-display” is preferably set to an item in which a display error has occurred or an item outside the display deadline. The display priority is set in advance by the developer, but when the user starts use, a setting value more suitable for the use environment is set based on the contents of the configuration table and the item table. This display priority corresponds to the priority order.

As shown in FIG. 6, the learning result includes an item category, an access count indicating the number of times the item display is selected, and an access date and time indicating the date and time when the item display is selected. Calculation based on a predetermined algorithm is performed from the learning result, and frequency information is calculated. The predetermined algorithm corresponds to, for example, a genetic algorithm or a neural system. The frequency information can be calculated based on the access count and access date / time. The display priority is raised or lowered based on this frequency information.
In addition, it is possible to comprehensively determine the learning result of items having the same category, and to determine the user's preference. That is, the higher the overall display priority of items belonging to a category, the more the user can determine that the category is preferred. For example, when the items belonging to each category are comprehensively determined, if the category having a high display priority is “creative”, the user can determine that he / she is interested in creative things. Therefore, it is possible to perform display more suited to the user's preference by increasing the display priority of items belonging to the “creation” category among items newly added by an update or the like to be described later.

In the display period, the display process of the item in which the display period is set can be executed during the display period, but is not processed outside the display period. The display period designates the beginning and the end by information indicating time such as date, time, and time. Of course, only one of the beginning and the end may be used, and it is possible to display after a certain time by designating only the beginning, or make it impossible to display after a certain time by designating only the end. It is also possible to set to display repeatedly at regular intervals, for example, by specifying a specific period of the year. This display period constitutes period information.
The display processing program 20 that has acquired the information on the display period compares the current time acquired from the timer 21c with the display period of the item. If the current time falls outside the display period, the display processing program 20 sets the display priority of the item. The item is set to “Hide” and excluded from display, and when the current time falls within the display period, the display priority of this item is set to “Display” or “Display candidate” to enable display. As a result, an item for displaying unpublished information, an item expected to be used only at a specific time (new year's card, summer greeting, mother's day, etc.), etc. are displayed in advance as the item table 20b in the display processing program 20 It can be incorporated in the inside, and the update frequency of items can be greatly reduced.

As shown in FIG. 7, there are five types of contents in this embodiment: (a) URL direct designation, (b) Web search, (c) Local direct designation, (d) Local search, and (e) Application activation. is there. FIG. 7A includes a URL and a process (error process) when the URL cannot be connected. FIG. 7B shows a search engine ID associated with one of the Internet search engines in the search engine list 20d shown in FIG. 8 as an example, one or more keywords, and a process when a search cannot be performed (when an error occurs). Processing). FIG. 7C includes a path for specifying a storage location of a file, a directory, or a registry value, and processing (error processing) when the path cannot be accessed. FIG. 7D includes a search engine ID associated with one of the local search engines in the search engine list 20d described later, one or more keywords, and a process (error process) when search is not possible. Is done. FIG. 7E is composed of a path to an execution file of an application and a process (error process) when the execution file cannot be started.
In the error process, the display priority of the content item in error may be “non-display” or the like. As keywords specified for the search, in addition to the items previously described as keywords in the content item, device information, software information, version information, current time information, and the like described in the configuration table 20c are appropriately added to the keywords. . Which information of the configuration table 20c is added to the keyword and which information of the current time information (year, month, day, hour, etc.) is included in the keyword is set in the keyword column of the content item in advance. .

For example, if the content to be searched for the printer driver has “driver” as a predetermined keyword and is set to include the model number and OS name, “driver”, “PM-A950 (printer 15 model number)”, “Windows XP ( "Registered Trademark) (name of OS 21)" is searched, and a search result relating to a printer driver suitable for the user's usage environment can be obtained.
That is, a predetermined keyword for acquiring target information and a key for selecting information obtained from the configuration table and adding it to the keyword are set in the search keyword. Therefore, a user who is not familiar with computers and the Web can acquire suitable search results without suffering from selection of search keywords, and does not need to be aware of how information is acquired.

These items can be updated by updating. In this update, you can update not only items that can be published at the moment and items that are currently displayed in the user's environment, but also updaters that are currently scheduled to be released in the future and updaters that are not currently required by users. is there.
For example, an item related to a model scheduled to be released several months later can be updated before the release by setting the display period after the release date (predetermined date and time), and this item is not displayed until the predetermined date and time. Accordingly, the supplier can reduce the number of updates and save the update, and the user can acquire timely information on the release date.
Also, items relating to devices, software, etc. that are not currently used by the user can be provided in advance as updaters. Items related to devices and software before use are set to “hidden” and are not displayed by this item, and the user is not confused. On the other hand, when the user starts using a device, software, or the like, the configuration table 20c is updated, so that the item is set to “display” or “display candidate”, and the item is displayed.
Therefore, the user can acquire information on devices and software in a timely manner. Further, the supplier can automatically display information for correction when the user starts using the device, software, or the like, and avoid user complaints. Of course, since the user can start using the device or software, and at the same time, can solve the conventional problems, the convenience is improved.

  In addition, each item is updated each time an item is selected and input. The main update target is the learning result and the display priority, but it is a matter of course that other components are also updated. That is, the display processing program 20 temporarily stores the number of times each item is selected during execution in the buffer of the RAM 10c or the HDD 10f, updates the learning result at the end, and displays it based on the updated learning result. Update the priority. By updating this component, it is possible to display more appropriately in accordance with the use state of the user. Of course, the update of the constituent elements may be performed collectively when the display processing program 20 ends.

  Moreover, it is good also as a structure which displays this information preferentially, when the information which a user wants to know or the information which a user wants to notify is updated. That is, information on the content is acquired by accessing an information location such as a URL or a path included in the content item. The information related to the content may be a time stamp or RSS (RDF (Resource Description Framework) Site Summary / Rich Site Summary / Really Simple Syndication) in addition to the information itself existing at the information location. When acquiring the information location information itself or acquiring a time stamp, the information at the previous access is stored as a buffer in advance and compared. When confirming by RSS, the URL of RSS is also described in the content item. That is, the information regarding the content and the buffered information at the time of the previous access, the result of comparing them, or RSS constitutes the update information. When the update information indicates content update, the display priority of the content item is increased.

  As described above, the display table 20c, the learning result and period information of each item in the item table, and the update information constitute the environment information, and the display control unit 20a sets the display priority of each item based on the environment information. Constitutes a priority setting means.

(2) Item display processing:
Hereinafter, the item display processing of the display control unit 20a will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 is a flowchart showing an item display process, FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a content item display process, FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a Web search process, FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a local search process, and FIG. 13 specifies a URL. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the information acquisition process, and FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the information acquisition process specifying a local path.

A user of the PC 10 can start the display processing program 20 by performing an operation for starting the display processing program 20 via the operation input device 11. Steps S <b> 10 to S <b> 60 in FIG. 9 are a flow showing display processing of the display processing program 20. Hereinafter, the description of “step” is omitted. When receiving the input of the same operation from the user, the display processing program 20 first acquires all main items from the item table 20b in S10, performs a process of displaying the main items on the screen, and proceeds to S15.
That is, the display control unit 20a generates display data of the main item, sends the display data and a control signal instructing display processing of the display data to the graphic card 10g, and receives the display data and the control signal. The card 10 g generates a video signal that can be displayed on the display 13 based on the display data and outputs the video signal to the display 13. Hereinafter, when the display control unit 20a displays the display data on the screen, the graphic card 10g that has received the display data and the control signal from the display control unit 20a performs the same processing, and displays the video corresponding to the display data on the display 13. Shall be displayed on the screen.

  In S15, all the sub items associated with the selected main item are acquired from the item table 20b, and the acquired sub items are displayed on the screen, and the process proceeds to S25. That is, the display control unit 20a generates display data for the sub items and displays the display data on the screen.

  In S25, it is determined whether or not an operation input for selecting any of the sub-items has been received from the operation input device 11. For example, the user can select the sub item by clicking the icon of the mouse 11a in accordance with the position where the sub item is displayed. If an operation input for selecting any of the sub-items is accepted, the process proceeds to S35 as the condition is satisfied, and if not, the process proceeds to S30 as the condition is not satisfied.

  In S30, it is determined whether or not an operation input for selecting any main item from the operation input device 11 has been received. The user can select with the mouse 11a as in S25. When an operation input for selecting any of the main items is received, the process from S15 is repeated as the condition is satisfied, and when the operation input is not received, the process from S25 is repeated as the condition is not satisfied.

In S35, a content display process for displaying the content of the content item associated with the sub-item selected in S30 on the screen is performed. As described above, the display control unit 20a that receives the operation input for selecting the sub item from the operation input device 11 in S25 and starts the content display processing constitutes the operation input unit.
S100 to S160 in FIG. 10 is a flow showing content display processing. In S100 of the content display process shown in the figure, the content item associated with the sub-item input in S30 is acquired from the item table 20b, and the process proceeds to S105.

  In S105, the display priority of the content item acquired in S100 is determined. In the case of “display” or “display candidate”, the condition is satisfied and the process proceeds to S110. On the other hand, in the case of “non-display”, the process proceeds to S155. That is, the processing of S110 to S150 is not performed on the content item whose display priority is set to “non-display” and is not displayed because it is not added to the display list described later.

  In S110, it is determined whether or not the content item acquired in S100 is a content item for starting an application. If it is a content item that starts an application, the process proceeds to S115 as a condition is satisfied, and if it is not a content item that starts an application, the process proceeds to S120 as a condition is not satisfied. If it progresses to S115, this content item will be preserve | saved at a display list, and will progress to S155. The display list is stored in the buffer area of the HDD 10f or the RAM 10c. In the display list, at least an ID, a title, and a display priority are stored.

  In S120, it is determined whether or not the content item acquired in S100 is a content item for performing a Web search. If the content item is a web search, the condition is satisfied and the process proceeds to S125. If the content item is not a web search, the process proceeds to S130.

  S200 to 215 in FIG. 11 is a flow showing the Web search process performed in S125. In the Web search process shown in the figure, a Web search is first performed in S200. That is, the URL of the search engine in the search engine list 20d and the keyword described in the content item are acquired based on the search engine ID described in the content item acquired in S100. A search request based on the acquired URL and keyword is output to the server SV2 via the LAN port 10d. When the server SV2 receives a search request from the PC 10, the server SV2 searches the search database based on the search request and returns the search result to the PC 10 via the Internet. The display control unit 20a receives this response via the LAN port 10d. In addition, when the server SV2 is down, when it is not possible to connect to the Internet, when communication with the SV2 fails due to the Internet communication environment, when the server SV2 fails to search, etc. If no response is received for a predetermined time, it is determined that the search has failed and the process proceeds to S205.

  In S205, it is determined whether the search is successful or unsuccessful based on the search result received in S200. That is, if the server SV2 succeeds in the search and receives a result that matches the search condition, the process proceeds to S215 as the condition is satisfied, and if the result that satisfies the search condition is not obtained from the server SV2, the process proceeds to S210 as the condition is not satisfied. When the processing proceeds to S210, the processing at the time of error described in the content item is executed, and then the Web search processing of FIG. 11 is terminated and the processing returns to the content display processing of FIG. 10, and the processing from S155 is continued. That is, the content item whose condition is not satisfied in S205 is not displayed because it is not added to the display list.

  In S215, the display priority “display” is set to the search result most relevant to the search keyword among the search results and added to the display list. Since the search results of the search engine are generally displayed in order from the highest correlation, the result located at the top of the search results can be regarded as the most relevant. Of course, the second and subsequent search results may be highly relevant, and any of the second and subsequent search results may be most relevant. In addition, when the user selects display of a lower search result in the “next candidate” described later, the search result of the rank selected from the next time may be set as the most relevant search result. On the other hand, a display priority “display candidate” is set for a search result with low relevance among the search results and added to the display list. Since it is considered that there are many search results for search results with low relevance, the search results may be added up to a predetermined order. In this search result, only a link may be acquired and added to the display list, or a link destination Web page or file may be stored in advance as a buffer and a link to this buffer may be added to the display list. When S215 ends, the Web search process in FIG. 11 ends, the process returns to the content display process in FIG. 10, and the process from S155 is continued.

  In S130, it is determined whether or not the content item acquired in S100 is a content item for which a local search is performed. If it is a content item that performs a local search, the process proceeds to S135 because the condition is satisfied, and if it is not a content item that performs a local search, the process proceeds to S140.

S300 to 315 in FIG. 12 are a flow showing the local search processing performed in S135. In the local search process shown in the figure, first, a local search is performed in S300. That is, a predetermined command set of the search engine list 20d and a keyword described in the content item are acquired based on the search engine ID described in the content item acquired in S100. Then, a search request based on the acquired instruction set and keyword is output to the local search engine 22.
When receiving the search request, the local search engine 22 searches the search database based on the search request and outputs the search result to the display control unit 20a. Upon receiving this output, the display control unit 20a proceeds to S305. In addition, when the desired local search engine does not exist on the PC 10, it is not possible to connect to the local search engine, when communication with the local search engine fails, when the Locak search engine fails to search, etc. In such a case, it is determined that the search has failed when there is no response for a predetermined time, and the process proceeds to S305.

  In S305, it is determined whether the search is successful or unsuccessful based on the search result received in S300. That is, if the display control unit 20a receives a result that the local search engine succeeds in the search and matches the search condition, the process proceeds to S315 as the condition is satisfied, and the display control unit 20a cannot receive the search result that matches the search condition. In this case, the condition is not satisfied and the process proceeds to S310. In S310, the process at the time of error described in the content item is executed, and then the local search process in FIG. 12 is terminated and the process returns to the content display process in FIG. That is, the process from S155 is continued. That is, the content item whose condition is not satisfied in S305 is not displayed because it is not added to the display list.

  In S315, the link of the search result having the highest relevance to the search keyword is added to the display list with the display priority as “display” from the received search results, and the link of the search result having the low relevance among the search results The display priority is set to “display candidate” and added to the display list. The relevance is the same as in the case of the Web search process. When S315 ends, the Web search process in FIG. 12 ends, the process returns to the content display process in FIG. 10, and the process from S155 is continued.

  In S140, it is determined whether or not the content item acquired in S100 is a content item that directly specifies a URL to acquire information. If the content item is a content item that directly specifies a URL, the process proceeds to S145 as a condition is satisfied, If it is not a content item for which direct URL designation is performed, the process proceeds to S150.

  S400 to 425 in FIG. 13 is a flow showing the URL direct designation processing performed in S145. In the URL direct designation process shown in the figure, a URL is first designated in S400 to access this URL. That is, a connection request based on the URL described in the content item acquired in S100 is output to the server SV1 via the Internet. When the server SV1 accepts the connection request, the server SV1 determines whether or not connection to the URL is possible. If the connection is possible, the server SV1 replies to that effect. On the other hand, when connection is impossible (for example, when there is no URL or when there is no access authority for the URL), a response to that effect is sent. The display control unit 20a receives this response via the LAN port 10d, and proceeds to S405 when the response is received. If communication is impossible, it is determined that connection is impossible, and the process proceeds to S405 after a predetermined time.

  In S405, it is determined whether the response received in S400 is connectable or not connectable. If a response indicating that the connection is possible is received, the process proceeds to S415 as the condition is satisfied, and if a response indicating that the connection is not possible is received, the process proceeds to S410 as the condition is not satisfied. When the process proceeds to S410, the process at the time of error described in the content item is executed, and then the URL direct designation process in FIG. 13 is terminated, the process returns to the content display process in FIG. 10, and the process from S155 is continued. That is, the content item whose condition is not satisfied in S405 is not displayed because it is not added to the display list.

  In S415, the server SV1 is requested to output information, and information is received from the server SV1. The information received in S420 is stored in a buffer. In step S425, a link for this buffer is added to the display list with a display priority “display”. Of course, the URL may be added to the display list without storing the information in the buffer. When S425 ends, the URL direct designation process in FIG. 13 is terminated, the process returns to the content display process in FIG. 10, and the process from S155 is continued.

  S500 to 525 in FIG. 14 is a flow showing the local direct designation processing performed in S150. In the local direct designation process shown in FIG. 3, first, a path is designated in S400 to access this path. This path corresponds to information indicating the location of information existing on the PC 10 such as a file existing in a predetermined directory or a registry value existing at a predetermined position in the registry. That is, a connection request based on the path described in the content item acquired in S100 is output to the OS 21. When receiving the connection request, the OS 21 determines whether or not connection to this path is possible. If the connection is possible, the OS 21 replies that connection is possible. On the other hand, when connection is impossible (for example, when the path does not exist or when there is no access authority for the path), a response indicating that connection is impossible is returned. The display control unit 20a receives this response from the OS 21, and proceeds to S505 when receiving it. If communication with the OS 21 is not possible, it is assumed that a reply indicating that connection is impossible has been received, and the process proceeds to S505 after a predetermined time.

  In S505, it is determined whether the response received in S500 is connectable or not connectable. That is, if a response indicating that the connection is possible is received, the process proceeds to S515 as the condition is satisfied, and if a response indicating that the connection is not possible is received, the process proceeds to S510 as the condition is not satisfied. In S510, the process at the time of error described in the content item is executed. Then, the local direct designation process in FIG. 14 is terminated, the process returns to the content display process in FIG. 10, and the process from S155 is continued. That is, the content item whose condition is not satisfied in S505 is not displayed because it is not added to the display list.

  When the process proceeds to S515, an output request for information or a file existing in the path is output to receive information from the OS 21, and the process proceeds to S520. In S520, the received information is stored in a buffer. In S525, the link to this buffer is set to the display priority “display” and added to the display list. Of course, you can add the path to the display list without saving the information in the buffer. When S525 ends, the local direct designation process in FIG. 14 ends and the process returns to the content display process in FIG. That is, the process from S155 is continued.

  In S155, it is determined whether or not processing has been performed for all of the content items associated with the sub items in the content display processing. If the processing has been completed for all content items, the condition is satisfied and the process proceeds to S160. On the other hand, if the processing for all the content items is not completed, the processing from S100 is repeated because the condition is not satisfied.

  In S160, the display priority of the content item added to the display list is compared, and the information of the content item with the highest priority is displayed on the screen as the content of the sub item. When a plurality of content items with “display” set in the display list are registered, the operation item “next candidate” is displayed. When this “next candidate” is selected, the content items having “display” set in the display list are sequentially displayed with the second or lower display priority. Note that content items for which “display candidates” are set are not displayed unless user settings are made. When S160 ends, the content item display process in FIG. 10 ends and the process returns to the item display process in FIG. That is, S35 is ended and the processing from S40 is continued.

  In S <b> 40, it is determined whether an operation input for selecting any of the main items has been received from the operation input device 11. When an operation input for selecting one of the main items is accepted, the process from S15 is performed as a condition is satisfied, and when it is not accepted, the process proceeds to S45 as a condition is not satisfied.

  In S45, it is determined whether or not an operation input for selecting any of the sub-items has been received from the operation input device 11. If an operation input for selecting one of the sub-items is accepted, the process from S35 is repeated as the condition is satisfied, and if not, the process proceeds to S50 as the condition is not satisfied.

  In S <b> 50, it is determined whether an operation input for selecting “next candidate” is received from the operation input device 11. If an operation input for selecting “next candidate” is received, the process proceeds to S55 as the condition is satisfied, and if not, the process proceeds to S65 as the condition is not satisfied.

  In S55, the content item whose display priority is set next to the content currently displayed in the display list is acquired, and the process proceeds to S60. In S60, the content acquired in S55 is displayed on the screen.

  As described above, the display control unit 20a that executes the processes of steps S10 to S45 constitutes a processing unit that executes the process with the highest priority among the plurality of processes when an operation input is received. The display control unit 20a that performs the processing of S160 to display the operation item of “next candidate” and the processing of S50 to S60 that displays the content item having a low display priority when the operation item is input by the operation is performed according to a predetermined operation. When an input is received, a processing unit is configured to display on the screen a result of processing having a lower priority than the processing being displayed on the screen. Further, the display control unit 20a that executes the processes of steps S200 to S215 and S160 constitutes a Web search display process, and the display processing unit 20a that executes the processes of steps S300 to S315 and S160 constitutes a local search and display process. The display control unit 20a that executes the processes of steps S400 to S425 and S160 constitutes the URL information display process, the display control unit 20a that executes the processes of steps S500 to S525 and S160 constitutes the local information display process, and step S115. And the display control part 20a which performs the process of S160 comprises an application process.

  As described above, the user can display necessary information only for the purpose of use without being aware of whether the information corresponding to the content item is acquired from the Web or acquired locally. Therefore, it is possible to provide a processing apparatus capable of seamlessly acquiring information from the Web and the local.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, but the configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments and modifications are mutually replaced, the combinations are changed, known techniques, and the above-described configurations. Configurations in which the respective configurations disclosed in the embodiments and modifications are mutually replaced or combinations thereof are also included.

It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of PC concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the communication environment of PC concerning this embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the system configuration | structure of PC concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of an item table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of an item table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of an item table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of an item table. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a search engine list. It is a flowchart which shows the display process of an item. It is a flowchart which shows the display process of a content item. It is a flowchart which shows Web search processing. It is a flowchart which shows a local search process. It is a flowchart which shows the information acquisition process which designated URL. It is a flowchart which shows the information acquisition process which designated the local path | pass.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... PC (Personal Computer) 10a ... CPU 10b ... ROM 10c ... RAM 10d ... LAN port 10e ... USB port 10f ... HDD (Hard Disc Drive) 10g ... Graphic card 10h ... Bus 11 ... Mouse 12 ... Keyboard 13 ... Display 15 ... Printer SV1, SV2 ... Server IN ... Internet 20 ... Display processing program 20a ... Display control unit 20b ... Item table 20c ... Configuration table 20d ... Search engine list 21 ... OS (Operating System) 21a ... Management database 21b ... File management table 21c ... Timer 22 ... Local search engine

Claims (8)

A processing device capable of executing a plurality of processes,
Priority order setting means for setting a priority order for each of a plurality of processes in accordance with environment information representing the use environment of the processing apparatus;
An operation input means for receiving an operation input from a user;
Processing means for executing a process having the highest priority among the plurality of processes when the operation input is received;
A processing apparatus comprising: The above environmental information
The device information for identifying the device constituting the processing apparatus, the software information for identifying the software constituting the processing apparatus, the version information for identifying the version of the software, and the above processing are executed. Including one or a combination of frequency information indicating the frequency of the data, period information indicating the execution period of the process, and update information indicating whether or not the data to be processed is updated. The processing apparatus according to claim 1. The environment information includes period information indicating an execution period of the process,
The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the priority order setting unit sets a process outside the period of the period information so as not to be a processing target. The above environmental information
Any or a combination of device information for specifying devices constituting the processing device, software information for specifying software constituting the processing device, and version information for specifying the version of the software Including
The above processes are
Web search and display processing for displaying information acquired as a result of performing a Web search using any one or combination of a predetermined keyword, device information, software information and version information as a search keyword;
Information obtained as a result of performing a local search for searching for information stored in the storage medium of the processing apparatus by specifying any one or a combination of a predetermined keyword, device information, software information, and version information as a search keyword Local search display processing to display,
Any one or combination of these is included, The processing apparatus in any one of the said Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The above processes are
URL information display processing for accessing a predetermined URL and displaying information acquired from the URL;
Local information display processing for accessing a predetermined information location in the storage medium of the processing apparatus and displaying information acquired from the information location;
Application processing for starting a predetermined application;
The processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising any one of or a combination thereof. The processing means includes
The result of one or more processes including the process with the highest priority among the plurality of processes is displayed on the screen.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein when a predetermined operation input is received from the operation input means, a result of a process having a lower priority than a result of the process being displayed on the screen is displayed on the screen. The processing apparatus of crab. A method of controlling a processing apparatus capable of executing a plurality of processes,
A priority setting step for setting a priority for each of a plurality of processes in accordance with environment information representing the use environment of the processing apparatus;
An operation input process for receiving an operation input from a user;
When receiving the operation input, a processing step of executing the highest priority processing among the plurality of processing,
A control method comprising: A control program for a processing apparatus capable of executing a plurality of processes,
A priority setting function for setting a priority for each of a plurality of processes in accordance with environment information representing the use environment of the processing apparatus;
An operation input function for receiving an operation input from a user;
A processing function that, when receiving the operation input, executes a process with the highest priority among the plurality of processes;
A control program for causing a computer to realize the above.

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