JP3501729B2 - Browsing assist device, recording medium on which program is recorded - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a browsing assist device, a server device, and a recording medium on which a browsing assist program is recorded, which assists the function of a browser capable of accessing a web page via the Internet or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, personal computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs)
With the spread of information devices such as the Internet, the use of the Internet has become common, and is widely used not only in companies, universities, and research institutions but also in general households. Various services and functions can be used on the Internet, and one of them is WWW search software (WWW browser (hereinafter simply referred to as browser)).
Various web pages (home pages) can be referred to by WW (World Wide Web). In WWW, URL (uniform resource locato) is used by using a browser.
Specify r) to connect to the desired WWW server, and
You can browse the data stored in the WW server, so-called homepage.

In addition, a jump destination (link) to various information such as another web page is set in the web page, and other information can be specified by operating the mouse or the like to specify (click) the linked position. Can be referred to. By specifying this link one after another, W of the Internet
It is possible to browse the WW pages (homepages, etc.) one after another, so-called net surfing.

[0004]

As described above, in the prior art,
When a web page is browsed using a browser, the user only displays the web page that the user has intentionally instructed, such as designating a URL or instructing a linked part of the web page. . In addition, although there is a function that allows the user to obtain information by a push-type information distribution without performing a special operation, the information is only obtained from a specific server.

Further, the conventional browser only executes a process in accordance with an instruction from the user, and positively assists the use of the browser by the user and / or uses the original browser for the use of the browser. It does not react differently from the function. Therefore, since the user only acquires the processing result instructed to the browser by himself / herself and does not use it with interest in the browser itself, it is easy for some users to get tired of surfing the internet. There was that.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and is a recording in which a browsing assist device, a server device, and a browsing assist program for assisting the function of a browser that can access a Web page through the Internet or the like are recorded. The purpose is to provide a medium.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a browsing assist device for assisting a browser function for displaying in the browser screen based on the page data, the page representing the characteristics of the page by analyzing the page data Attribute detection means for detecting attributes and character images on the browser screen
Character display means for adding and displaying images, and processing
Holding means for holding data for defining characteristics, page attributes detected by the attribute detecting means, and the storage
A message to be output based on the data held in the holding means.
Message determining means for determining a message, and the message
A message that outputs the message determined by the determining means
Detected by the image output means and the attribute detection means
Based on the page attributes and the data stored in the storage means
And character control means for operating the character image displayed by the character display means . This allows W
When the eb page is accessed, a process corresponding to the attribute of the page to be accessed is executed, and the process result is output through the character image added to the browser screen. The character image shows the reaction.

Further, according to the present invention , data of a plurality of words are registered.
Held by the holding means and the stored word database
Select a word from the word database based on the data
And a word selected by the word selecting means.
It further comprises a search processing means for externally requesting an information search based on the selected word and acquiring a search result for this request. As a result, the request target for the information search is determined according to the page that is the display target by the browser function and the data for defining the characteristics of the processing, and the search result is output through the character image, regardless of the instruction from the user. It

[0009]

[0010]

[0011]

[0012]

[0013]

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network system according to this embodiment. The system shown in FIG. 1 is a system in which information devices such as a user personal computer (PC) 3, a home server 5, an information search server 7, an advertiser server 8 and a server 9 can be arbitrarily connected to each other via the Internet 1. is there.

The user PC 3 is used by a general user at home, in a company, etc., and browses a home page (Web page) provided by various servers connected to the Internet 1 by a browser function or sends an electronic mail. You can use various services such as sending and receiving. The browser function according to the present embodiment not only allows a web page to be browsed in accordance with an instruction from the user, but also actively assists the use of the browser by the user (without an instruction from the user). , The agent function (browsing assist device) that reacts to the use of the browser differently from the original function of the browser is added. Details of the agent function that can be realized by the user PC 3 will be described later.

The agent service server (home server) 5 provides services related to the agent function of the browser used in the user PC 3. The details of the service provided by the agent service server 5 will be described later.

The information search server 7 mainly provides a search service for searching and organizing resources such as WWW on the Internet. For example, by inputting a keyword, a specified word is registered from the database. You can perform a keyword search to search for, or a directory search to find the information you need by going through a database sorted by category. The advertiser server 8 and the server 9 are the Internet 1
Various types of Web pages are provided through the website. Particularly, the advertiser server 8 provides Web pages for advertisement related to sale of products and service provision.

Next, details of the user PC 3 in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic circuit of the user PC 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The user PC 3 is configured by a computer that reads program codes recorded on various recording media and whose operations are controlled by the read program codes.

As shown in FIG. 2, the user PC 3 is
U10, display device 11, input device 12, communication device 13,
It is composed of a memory 14 and a storage device 15. The CPU 10 controls the entire apparatus, activates a program stored in the memory 14, and executes various functions according to the program. Functions implemented by the CPU 10 include a browser function implemented by the Web browser program 14b stored in the memory 14 and an agent function implemented by executing the agent program 14c when the browser function is activated. In the agent function, a character (agent character) is displayed so as to accompany the browser screen, the character is operated and a message is displayed, and a response from the user to the agent (item selection, text input, character operation) , Etc.) to communicate with the user. FIG. 2 shows an example of the agent character displayed along with the browser screen. As shown in FIG. 2, an area for displaying a character message is added to the agent character. The agent function is
Use the browser for the user by assisting the user in using the browser function without receiving instructions from the user, and by using the character to show some reaction different from the original function of the browser in response to the use of the browser function. You can make things interesting. The details of the agent function will be described later.

The display device 11 is used when displaying various data contents such as a browser screen having a browser function and an agent character having an agent function.

The input device 12 is for inputting instructions and data that define the operation of the user PC 3, and is constituted by a pointing device such as a keyboard and a mouse.

The communication device 13 communicates with the outside when browsing a home page via the Internet 1 by the browser function.

The memory 14 stores programs and data according to the situation, and realizes a system program 14a for controlling the entire user PC 3, a Web browser program 14b for realizing a browser function, and an agent function. Agent program for
In addition to the control processing program corresponding to various functions such as 4c, various data such as Web page data 14d acquired by the browser function are stored as necessary. In the present embodiment, the web browser program 14b
Although the agent program 14c and the agent program 14c are assumed to be independent of each other, the Web browser program 14
The agent program 14c may be incorporated in b.

The storage device 15 is for storing programs, data and the like in a recording medium, and stores a word database 15a used by the agent function, agent data 15b, advertisement target data 15c and the like (each). Details of the data will be described later). The recording medium is composed of a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, and is fixedly or detachably mounted. The program, data, etc. stored in the recording medium may be received and stored from another device connected via the communication device 13, and further recorded on the other device side connected via a communication line or the like. A storage device provided with a medium is provided, and a program stored in the recording medium,
The data may be used via a communication line.
The program code recorded on the recording medium realizes various functions by being stored in the memory 14 and executed by the CPU 10.

Next, the word database 15a and the agent data 15b used in the agent function.
Will be described in detail. FIG. 4 shows an example of the data structure of the word database 15a used when executing the agent function. The agent function shows a reaction (character action, message output) according to the content of the web page through the character when the web page is displayed by the browser function. The word database 15a is used to detect what the content of the Web page to be displayed is, that is, to analyze the Web page and detect the page attribute.

The word database 15a is shown in FIG.
As shown in, the word parameter is set for each word. The word parameter represents the meaning feature of the word, and is indicated by a combination of a plurality of parameters. For example, as a plurality of parameters, “practical”, “hobby”, “serious”, “serious”, “innocent”, “erotic”
"Manly" and "feminine" are prepared, and numerical values are set for each. In this case, for example, a word parameter having a high numerical value such as “hobby”, “serious”, or “masculine” is set for a word representing an object used by men as a hobby. The plurality of parameters are not limited to those prepared in advance as described above, but may be arbitrarily created and added in response to an instruction from the user.

Further, the word database 15a has a structure shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), a category is set for each word. A plurality of categories are prepared in advance in the word database 15a, and it is assumed that each word is associated with which category each word belongs to. Also, one word can be associated so as to belong to a plurality of categories. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the word “program” can be included in the categories “business” and “game”. Note that the categories are not limited to those prepared in advance, and can be arbitrarily created and added according to an instruction from the user. Further, the words registered in the word database 15a are not limited to the words prepared in advance, and can be arbitrarily added according to the instruction from the user. You can enter the designation and register it in association.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the data structure of the agent data 15b used when executing the agent function. As shown in FIG. 5, the agent data 15b includes past log analysis data (FIG. 5A),
The agent personality data (FIG. 5 (b)), mail address (FIG. 5 (c)), item data (FIG. 5 (d)) and the like are included.

The past log analysis data is for registering the result obtained by analyzing the Web page accessed by the browser function in the past by using the word database 15a, as shown in FIG. 5 (a). Contains a past access log and page analysis information (page attribute). Web logs accessed in the past are stored in the past access log.
The URL of the page or the user registration URL registered as a page frequently accessed by the user in the browser function (the URL registered as a so-called "bookmark" or "favorite") is included. In the page analysis information, page attributes obtained by analyzing each Web page corresponding to each URL registered in the past access log are registered. The page attribute represents the characteristics of the entire web page or a specific portion, and is analyzed based on the category of words in the web page or word parameters. Further, the page attribute does not have to represent only one feature but may include a plurality of features. In the past access log, U
It is also possible to register the access count for each RL.

The agent personality data is data in which data for defining the characteristics of processing by the agent function is registered. As shown in FIG. 5B, the agent type, agent parameter, intimacy parameter, etc. are included. ing. The agent function in the present embodiment does not always operate as the user expects, but operates independently based on the agent personality data as if it has individuality regardless of the user's intention. .

The agent type indicates a plurality of agent functions prepared in advance, that is, an agent function selected by the user for actual use from a plurality of agent functions having different initial agent parameters.

The agent parameter defines the individuality of the agent function and is indicated by a combination of a plurality of parameters. For example, the parameters included in the agent parameter include "vigor" and "dexterity".
“Usefulness”, “masculineness”, “femininity”, “diligence”, “familiarity”, “independence”, etc. are prepared and the respective values are set. The numerical value of each parameter is updated in response to the operation of the agent function of the user, the time when the browser function is used, the content of the Web page to be accessed (Web page data analysis data), and randomly at the time of using the browser function. To be done. That is, by changing the agent parameter, the individuality of the agent function changes, and the agent functions as if the mood changed according to the situation. For example, when the "vigorousness" parameter is high, it responds quickly to the user's use of the browser function, and the reaction frequency (the number of times the character message is output) is large. Conversely, when the "vigorousness" parameter is low, , The unfriendly personality and slow reaction,
The number of reactions decreases. Further, when the “diligence level” parameter is high, when the web page is displayed by the browser function, it responds faithfully according to the content of the web page.
Reacts unrelated to page content. In addition, by changing the numerical value of each parameter in the agent parameters, the agent function has individuality such as a carefree type, a user-friendly type, a rusty type, a tired type, a study type, and a lazy type. Can be operated as.

The intimacy parameter indicates the ease of information exchange (information content, amount of information, number of times of information exchange) for each exchange partner by the information exchange function (described later) of the agent function. For each of the users (other users 1, 2, ...), including the user who is using the other user PC 3, and the agent functions (agents 1, 2, ...) Executed by the other user PC 3. Is set. The intimacy parameter for each exchange partner is updated according to the amount and number of information exchanges,
In the case of the agent functions, they are updated according to the combination of the agent parameters of each other. For example, for other agent functions that can be discriminated from the agent parameters as having a good personality, the degree of intimacy is updated to facilitate information exchange.

The e-mail address is a registered e-mail address acquired by the information exchange function of the agent function (details will be described later). As shown in FIG. Contains email addresses, agent email addresses assigned to agent features used by other users.

The item data is data to be added to the character when the character is displayed, and includes, for example, part data, message data, etc., as shown in FIG. 5 (d). Item data is added by user's operation on the user PC 3 or data acquired from another server through the Internet 1 is added. For example, by accessing a web page for advertisement provided by the advertiser server 8, parts and messages corresponding to the content of the advertisement are acquired and displayed together with the character. Note that the item data includes control data for causing the character to perform a predetermined action in addition to the data provided for display.

In the agent data, the number of accesses and the access time (elapsed time) for each URL registered in the past access log of the past log analysis data are registered, and regarding the access to the advertisement Web page, the advertisement is performed. Other data (not shown) such as the number of times registered may be registered.

Further, the advertisement data 15c used by the agent function together with the word database 15a and the agent data 15b indicate the advertisement Web page (or the advertiser server 8) which is the access target by the agent function. . The advertisement target data 15c is set automatically when the agent program 14c is used, for example, or when the user makes a contract with the advertiser server 8 via the Internet 1.

Next, details of the agent service server 5 in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic circuit of the agent service server (home server) 5 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
The agent service server 5 is configured by a computer that reads program codes recorded in various recording media and whose operation is controlled by the read program codes.

As shown in FIG. 6, the agent service server 5 includes a CPU 20, a display device 21, and an input device 2.
2, a communication device 23, a memory 24, and a storage device 25. The CPU 20 controls the entire apparatus, activates a program stored in the memory 24, and executes various functions according to the program. The function realized by the CPU 20 is a function for providing a service related to the agent function of the browser used in the user PC 3 connected via the Internet 1, and the agent service program 24b stored in the memory 24. It is realized by executing.

The display device 21 is used when displaying the contents of various data for managing the agent service server 5. The input device 22 is for inputting instructions and data defining the operation of the agent service server 5, and is constituted by a pointing device such as a keyboard and a mouse. The communication device 23 performs control for communicating with other servers and the user PC 3 via the Internet 1.

The memory 24 stores programs and data according to the situation, and is a server system program 2 that controls the entire agent service server 5.
4a, a control processing program corresponding to various functions such as an agent service program 24b for providing services related to agent functions executed in the user PC 3, and various data are stored as necessary. In the agent service program 24b,
Analysis program 24b1, agent mail program 24b2, agent meeting program 2
4b3, search program 24b4, advertising program 24
b5 is included. By executing each program, an analysis service, an agent mail service, an agent meeting service, a search service, an advertisement service, etc. can be provided as necessary as services related to the agent function. Details of each service will be described later.

The storage device 25 is for storing programs, data, etc. in a recording medium, and is a user-specific word database 25a and user-specific agent data 25b used to provide services related to agent functions. A search file database 25c, an agent mailbox 25d, agent acquisition information 25e, advertisement data 25f, etc. are stored (details of each data will be described later). The recording medium is composed of a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, and is fixedly or detachably mounted.
The program, data, etc. stored in the recording medium may be received and stored from another device connected via the communication device 23, and further recorded on the other device side connected via a communication line or the like. A storage device provided with a medium may be provided and the programs and data stored in this recording medium may be used via a communication line. The program code recorded on the recording medium is stored in the memory 24 and stored in the CPU 2
Various functions are realized by being executed by 0.

Next, the details of the agent function in this embodiment will be described. The agent function basically operates according to the individuality according to the type of agent,
The individuality changes according to the response content of the user to the operation content. The functions provided by the agent function include (1) the content of the Web page that is the target of browsing by the browser function and the Web that has been browsed in the past.
Basic function of the agent that responds through the agent character according to the content of the page (past log analysis data), (2) Information retrieval is performed to the user through the Internet 1 according to the individuality of the agent function regardless of the user's instruction. Information search function to be presented, (3) Information exchange function for exchanging information with the agent function used by another user (user PC 3), (4) Sales of products provided by the advertiser server 8 and the like, There is an advertisement function of acquiring a Web page of an advertisement related to service provision and presenting it to the user. The operation of each of the functions (1) to (4) will be described below.

(1) First, the basic function of the agent will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the user PC 3 for realizing the basic agent function. As shown in FIG. 7, the agent function 30 is controlled by the agent control unit 32 according to the personality based on the content (see FIG. 5B) set in the agent personality data 33. The agent control unit 32 analyzes the web page being browsed by the browser function based on the word database 15a and obtains web page analysis data 34 (details will be described later), and web pages browsed in the past. Each unit is controlled based on the past log analysis data 35 (see FIG. 5A) for the above. Agent control unit 32
Is the message part 3 that transmits predetermined analysis data at predetermined timing according to the personality according to the agent personality data 33.
6, the character message to be notified to the user is acquired from the message section 36. Message part 3
Reference numeral 6 determines a message to be output based on the analysis data given from the agent control unit 32. For example, AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology is used and an AI unit 36a and message data 36b are provided. . Also, the agent control unit 3
2, the character control unit 37 attaches a character to the browser screen to control the motion of this character. Also, the agent control unit 32
Causes the message output unit 38 to output the message determined by the message unit 36 as a character message. Also, the agent control unit 3
In 2, the user response input unit 39 inputs a response from the user to the action of the character or the character message, or an instruction from the user with respect to the analysis result of the Web page data.

Next, the operation of the basic agent function will be described with reference to the block diagrams shown in FIGS. 2 and 7 and the flowchart shown in FIG. First, when the execution of the browser function is requested, the Web browser program 14
b is activated to display a browser screen on the display device 11 (step A1). Further, along with the activation of the browser function, the agent program 14c is executed to activate the agent function (step A2). As a result, the browser screen as shown in FIG. 3 and the agent character are displayed. The agent type used by the user is selected by the user in advance and is set in the agent personality data of the agent data 15b. According to this, it is assumed that the agent parameter is set to the initial parameter value corresponding to the agent type. Also,
As the agent character, one corresponding to the agent type is used from among a plurality of prepared agent characters.

Here, in the browser function, a preset URL or a URL designated by the user is used.
Based on the above, a predetermined home page is accessed through the Internet 1 and the home page is displayed on the browser screen.

On the other hand, the agent function acquires the web page data of the home page (web page) currently being accessed (step A3), and executes the web page data analysis under the control of the agent (step A4). The target of the Web page data analysis is We
Targeting data defining page b, that is, hypertext (for example, text data described in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language)), for example, the content (meaning) of a sentence in a text, words used in the text, text The type of tag inside, the type of file used in the text, file size (data capacity), display coordinates, etc. are analyzed.
A specific description of the b-page data analysis will be given later. In addition to analysis of Web page data, the time when the browser function is used, the elapsed time after the browser function is activated, and the like are also acquired as analysis data. The analysis data thus obtained is used as the web page analysis data 34, and the past log analysis data 35 is also included.
Is registered as (step A4).

The agent control unit 32 uses We
b page analysis data 34 and past log analysis data 35
Then, based on the agent personality data 33, predetermined character analysis data is given to the message section 36 at a predetermined timing to determine the character message to be output (step A5). Agent control unit 32
Causes the message output unit 38 to output a character message and causes the character control unit 37 to control and operate the character as needed (step A6). The action content of the agent character may be designated along with the content of the message, or may be designated arbitrarily.

Here, the agent control unit 32
Can input a response to the agent function from the user through the user response input unit 39 (step A7). For example, the user response input unit 39 can input a sentence (comment) as a response from the user or an operation using a mouse or the like on the character (clicking or dragging at a specific part of the character). In addition, the user response input unit 39 can also input a response by presenting an arbitrary selection item or the like and allowing the user to select it.

When a response from the user is input by the user response input unit 39 (step A8), the agent control unit 32 reflects the response contents in the word database 15a and the agent data 15b, and the agent function after that is displayed. The individuality is changed (step A9). Furthermore, by reflecting it in the message section 36, a new message is output, or even in the same situation, a different reaction (message, action) from before is displayed.

Not only is the response content reflected in the word database 15a and the agent data 15b only when there is a response from the user, but the fact that there is no response is also reflected in the word database 15a and the agent data 15b.
It can also be reflected in.

Here, a simple concrete example will be shown. For example, it is assumed that the word “game” is detected as the web page analysis data 34 as a result of analyzing the words used in the text on the web page data. In addition, it is assumed that it is registered that many Web pages including the word “game” are also browsed in the past log analysis data 35. By giving this analysis result to the message unit 36 by the agent control unit 32, a message "I am also interested in the game" is acquired as a character message corresponding to the current agent type, and is output as a character message. It On the other hand, when a positive response is received from the user, the usage frequency of the category (in this case, “game”) corresponding to the word “game” in the word database 15a is increased. In addition, of the agent parameters of the agent personality data, for example, the “intimacy” parameter is increased to show a more intimate reaction (message, action) to the user.

In this way, the agent function can analyze the Web page data being browsed by the browser function, display a message according to the analysis result, and display the agent character on the browser screen. . Since the agent function operates according to the personality defined by the agent personality data, it does not necessarily show a simple reaction as the user intends. For this reason, the user can not only simply surf the Internet by using the browser function, but also feel as if he or she is having fun with the agent character, and can continuously surf the Internet using the browser function with interest. .

Details of the Web page data analysis in step A4 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 will be described below with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11. Further, FIG. 12 shows an example of Web page data (HTML). Here, a case will be described in which the words used in the text are analyzed for the text data (source) that defines the Web page. FIG. 9 shows the process of analyzing the categories of words in the text.

First, when Web page data is acquired, words are extracted from the sentence displayed on the page (that is, the portion excluding the tags) (step B1), and the word database 15a is searched based on these words. (Step B2). Here, when the word extracted from the Web page data is registered in the word database 15a (step B3), the category and usage frequency for the corresponding word are confirmed (step B6).

Similarly, the words contained in the Web page data are sequentially extracted, the word database 15a is searched, and the category and usage frequency of each word are confirmed (steps B1 to B7). However, if the word extracted from the Web page data cannot be retrieved from the word database 15a, the user is inquired about the category in order to register it as a new word in the word database 15a.

For example, when a new word "Battle Gear" is extracted from the Web page data, "What is the meaning of" Battle Gear "on this homepage? Display the character message of the inquiry such as ". Here, when the user inputs a character string of "game" indicating a category in response to the reaction of the agent character, a message such as "Hey, this is a game" is displayed. If the category "game" is already prepared in the word database 15a, the word database 15a is updated as if the category of the word "battle gear" is "game", and the category of the word "battle gear" is used in the subsequent processing. Is treated as a "game". If the category input by the user is not prepared in the word database 15a, a new category is set, and this category and the new word are associated and registered in the word database 15a.

As the character message for category inquiry, a message for inquiry prepared in advance may be used instead of the message section 36. Further, as described above, instead of designating only one category, a plurality of categories may be designated. For example, if the unregistered word "Jagabata Porto" can be searched from the Web page data, "What is this Jaguabata Porto?"
In addition to displaying the character message of the inquiry, the user is allowed to select by presenting a plurality of categories prepared in the word database 15a as options.
Here, when the category “food” is selected, a plurality of options related to “food” are further presented together with a message “What kind of food is it?” To prompt the user to select. When the category "sweets" is selected, a message "Sweet ?, salty?" Is further displayed to prompt the user to select. Here, when "shoppy" is selected, the designation of the category is terminated, and the message "Hey, I haven't heard about Jaguabata" was displayed. Also, the word "Jagabata Potato"
Is newly registered in the word database 15a, and this word is updated so as to be associated with each category selected by the user as described above. It should be noted that also here, a new category can be added according to the designation from the user.

In this way, the word and category registered in the word database 15a can be updated based on the content (text) of the Web page data that the user actually accessed using the browser function, and the user is interested. The word database 15a having the content according to the field having is constructed.

On the other hand, when the extraction of all the words included in the Web page data is completed (step B7), W is calculated based on the category of each word confirmed by the search of the word database 15a and the frequency of use of each word.
The use tendency of the category of the entire eb page data, that is, which category word is used most is calculated (step B8). Then, based on the usage tendency of the category, a page attribute representing the characteristics of the entire web page is determined (step B9), and this is used as the web page analysis data 34, and the past log analysis data 35 (past search URL, page). Register as an attribute (step B)
10).

Next, with reference to the text data (source) that defines a Web page, the process of analyzing the word parameters of the words used in the text will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, when Web page data is acquired, words are extracted from the sentence displayed on the page (that is, the portion excluding the tags) (step C1), and the word database 15a is searched based on this word. (Step C2). Here, when the word extracted from the web page data is registered in the word database 15a (step C3), the word parameter for the corresponding word is confirmed (step C4).

Thereafter, similarly, words included in the Web page data are sequentially extracted, the word database 15a is searched, and each word parameter is confirmed (steps C1 to C5).

In this way, when all the words included in the Web page data have been extracted (step C5), the page parameters of the entire Web page data are obtained based on the word parameters for each word confirmed by the search of the word database 15a. That is, what meaning of a word is often used is calculated (step C
6). Then, based on the page parameters, the Web
A page attribute representing the characteristics of the entire page is determined (step C7), and this is used as the Web page analysis data 34 and registered as the past log analysis data 35 (past search URL, page attribute) (step C8).

In the above description with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the words contained in the text (sentence) are simply analyzed.
It is also possible to analyze the characteristics of the Web page data by performing grammatical analysis, semantic analysis, etc., and categorizing the grammatical characteristics, expression methods, etc.

In the above description, the analysis of the Web page data is executed on the user PC 3 for the Web page data accessed by the browser function, and the analysis result is stored in the storage device 15 of the user PC 3 as the agent data 15b. By using the analysis service provided by the agent service server (home server) 5, the word database 15a and the agent data 15b used by each user PC 3 are stored in the agent service server 5 as well. It can be stored in the device 25. This allows the agent service server 5 to realize an agent function that operates similarly to the agent function of each user PC 3. Also, by distributing the processing to the agent service server 5, the processing load on the user PC 3 side can be reduced.

FIG. 11 shows an analysis procedure for Web page data and a procedure for accumulating analysis results (analysis data). 11 (a1) to (a3) show a method for executing analysis on Web page data in the user PC 3 and storing the result in the agent service server (home server) 5.

First, in FIG. 11 (a1), analysis of Web page data is executed on the user PC 3 (step D1). The analysis on the user PC 3 is executed as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 described above. The result obtained by the analysis on the user PC 3 is the user P as the agent data 15b (past log analysis data).
It is stored in the storage device 15 of C3 (step D2).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11 (a2), the user PC 3 automatically accesses the agent service server 5 through the Internet 1 at a predetermined timing (step D3). The user PC 3 transmits new analysis data among the analysis data stored as the agent data 15b, that is, the analysis data increased after being transmitted to the agent service server 5 last time to the agent service server 5 (step D).
4). The agent service server 5 is a user PC 3
When the analysis data is received from the user-side agent data 25b in the storage device 25, the transmission source user P
The analysis data is saved in a specific area corresponding to the user who is using C3 (step D5). This FIG. 11 (a
The process shown in 2) is continuously executed between each user PC 3 that is provided with service from the agent service server 5 and the agent service server 5.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11 (a3), words can be added to the word database 15a used in the user PC 3 in the agent service server 5. The agent service server 5 adds a word (including a word parameter and a category) to the user-specific word database 25a (step D6). Here, the words may be added only to a specific user, or all the user PCs 3 to which the service is to be provided. When adding a word only to a specific user, the word is added to a specific area corresponding to the user of the user-specific word database 25a. The agent service server 5 sends the added word data to the user PC 3 via the Internet 1
Through (step D7). On the other hand, user PC
Upon receiving the additional word data from the agent service server 5, No. 3 registers it in the word database 15a so that it can be used in the subsequent processing (step D8). At this time, the word data newly registered in the word database 15a in the user PC 3 can be transmitted to the agent service server 5 and added to the specific area of the storage device 25 corresponding to the user. The process illustrated in FIG. 11A3 is performed by each user PC 3 that receives a service from the agent service server 5.
And the agent service server 5 are continuously executed. In this way, the word data added in the agent service server 5 can be reflected in the word database 15a of each user PC 3, so that each user of each user PC 3 does not need to perform the same work for word registration, and the work load is reduced. Can be reduced.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 11 (b1) and 11 (b2), a method for analyzing the Web page data and storing the analysis data in the agent service server 5 will be described. First, in FIG. 11 (b1),
The web page data is accessed by the browser function of the user PC 3 (step E1). The user PC 3 transmits the Web page data that is the access target by the agent function to the agent service server 5. Here, the URL is not the web page data itself, but only the URL.
May be sent to. The agent service server 5 acquires the web page data from the user PC 3 or from any server 9 based on the URL (step E3), and the agent service server 5 receives the web page data from the web page data. Analysis is executed (step E4). The analysis on the agent service server 5 is performed in the same manner as in FIGS. 9 and 10 described above, which is performed by the user PC 3. Agent service server 5
Is user-specific agent data 25b in the storage device 25.
To the user P who has transmitted the Web page data to
The analysis data is saved in a specific area corresponding to the user who is using C3 (step E5). FIG. 11 (b1)
The process shown in (1) is continuously executed between each user PC 3 that receives the service from the agent service server 5 and the agent service server 5. In addition, FIG.
As shown in (b2), the agent service server 5
Transmits new analysis data to the user PC 3 (step E6). The user PC 3 stores the analysis data received from the agent service server 5 as agent data 15b (past log analysis data) in the storage device 1
5 is stored (step E7). Thus, by using the analysis service provided by the agent service server 5, the processing load on each user PC 3 can be reduced.

In the user PC 3, the agent control unit 32 selects necessary data from the analysis data (Web page analysis data 34, past log analysis data 35) obtained as described above according to the agent parameter, The message that can be given to the message section 36 is determined (FIG. 8, step A5). For example,
When the "vigor" parameter is high, the analysis data is given to the message section 36 at an early timing to determine the character message in order to quickly react to the user's use of the browser function. In addition, when the “diligence level” parameter is high, the message section 3 is targeted not only for the Web page analysis data 34 but also for the past log analysis data 35.
6 determines the character message. On the contrary, when the “hard work level” parameter is low, the character message is determined by the message unit 36 based on the randomly generated data, not the Web page analysis data 34 or the past log analysis data 35. .

The above description (FIG. 9, FIG. 10, FIG. 1)
In 1), the text (source) of the Web page data is analyzed, but the type of tag in the text, the type of file used in the text, file size (data capacity), and display coordinates It is also possible to analyze the above and output a reaction corresponding to the analysis result through the agent character as follows.

For example, by analyzing the type of "tag", "JAVA (registered trademark)" is added to the Web page data.
If it is detected that there are a large number of "APPLET", "If you think it is too heavy, JAVA APPLET"
There is a lot of "!" Also, based on the size of the file to be displayed in the Web data, if the file size is large, a message "It looks like a heavy page" is output. In addition, as a result of analyzing the types of files to be displayed in the Web page data, if it is detected that there are many image files based on the file name extension, etc., a message "There are many images" is displayed. Output. In addition to the analysis of the Web page data as described above, the time when the browser is used, the elapsed time after the browser is started, etc. are also acquired as analysis data, and the reaction according to the analysis result is sent to the agent. It can also be output through a character.

For example, based on the time when the browser is being used, when surfing the net using the browser function during the daytime, a message such as "I'm sorry from daytime" is displayed. On the contrary, when the network is performed in the time zone at midnight, a character message corresponding to the change of time such as "What kind of night are you looking at?" Is displayed.

Further, based on the elapsed time from the start of the browser, for example, when the browser function is continuously used for 2 hours or more, a message that prompts a break such as "I'm almost tired" Can be displayed, and after a while without surfing the net for a while, a message such as "I was sorry that I didn't have to do it all the time" can be displayed.

A specific example will be shown using the Web page data shown in FIG. In the range indicated by A in FIG. 12, it is analyzed from the tag that there is a character string of the title, and it is determined that the content of the Web page is related to the game from the word “game” included in the title. In the range indicated by B in FIG. 12, it is possible to determine the size and color of the font used in the page. A range of C in FIG. 12 includes a sentence displayed on the Web page, and the content of the sentence is determined by performing a syntactic analysis or a semantic analysis on this sentence, and the “game software” is displayed. It is determined that there is a description of "arbitrary and prejudicial". In the range of D in FIG. 12, the URL indicating the link destination is described, the link destination is accessed to analyze the web page data of the link destination, and the agent function reacts to the analysis result. You may do it.

Note that, as in the example shown in FIG. 12, one W
Analysis results for multiple objects can be obtained from the eb page data, but the response to which the agent function is operated is selected by the user, the content of the agent parameter (individuality of the agent function), and randomly selected. It can be decided arbitrarily. Further, as described above, the page attribute of the entire Web page may be determined based on a plurality of analysis results as the page analysis information, and a reaction according to the page attribute may be shown.

(2) Next, an information search function for performing information search through the Internet 1 and presenting it to the user according to the individuality of the agent function without depending on an instruction from the user will be described. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a system configuration for realizing the information search function. The information retrieval function is not realized only by the agent function executed on the user PC 3, but the agent service server 5
Alternatively, the service provided by the information search server 7 is used. The information search server 7 has a database of Web pages provided by many servers 9 by WWW (World Wide Web), and provides a service such as introducing a Web page related to a keyword by designating a keyword or the like. providing. Further, the agent service server 5 is provided with a search unit 40 that realizes a search service for searching and providing information such as a Web page through the Internet 1, and the search unit 40 allows the information search server 7 to operate as needed. Information (file) is acquired and search file database 25
It is accumulated in c.

The agent function of the user PC 3 is shown in FIG.
According to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, the search unit 40 of the agent service server 5 or the information search server 7 is requested to search for information, and the search result is acquired and presented to the user through the agent character.

First, the agent function of the user PC 3 transmits the information to be searched and the data to be searched to the server at a predetermined timing according to the personality according to the agent personality data (step F1).

Here, as the data to be searched, when a search request is made to the information search server 7, the word or category as a keyword is used in the word database 1.
Select from 5a and notify. The agent function operates according to the personality based on the agent personality data (agent parameter), and the category or word used for the search request is selected according to the personality.

For example, in the case of an agent function having a high individuality of the “usefulness” of the agent parameter, the user is interested by selecting a category or a word that is frequently used registered in the word database 15a. We related to categories or words used in the field of Web pages that are frequently accessed with
You will be requested to search page b. In addition, if the number of "helpfulness" of the agent parameter is low,
A category or word registered in the word database 15a is randomly selected to request a Web page search. In addition, the agent parameter "femininity"
In the case of an agent function with a high number of,
By referring to the word parameters registered in the word database 15a, a word or category having a high "feminine" numerical value can be prioritized and a category or word having a high frequency of use can be selected.

On the other hand, when making a search request to the agent service server 5, the user PC 3 selects a category or word from the word database 15a and makes a search request in the same manner as the information search server 7. it can. Further, instead of sending a word or a category as a keyword, if the search unit 40 of the agent service server 5 supports it, a search request can be made by designating other conditions.

For example, past log analysis data (page analysis information) included in the agent parameter, agent personality data (agent type, agent parameter), time when the browser function is used, progress after starting the browser function. Time etc. are selectively transmitted as search conditions. It is also possible to set search conditions in advance according to an instruction from the user (for example, the latest information in a specific field) and send the search conditions. The search unit 40 of the agent service server 5 searches the Web pages corresponding to the above-mentioned search conditions by using the service provided by the information search server 7 and stores them in the search file database 25c so as to correspond to the above-described search conditions. is doing. In the search file database 25c,
The Web page data body may be stored, or only the URL may be stored.

For example, when the agent type is used as the search condition, the search section 40 presets the search target corresponding to this agent type and searches the Web page related to the set contents. The agent character corresponding to a certain agent type is "kappa" (Fig. 1
8 (a), there is an example in 8 (a)), for example, “water” related to the agent character “kappa” is preset as a search target.

Further, the search unit 40 constantly obtains and accumulates the latest information (update information, etc.) from the information search server 7 so that the “usefulness” of the agent parameter operating on a certain user PC 3 can be obtained. It becomes possible to retrieve the latest information useful for the user in response to a request from an agent function having a high personality.

Which of the information search server 7 and the agent service server 5 the search request is made to,
It may be determined in advance or may be determined according to an instruction from the user. Alternatively, the search request may be issued to both of them.

When the user PC 3 receives the search result from the agent service server 5 or the information search server 7 in response to the search request (step F2), it outputs the search result through the agent character (step F).
3). Here, the agent function is a We function that the user directly accesses using the browser function.
Regardless of page b, the web page searched according to the personality according to the agent personality data is introduced to the user. Therefore, if the agent function has a high “usefulness” and “hard work” of the agent parameter, a Web page useful for the user is frequently introduced, and if the agent function has a low “usefulness”, the net is operated by the user. It is possible to introduce a web page that is surprising to a user who cannot be accessed by surfing.

Here, the agent function inputs a response to the agent function from the user and reflects the response content from the user in the word database 15a and the agent data 15b in the same manner as in steps A7 to A9 in FIG. Then, the individuality of the agent function after that can be changed. It should be noted that the processes of steps F4 to F6 correspond to steps A7 to A9 in FIG. 8 and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The Web page introduced by the agent function may be accessed by the browser function and displayed on the screen when, for example, the user instructs the agent character to access the Web page. It may be forcibly displayed on the browser screen without an instruction from the user.

In this way, the agent function can search the Web page with a predetermined search condition at a predetermined timing and introduce the user to the user according to the personality according to the agent personality data without receiving an instruction from the user. . Therefore, the user not only obtains the processing result instructed to the browser by himself / herself, but also obtains useful information without any special operation, and does not access it by himself / herself. It becomes easier to refer to a Web page, and it becomes harder to get tired of surfing the Internet.

(3) Next, another user (user PC3)
The information exchange function for exchanging information with the agent function used by the. The information exchange function in the present embodiment includes an agent meeting in which the agent functions operating on each user PC 3 exchange information in a virtual information exchange place (meeting space) provided by the agent service server 5, There is an agent mail in which information is exchanged by sending and receiving electronic mail between the agent functions operating on each user PC 3.

FIG. 15 shows the agent service server 5 for realizing the information exchange function by the agent function.
3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, the agent service server 5 includes each user PC.
3, a transmission / reception unit 42 that receives an access request for exchanging information and exchanges various information, and an analysis execution unit 43 that analyzes the content of the access request from the user PC 3 and various information received by the transmission / reception unit 42. User-specific word database 25 for information exchange between agent functions
a, a user-specific agent data 25b, a database access unit 45 for accessing the search file database 25c, an agent meeting unit 47 for controlling agent meeting, and an agent mail unit 48 for controlling agent mail are provided. .

First, the agent meeting will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. FIG. 16 shows an agent meeting process in the user PC 3, and FIG. 17 shows an agent meeting process in the agent service server 5.

First, the agent function of the user PC 3 accesses the meeting space provided by the agent service server 5 through the Internet 1 (step G1). Access to the meeting space is automatically performed at a predetermined timing according to the individuality of the agent function without depending on the instruction from the user, when it is performed according to the instruction from the user, and periodically at a preset timing. You can choose the case. To access the meeting space according to an instruction from the user, for example, the home page for the agent service established by the agent service server 5 is accessed, and the portion linked to the meeting space prepared on this page is displayed on the browser screen. It is done by pointing (clicking with the mouse) in.

By accessing the meeting space, the agent function can acquire its own agent data (past log analysis data, agent personality data,
(Email address, number of access times for each URL, etc.),
Information prepared in advance to be provided to other agent functions is transmitted to the agent service server 5. As other information, for example, information retrieved by the above-mentioned information retrieval function, information (file) preset by the user for exchange, word database 1
There are categories or words registered in 5a that are frequently used. In addition to this, arbitrary information can be exchanged with other agent functions.

On the other hand, the agent service server 5
User PC 3 (agent function) by transmitting / receiving unit 42
The access from the user P is received (step H1), and the analysis execution unit 43 determines which user PC 3 (the agent function) is the access.
The agent data and other information transmitted from C3 are received (step H2).

The database access unit 45 uses the user P
The agent data and other information received from C3 are stored in the user-specific word database 25a, the user-specific agent data 25b, and the search file database 25c.
Specific area corresponding to each of the,
It is registered in a specific area corresponding to the user PC 3 determined by 3 (step H3).

Also, the agent meeting unit 47
About other information, the agent acquisition information 25e
And stores it in the storage device 25 (step H
4). The agent acquisition information 25e corresponds to each user PC 3
Information obtained by the agent functions operating above is aggregated according to specific conditions. For example, the total number of information obtained by each agent function, the number of information obtained by each agent function (agent character) for each agent type, etc. Sum up. This agent acquisition information 25e can also be acquired by the agent function by accessing the agent space. Specifically, a ranking is given to homepages accessed by each user, contents related to a specific agent character, for example, if the agent character is “kappa”, search targets related to “kappa” (“water” , Etc.) of the home page, and the information of this ranking is aggregated as the agent acquisition information 25e.

Here, the agent meeting unit 4
For the agent function that has been accessed, 7 selects the agent function for which information is to be exchanged based on the agent data of this agent function and the agent data of the agent function that is currently being accessed and has been previously registered. (Step H5). That is, the agent meeting unit 47 refers to the intimacy parameter in the agent personality data and selects the agent function as an object of information exchange if an agent having an intimacy higher than a predetermined value is accessing.

The agent meeting unit 47 displays the state of the agent character in the meeting space according to the information exchange (step H).
6).

FIG. 18 shows an example of a meeting space that can be referred to on the browser screen of the user PC 3. FIG. 18A shows a state in which an agent character operating on a plurality of user PCs 3 is accessed and an agent character corresponding to each agent function is displayed. When the meeting space is accessed by the user's operation, the user can refer to the meeting space including his / her own agent character. When an agent function operating on another user's PC 3 accesses the meeting space while referring to the browser screen shown in FIG. 18 (a), a state in which a new agent character is added is displayed.

FIG. 18B shows an agent function (agent character) selected as a target of information exchange.
7 shows an example of a browser screen on the user PC 3 showing how information is exchanged with. If the meeting space is accessed by the user's operation, refer to the screen indicating that information is being exchanged with the agent character to be exchanged as shown in FIG. 18B. it can.

In this way, when the agent function targeted for information exchange is selected, or when the user leaves the agent space according to an instruction (when information exchange is completed) (step H7), the agent service server 5 Agent meeting unit 47
Reads out the information to be exchanged from the user-specific word database 25a, the user-specific agent data 25b, the search file database 25c, and the agent mailbox 25d, and sends it to the user PC 3 on which the accessed agent function operates (step). H8). In addition, the agent meeting unit 47
Agent personality data (intimacy parameter) stored in the user-specific agent data 25b for each agent function (user) that has exchanged information.
To update. In other words, the value of the mutual familiarity parameter is increased as if the familiarity between the agent functions was increased by exchanging information.

On the other hand, the user PC 3 receives the information exchanged in the meeting space transmitted from the agent service server 5 and reflects it in the word database 15a and the agent data 15b (past log analysis data, mail address, etc.). (Step G
3) In the agent personality data, the numerical value of the intimacy parameter for the agent function that is the partner of the information exchange is updated to indicate that the intimacy degree has improved (step G4).

Further, the user PC 3 outputs the information acquired by the information exchange through the agent character, and outputs the character message according to the acquired information (step G5). For example, for information about the ranking of homepages, a message such as "This page is extremely popular now!" Is output, and a search target ("water" related to a specific agent character, such as "kappa") is output. , Etc.), a character message "A homepage of delicious water seems to be all the rage among Kappa-san now!" Is output. Also, a character message is output in the same manner for the information acquired from the specific agent function.

Here, similarly to the flowchart (steps A7 to A9) shown in FIG. 8, the user can input the response to the agent function (agent character), and when the response from the user is input (step A7). G6), the response content is the agent data 15
It is reflected in b so that the individuality of the agent function after that is changed (step G7).

In this way, the agent service server 5 (agent space) does not search and acquire information such as the home page provided by another server 9 only by the agent function operating on the user PC 3. The information acquired by the agent function operating on another user PC 3 can also be acquired through the agent function. Moreover, since the user can acquire information through the agent function without performing a special operation, the user can unexpectedly acquire useful information from a Web page that cannot be accessed by the user's own operation. .

In the above description, the agent (agent character) to be exchanged with information is selected based on the intimacy parameter, but when the user accesses the meeting space, It is also possible to select an agent function (agent character) for exchanging information according to an instruction from. For example, by instructing an agent character to be the target of information exchange on the display screen shown in FIG. 18A, the instruction is notified to the agent service server 5 (agent meeting unit 47), and the information is exchanged. The agent function is set.

In the above description, information is exchanged between the agent functions that are accessing the meeting space, but it is already stored in the user-specific word database 25a and the user-specific agent data 25b even when the meeting space is not being accessed. Information about a specific agent function (user) that is present may be acquired. Also, search file database 2
5c, the information stored in the agent acquisition information 25e can be acquired regardless of access by other agent functions.

Further, the agent function (user) to be the object of information exchange may be set in advance according to an instruction from the user, and the information exchange may be performed according to the setting contents.

Next, the agent mail will be described. With the agent mail, it is possible to send and receive mail in two forms. First, in the agent service server 5, a mode (first mode) in which mail is sent to a predetermined party according to the same personality as the agent function operating in each user PC 3, and in the second, it operates on each user PC 3. This is a mode (second mode) in which each of the agent functions sends an email.

First, the first mode will be described. The agent mail according to the first mode is executed by the agent mail unit 48 shown in FIG. Agent function that operates on each user PC 3 (agent mail unit 4
In 8), each email address is prepared,
As shown in FIG. 15, an agent mailbox 25d corresponding to each email address (agent) is prepared.

FIG. 19 shows a conceptual diagram when the agent mail is executed according to the first mode. As shown in FIG. 19, on the agent service server 5, the agent function according to the same personality as the agent function operating on each user PC 3 sends an email to the email address of a given partner (agent function) at a given timing. To send. That is, the agent function freely sends the mail according to the individuality, even if the user who is using the user PC 3 (agent function) does not care.

In the agent service server 5, as described above, information such as agent data and word database that governs the operation (individuality) of the agent function operating on each user PC 3 is stored in the user-specific word database 25a for each user (agent function). , Is stored in the user-specific agent data 25b. Therefore, the user PC
3, the word database 25a for each user, the agent data for each user 2 by the same algorithm (agent program 14c) as the agent function operating on
By operating based on the corresponding data stored in 5b, the agent function according to the same personality as the agent function operating on the user PC 3 operates.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of the agent mail (agent service server 5) according to the first embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 20 shows the processing of the agent function (agent mail unit 48) corresponding to one user PC 3 (user).

The agent function corresponding to a certain user PC 3 (user) operating on the agent service server 5 corresponds to the agent personality data corresponding to its own function stored in the user-specific agent data 25b and changes in various situations. , The timing of sending the mail and the sending party are determined (step J1). For example, if the agent function has a high individuality such as the agent parameter “energy level”, “diligence level”, and “intimacy level”, there is a high tendency to send mail frequently. Also, if the “intimacy” parameter has a high personality, an email will be sent even to a person with a relatively low intimacy parameter in the agent personality data, and if the “intimacy” parameter is low, the intimacy parameter will be Send email only to relatively expensive people. Changes in various situations include reception of mail from other agent functions, occurrence of events prepared in the agent service server 5, occurrence of a predetermined period of time, and time specified in advance by the user. Various conditions can be used as conditions, such as the case where is reached.

However, it is necessary to obtain the mail address of the other party in advance as the other party of the transmission. The other party's mail address is acquired from another agent function by the information exchange function described above, or registered in the mail function of the browser function on the user PC 3 (or the mail function realized by an independent mail program). It is possible to acquire the data of the mail address list (so-called address book data).

Next, the agent function creates a mail text based on the agent data (agent personality data) corresponding to its own function and the word database (step J2). For example, the agent function uses AI technology in the same manner as when outputting an agent message, and currently acquiring information (words in the word database, past log analysis data, etc.) or the mail text received from the other party. A text is generated based on the words included in the text and used as the mail text. Also, the subject (title) of the email is created in the same manner. Furthermore, it is possible to extract specific information from the agent data and word database corresponding to its own function and use it as an email attachment file. The information extracted as the attached file is, for example, the same information as the information to be exchanged in the above-mentioned agent meeting. Therefore, the same information exchange as the agent meeting can be realized with other agent functions by the agent mail.

When the creation of the outgoing mail is completed, the agent function sends the mail to the agent function determined as the sending partner, that is, the mail data (subject, mail text, (Including sender address)
Is stored (step J3). In addition, the mail data that has already been sent is saved in its own mailbox. Thus, the mail can be sent to another agent function on the agent service server 5.

On the other hand, the user can refer to the sent and received mail by checking the mailbox of the agent function by the mail function from the user PC 3. At this time, the agent function creates a character message for the sent and received mail and outputs it through the character. For example, it is possible to show a reaction of outputting a character message such as "I have already sent 20 mails to my friend".

When an attached file exists in the mail, the information acquired by the attached file is sent to the user PC.
Word database 15a on 3 and agent data 1
5b can be reflected. Also, the user-specific word database 2 in the agent service server 5
5a, user-specific agent data 25b can also be reflected in its own data.

In the agent mail according to the first embodiment described above, mails are sent and received between the agent functions on the agent service server 5. Alternatively, the mail may be transmitted to the other party who has the mailbox in the other server 9 without being aware. If there is an attachment file in the email sent from the agent function, the user can forward the email to the agent email address of the agent function that he / she is using to update the information in the attachment file as described above. It can be reflected in the word database and agent data.

The agent function operating on the agent service server 5 can also send mail to the user who is using the agent function.
That is, if the user address is registered in the mail address data (FIG. 5C) in the agent data, the mail may be sent to this user address.
In this case, the user, while being a user of the agent function, can obtain the impression that he or she has received a mail from another individual user.

Next, the second mode will be described. The agent mail according to the second mode is the user P shown in FIG.
It is executed by the agent function operating on C3. The configuration of the agent function shown in FIG. 21 is basically the same as the block diagram shown in FIG. 7 described above, and the agent control unit 32 is provided with a mail unit 50 for realizing an agent mail. The mail section 50 is
It operates according to the personality according to the agent personality data 33 in the agent data 15b regardless of the instruction from the user, and based on the data contained in the agent data 15b and the word database 15a, the mail address of the predetermined partner is set at a predetermined timing. Send an email to

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the operation of the agent mail (mail unit 50) according to the second embodiment. The agent function (mail unit 50) determines the timing and destination of email transmission according to the agent personality data 33 stored in the agent data 15b and changes in various situations (step K).
1). Next, the agent function creates a mail text based on the agent data 15b (agent personality data 33) and the word database 15a (step K).
2). Here, for example, it is assumed that it operates in the same manner as the agent mail of the first form.

When the creation of the outgoing mail is completed, the agent function sends the mail via the agent service server 5 and the Internet 1 to the agent function determined as the sending partner (step K3). The e-mail sent here is the same as general e-mail, so regardless of whether or not the user is using the service of the agent service server 5, it can be sent to anyone who has an e-mail address. can do.

Further, the agent function receives the mail addressed to the self agent stored in the self mailbox of the agent service server 5 and stores it in the storage device 15 (step K4). When the mail is opened here, the message relating to the mail reception is output by the agent character. For example, it is possible to display a character message "I received an email from Mr. XX" or to display the email text as it is. If the mail is not opened, it is stored as it is until the user instructs to open the mail addressed to the agent.

Whether or not to open the mail can be set in advance. Further, when there is a notification of the received mail from the agent service server 5, it is possible to notify the user that the mail has been received through the agent character in response to the notification. Other,
The agent function for realizing the agent mail in the second mode can have the same function as the agent function in the first mode described above. Also, which of the first form and the second form of agent mail is to be used?
You may be able to select it according to the user's settings,
Both may be operated in parallel.

(4) Next, an explanation will be given of the advertisement function of acquiring the advertisement data (Web page data, item data 54, etc.) related to the sale of goods, service provision, etc. provided by the advertiser server 8 etc. To do. FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the user PC 3, the agent service server 5, and each server (advertiser server 8 and server 9) for realizing the advertising function by the agent function. As shown in FIG. 23, the user PC 3
The configuration of the agent function operating above is shown in FIG.
This is basically the same as the block diagram shown in FIG. 3, and the agent control unit 32 is provided with an advertising unit 52 for realizing an advertising function. The advertising unit 52 operates according to the personality according to the agent personality data 33 in the agent data 15b, and acquires the advertising data provided by the advertiser server 8 or the agent service server 5.
The data acquired by the advertising unit 52 includes Web page data for advertising purposes, and item data 54 related to advertising that can be displayed in addition to the agent character. The item data 54 can be held as the agent data 15b, and as shown in FIG.
As shown in, there are part data and message data. Whether or not the item data 54 is continuously retained may be determined according to an instruction from the user, and items the user likes may be collected. The advertisement unit 52 is the advertisement target data 15c indicating the provider of the advertisement set in advance by the user, that is, the Web page for the advertisement to be accessed (or the advertiser server 8).
The advertisement data can be acquired and presented to the user at a predetermined timing regardless of the instruction from the user in accordance with the data indicating. For example, the user of the user PC 3 accesses the advertiser server 8 that is providing an advertisement, and makes a contract with a company, an organization, or the like that wants to display an advertisement through the advertiser server 8. By this contract, the address of the advertisement home page to be accessed, the access timing, etc. are registered in the advertisement target data 15c. The agent function regularly accesses the home page of the contractor or the like according to the advertisement target data 15c while surfing the internet, and displays the advertisement page on the browser screen regardless of the intention of the user. Also, the agent control unit 32
Based on the message data of the advertisement acquired by the advertising unit 52, the message output unit 38 can output the advertising message as a character message.

Further, the agent service server 5 is provided with an advertising unit 60 which distributes an advertisement to the user PC 3. The advertising unit 60 can provide an advertisement to the user PC 3 on behalf of an advertiser who does not have a Web page for advertisement, and advertisement data is prepared in advance as advertisement data 25f. In this case, the agent function (advertising unit 52) on the user PC 3 can display the advertisement by accessing the advertisement data 25f of the advertiser who has a contract for the advertisement display with the agent service server 5.

Next, the processing of displaying an advertisement by the agent function will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, agent function (advertising unit 52)
Is an advertising source (advertiser server 8 or advertising section 6 of the agent service server 5) according to changes in various situations with the agent data 15b (agent personality data 33).
0) access timing and an advertisement target are selected (step L1), and the web page targeted by the advertisement source of the advertisement is accessed (step L2). For example, according to the data indicating the address and the timing specified by the advertisement target data 15c, the home page for advertisement is regularly accessed during the surfing according to the instruction of the user. Further, the access timing can be determined according to the agent personality data, and for example, when the values of the “energy level” and “hard work level” parameters are high, the access frequency can be increased.

When the Web page data is acquired by accessing the advertisement source, the advertising unit 52 displays the browser screen according to the data and forcibly shows the content of the advertisement to the user (step L3). Further, when the advertising unit 52 acquires item data other than Web page data from the advertising source, the advertising unit 52 stores the item data in the storage device 15 as the item data of the agent data (FIG. 5 (d)).
Based on the item data, the character control unit 37 and the message output unit 38 control and display the character (step L5). Here, an advertisement message can be displayed as a character message based on the item data message, or parts related to the advertisement can be added and displayed on the agent character based on the item data parts.

FIG. 25A shows an example of the display screen in the state where the advertisement is displayed. The web page acquired by accessing the advertisement source is displayed on the advertisement browser screen shown in FIG. It is also assumed that the advertisement content is related to "tomato juice", and that parts data indicating a drink and message data "This juice is delicious!" Are acquired as item data.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 25 (a), the agent character displays the agent character as if he / she is holding a drink, and displays a message such as the impression "drink this juice, delicious!" Thus, it is possible to motivate the user to purchase through the agent character. Further, since the items of the advertising product can be held as a collection, it is possible to make the user interested as a collector and improve the advertising effect.

FIG. 25 (b) shows an example of another advertisement display pattern. In the pattern shown in FIG. 25B, only the message that the advertiser has requested to display is displayed by, for example, a character message. The message may be displayed on the browser screen. The message displayed here is linked to a web page for advertisement. Therefore, when the user operates the mouse or the like to click the portion of the advertisement message, the advertisement Web page can be displayed in the browser screen as shown in FIG.
That is, it is possible to select whether or not to display the advertisement page according to the intention of the user. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the user from surfing the Internet by forcibly displaying the Web page for advertisement.

In the above description, it is assumed that the address of the advertisement home page to be accessed is registered in the advertisement target data 15c by making a contract with the advertisement source, but the user intentionally specifies it. By registering data indicating a field, data such as a corresponding Web page may be acquired by the agent function. For example, by specifying a company in a specific field for job hunting, the agent function displays a Web page (pages for company introduction, employee recruitment, etc.) related to employment in the specified system in the word database 15a, etc. Browse to search and display on the browser screen. Also,
If the contracted advertising source is recruiting employees, the agent function may be used to access the employee recruiting Web page as in the case of product advertisement. Further, in the agent service server 5, information for requesting notification to the user PC 3 from the advertiser server 8 or the server 9 can be registered for each specific field selectable by the user, and the agent function (agent control unit 32 ) Can access the agent service server 5 with respect to information on a specific field registered in the advertisement target data 15c to acquire the corresponding information.

In the above description, the agent function merely accesses the Web page for advertisement and displays it on the browser screen, but the provider of the Web page (advertiser or the like) does not notify the agent function. You may intentionally cause a predetermined operation.

For example, H that defines a Web page
The original tag that only the agent function can recognize is embedded in the Web page data described by TML. For example, "<body> ??? ... </ b
The original tag for instructing the agent function to perform a predetermined operation is embedded in the "??" part in the description of "ody>". The predetermined action includes causing the agent character to output a predetermined character message, causing the agent character to perform a predetermined action (animation), controlling the mouse cursor and click in the display screen of the user PC 3, and automatically accessing a predetermined link destination. There is an action such as letting. With the mouse cursor and click control, if a particular original Doug is described in the Web page data, the agent function will display a character message such as "There is something here" near the coordinate position on the browser screen indicated by the tag. Is displayed, or the mouse cursor is moved to the position of the original tag and automatically clicked regardless of the user's operation. Also, if there is a specific original Doug, the agent function can randomly create and send a mail to the creator of the home page using the agent mail function.

In the above description, for the individuality of the agent function, in order to simplify the description, for each specific parameter in the agent parameters (“helpfulness”, “hard work”, “intimacy”, “independence”, etc.). ) Shows an example in which the numerical value is high or low, but it is assumed that the individuality of the agent function is determined by the combination of the numerical values of each parameter (entire agent parameter).

The agent program for realizing the agent function in the above-mentioned embodiment is
Examples of programs that can be executed by various computers include magnetic disks (floppy (registered trademark) disks, hard disks, etc.), optical disks (C
It can be provided by writing it on a recording medium such as a D-ROM, a DVD) or a semiconductor memory. It is also possible to transmit the data via a communication medium and provide it to various devices. The computer reads the agent program recorded in the recording medium or receives the agent program through the communication medium, and the operation is controlled by this program to execute the processing for realizing the above-mentioned agent function. .

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be variously modified in a practical stage without departing from the scope thereof. Further, the contents of the above-described embodiment, that is, the agent function that operates on the user PC 3 and the function that is executed on the agent service server 5 may be appropriately combined and implemented as much as possible. The embodiments described above include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiment, if the effect can be obtained, the structure in which the constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as the invention.

[0143]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, in addition to browsing a Web page by the browser function,
In order to positively assist the user in using the browser, the processing result of processing according to the attribute of the page data that is the target of browsing with the use of the browser function without the instruction from the user , Search results obtained by requesting information search from outside, advertisement data obtained by accessing the advertisement source,
It can be output through a character image. In addition to browsing the Web page using the browser function, other users (browsing assist device) can also use the browser function without any instruction from the user.
You can exchange information and send e-mail to and from.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network system according to this embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic circuit of a user PC 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a browser screen and an agent character.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of a word database 15a used when executing an agent function.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of agent data 15b used when executing an agent function.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic circuit of the agent service server 5 according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a user PC 3 for realizing a basic agent function.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of an agent basic function.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a process of analyzing a category of words in a text.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a process of analyzing word parameters of a word used in a text.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an analysis procedure for Web page data and a procedure for accumulating analysis results (analysis data).

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a specific example using Web page data.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a system configuration for realizing an information search function.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a process in which an agent function requests an information search and presents a search result to a user by an agent character.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an agent service server 5 for realizing an information exchange function by an agent function.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an agent meeting process in the user PC 3.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an agent meeting process in the agent service server 5.

FIG. 18 is a view showing an example of a meeting space that can be referred to on the browser screen of the user PC 3.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a conceptual diagram when executing an agent mail according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of an agent mail (agent service server 5) according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 21: User PC 3 realizing agent mail
The block diagram which shows the structure of the agent function which operates on the above.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the operation of an agent mail (mail unit 50) according to the second mode.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration for realizing an advertising function by an agent function.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing processing for displaying an advertisement by the agent function.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in a state where an advertisement is displayed.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Internet 3 ... User PC 5 ... Agent service server (home server) 7 ... Information search server 8 ... Advertiser server 9 ... server 10 ... CPU 11 ... Display device 12 ... Input device 13 ... communication device 14 ... Memory 14b ... Web browser program 14c ... Agent program 15 ... Storage device 15a ... word database 15b ... Agent data 24b ... Agent service program 25a ... User-specific word database 25b ... Agent database for each user 30 ... Agent function 32 ... Agent control unit 33 ... Agent personality data 34 ... Web page analysis data 35 ... Past log analysis data 36 ... Message part 36a ... AI part 36b ... Message data 37 ... Character control section 38 ... Message output section 39 ... User response input section 40 ... Search unit 42 ... Transceiver 43 ... Analysis execution unit 45 ... Database access unit 47 ... Agent Meeting Department 48 ... Agent mail department 50 ... mail department 52 ... Advertising department 54 ... Item data 60 ... Advertising department

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP 2000-20202 (JP, A) JP 9-153145 (JP, A) JP 10-307804 (JP, A) JP 10-307806 (JP, A) JP-A-11-15623 (JP, A) JP-A-11-65965 (JP, A) JP-A-11-265239 (JP, A) JP-A-11-272380 (JP, A) Open 2000-90111 (JP, A) Furukawa Junpei, move! Chatter! Play with Microsoft Soft Agent, Nikkei Software, Nikkei BP, Japan, February 24, 2000, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 102-109. (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 17/30 380 G06F 17/30 110 G06F 13/00 500 G06F 15/00 310 G06F 15/16 620 JISST file (JOIS)

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. A browsing assist device for assisting a browser function for displaying on a browser screen based on page data, comprising attribute detection means for analyzing the page data to detect a page attribute representing a feature of a page. A character display unit for adding and displaying a character image on the browser screen, a holding unit for holding data for defining processing characteristics, a page attribute detected by the attribute detection unit, and a holding unit held by the holding unit. Message determining means for determining a message to be output based on the data, message output means for outputting the message determined by the message determining means, page attribute detected by the attribute detecting means, and the holding means Is displayed by the character display means based on the data stored in And a character control means for moving the displayed character image. 2. The browsing assist device according to claim 1, further comprising a changing unit that changes the data held by the holding unit according to use of the browser function. 3. The browsing assist device according to claim 1, wherein the data held by the holding means is indicated by a combination of a plurality of parameters. 4. An analysis data holding unit for holding the page attribute detected by the attribute detecting unit for the page data displayed in the past by the browser function is provided, and the message determining unit is displayed on the browser screen. 2. The message to be output is determined based on the page attribute detected by the attribute detecting unit and the page attribute held by the analysis data holding unit for the page data in the inside. Browsing assist device. 5. A user response input means for inputting a response from a user to a message output by said message output means , wherein the data held by said holding means in response to an input from said user response input means is stored. The browsing assist device according to claim 1, wherein the browsing assist device is changed. 6. The browsing assist device according to claim 1, wherein the attribute detection unit detects a page attribute based on a word extracted from the page data. 7. A word database in which data of a plurality of words is registered, a word selecting means for selecting a word from the word database based on the data held in the holding means, and a selection by the word selecting means The browsing assist device according to claim 1, further comprising: a search processing unit that requests an information search based on the specified word to the outside and acquires a search result for the request. 8. A recording medium in which a program for assisting a browser function for displaying in a browser screen on the basis of page data is recorded, and a computer analyzes the page data to express characteristics of the page. Attribute detection means for detecting page attributes, character display means for displaying a character image on a browser screen, holding means for holding data for defining processing characteristics, and attribute detection means for detecting data A message determining unit that determines a message to be output based on the page attribute and the data retained in the retaining unit, a message output unit that outputs the message determined by the message determining unit, and an attribute detecting unit. Based on the detected page attribute and the data held in the holding means, A computer-readable recording medium in which a program for causing the character image displayed by the lactate display means to function as a character control means is recorded. 9. A computer comprising: a word database in which data of a plurality of words is registered; word selection means for selecting a word from the word database based on the data held in the holding means; and the word selection 9. The computer-readable computer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein a program for requesting an information search based on the word selected by the means to the outside and causing it to further function as a search processing means for obtaining a search result for the request is recorded. recoding media.