JP2630267B2 - Information output history presentation device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information output history presenting apparatus , and more particularly to an information output history presenting apparatus for an interactive information processing system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional information output history presentation apparatus in an information processing system, the unit of the information output history is fixed to each window or the entire screen of a display device. In the "screen search device of the interactive information providing system" (JP-A-5-120350), a reduced image of the output screen is displayed as an icon on the screen of the display device, and the icon is displayed each time the screen display is switched. Are added in order on the screen.

[0003]

When the prior art is applied to the past information output outputted in the information processing system, the history is displayed by the number of the information outputs. In addition, there is a problem that the history becomes large and it becomes difficult for the user to grasp and use the entire image of the history.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide an information output history presentation which enables a user to easily grasp the entire image of the history and to see the details of necessary parts even when the number of the information outputs increases. It is to provide a device .

[0005]

[0007] Information output history presentation apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, Te information output history presentation apparatus odor <br/> performing history display of historical information outputted by a predetermined display format, A history management unit for expressing the history of the information output by a graph in which the individual information outputs are each one node, and expressing a relationship between these nodes by links, and managing the history; A graph operation means for instructing a node or a subgraph by a user, and, in the graph, a subgraph separated from the current node by a certain distance or more, or a subgraph specified by the graph operation means as a new node Subgraph reduction means for reducing the subgraph, and nodes obtained by reducing the subgraph by the subgraph reduction means are expanded into the original subgraph as necessary. That includes a reduced-node expansion means, and a graph display means for displaying to the user the information output history of the graphical representation by said history management means.

Next, in the information output history presenting apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention, the subgraph reduction means may be configured to execute the processing according to the first aspect of the invention for a number N of 2 or more preset by the user. In the graph representing the history of the described information output, there is a subgraph composed of N or more nodes linked in succession, and any node in the subgraph is a node representing the latest information output at that time. If not directly linked, the subgraph is reduced to one node.

Next, an information output history presenting apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the information output history presenting apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the present invention.
Multiple subgraphs are newly added by subgraph reduction means
If such were contracted to one node, the subgraph contracting means as a label to identify the node that contracted the subgraph, in abridged plurality of subgraphs was 1
Apply the labels of one node.

Further, in an information output / presentation apparatus according to a fourth invention of the present invention, the reduced node expanding means of the first, second and third inventions is already reduced to one node. When the user again designates past information output corresponding to any node in the subgraph, the node obtained by reducing the subgraph is automatically expanded into the original subgraph.

Further, in the information output presenting apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the contracted node expanding means according to the first, second and third aspects is characterized in that the partial graph during the information output history display is reduced. The user directly instructs one reduced node by using the graph operation means, thereby expanding the node into the original subgraph.

Also, in the present invention, the first to fifth aspects are provided.
The clear graph display means may be arranged so that a column of nodes that are in a sequential relationship in the processing order and a column of nodes that are in a parallel relationship in the processing order are orthogonal to each other.

[0011]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the following, the node corresponding to the latest information output at each point in time will be referred to as the current node. Note that the information output here means each window in a multi-window system, each screen output when the whole screen represents one state like a CD of a bank, individual data obtained by database search, or the like, or It refers to a set of data presented at the same time, the contents of individual files output on the screen, and the like.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an information output history presenting apparatus according to the present invention.

The information output history presenting apparatus of the present embodiment has a configuration shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), when it is determined that there has been a change in the information output of the information processing system, the history management means 1 outputs the newly output information output at that time or the past information output again referred to by the user. The identification code 001 to be represented is obtained. The history management means 1 creates a new node if the information output is new, adds a label of the information output determined from the identification code 001 to the node,
Let the node be the current node. The information output is
If the user referred the existing information output again,
A node having the same label as the label is searched for from the information output history, and the node is set as a current node. When a new node is created in the history management means 1, a link is created between the node and the node corresponding to the information output from which the information output corresponding to the node is derived. The link is a directional link from the node corresponding to the derivation source of the new information output to the current node corresponding to the new information output.

The graph display means 2 displays the information output history graphically represented by the history management means 1 to the user.

The subgraph contraction means 3 searches for a subgraph which is a candidate for contraction from the graph representing the history of information output, and finds that no node in the subgraph is directly linked to the current node. , The subgraph is reduced to one new node. Here, the partial graph is a graph including some nodes and links connecting those nodes in the entire graph indicating the history. Hereinafter, the new node is referred to as a contracted node. The contracted node is displayed using the graph display unit 2 after the identification code and the label are added by the history management unit 1. Note that the contracted node is also a target of subsequent contraction.

In the contracted node expanding means 4, if the current node indicated by the identification code 001 of the information output is an existing node and the node is included in a subgraph reduced to one reduced node Then, the contracted node is expanded into an original subgraph. By expanding the contracted node, the subgraph is displayed by the graph display means 2 so that the user can identify the current node.

The user can reduce and expand an appropriate portion on the graph by using the graph operation unit 5 with respect to the information output history displayed by the graph display unit 2.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the embodiment of the subgraph contracting means 3 in the information output history presenting apparatus of the second and third inventions.

In this embodiment, the subgraph contracting means 3 shown in FIG. 1 first searches for a node PN two steps prior to the current node in processing order (step 11). If the node PN is detected, then the node PN
It is checked whether or not more than one node is part of a partial graph SG that is continuous in a processing order in a front-back relationship or a parallel relationship (step 12). The graph SG is replaced with one node CN (step 13). The label of the node CN is added to the label of the node CN. Here, N is an integer of 2 or more that is set in advance.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the embodiment of the contracted node expanding means 4 in the information output history presenting apparatus of the fourth and fifth inventions.

In the present embodiment, the contracted node expanding means 4 shown in FIG. 1 first checks whether or not the current node is a part of a subgraph reduced to one node (step). 21). In the case of Yes, the node obtained by reducing the subgraph including the current node is developed into the original subgraph (step 23). If No in step 21, it is checked whether or not the user has instructed to expand a specific node (step 2).
2) If Yes, expand the node specified by the user into a subgraph before contraction. If it is determined in step 22 that the node specified by the user is not a node obtained by reducing the subgraph, the process in step 23 is not performed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an information output history presenting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which information output units are limited to individual windows displayed on a display device.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the display device has an information output screen 100 and a history display screen 200. Normally,
The information output screen 100 is displayed, and the history display screen 2
00 is displayed only when the user requests history display by button or menu selection. Similarly, if the user requests to cancel the history display, the history display screen 200 is closed and the information output screen 100 is displayed. The user operates a window on the information output screen 100,
A graph operation on the history display screen 200 using the graph operation means 5 shown in FIG. 1 is possible. In the present embodiment, the information output screen 100 and the history display screen 200 are separated. However, as another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, both information output and history display can be performed on the same screen. .

When a new window is opened on the information output screen 100, the data displayed in the existing window is exchanged with different data, or the previously displayed window or data is displayed again, the information output screen is displayed. The identification code 001 is passed to the history management means 1 shown in FIG. 1, and the graph display means 2, the partial graph contraction means 3, and the contracted node expansion means 4 shown in FIG.
0 is added or changed. Information output screen 100
The labels a to j of the above information outputs 101 to 107 are added for convenience in order to indicate the correspondence with the nodes 201 to 207 on the history display screen 200. History display screen 20
Labels a to j of each node on 0 are actually displayed on each node.

Information output 10 which is in the order of processing
When 1, 102 and 103 are displayed on the information output screen 100, nodes 201,
202 and 203 are added in order. These nodes 201, 202, and 203 are connected by a directional link for indicating the output order of the corresponding information output on the history display screen 200. On the other hand, information output 104, 105, 10
6 is an information output selected from the information output 103, it is considered that they are in a parallel relationship in the processing order, and on the history display screen 200 , the parallel nodes 204, 205,
206 is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the serial nodes 201, 202, and 203, and all are linked to the node 203 corresponding to the information output 103.

The change of the display contents on the history display screen 200 as described above can be confirmed by the user only when the user displays the history display screen 200 by a predetermined means.

On the information output screen 100, a history display screen 200 corresponding to the latest information output 107 at the present time is displayed.
The upper node 207 has a display form that can be distinguished from other nodes.

As the information output unit, in addition to the window as in the above example, it is possible to select audio output at each point in time or individual scenes in the video.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the subgraph contracting means 3 and the contracted node expanding means 4 in the information output history presenting apparatus of the present invention. In the example of FIG.
= 3, that is, a subgraph in which three or more nodes are continuously linked is a target of contraction. Here, in FIG. 6, nodes drawn in double frames are nodes representing information output at the present time, that is, current nodes, and nodes drawn in thick single frames are reduced nodes.
Nodes drawn with a thin single frame are nodes representing other past information outputs.

On the history display screen 01, nodes 011, 0
Although 12,013 forms a three-dimensional chain, it is not reduced because the current node 016 is directly linked to the node 013.

In the history display screen 02, since the current node is 027, the nodes 011, 012 and 013 are reduced to the node 21.

Nodes 014 and 01 in the history display screen 02
Numerals 5 and 016 represent three types of information outputs derived from the information output represented by the node 013.

In the case of the history display screen 02, the history display screen 0
At 3, when the current node shifts from 027 to 038, the three nodes are reduced to node 031. Note that the node 21 and the nodes 014, 015, 01
Since node 6 is orthogonal to node 6, node 021 is not reduced to node 031.

Conversely, on the history display screen 04, when the user re-selects the past information output 012, the node 0
21 is automatically expanded, and the current node is moved to 012.

[0036]

As described above, the information output history presenting apparatus of the present invention is presently present in the display of the information output history even when the information processing system presents many new information outputs. Since the subgraphs representing the information outputs that are not directly related to the information output in a front-to-back or parallel relation are sequentially reduced, an increase in the number of nodes in the information output history can be suppressed. In addition, the user can expand an arbitrary reduced partial graph by operating the user, and can know the details of the past information output history included in the partial graph.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an information output history presentation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the embodiment of the subgraph contraction means in the information output history presentation devices of the second and third inventions.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the embodiment of the contracted node expanding means in the information output history presenting devices of the fourth and fifth inventions.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case where units of information output in the information output history presentation device of the present embodiment are limited to individual windows displayed on a display device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case where both information output and history display are performed on the same screen in the information output history presentation device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation of a subgraph contracting unit and a contracted node expanding unit in the information output history presentation device of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 History management means 2 Graph display means 3 Partial graph reduction means 4 Reduction node expansion means 5 Graph operation means 01 to 04, 200 History display screen 001 Information output identification code 100 Information output screen 101 to 107 Information output 201 to 207 , 011-038 nodes

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. An information output history presenting apparatus for displaying a history of past information output in a predetermined display format, wherein each of said information outputs is a single node, and a graph in which the relation between these nodes is connected by a link. A history management unit that expresses the history of the information output and manages the history, a graph operation unit that gives a user an instruction to an arbitrary node or a subgraph in the graph, and a current node in the graph. A subgraph that is at least a certain distance away from the subgraph, or a subgraph that is specified by the graph operating means, and is reduced to a new node; and the subgraph is reduced by the subgraph reducing means. Contracted node expanding means for expanding a node into an original subgraph as necessary; and a graph representation by the history managing means. Information output history presentation device characterized by and a graph display means for displaying to the user a history of the information output was. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the subgraph contraction means comprises :
2. A graph representing a history of information output according to claim 1 , wherein the graph includes a subgraph composed of N or more nodes linked continuously, and each node in the subgraph outputs the latest information at that time. If the node and is not directly linked to represent the information output history presentation according to claim 1, characterized in that promises reduced the subgraph to a node
Equipment . 3. The information output history presenting device according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of subgraphs are updated by said subgraph reduction means.
When reduced to only one node, the subgraph reduction means outputs a label in the plurality of reduced subgraphs as a label for identifying a node that has reduced the subgraph.
Information output display device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in applying the labels of one node. 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said contracted node expanding means specifies again a past information output corresponding to any of the nodes in the subgraph which has already been reduced to one node. Automatically expands the reduced node to the original subgraph
The information output history presentation device according to claim 1, 2 or 3 . 5. The contracted node expanding means according to claim 1, wherein the user directly designates one of the nodes whose partial graphs being displayed in the information output history are reduced by using a graph operating means. 4. The information output history presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the information output history presentation device is developed into an original partial graph.