JP2009069875A - Content retrieval device, content retrieval method, program and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a content retrieval device and a content retrieval method for enabling a user to easily repeat keyword retrieval. <P>SOLUTION: A retrieval device 200 is provided with a storage part 212-2 for storing a plurality of keywords for retrieval; an extraction means 206-1 for extracting a first keyword group as a selection candidate from among keywords for retrieval; an output means 214-1 for outputting the extracted keyword group; an acceptance means 205-1 for accepting the selection of a first keyword; and a retrieval means 206-2 for retrieving content based on the selected first keyword when the first keyword is selected. The extraction means extracts a second keyword group different from the first keyword group as the next selection candidate from among the plurality of keywords for retrieval stored in the storage part. An output means 214-1 outputs information showing the content retrieved by the retrieval means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a content search device for searching for content such as still images and moving images based on keywords, a content search system including the content search device, and a program for operating a computer as the content search device. And a storage medium in which the program is stored.

  Currently, a large amount of text content distributed on the Internet and image content, music content, and moving image content (hereinafter referred to as content) to which text information is added are becoming available on a wide variety of devices. Many search engines having a keyword search function are provided as systems that support the operation of selecting useful content from a large amount of content. In the keyword search, content in which a keyword given by the user appears is extracted from the available content group and presented.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-336097 (Patent Document 1) inputs a keyword related to desired information (video program) to obtain a list of selectable information (video program) related to the keyword from the main apparatus. Receive and display, select desired information (video program) from the displayed list, supply a request signal indicating the selected information (video program) to the main unit, and based on this request signal A terminal device that displays information data (video data) supplied from the device is disclosed. In the terminal device, desired information (video program) can be displayed at an arbitrary time, and the usability of the terminal device can be improved.

In addition, Goro Otsubo, “How to browse more than a thousand videos from Goromi-TV”, WISS 2006 Proceedings, Internet <URL: http://www.wiss.org/WISS2006Proceedings/papers/Goromi-TV_- With the technology disclosed in _Exploration_for_thousands / gtv.pdf>, the initial keyword is displayed on the left side of the screen when activated, and when an arbitrary keyword is selected, program information that matches the selected keyword is displayed on the right side of the screen. Is done. The keyword on the left side of the screen displays a word with a high frequency among words appearing in the information of the upper program of the program that matches the selected keyword.
JP-A-8-336097 Gotsuro Otsubo, “How to browse more than a thousand videos from Goromi-TV”, WISS 2006 Proceedings, Internet <URL: http://www.wiss.org/WISS2006Proceedings/papers/Goromi-TV_-_Exploration_for_thousands/ gtv.pdf>

  However, when performing a keyword search as disclosed in JP-A-8-336097 (Patent Document 1), the user needs to input a keyword. It is a burden on the user to come up with an appropriate keyword that is necessary for obtaining the target content. In addition, there are cases where the input of characters itself is a burden, and in particular, inputting characters using an input device that does not have a keyboard, such as a remote controller or a mobile phone, places a heavy burden on the user.

  Further, in searching for a large amount of content, it is not always possible to obtain target content with a single search. In a keyword input type search device, steps such as keyword input by a user, a search instruction after input, and acquisition of search results are required. Even if the search result is obtained, if the target content is not included in the search result, it is necessary to repeat the operation by the user such as inputting another keyword and supporting the search again. In searching with a large amount of content, it is necessary to be able to smoothly repeat such operations.

  And, Goro Otsubo, “How to browse more than a thousand videos from Goromi-TV”, WISS 2006 Proceedings, Internet <URL: http://www.wiss.org/WISS2006Proceedings/papers/Goromi-TV_- The technique disclosed by _Exploration_for_thousands / gtv.pdf> is a technique for browsing TV programs that have been taken and stored, and is not sufficient for browsing a large amount of content distributed on the Internet. This is because it is difficult to reach a favorite content if there is no user's favorite keyword among the initial keywords.

  More specifically, when you select a keyword on the initial keyword screen, the subsequent keywords are extracted from the keywords with the highest frequency of program information that matches the selected keyword. In this case, there is a high possibility that a program that matches a keyword that is not a favorite keyword is also unfavorable, and that a keyword extracted from information on a program that is not a favorite is also not likely to be a favorite. In this way, there is a possibility that the user will not be able to reach the favorite content indefinitely. Therefore, it is desirable that the keyword presented on the initial screen is easy for the user to select.

  The keywords after the initial stage are extracted from the information of the program that matches the keyword selected immediately before, but it is necessary to analyze the information of the program and to know the format of the information in advance. Also, if the format changes, the analysis program needs to change. Since the content meta information format of content distributed on the Internet varies depending on the content providing site and may change, it takes time to prepare an analysis program for each site and for each change. . From the above, when browsing content on the Internet, it is not appropriate to extract the next keyword from content information.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a content search apparatus and a content search method that allow a user to easily repeat a keyword search.

  A content search device according to an aspect of the present invention extracts a first keyword group as a selection candidate from a storage unit storing a plurality of search keywords and a plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit Means, output means for outputting information indicating the keyword group extracted by the extracting means, accepting means for accepting selection of the first keyword from the first keyword group, and when the first keyword is selected, Search means for searching for content based on the selected first keyword, and the extraction means includes a plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit when the first keyword is selected. The second keyword group that is different from the first keyword group is extracted as the next selection candidate, and the output means is the content searched by the search means. And outputs information indicating.

  According to this aspect, since the second keyword is extracted and presented when the user selects the first keyword, the keyword search can be easily repeated. This is particularly effective when searching for content from a large amount of content.

  Preferably, the output unit displays information indicating the searched content and the extracted second keyword group side by side.

  Preferably, the reception unit receives a first switching request for switching between a screen displaying information indicating the searched content and a screen displaying the extracted second keyword group, and the output unit includes the first switching unit. In response to the switching request, one of the two screens is selectively switched.

  Preferably, the accepting unit accepts either the selection of content or the selection of the second keyword, the output unit outputs the content when the content is selected, and the search unit receives the second keyword. When selected, the content is searched based on the selected second keyword.

  Preferably, the output unit displays the content and the extracted second keyword group side by side.

  In this case, by displaying both the keyword for the next search and the content search result, the user selects the content from the content search result to browse the content, or selects another keyword to select the content. Can be selected again while comparing the search result of the content with the keyword.

  Preferably, the reception unit receives a second switching request for switching between a screen displaying content and a screen displaying the extracted second keyword group, and the output unit responds to the second switching request. Select one of the two screens selectively.

Preferably, the output means displays a button corresponding to each keyword.
Preferably, the output means changes a display type of a character string displayed as a button based on the number of characters of the keyword.

  Preferably, the content search device further includes a display unit that displays an output from the output unit.

  Preferably, the storage unit stores the search keyword in association with the preference information, and the extraction unit selects the first and second search keywords from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit based on the preference information. A keyword group is extracted.

  Preferably, the storage unit stores degree-of-association information with another keyword for each keyword, and the extraction unit selects the first and second search keywords stored in the storage unit based on the degree-of-relationship information. A second keyword group is extracted.

  Preferably, the search means extracts meta information related to the searched content, generates summary information of the content based on the meta information, and the output means outputs the representative screen and summary information of each content as the content search result. Is output.

  Preferably, the output unit receives the third switching request during the display of the content and outputs another searched content.

  Preferably, the storage unit stores the selected first keyword, the receiving unit receives a request for instructing a search condition, and the search unit stores the request in the storage unit according to the instructed search condition. The content corresponding to the selected first keyword and the second keyword selected after the request is searched.

  Preferably, the storage unit stores the search keyword in association with the search field, the reception unit receives a request for performing the field search, and the output unit selects a plurality of search fields in response to the field search request. Output as a keyword, the accepting means accepts selection of a search field, and the searching means searches for content corresponding to the selected search field.

  Preferably, the storage unit stores a plurality of fixed keywords, the receiving unit receives a request for outputting the fixed keywords, and the output unit reads the plurality of fixed keywords from the storage unit and outputs them as a first keyword group. The accepting unit accepts selection of a fixed keyword.

  Preferably, the storage unit stores the keyword extracted by the extraction unit, the reception unit receives a request for output of a new keyword, and the extraction unit receives from the storage unit in response to a request for output of a new keyword. An unoutput keyword is extracted, the output means outputs an unoutput keyword, and the accepting means accepts selection of the keyword.

  Preferably, the content search device further includes a communication unit that makes a search request to an external content server based on a keyword selected via the network and acquires a search result from the content server.

  Preferably, the content search device further includes update means for updating a search keyword stored in the storage unit.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a content search method using a computer, and the computer includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of search keywords, and an arithmetic processing unit that searches for content based on the keywords. In the content search method, the operation processing unit extracts the first keyword group as a selection candidate from a plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit, and the operation processing unit is extracted by the extraction unit. A step of outputting information indicating the keyword group, a step of accepting the selection of the first keyword from the first keyword group, and a step of computing the processing unit when the first keyword is selected. The step of searching for content based on the selected first keyword, and the arithmetic processing unit has selected the first keyword And a step of extracting a second keyword group different from the first keyword group from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit as a next selection candidate, and an arithmetic processing unit Outputting information to indicate.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to execute content search processing, the computer including a storage unit that stores a plurality of search keywords and an arithmetic processing unit that executes the process, A step of extracting a first keyword group as a selection candidate from a plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit, a step of outputting information indicating the extracted keyword group to the arithmetic processing unit; Receiving a selection of a first keyword from the keyword group, searching for content based on the selected first keyword when the first keyword is selected, and selecting the first keyword A second key different from the first keyword group among the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit Extracting over de group as the next selection candidates, and outputting information indicating the searched content, it is executed.

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute content search processing, wherein the computer stores a plurality of search keywords and an operation for executing the processing A processing unit is provided, and a step of extracting the first keyword group as a selection candidate from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit and information indicating the extracted keyword group are output to the arithmetic processing unit. A step of accepting selection of a first keyword from the first keyword group, a step of searching for content based on the selected first keyword when the first keyword is selected, When one keyword is selected, a first keyword group is selected from a plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit. Extracting a different second keyword group as the next selection candidates, and outputting information indicating the searched content, the program for the execution records.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the user can easily repeat the keyword search. In addition, since the first and second keyword groups are output, the user does not need to input the keywords and the search operation is facilitated. The keyword selection operation can be performed by a simple operation by the user, and is effective even in a device with a poor input device that does not have a keyboard.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and when the names and functions of the parts are the same, detailed description of the parts will not be repeated.

[Embodiment 1]
<Overall configuration>
First, the overall configuration of the content search apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. The content search device according to the present embodiment is a device for searching for content such as still images and moving images based on keywords, and is typically a recording / playback device such as a hard disk recorder or the like, This is realized by a computer system including a computer and a workstation. The content search process performed by the content search apparatus is realized by software executed on a recording / playback apparatus such as a hard disk recorder, a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. Hereinafter, as an example of the content search device, a computer system including a computer functioning as a recording / playback device having a hard disk, a monitor (display), and the like will be described.

  The content search device according to the present embodiment is substantially stored in hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a storage device, a program executed by the CPU, and the storage device. It is realized by data. FIG. 1 is a control block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a computer system 200 as an example of a content search apparatus.

  Referring to FIG. 1, this computer system 200 includes a computer 220 having an optical disk drive 201 and a magnetic disk drive 202, a monitor 203, and a remote controller 204.

  In addition to the optical disk drive 201 and the magnetic disk drive 202, the computer 220 is connected to a remote controller interface (remote controller I / F) 205 that receives a signal from the remote controller 204, a CPU 206, and the optical disk drive 201 and the magnetic disk drive 202. Connected to the bus 207 and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 208 connected to the bus 207 to store a boot-up program and the like, and also connected to the bus 207 to store program instructions, system programs, work data, and the like. RAM (Random Access Memory) 209.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the computer 220 further includes a communication interface 213 for providing a connection to the content server 251 via the network 250. In addition, the computer 220 includes a display unit interface 214 for outputting a keyword, content, and the like described later on a display device such as a monitor (display) 203 or a projector.

  A program and other input information for causing the computer 220 to realize the function of the content search apparatus are stored in the optical disk 210 or the magnetic disk 211 inserted into the optical disk drive 201 or the magnetic disk drive 202, and further transferred to the hard disk 212. Is done. Alternatively, the program and input information may be transmitted to the computer 220 through a network (not shown) and stored in the hard disk 212. The program is loaded into the RAM 209 when executed. The program may be loaded into the RAM 209 directly from the optical disk 210 or the magnetic disk 211 or via a network.

  This program includes a plurality of instructions for causing the computer 220 to realize the function of the search device according to the present embodiment. Some of the basic functions necessary to implement these functions are provided by operating system (OS) or third party programs running on the computer 220 or modules of various toolkits installed on the computer 220. . Therefore, this program does not necessarily include all the functions necessary for realizing the functions of the search device according to this embodiment. This program need only include instructions for executing the above-described control of the search device by calling an appropriate function or “tool” in a controlled manner so as to obtain a desired result. . The operation of computer 220 is well known and will not be repeated here.

  Note that a recording medium on which a program for realizing the function of the search device and other input information is recorded is a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), an MO (Magneto-Optical disc), an MD (Mini Disc). And an optical disk 210 such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) and a magnetic disk 211 such as an FD (Flexible Disk) and a hard disk. However, the recording media are not limited to these, and tapes such as magnetic tapes and cassette tapes, card-type recording media such as IC (Integrated Circuit) cards and optical cards, mask ROMs, EPROMs (Erasable Programmable ROMs), EEPROMs (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) and semiconductor memory such as flash ROM may be used. However, the computer 220 needs to be equipped with a reading device for reading a program from these recording media.

  A monitor (display) 203 is composed of a liquid crystal panel and a CRT, and displays information output by the CPU 206 and the like via the display unit interface 214.

  The remote controller 204 transmits a signal corresponding to the pressed button to the computer 220 via infrared rays or the like, and receives information from the user.

  The RAM 209 stores various types of information. The ROM 208 stores programs executed by the CPU 206 and data for execution.

  The hard disk 212 is a mass storage device that stores content data such as still images and moving images.

  The CPU 206 controls each element of the computer 220 and is a device that performs various calculations. As will be described later, the CPU 206 performs content search processing and the like, and outputs the processing result to the monitor 203, ROM 208, RAM 209, etc. via the internal bus 207. More specifically, in the above-described various processes, for example, programs related to various processing procedures (various image processing algorithms) stored in the ROM 208 or the hard disk 212 are once read into the RAM 209 and read out. This is realized by executing the program on the CPU 206.

  The communication interface 213 and the display unit interface 214 convert information output from the CPU 206 into electrical signals, and are devices that convert information output from the CPU 206 into signals that can be used by other devices. The communication interface 213 is also a device that receives information input from the outside of the computer 220 according to the present embodiment and converts it into information that can be used by the CPU 206. An output device other than the monitor 203 such as a printer can be connected to the display unit interface 214 as necessary.

  As already described, the content search apparatus and content search processing according to the present embodiment are realized by software executed by computer hardware (CPU 206). In general, such software is stored in a recording medium such as the DVD 210 and the disk 211 or distributed via a network or the like. The software is read from the recording medium by the optical disk drive 201 or the magnetic disk drive 202 or received by the communication interface 213 and stored in the hard disk 212. Then, it is read from the hard disk 212 to the RAM 209 and executed by the CPU 206.

<Functional configuration>
Next, each function of the content search apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of the content search apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, various content search processing functions are realized by software executed on a computer such as a hard disk recorder, personal computer, and workstation, but the function of each block and the processing of each step are performed. Instead of being realized by software, each block may be realized by a dedicated hardware circuit or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the content search device according to the present embodiment includes a display unit 203-1, an input unit 204-1, a reception unit 205-1, a storage unit 212-1, and an extraction unit 206-. 1, a search unit 206-2, an update unit 206-3, a display control unit 206-4, a communication unit 213-1, and an output unit 214-1. Each function will be described below.

  First, the display unit 203-1 is realized by the monitor 203, for example, and displays various information output from the computer 220 to the user. The display unit 203-1 performs display based on the control of the display control unit 206-4, and displays information indicating the keyword and the content output from the output unit 214-1. The display unit 203-1 may be realized by a monitor (display) connected to the computer 220, which is separate from the computer 220. Further, like a notebook personal computer, the display unit 203-1 may be realized by a monitor (display) configured integrally with the computer 220. That is, the output unit 214-1 described later may also serve as the display unit 203-1.

  The input unit 204-1 is realized by, for example, a remote controller 204, hardware (not shown) such as a keyboard and a mouse capable of controlling a plurality of keys, and various selection information and requests from the user. Information and specified information are input.

  The accepting unit 205-1 is realized by, for example, the remote controller interface 205 or an operation panel (not shown) provided in the computer 220 itself, and accepts the selection of the first keyword. In addition, the reception unit 205-1 receives selection of content and selection of any one of the second keywords.

  In addition, the reception unit 205-1 switches between a screen that displays information indicating the searched content (screen example 203C described later) and a screen that displays the extracted second keyword group (screen example 203D described later). A first switching request is received. The reception unit 205-1 displays a screen for displaying content (screen example 203F described later) and a screen for displaying a plurality of extracted second keywords (second keyword group) (screen examples 203C and 203E described later). Etc.) is received.

  The accepting unit 205-1 accepts a request for performing an AND search. The accepting unit 205-1 accepts a request for performing a field search, and accepts selection of a search field. The accepting unit 205-1 accepts a request for outputting a fixed keyword, and accepts selection of a fixed keyword. The accepting unit 205-1 accepts a request for outputting a new keyword, and accepts selection of the keyword.

  The extraction unit 206-1, the search unit 206-2, the update unit 206-3, and the display control unit 206-4 are realized by executing a program read from the hard disk 212 to the RAM 209 on the CPU 206. Is done. More specifically, the functions stored in the hard disk 212 are temporarily read into the RAM 209, and the CPU 206 sequentially executes the programs while reading them from the RAM 209, thereby realizing each function.

  In this manner, the extraction unit 206-1 extracts a plurality of first keywords (first keyword group) as selection candidates from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit 212-1. To do. In addition, when the first keyword is selected, the extraction unit 206-1 selects the plurality of first keywords (first number) from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit 212-1. A plurality of second keywords (second keyword group) different from one keyword group) are extracted as the next selection candidates. The extraction unit 206-1 extracts a keyword to be presented to the user from the storage unit 212-1 storing the search keyword based on a predetermined method, and the extracted keyword is stored in the storage unit 212-1 (extraction storage unit 212-2. ). In addition, the extraction unit 206-1 is configured to use a plurality of first and second keywords (first and second keywords) from among the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit 212-1 based on the preference information. The keyword group may be extracted. Based on the relevance information, the extraction unit 206-1 includes a plurality of first and second keywords (first and second keywords) out of the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit 212-1. The keyword group may be extracted. The extraction unit 206-1 extracts a keyword that has not been output from the storage unit 212-1 in response to a request for outputting the new keyword.

  The search unit 206-2 stores a keyword corresponding to the search button selected by the user in the storage unit 212-1 (selection storage unit 212-3), and creates a search expression for performing a search based on the keyword. And make a search request. That is, when the first keyword is selected, the search unit 206-2 searches for content based on the selected first keyword. When the second keyword is selected, the search unit 206-2 searches for content based on the selected second keyword. The search unit 206-2 extracts meta information related to the searched content, and generates summary information of the content based on the meta information. In response to the AND search request, the search unit 206-2 searches for content corresponding to the first keyword stored in the storage unit and the second keyword selected after the request.

  The update unit 206-3 updates the search keyword stored in the storage unit 212-1 in response to an input from the user.

  The display control unit 206-4 controls the display on the display unit of the search button and content search result information generated corresponding to the extracted keyword. The display control unit 206-4 generates a search button for display using the keyword extracted by the extraction unit 206-1, and displays the search button on the display unit 203-1 via the output unit 214-1. . Further, the display control unit 206-4 creates search result information for display from the search result obtained by the search unit 206-2.

  The storage unit 212-1 is realized by, for example, the hard disk 212 or the RAM 209, and stores a plurality of search keywords, contents, and the like. The storage unit 212-1 stores the search keyword in association with preference information, and stores relevance information with other keywords for each keyword. The storage unit 212-1 includes an extraction storage unit 212-2 and a selection storage unit 212-3. The extraction storage unit 212-2 stores a plurality of extracted first and second keywords (first and second keyword groups). The selection storage unit 212-3 stores the first and second keywords selected by the user. The storage unit 212-1 stores the search keyword in association with the search field. The storage unit 212-1 stores a plurality of fixed keywords.

  The communication unit 213-1 is realized by the communication interface 213 and the like, makes a search request to the external content server 251 based on the selected keyword via the network 250, and acquires the search result from the content server 251.

  The output unit 214-1 is realized by the display unit interface 214 and the like, and information (such as an electrical signal or data transmitted to an external device) indicating a keyword group (for example, the first keyword group) extracted by the extraction unit 206-1. Output). More specifically, the output unit 214-1 is realized by the display unit interface 214, the display control unit 206-4 realized by a program executed on the CPU 206, and the like.

  In addition, the output unit 214-1 includes information indicating the content searched by the search unit 206-2 (for example, summary information of the content, an image extracted from the content, moving image data indicating the content itself, and the like). And the information indicating the plurality of second keywords (second keyword group) extracted by the extraction unit 206-1, and when the content is selected, the content itself is output. . The output unit 214-1 displays information indicating the searched content or the searched content itself and a plurality of extracted second keywords (second keyword group) via the display unit 203-1. Display them side by side. In other words, the display unit 203-1 displays information indicating the searched content and a plurality of extracted second keywords (second keyword group) side by side.

  The output unit 214-1 selectively displays one of the two screens via the display unit 203-1, in response to the first or second switching request. The output unit 214-1 displays a button corresponding to each of the keywords via the display unit 203-1. The output unit 214-1 changes the display type of the character string displayed on the button based on the number of characters of the keyword.

  The output unit 214-1 outputs a representative screen and summary information of each content as the content search result. The output unit 214-1 accepts a third switching request during display of the content itself, and outputs another searched content. The output unit 214-1 outputs a plurality of the search fields in response to the field search request, and outputs a keyword corresponding to the selected search field in response to the selection of the search field. The output unit 214-1 receives an output request, reads the plurality of fixed keywords from the storage unit 212-1, and outputs them as the plurality of first keywords (first keyword group). The output unit 214-1 accepts an output request and outputs a keyword that has not yet been output (not extracted).

<Display method of extracted keywords and content search results>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example screen 203A displayed by the content search device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the monitor 203 displays a plurality of search buttons 301 generated from the keywords extracted by the extraction unit 206-1. As shown in FIG. 3, the computer 220 according to the present embodiment outputs nine search buttons on the monitor 203. The user can select a search button for a favorite keyword from the displayed search buttons. When the search button is selected by the user, the search is automatically performed with the selected keyword, and the search result is displayed on the right side of the screen.

  More specifically, the screen example 203A shown in FIG. 3 shows a screen immediately after the user selects the search button for the first keyword “news” from a plurality of first keyword groups (not shown). It is. That is, before the screen shown in the screen example 203A is displayed, a plurality of first keyword groups including the keyword “news” are displayed on the monitor 203. As will be described later, the plurality of first keywords may be extracted in the order of user preference, or may be fixed keywords.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the monitor 203 after “news” is selected indicates that the keyword “news” has been selected by the user on the previous screen, and is the keyword 303 selected immediately before. “News” and a plurality of second keyword search buttons 301 extracted by a predetermined extraction method to be described later are displayed. That is, when the keyword “news” is selected, the selected keyword 303 “news”, the search result information 302 of the content based on the keyword, and the search buttons 301 corresponding to a plurality of second keywords for the next search, Are displayed together.

  The search button 301 is a software button generated for display on the monitor 203 by the output unit 214-1 (display control unit 206-4). The computer 220 according to the present embodiment is configured to perform both a request for extracting a keyword for next presentation and a search request by selecting a button.

  Here, the method for determining the selection of the search button by the user is not particularly limited. For example, when the display unit includes a touch sensor, the selection is performed by an operation of directly touching a target search button. When the content search apparatus includes an input device capable of controlling the focus movement in the cross direction, for example, the remote controller 204A shown in FIG. 3, the focus of the search button for each keyword is moved by the operation in the cross direction, and the desired keyword The search button is focused, and the search button is selected by operating the enter button 221.

  In addition, when the content search apparatus includes an input device having numeric keys 1 to 9, assign one number to each search button in advance and operate the numeric key of a favorite keyword. The configuration may be such that the button is selected by.

  In addition, when an input device is provided that operates by moving the pointer on the display screen and determining the position of the pointer (click operation on a general personal computer mouse), such as a mouse operation on a general personal computer, It is also possible to place a pointer on the keyword search button and select a button by a decision operation. The search button is not limited to a button, and may be any button having a function of performing both a request for extracting a keyword for next presentation and a search request by a selection operation. For example, it may be a menu or a link.

  The search button selection information by the user is received by the input unit 204-1, and the keyword of the selected search button is stored in the storage unit 212-1. Search unit 206-2 creates a search expression from the selected keyword and makes a search request. Then, the search unit 206-2 acquires the search result, and creates search result information 302 for the output unit 214-1 to display on the display unit 203-1.

  As described above, the extraction unit 206-1 extracts the first (first) keyword presented to the user and the second keyword presented to the user next when the user selects the keyword. . When extracting the keyword, the extraction unit 206-1 stores the extracted keyword in the storage unit 212-1, and the output unit 214-1 generates a search button (301) for display. The output unit 214-1 controls display of search result information and search buttons.

  Thus, in the content search apparatus (computer system 200) according to the present embodiment, the keyword is presented on the monitor 203, so that the user does not need to input the keyword and the search operation is facilitated. The keyword selection operation can be performed by a simple operation by the user, and is effective even in a device with a poor input device that does not have a keyboard. Since the presented keyword is a search start button, a search request can be made simultaneously with the determination of the keyword, and the number of necessary steps for the search is small, and the search can be easily repeated. If you do not like the search result, it is easy to repeat the search with the keywords that are presented one after another, such as selecting another presented keyword.

  By displaying both the search keyword and the search result for the next search, the user can select whether to select the content from the search result or to search again with a different search keyword while comparing the search result and the search keyword. Is possible.

  In the screen example 203A in FIG. 3, display control is performed so that the search button 301 is displayed on the left side of the screen and the content search result information 302 is displayed on the right side of the screen. In the screen example 203A, the search buttons 301 are arranged in a 3 × 3 matrix, but the arrangement is not limited to this. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the output unit 214-1 displays the search button 301 and the content search result information 302 side by side on the monitor 203 so as not to overlap each other. Further, when the search button 301 corresponding to the first keyword is switched to the search button 301 corresponding to the newly generated second keyword (or new keyword), effective display is performed before and after that. The search button may be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner.

<Modification of input unit>
The search button corresponding to the keyword and the content search result may be displayed on different screens. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a search button corresponding to a keyword and a content search result are displayed on different screens, and more specifically, a diagram illustrating a modification of the input unit 204-1. As shown in FIG. 4, the display unit 203-1 according to the present modification displays the content search result for the selected keyword. The input unit 204-1 according to the present modification is a device such as a remote controller 204B that has a display screen and can be remotely operated (wireless signal transmission / reception) with respect to the computer 220. 1 is operated, and the screen of the monitor 203 and the screen of the remote controller 204B are displayed by the output unit 214-1 of the computer 220. The remote controller 204B displays search buttons corresponding to the first and second keywords.

  The user operates the remote controller 204B to execute a content search based on the keyword in the computer 220, and browses the content search result and the content itself on the monitor 203. When the user performs an operation such as selecting a search button for a keyword on the remote controller 204B, a process is performed based on the operation, and the output unit 214-1 of the content search device searches the input unit 204-1 for the next time. Both display screens are controlled such that a search button corresponding to a keyword for use is displayed on the display unit 203-1.

<Modified example of display method of extracted keyword and content search result>
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example in which a search button corresponding to a keyword and a content search result are switched and displayed. As shown in FIG. 5, the search button corresponding to the keyword and the search result of the content may be displayed on one screen so as to be switched and displayed. The output unit 214-1 first displays the search button 301 (see screen example 203C). Thereafter, when the user selects a desired search button, the output unit 214-1 switches from the search button display corresponding to the keyword (screen example 203C) to the content search result display (screen example 203D).

  The remote controller 204A is provided with buttons such as a switching button 224 and a return button 221 so that the user can issue a screen switching instruction. In other words, when the user inputs such an instruction when displaying the content search result, the output unit 214-1 switches from the display screen of the content search result to the display screen of the search button corresponding to the keyword for the next search. .

  Here, the switching button 224 may be configured to be displayed as a software button on the content search result display screen (screen example 203D). That is, when the user selects a switching button on the screen instead of the content displayed as the search result, the reception unit 205-1 may regard the switching instruction as input and switch the screen. .

  As described above, the method of switching and displaying the search button corresponding to the keyword and the search result of the content is effective when the display screen is small and an area for displaying both the search button and the search result cannot be secured. .

<Request for another keyword>
A NEXT button 304 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 is a button that is selected when the user requests a keyword different from the keyword being presented. When this button is selected, the output unit 214-1 presents the number of keywords yet to be presented among the keywords extracted by the extraction unit 206-1 and stored in the storage unit 212 (the number of search buttons). ) Only. Then, the keywords newly presented by the output unit 214-1 via the display unit 203-1 are stored on the database of the storage unit 212. When the search button for display is generated by the output unit 214-1, the output unit 214-1 displays a newly generated search button in place of the currently displayed search button via the display unit 203-1. At this time, the display method of the search result is not limited. Before and after changing the search button display, the search result display may not be changed, or another (new) search result may be displayed.

  As described above, when there is no appropriate keyword desired by the user among the keywords presented via the display unit 203-1, the user can easily switch to another (new) keyword. That is, the user can present new search keywords one after another with a good tempo and execute a new search.

<Request for fixed keywords>
The GENRE button 305 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 is a button that is selected when the user requests the output of a fixed keyword. A fixed keyword is a keyword that is presented in accordance with a call request from the user (a request to output a search button corresponding to a fixed keyword) regardless of the keyword, preference, relevance, etc. that were presented last time. Refers to the keyword.

  The storage unit 212-1 stores each search keyword together with information on whether or not it is a fixed keyword. When the GENRE button 305 is selected by the user, the extraction unit 206-1 extracts a fixed keyword from the storage unit 212-1. When the search button for display is generated by the output unit 214-1, the output unit 214-1 displays a newly generated search button in place of the currently displayed search button via the display unit 203-1. The display method of the content search result is not limited. Before and after the display of the search button 301 is changed, the display of the content search result may not be changed, or the search result of the new content may be displayed.

  When the extraction unit 206-1 is configured to extract a keyword related to the keyword selected by the user last time, the keyword presented by the display unit 203-1 while the user repeatedly selects the search keyword. There may be some bias to some areas. In addition, the user's search intention may change during repeated searches, and it may be possible to search for keywords in completely different fields that are not related to the currently presented keyword group. In this case, a fixed keyword set in advance is presented as a presentation keyword at a user's desired timing regardless of the previous selection keyword, thereby facilitating a search in another field.

  The fixed keyword is not limited, but, for example, the keyword of the upper layer in the thesaurus hierarchy or the keyword of the upper layer among the keywords hierarchized by linguistic meaning, the category name, the field name, the genre name, etc. for classifying the content It is even better to use keywords.

<How to browse content>
Next, a method of browsing the target content from the content search result screen will be described. The search unit 206-2 acquires content data or content meta information added to the content data. When the content meta information is acquired, the output unit 214-1 extracts data necessary for displaying the search result from the acquired content meta information, that is, data characterizing each content, and creates display information. Examples of data to be extracted include content titles, authors, outline descriptions, genres, keywords, performers, images such as thumbnail images, digest videos, fees for browsing, and the like. The extracted data creates display information based on the data format.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a content list is created based on the content meta information extracted by the search unit 206-2. As shown in FIG. 6, the monitor 203 displays a list of eight contents (screen example 203E), and thumbnail images and titles are displayed for each content. The user confirms the summary information of the contents displayed as a list (in the case of the screen example 203E, the thumbnail image, the title, the date, etc.), and selects the target content. When receiving an input designating content from the user, the output unit 214-1 outputs the designated content to the monitor 203 or the like.

  The screen example 203E in FIG. 6 shows an example in which the search result content is selected by a focus operation. The user moves the focus mark 306 by operating the cross key 223 of the remote controller 204A. Then, the user aligns the focus mark 306 with the target content and presses the enter button 221 to select the target content, and the selected content is played back and displayed (see screen example 203F). . As shown in FIG. 6, detailed information (for example, summary explanation, performers, genre, etc.) 307 of the focused content may be displayed. When the remote controller, for example, the return button 222 is pressed while browsing the content as shown in the screen example 203F, switching request information for switching the displayed content is input to the reception unit 205-1. As a result, the output unit 214-1 returns to the screen before content selection shown in FIG. 6, that is, the screen on which the search button and the search result are displayed (screen example 203E). The user can select another content from the search results displayed again, or search for content by selecting a search button.

  Whether the search button corresponding to the keyword is selected or the content is selected from the content search result is input by operating the cross key 223 of the remote controller 204A. For example, as shown in screen example 203E, when the focus mark is moved in the left direction in the state where the focus mark is positioned at the left end content of the search result, the button is moved to one of the right end buttons of the search button. The focus mark moves, and the keyword search button can be selected. The change from selection of the search button to selection of the searched content can be similarly performed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to perform control that allows a switching instruction to be performed on the remote controller 204 </ b> A, and to switch between selection of a keyword search button and selection of search result content according to the switching instruction. In this case, a configuration may be adopted in which selection is performed by a focus operation after switching to a target selection mode by switching. Moreover, the structure which selects the target button or content by mouse operation may be sufficient.

  The output unit 214-1 may be configured to display the content data acquired by the search unit 206-2 as it is on the display unit 203-1, instead of creating content list display information from the content meta information. The output unit 214-1 determines the display order of the acquired plurality of contents, and displays the content on the display unit 203-1 according to the determined order.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of content. One of the searched contents is displayed as the contents search result. Content display follows the data format of the content. When the content is a still image, the still image is reproduced (displayed), and when the content is a moving image, the moving image is reproduced. When the reproduction of one content is completed, the output unit 214-1 starts reproducing the content in the next order. The content to be played back may be a digest video of the content.

  A configuration in which the user can instruct switching to another content and the content being displayed is switched to another content by the switching instruction may be employed. A switch button 224 for instructing the switching to the remote controller 204A or the like may be provided, or a chapter heading button 225 (see FIG. 8) may be used for the switching instruction. Further, a configuration may be employed in which a switching button is displayed on the display screen and the switching button is selected by focus control. In this case, in response to a command for requesting content switching, the output unit 214-1 switches the display to the content next to the currently displayed content in accordance with the display order determined by the output unit 214-1.

  The content display method may be configured to display both the keyword search button as shown in the screen example 203G in FIG. 7 and the reproduction of the content itself, or the content itself as shown in the screen example 203F in FIG. The reproduction may be performed in full screen display.

  FIG. 8 is an image diagram illustrating an example of switching display of content. As shown in FIG. 8, when a keyword is selected on the search keyword selection screen, the output unit 214-1 displays the content browsing screen searched via the display unit 203-1, and is in a predetermined order. The contents are displayed according to the instructions.

  In response to a content switching instruction from the user, the output unit 214-1 switches the displayed content (screen example 203F in FIG. 8) to the next sequential content (screen example 203I in FIG. 8). Then, the output unit 214-1 switches to the search keyword selection screen by a “return” operation by a remote controller or the like, a content reproduction stop operation, or the like. In other words, as shown in FIG. 8, the content may be displayed in the order of screen example 203F → screen example 203I → screen example 203J.

  Further, when the screen example 203J is the content in the last order among the search contents, the screen example 203J may be configured to display a search button for a new (second) keyword. If the screen example 203J is not the last content in the search content, a search button for a new (second) keyword is displayed in response to a switching instruction from the user to the search keyword screen. Good.

  The content switching on the content display screen and the switching from the content display screen to the search keyword screen may be configured as follows. For example, the switching operation may be performed by a cross controller operation of the remote controller. In other words, in the content display screen, an operation in one of the cross directions is assigned to the content switching operation, and the other direction operation is assigned to the switching operation to the search keyword screen.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a modification of the content display method. Specifically, as in the case of the remote controller 204D shown in FIG. 9, when the content switching operation is assigned to the left / right direction of the cross key 223, when the operation is performed once in the right direction, the content in the next order is displayed and left If you operate in the direction, the previous content is displayed. And if it operates once up and down, a search keyword screen will be displayed. Also in this case, the focus mark moving operation is performed by operating the cross key 223 on the search keyword screen. Since the switching operation can be performed only by the operation of the cross key 223, the switching button 224 and the return button 222 such as the remote controller A shown in FIG. 7 and the remote controller 204C shown in FIG. 8 are unnecessary. As described above, when a switching instruction is input from the user, the output unit 214-1 controls display according to the switching instruction.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the user selects a keyword on the search keyword screen and the content display screen (screen example 203F) is displayed, the next search keyword 314 is automatically displayed on any of the content display screens. (See screen example 203K).

  Specifically, when the searched content is a moving image, the keyword is selected by the user on the search keyword screen, the content display screen (screen example 203F) is displayed, and the display of the content is switched by the user's content switching instruction. (Screen example 203I in FIG. 8). Then, for example, when the user repeatedly instructes to switch content and cannot view the content of one moving image, the next search keyword 314 is set to the current search keyword 314 as shown in the screen example 203K of FIG. It may be displayed overlaid on the content display screen. Thus, by displaying the next search keyword 314 on the display screen, it is possible to switch the keyword and the content while comparing the next search keyword 314 with the content.

  Further, the output unit 214-1 counts the number of content switching instructions while switching the content (screen example 203F) based on the content switching instruction by the user. May be displayed (screen example 203K). Also, the browsing time of each content (the time until switching to the next content) is stored, and the next search keyword is displayed in consideration of how much the browsing time is shorter than the total content time. It may be determined whether or not. It is determined whether the user likes the search content group based on the number of times of switching and the browsing time of each content. Make it easier to transition.

  When the next search keyword is displayed over the content display screen, as shown in the screen example 203L in FIG. 9, one keyword 315 is extracted from the next search keyword, and the display keyword is sequentially switched. Also good. That is, when the output unit 214-1 determines to display the next search keyword, the output unit 214-1 extracts one of the next search keywords and displays it (screen example 203L). Specifically, as shown in a screen example 203L in FIG. 9, the user can operate (select) the next search keyword 315 while browsing the content using most of the monitor 203.

  After an arbitrary time has elapsed, the display of the keyword is switched such that another search keyword is displayed. A configuration may be adopted in which a keyword selection instruction is performed by a determination operation such as a remote controller operation by a user with respect to a keyword being displayed. The user only needs to perform a determination operation at the timing when a keyword of interest is displayed, and can easily select a keyword. When a keyword selection instruction is input for the keyword being displayed, contents obtained as a result of performing a search with the selected keyword are sequentially displayed.

  When the user wants to select a keyword for the next search rather than the content, the user gives a switching instruction to the search keyword screen and selects the keyword. For example, when a number is assigned to the keyword, the keyword selection instruction may be performed by pressing a corresponding number key on the remote controller.

  As described above, in the method of displaying the content data as it is, the user can search for the target content by switching the content one after another without confirming the displayed information. In the case of a device that is viewed from a place away from the display screen, such as a TV, and is remotely operated by a remote controller or the like, it is a burden to check the summary information of the contents displayed in a list one by one. If the contents are displayed in an arbitrary order and the displayed contents are liked, the user can browse the contents as they are, and if they do not like the contents, the operation of switching to the next contents one after another is simple and effective for a device by remote operation.

<Detailed description of each processing unit>
Hereinafter, the above-described processing units will be described in detail. The input unit 204-1 realized by the remote controller 204 receives input information from the user. More specifically, the user has selected search button selection information indicating which search button currently displayed on the display unit 203-1 is selected in the input unit 204-1 and which content is being displayed in the search result list. Content selection information, switching request information requesting switching between search result screen and search keyword screen, switching request information requesting switching of displayed content, keyword requesting search button different from displayed search button Input request information, keyword request information for requesting display of fixed keywords, specification information for specifying a search condition, and the like. The specification information for specifying the search conditions will be described later.

  When input information from the user is input to the input unit 204-1, the receiving unit 205-1 realized by the remote controller interface 205 receives the information from the input unit 204-1 and sets each information according to the input information. Pass information to the processing unit. Upon receiving the search button selection information indicating which search button being displayed is selected, the reception unit 205-1 extracts the keyword information of the selected search button, the extraction unit 206-1, the search unit 206-2, and the storage unit 212. -1 (selection storage unit 212-3). When the content selection information indicating which content is selected is received, the content selection information is passed to the output unit 214-1.

  When the first switching request information requesting switching between the content search result screen and the search keyword screen is received, the first switching request information is passed to the output unit 214-1. When the second switching request information for requesting switching between the content display screen and the search keyword screen is received, the second switching request information is passed to the output unit 214-2. When the third switching request information requesting switching of the content being displayed is received, the third switching request information is passed to the output unit 214-1. When the keyword request information is received, the keyword request information is passed to the extraction unit 206-1. When the designation information designating the search condition is received, the designation information is stored in the storage unit 212-1.

  The extraction unit 206-1 extracts keywords from the storage unit 212-1 based on the input information, and stores the extracted keywords in the storage unit 212-1 (extraction storage unit 212-2). Of the extracted keywords, the number of search buttons that can be displayed on the display unit 203-1 (9 in the screen example 203A in FIG. 3) is passed to the output unit 214-1. Below, the process of the extraction part 206-1 is demonstrated according to input information. When selection information of the selected search button is passed, the keyword is extracted based on the keyword and a predetermined method. The predetermined method will be described later.

  When storing the extracted keyword in the storage unit 212-1 (extraction storage unit 212-2), the extracted keyword in the storage unit 212-1 is once cleared and stored. In addition, it stores which keyword of the extracted keywords has been passed to the output unit 214-1. That is, information indicating which of the extracted keywords is presented is assigned and stored in the storage unit 212-1. When keyword request information for requesting a search button different from the search button being displayed is passed, the number of unshown keywords is extracted from the keywords stored in the storage unit 212-1. The extracted keyword is transferred to the output unit 214-1 and the extraction storage unit 212-2 stores the presentation.

  When keyword request information for requesting display of a fixed keyword is passed, the fixed keyword is extracted from the storage unit 212-1. The fixed keyword is predetermined by the user or the like, and information on whether or not the keyword is a fixed keyword is stored in the storage unit 212-1.

  FIG. 10 is a table showing an example of search keywords stored in the storage unit 212-1. A storage unit 212-1 realized by the hard disk 212 or the like stores a database 212-4 relating to search keywords as shown in FIG. 10. The database 212-4 stores information on whether or not each keyword is a fixed keyword. For example, the value of a predetermined address may be 1 = fixed keyword and 0 = not a fixed keyword.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the content search apparatus according to the present embodiment, “sports” and “music” are fixed keywords. A fixed keyword is extracted based on this information and stored in the storage unit 212-1. When storing an extraction keyword in the extraction storage unit 212-2, the extraction keyword in the extraction storage unit 212-2 is once cleared and then stored. Of the extracted keywords, as many as the search buttons can be displayed on the display unit 203-1 (9 in 30 examples) are passed to the output unit 214-1, and the extraction storage unit 212-2 stores the presentation.

  The keyword information passed to the output unit 214-1, that is, the presented keyword storage unit for storing the presented keyword is further provided, and the extraction unit 206-1 includes the output unit 214-1 among the keywords stored in the storage unit 212-1. When selecting a keyword to be passed to, it may be selected from keywords that omit the already presented keywords.

  The output unit 214-1 generates a search button for display using the keyword passed from the extraction unit 206-1. The generated search button is transferred to the output unit 214-1. The search button for display is generated based on the number, display area, and arrangement of search buttons to be displayed on a predetermined display unit. A detailed method for generating the search button will be described later.

  When receiving search button selection information, search unit 206-2 creates a search expression for performing a search in the search unit, and makes a search request. When creating the search expression, the storage unit 212-1 is referred to determine whether or not the search condition is specified. If not specified, the search expression is determined only by the keyword information of the search button selection information. If created and specified, a search expression is created based on the keyword information of the search button selection information, the specified condition, the already selected keyword information stored in the storage unit 212-1, and the like. The search conditions include an OR search (sum search) of a plurality of keywords, an AND search (product search) of a plurality of keywords, an in-field search specifying a search field, and the like. The AND search and the field search will be described later.

  Search unit 206-2 performs a search based on the search request. The search unit 206-2 acquires the search result and passes the acquired information to the output unit 214-1. The search unit 206-2 acquires content data, content meta information given to the content data, identification information for identifying the content, or the like as a search result.

  The output unit 214-1 creates search result information for display from the search results, and passes the created display information to the output unit 214-1. Creation of search result information differs depending on the display method of the search result. When displaying a list of a plurality of contents, list information is created from the contents meta information, and when displaying contents sequentially, the display order is determined.

  When creating list information from content meta information, data necessary to display a search result, that is, data characterizing each content is extracted from the acquired content meta information, and display information is created. Examples of data to be extracted include content titles, content creator names, original author names, outline descriptions, content-related keywords, performer names, still images cut out from content, thumbnail images, etc. The cut digest video, the fee for browsing, etc. are raised. The created list information is passed to the output unit 214-1. When determining the display order, an arbitrary order is determined based on the search result, a predetermined priority order, and the display order determined together with the content data is passed to the output unit 214-1.

  The output unit 214-1 controls each display from the search button for search and the search result information, and displays on the display unit 203-1. Display control is performed based on the search button and the display method of the search results. Since the search button and search result information display control examples are described above, they are omitted. When the search result screen and the search keyword screen are switched and displayed on one screen (display method in FIG. 5), when switching request information requesting screen switching is received, the screen is switched according to the request. When the search contents are sequentially displayed (display method in FIG. 7), when switching request information for requesting switching of the contents being displayed is received, the display is switched to the next contents according to the request.

<Keyword extraction>
A predetermined extraction method used when the extraction unit 206-1 extracts keywords will be described. The predetermined extraction method is, for example, one or more of a method of using preference information for a user's keyword, a method of using relevance information between predetermined keywords, and a method of extracting at random It is a combination of methods. The storage unit 212-1 stores the degree of preference of the user for each keyword and the degree of association between the keywords. Here, the relevance is a preset numerical value as shown in FIG. And the said preference is made into the numerical value corresponding to the frequency | count selected by the user counted by the search part 206-2 etc. for every keyword.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of search keywords stored in the storage unit 212-1. As shown in FIG. 10, the keyword “sports” has a preference degree of 100, the degree of association with “music” is 20, the degree of association with “concert” is 10, and the degree of association with “baseball” is 50, the degree of association with “soccer” is 50, and the degree of association with “fishing” is 30. It is assumed that the higher the preference value, the greater the degree of user preference, and the higher the degree of association, the greater the degree of association between keywords. At the time of keyword extraction by the extraction unit 206-1, for example, a keyword having a higher degree of preference and a keyword having a higher degree of association are preferentially extracted.

  Now, assume that the keyword “sports” is selected by the user. When “sports” is passed as the keyword information of the selected search button, the extraction unit 206-1 refers to the storage unit 212-1, and relates to “sports” for each keyword and the preference level of the keyword itself. Calculate points from In the case of “music”, since the relevance degree of “sports” → “music” is 20 and the preference degree to “music” is 40, the extraction priority (extraction point) is 20 + 40 = 60. In the case of “baseball”, since the relevance is 50 and the preference is 80, the priority (extraction point) is 50 + 80 = 130. Similarly, a priority (extraction point) is calculated for each keyword, sorted in descending order of the priority (extraction point), and stored in the storage unit 212-1. When keywords are stored in the storage unit 212-1, keywords up to the top M when sorted in descending order of points may be stored. Alternatively, an arbitrary threshold value may be provided, and keywords that are equal to or higher than the threshold value may be stored. When the extracted keyword is stored in the storage unit 212-1 (extraction storage unit 212-2), the previously stored information is cleared.

  Of the keywords stored in the storage unit 212-1, the keywords passed to the output unit 214-1 are preferentially passed among the unshown keywords in descending order of priority (extraction points). Specifically, the extraction unit 206-1 selects as many keywords as the number displayed on the display unit 203-1 (9 in 30 examples) in the descending order of points, and passes the keywords to the output unit 214-1. The extraction unit 206-1 stores the keyword in the extraction storage unit 212-2 as the presented keyword keyword.

  Points may be calculated using only the degree of association without using the preference level, or a weighting factor may be used for either information when calculating the points so that either information is given priority. The keywords may be extracted randomly without using the preference level and the relevance level. You may make it the keyword which extracted one part among the keywords given to the output part 214-1 at random.

  In this way, keywords that have a higher preference level are preferentially presented, so that a keyword that matches the user's preference is easily presented. In addition, a keyword having a higher degree of relevance to the selected keyword is preferentially presented, so that a keyword having a high degree of relevance with the previously selected keyword is presented, and the related content can be easily searched. Then, by extracting keywords at random, it is possible to present keywords in a field that the user does not normally use or keywords that cannot be conceived, and assist in finding new content.

<Generate search button>
A method for generating a search button for display in the output unit 214-1 will be described. The search button determines the size of each button according to the size of the display area of the search keyword screen and the number of keywords to be presented. There are two other generation methods: generation based on the length of the keyword character string, and generation using the degree of association and preference of the keyword.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a method for displaying a search button corresponding to a keyword. The generation based on the length of the keyword character string is to control the font size, font type, character width, and the like of the displayed character according to the length of the keyword character string. The size of the search button may be limited depending on the display area of the display unit. Depending on the restrictions, the search button may not display properly.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, keywords with short character strings such as “Home Drama” and “Video Clip” can be displayed without problems, but character strings such as “Sports News” and “Model Content” are displayed. Long keywords cannot be displayed well. As described above, when the button is enlarged or the display of the character string is spread over two lines, the keyword is conspicuously displayed, and it may be difficult for the user to make an appropriate comparison.

  In such a case, by changing any one or more of the font size, font type, character width, etc. of the displayed character with other keywords, all buttons as shown in FIG. In addition, uniform display can be performed. By displaying uniformly, only a certain keyword does not stand out, and the user can appropriately compare each keyword.

  Another method is to partially display keywords. For example, as shown in FIG. 11C, when “sports news” does not fit in the button, the top part “sports news” of the keyword is displayed as “sports news…” and there is a continuation. “…” Is displayed at the end so that it can be understood. Thus, when the character string of the keyword to be displayed is changed, the character string can be displayed uniformly on the search button. In this case, when the search keyword is selected, the entire character string of the keyword may be displayed when the search button is focused.

  As mentioned above, if uniform display is not possible due to the length of the character string of the keyword, the displayed character can be changed by either the font size, font type, character width, or changing the displayed character string. Generate a column.

  The generation using the degree of association and the degree of preference of the keyword is to change the display of each keyword according to the degree of association and the degree of preference stored in the storage unit 212-1. For example, referring to the table of FIG. 10, immediately after the keyword “sports” is selected, a search button is generated using the keywords “soccer” and “baseball” as new presentation keywords. In the case of “baseball”, “sport” → “baseball” has a relevance level of 50, a preference level of 80, and “soccer” has a relevance level of 50 and a preference level of 40. It can be seen that the keyword has a higher preference than “

  When generating a search button for such a keyword with a high degree of preference, it may be generated by changing the display so that it can be distinguished from other search buttons. For example, a configuration for changing the color of the button, a configuration for changing the size of the button, a configuration for providing a display effect, and the like are conceivable. FIG. 11D shows an example in which the color of the button to be displayed is changed. Not only keywords with a high degree of preference but also keywords with a high degree of relevance may be changed. You may change the display of only the keywords extracted at random.

  By changing the display in this way, it is possible to display the reason why the keyword is presented to the user, the presentation priority, etc. in an easy-to-understand manner.

<AND search>
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a display method when performing a special search. With reference to FIG. 12A, description will be given of designation information for designating a search condition. A case where AND search of a plurality of keywords, that is, so-called product search is designated as a search condition will be described. The search condition is input from the input unit as designation information for specifying the search condition. As shown in FIG. 12A, the search keyword screen has an “AND search” button 311. When the user selects this button 311, the AND search mode is entered, and the keyword to be selected thereafter is selected immediately before. Perform an AND search with keywords. When the user cancels the “AND search”, the subsequent selection keyword is searched by a single keyword.

  When the user selects an “AND search” button 311, designation information for designating AND search is input. The designation information is stored in the storage unit 212-1. The designation information is also passed to the output unit 214-1, and the output unit 214-1 changes the “AND search” button 311 on the screen to an “AND search cancel” button (not shown). When the “AND search cancel” button is selected, the designation information specifying the AND search stored in the storage unit 212-1 is deleted, and the output unit 214-1 is changed to the “AND search” button 311. Retrieval unit 206-2 creates a search expression for performing an AND search in which the keyword selected this time is added to the keyword used at the time of the previous search, when designation information designating AND search is stored in storage unit 212-1. To do. The keywords selected by the user are stored in the storage unit 212-1 in the order of selection. The search unit 206-2 refers to the storage unit 212-1, and creates a search expression in which the keyword selected this time is added to the keyword searched last time.

  For example, assume that the screen immediately after selecting “News” is shown in FIG. 12A and the user next selects the “AND search” button 311. When the user selects the “AND search” button 311, the display of the search button 301 corresponding to the first or second keyword does not change. After that, when the user selects “sports news”, the search unit 206-2 performs an AND search of the keyword “news” used in the previous search and the currently selected keyword “sports news” based on the AND search designation information. Create an expression. Thereafter, keywords are similarly added to the AND search expression.

  As described above, since the AND search can be easily performed, the search content can be easily narrowed down and the target content can be easily reached. The OR search can be realized by the same means.

<Field specific search>
A case where the field search is designated as the search condition will be described. As shown in FIG. 12 (a), there is a “field search” button 312 on the search keyword screen. When the user selects this button 312, the search mode is set to the field search mode. It becomes a keyword for searching in the field. The field to which each content belongs is set in advance for each content. For example, information indicating which field each content belongs to is assigned to the content meta information. In the storage unit 212-1, each search keyword may be stored in association with the search field name.

  In this way, when searching, a search within the field is performed based on the information. When the user selects a “field search” button 312, a screen for specifying a field to be searched is displayed as shown in FIG. The user selects an appropriate field from the presented fields. For example, if the user selects “drama”, a field search screen in the “drama” field is displayed as shown in FIG. 12C, and the “field search” button 312 changes to a “field search cancel” button 313. . When a search button 301 for “period drama” is selected on this screen, a search result obtained by searching the keyword “period drama” in the content of the “drama” field is displayed. Similarly, keywords to be selected later are keywords for searching for contents belonging to the “drama” field. That is, the field search is repeated until “field search cancellation” is performed.

  When the user selects a “field search” button 312, designation information for designating a field search is input. The designation information is stored in the storage unit 212-1. The field designation information is also passed to the output unit 214-1, and the output unit 214-1 changes the “field search” button 312 on the screen to a “field search cancel” button 313. When the “field search cancellation” button 313 is selected, the designation information for specifying the field search stored in the storage unit 212-1 is deleted, and the output unit 214-1 changes to the “field search” button. The field designation information is also passed to the extraction unit 206-1, and the extraction unit 206-1 refers to the storage unit 212-1, and extracts the field name keyword. The field is determined in advance, and the field name keyword is stored in the storage unit 212-1 as the field name keyword.

  A search button 301 is generated and displayed with the extracted field name keyword (FIG. 12B). When the user further selects “drama”, the selected field keyword is stored in the storage unit 212-1 as a field name keyword. At the same time, the input unit receives search button selection information indicating that the search button “drama” has been selected, proceeds with the same processing as when the selection information is input, and presents the keyword for the next search (FIG. 12C). When the next keyword (period drama) is selected, the search unit 206-2 refers to the storage unit 212-1 because the storage unit 212-1 stores the designation information specifying the field search. Based on the designated field (“drama” in the present example) and the keyword (period drama) selected this time, a search expression for performing a search in the “drama” field with the currently selected keyword is created.

  Since the search field can be easily specified, it is possible to easily narrow down the search content, and to easily reach the target content.

<Content search processing>
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of content search processing. If there is any input in the input unit 204 (step 101, hereinafter step is abbreviated as S), the CPU 206 determines whether or not the input information is selection information (S102). If the input information is the selection information (YES in S102), the CPU 206 selects the keyword selection information indicating that the search button has been selected or the content from the content search result list display. It is determined whether the content selection information is selected (S103). When the search button selection information is received (YES in S103), the process proceeds to S104 and subsequent steps. When the content selection information is received (NO in S103), display control is performed to reproduce and output the selected content (S112).

  The processing after S104 will be described. The extraction unit 206-1 refers to the extraction storage unit 212-2 and extracts a keyword for the next search by a predetermined method (S <b> 104). The extracted keywords are stored in the extraction storage unit 212-2. A keyword to be presented is extracted from the extracted keywords and passed to the output unit 214-1 (display control unit 206-4). At this time, the extracted keyword is stored in the extraction storage unit 212-2 as a presented keyword. The output unit 214-1 generates a search button from the extracted keyword (S105), and passes the generated search button to the output unit 214-1.

  Next, the search unit 206-2 refers to the storage unit 212-1 and acquires a search condition specified in advance (for example, information related to the special search described above) (S106). The search unit 206-2 stores the first or second keyword selected by the user in the selection storage unit 212-3 based on the keyword selection information received in S103. Then, the search unit 206-2 creates a search formula according to the acquired search condition (S107), and makes a search request using the created search formula (S108). When the search unit 206-2 acquires the search result (S109), the output unit 214-1 (display control unit 206-4) displays for display on the display unit 203-1 based on the acquired search result. Search result information is created (S110). Then, the output unit 214-1 changes the created search result information to an electric signal and outputs it to the external display unit 203-1, etc., and the display unit 203-1 displays the search button and content corresponding to the keyword. The search result is displayed (S111).

  In S102, if the input information is not selection information, the CPU 206 has first switching request information for requesting switching between the search result screen and the search keyword screen or second switching request information for requesting switching of the content being displayed. It is determined whether or not an input has been made (S113). If it is the first or second switching request, the output unit 214-1 performs display control according to the switching request (S114). If it is determined in S113 that the request is not a switching request, the CPU 206 determines whether or not it is keyword request information (information indicating that the NEXT button has been pressed) for requesting a search button different from the keyword of the search button being displayed. Judgment is made (S115).

  In the case of different keyword request information, the extraction unit 206-1 refers to the extraction storage unit 212-2, and extracts unpresented keywords by the number of search buttons (S116). The extraction unit 206-1 stores the extracted keyword in the extraction storage unit 212-2 as a presented keyword, and passes it to the output unit 214-1. The subsequent processing is the same as the processing after S105. If it is determined in S115 that the request information is not another keyword request information, the CPU 206 determines whether the request information is a fixed keyword (S117). In the case of fixed keyword request information, the extraction unit 206-1 extracts the fixed keyword from the storage unit 212-1, stores it in the storage unit 212-1, and passes it to the output unit 214-1 by the number of search buttons (S <b> 118). ). The subsequent processing is the same as the processing after S105. If the request information is not a fixed keyword request information in S117, the input information is input of specification information for specifying a search condition. Therefore, the specification information input in the storage unit 212-1 is stored in S119. .

Heretofore, the flow of content search processing according to the present embodiment has been described.
<Update search keyword>
The keyword stored in the storage unit 212-1 may be updated. It is possible to add keywords and update stored relevance information and preference information. The keyword information may be updated by inputting the update information via a communication unit or an input unit and updating the information in the storage unit 212-1. It can also be updated by a method of updating the preference information of the keyword selected as the search keyword from the keywords presented by the user. Each time search button selection information is input, the preference level information of the selected keyword stored in the storage unit 212-1 is updated.

  By updating the search keyword, a new keyword can be added, and a keyword suitable for the search target content can be presented. Moreover, it is possible to apply the search keyword to the user's preference, and it is possible to present a keyword that matches the user's search intention.

<Initial keywords>
In the content search device according to the present embodiment, the (first) keyword to be presented at the first search (at the first activation) may be a fixed keyword. If the fixed keyword is a keyword having a broad meaning that is used for a category name or the like, a plurality of categories are presented at the time of the initial search, so that the user can easily select the keyword. Moreover, you may show a keyword with high preference degree.

  The keyword presented at the time of the initial search (at the time of initial startup) may be prepared for each content site searched by the search unit. The keyword may be determined from information such as the type, classification, category, genre, and title of the content held in the content site. For example, when content is classified into a plurality of genres on the content site, each genre name may be a keyword to be presented at the first search.

<When having a communication unit>
The content search apparatus according to the present embodiment may not include the search unit 206-2 or the content data that is the search target. When the content search device according to the present embodiment includes a communication unit, the search request is transmitted to the content server through the communication unit, the search is performed by the content server, and the search result is acquired through the communication unit. The same search can be realized even in a method such as.

<Summary of this embodiment>
The configuration of the content search apparatus (computer system 200) according to the present embodiment is summarized as follows.

  In the content search apparatus according to the present embodiment, search keywords are stored, and search buttons are generated and presented with a plurality of search keywords extracted based on a predetermined extraction method. When the button is selected, a search is performed using the keyword of the selection button, the search result is displayed, and a search keyword for next presentation is extracted based on the selected keyword and a predetermined extraction method, and a search button is created and presented again.

  In this way, when the keyword is presented to the user, the user does not need to think about the keyword, and the content can be searched with a keyword that could not be conceived. Since there is no need to enter a keyword, the content search operation can be performed easily. This is particularly effective for devices with poor input devices. If the user does not like the search result, the user can select a related keyword while viewing the search result, such as selecting another presented search key, and the search can be easily repeated. Since the presented keyword is scheduled as a search start button, a search instruction can be issued simultaneously with the selection, reducing the necessary steps for the search and facilitating the repetition of the search.

  In the content search apparatus according to the present embodiment, the predetermined extraction method uses at least one piece of information of the user's preference for keywords, the degree of association between predetermined keywords, and random. To extract. For example, when a keyword having a higher preference level is presented preferentially, a keyword that matches the user's preference is presented, and the user can easily select a desired keyword. In addition, a keyword having a higher degree of relevance to the selected keyword is preferentially presented, so that a keyword having a higher degree of relevance with the previously selected keyword is presented, and content search using the related keyword is facilitated. Then, by extracting keywords at random, it is possible to present keywords in a field that the user does not normally use or keywords that cannot be conceived, and assist in finding new content.

  In addition, the keyword extraction method according to the present embodiment provides a search presented to the user rather than a method of preparing a database in which keywords are hierarchically structured and presenting lower keywords of the selected keyword (so-called directory search). The keywords are not fixed and the user's search intention is easily reflected. At the time of hierarchical structure, the hierarchical structure is determined from the linguistic keyword evaluation such as keyword thesaurus information and the content classification information of the content target. In order to present an appropriate keyword for each, it is difficult to cope with a fixed hierarchical database. In addition, in order to present an appropriate keyword in such a database, it is necessary to adjust the type and hierarchical structure of the keyword depending on the search target content. However, if the search target content changes, it must be adjusted again. In contrast, in the keyword extraction method according to the present embodiment, it is possible to always present a keyword that meets the user's search intention without limiting the search target content.

  In the above directory search, keywords or contents are classified in advance and a hierarchical database is prepared. First, a plurality of upper layer keywords (classification names) are presented to the user. Is a search method that repeats until the target keyword or content is reached. Compared to such a search method, the keyword extraction method according to the present embodiment does not fix the presented keyword, and the user's search intention is more easily reflected. When creating a hierarchical structure, the hierarchical structure is determined based on keyword evaluation in linguistics such as keyword thesaurus information, content classification results, etc. It is difficult to provide an appropriate keyword for the fixed hierarchical database.

  In addition, in order to present appropriate keywords in such a fixed hierarchical database, it is necessary to adjust the keyword type and hierarchical structure according to the search target content. However, when the search target content changes, the adjustment is performed again. There must be. In contrast, in the keyword extraction method according to the present embodiment, it is possible to present a keyword that meets the user's search intention without limiting the search target content.

  In the content search device according to the present embodiment, the search result is displayed without overlapping the presented keyword screen. That is, both the current search result and the next search keyword are displayed. In this way, by displaying the search result of the content and the keyword for the next search on the same screen, if you do not like the search result, select another search key that is presented and search again. It is possible to proceed with content search while comparing keywords, which is suitable for repeated search.

  However, the configuration may be such that the search result of the content and the keyword for the next search are displayed on different screens (different devices, different monitors, etc.). That is, it is only necessary to be able to visually recognize both without switching, such as displaying a keyword on the remote controller 204 and displaying a content search result on the monitor 203 (main screen).

  The content search device according to the present embodiment includes means for switching and displaying the content search result and the extracted second keyword when the user selects a desired keyword from the first keywords. When a keyword is selected, a content search result display screen is automatically displayed. When a switching instruction (return instruction) is issued on the search result screen, the display is switched to the second keyword presentation screen. That is, the search result is arranged on the presented keyword. Such a configuration is particularly effective when a user has a small-screen display device in that it makes it easier for the user to view keywords and content.

  In addition, the content search apparatus according to the present embodiment displays a list of content search results on the monitor 203, and displays the selected content on another screen when the user selects the target content from the list. This makes it easy to find the target content from a plurality of search results by displaying a list of summary information of the content such as title information from the thumbnail images of the searched content and content meta information. By displaying the selected content on another screen, if you do not like the content, you can return to the search result list display screen again and select another content, making it easy to repeat until you find the content you like Can be performed.

  In the content search device according to the present embodiment, content search results are displayed in an arbitrary order (contents are reproduced). It further has means for switching the content being displayed (reproduced), and when there is a switching instruction from the user, the display is switched to another content in the search result. Further, switching from the content display screen to the presentation keyword screen is performed by a switching instruction (return instruction) to the presentation keyword screen.

  As described above, the content search apparatus according to the present embodiment does not select the summary information from the search result list, but arbitrarily extracts the content from the search result and displays the content. The user can search for the target content by switching the content one after another without confirming the list information. In the case of a device that is viewed from a place distant from the display screen, such as a TV, and is remotely controlled by a remote controller or the like, it is burdensome to check the summary information of the contents displayed in a list one by one. is there. If you like the content being displayed, you can browse it as it is, and if you don't like it, you can easily switch to the next content one after another, which is useful for devices that can be controlled by remote operation.

  In the content search device according to the present embodiment, the search button (keyword button) is generated based on a predetermined extraction method (preference level / relevance level / random). As a result, when generating a search button from an extracted keyword, the button shape / color depends on whether the keyword has a high degree of preference, a keyword with a high degree of association with the selected keyword, or a randomly extracted keyword. It is possible to display the reason why the keyword was presented to the user in an easy-to-understand manner.

  For example, the search button is generated based on the length of the keyword character string. As a result, when generating a search button from an extracted keyword, if the keyword character string is long and cannot be displayed on the button, a part of the character string is extracted and partially displayed so that the contents of the keyword can be imagined, and the font size is displayed. By devising the display such as reducing the size, any keyword can be displayed uniformly, making it easier for the user to compare.

  In the content search apparatus according to the present embodiment, a keyword different from the previously presented keyword is extracted as a presentation keyword by calling means for calling another keyword. If the user does not like the presented keyword, the user issues another keyword call instruction. Of the previously selected keyword and the keyword extracted by a predetermined extraction method, the presented keyword is extracted by excluding the presented keyword. Thus, by easily switching to another keyword, search keywords are presented one after another, and it becomes easy to select a keyword that suits the user's search intention.

  In the content search apparatus according to the present embodiment, an AND search for a plurality of keywords is performed by an AND search instruction means. When an AND search instruction is issued, the keyword selected thereafter is added to the previously selected keyword and an AND search is performed. As a result, the AND search can be easily performed, so that the search content can be easily narrowed down and the target content can be easily reached.

  In the content search device according to the present embodiment, the search field at the time of search is specified by the field specifying means. When a field designation request is made, the keyword selected thereafter is searched within the contents of the designated field. As a result, the search field can be easily specified, so that the search content can be easily narrowed down and the target content can be easily reached.

  In the content search device according to the present embodiment, a fixed keyword predetermined by the fixed keyword calling unit is extracted as a presentation keyword. A fixed keyword is determined in advance from search keywords, and when a call request is received from the user, the fixed keyword is extracted as a presentation keyword. The fixed keyword refers to a predetermined keyword that is presented in accordance with a call request from the user regardless of the previously presented keyword, the degree of preference, the degree of association, and the like. If the repeated search keyword is selected, the keyword to be presented may be biased to some fields, and the user's search intention may change during the repeated search. In this case, a fixed keyword is presented as a presentation keyword regardless of the previous selection keyword, thereby facilitating a search for another field. The fixed keyword may be an upper layer keyword in the thesaurus hierarchy, or an upper layer keyword among keywords hierarchized according to linguistic meaning, or a keyword used for a genre name.

  The above-described modifications (embodiments) can be combined with each other without changing the essence, and can be applied to other embodiments.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

It is a control block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the computer system as an example of a content search device. It is a functional block diagram which shows the function structure of the content search device which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen which the content search apparatus concerning this Embodiment displays. It is a figure which shows the example which displays the search button corresponding to a keyword, and the search result of a content on another screen. It is a figure which shows the example which switches and displays the search button corresponding to a keyword, and the search result of a content. It is a figure which shows the example which produced the content list based on the meta information of the content which the search part extracted. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a content. It is an image figure which shows the example which switches the display of a content. It is a figure which shows the modification of a display of a content. It is a table | surface which shows the example of the keyword for search memorize | stored in the memory | storage part. It is a figure which shows the display method of the search button corresponding to a keyword. It is a figure which shows the display method in the case of performing a special search. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of a content search process.

Explanation of symbols

  200 Computer System, 203 Monitor, 203 Display Unit, 204 Remote Controller, 205 Remote Controller Interface, 205-1 Reception Unit, 206-1 Extraction Unit, 206-2 Search Unit, 206-3 Update Unit, 206-4 Display Control Unit 207 internal bus, 212 hard disk, 212-2 storage unit, 213 communication interface, 213-1 communication unit, 214-1 output unit, 214 display unit interface, 220 computer, 250 network, 251 content server.

Claims (22)

A storage unit for storing a plurality of search keywords;
Extracting means for extracting a first keyword group as a selection candidate from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit;
Output means for outputting information indicating the keyword group extracted by the extraction means;
Accepting means for accepting selection of the first keyword from the first keyword group;
Search means for searching for content based on the selected first keyword when the first keyword is selected;
When the first keyword is selected, the extraction unit selects a second keyword group different from the first keyword group from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit next time. Extract as selection candidates,
The content search apparatus, wherein the output means outputs information indicating the content searched by the search means.   The content search apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit displays information indicating the searched content and the extracted second keyword group side by side. The accepting means accepts a first switching request for switching between a screen displaying information indicating the searched content and a screen displaying the extracted second keyword group;
The content search apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit selectively switches one of the two screens in response to the first switching request. The accepting means accepts either the selection of the content or the selection of the second keyword;
The output means outputs the content when the content is selected,
The content search device according to claim 1, wherein when the second keyword is selected, the search unit searches for content based on the selected second keyword.   The content search apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the output unit displays the content and the extracted second keyword group side by side. The accepting means accepts a second switching request for switching between a screen displaying the content and a screen displaying the extracted second keyword group;
The content search apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the output unit selectively switches one of the two screens in response to the second switching request.   The content search apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit displays a button corresponding to each of the keywords.   The content search apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit changes a display type of a character string displayed as a button based on the number of characters of the keyword.   The content search apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays an output from the output unit. The storage unit stores the search keyword in association with preference information,
The said extraction means extracts the 1st and 2nd keyword group from the said several search keyword memorize | stored in the said memory | storage part based on the said preference information, The any one of Claim 1 to 9 The content search device described in 1. The storage unit stores relevance information with other keywords for each keyword,
11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extraction unit extracts a first keyword group and a second keyword group from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit based on the relevance information. The content search device according to item. The search means extracts meta information related to the searched content, generates summary information of the content based on the meta information,
The content search apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit outputs a representative screen and summary information of each content as a search result of the content.   The content search apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the output unit receives a third switching request during display of the content and outputs another searched content. The storage unit stores the selected first keyword,
The accepting means accepts a request for instructing a search condition;
The search unit searches for content corresponding to a first keyword stored in the storage unit and a second keyword selected after the request according to an instructed search condition. 14. The content search device according to any one of 1 to 13. The storage unit stores the search keyword in association with a search field,
The accepting means accepts a request for performing a field search;
The output means outputs a plurality of the search fields as keywords in response to the field search request,
The accepting means accepts selection of a search field,
The content search device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the search means searches for content corresponding to the selected search field. The storage unit stores a plurality of fixed keywords,
The accepting means accepts a request for outputting a fixed keyword,
The output means reads the plurality of fixed keywords from the storage unit, and outputs them as the first keyword group.
The content search device according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit receives selection of a fixed keyword. The storage unit stores the keywords extracted by the extraction unit,
The accepting means accepts a request for outputting a new keyword,
The extraction means extracts a keyword that has not been output from the storage unit in response to a request for output of the new keyword,
The output means outputs the unoutput keyword,
The content search device according to claim 1, wherein the reception unit receives selection of the keyword.   18. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit that performs a search request to an external content server based on the selected keyword via a network and acquires a search result from the content server. Content search device.   The content search apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 18, further comprising an update unit that updates the search keyword stored in the storage unit. A content search method using a computer,
The computer
A storage unit for storing a plurality of search keywords;
An arithmetic processing unit that searches for content based on the keyword,
The content search method includes:
The arithmetic processing unit extracting a first keyword group as a selection candidate from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit;
The arithmetic processing unit outputting information indicating a keyword group extracted by the extracting unit;
The arithmetic processing unit accepting selection of a first keyword from the first keyword group;
The arithmetic processing unit, when the first keyword is selected, searching for content based on the selected first keyword;
When the first processing unit selects the first keyword, the arithmetic processing unit next selects a second keyword group different from the first keyword group from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit. Extracting as a selection candidate,
And a step of outputting the information indicating the searched content. A program for causing a computer to search for content,
The computer includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of search keywords and an arithmetic processing unit that executes the process.
In the arithmetic processing unit,
Extracting a first keyword group as a selection candidate from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit;
Outputting information indicating the extracted keyword group;
Receiving a selection of a first keyword from the first keyword group;
Searching for content based on the selected first keyword when the first keyword is selected;
When the first keyword is selected, a second keyword group different from the first keyword group is extracted as a next selection candidate from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit. Steps,
Outputting the information indicating the searched content. A recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute processing for searching for content,
The computer includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of search keywords and an arithmetic processing unit that executes the process.
In the arithmetic processing unit,
Extracting a first keyword group as a selection candidate from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit;
Outputting information indicating the extracted keyword group;
Receiving a selection of a first keyword from the first keyword group;
Searching for content based on the selected first keyword when the first keyword is selected;
When the first keyword is selected, a second keyword group different from the first keyword group is extracted as a next selection candidate from the plurality of search keywords stored in the storage unit. Steps,
And a step of outputting information indicating the searched content, and a recording medium for recording a program for executing the program.

Images