JP4512174B2 - Information search method and information search system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
The present invention relates to an information search method and an information search system, and is suitable for the world of a computer network in which a large amount of information such as the Internet is flooded. The present invention relates to a systematic information search method and an information search system that can be obtained and can provide information appropriately to those who want to convey their own information.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, wide-area information services that can be utilized by end users who use services have increased dramatically due to the expansion of networks and the expansion of business through networks such as the Internet and personal computer communication.
[0003]
However, the interface such as WWW (World WideWeb) currently provided on the Internet requires the end user to know the connection destination of the information providing computer, and cannot connect to a plurality of information providing computers at the same time. . Therefore, without prior knowledge and effort, it is difficult to find a truly necessary service from an enormous sea of information and use it efficiently.
[0004]
In particular, although information search services are provided, these keywords are automatically extracted from text describing the information and handled as search data, so end users can select keywords for information search. If it is put in, a state where an unnecessary search result is returned frequently occurs, and the usability for the end user still has room for examination.
[0005]
Also, when connecting to an information providing computer using personal computer communication, the personal computer communication system simply provides a communication path to the information providing computer or lends a database to the information provider. . Therefore, the end user must individually connect to the information provider's system, sequentially search for service contents, and apply for use.
[0006]
In addition, there are technologies such as CORBA and DCOM that aim to unify communication interfaces and protocols on various existing platforms to improve interoperability. The current situation is that it is difficult for the user to grasp the service that is truly optimal for the user. In CORBA, a technique called Trading Service is adopted in which usage conditions are input and an optimum partner is found out. However, for this Trading Service, all usage conditions are grasped by the end user. It is necessary to dynamically change the conditions according to the service provision status, and it is not possible to input the provision conditions of the service providing side.
[0007]
Based on the CORBA technology, there is a technology called TINA that uses the communication connection processing technology between users in the field of communication as a standard, but this also uses the same technology as Trading, called Broker, to connect end users. This technology assumes that the partner is known in advance. Therefore, there is a problem similar to CORBA.
[0008]
Furthermore, there are DB relation definitions and XML, which is an international standard data description language, as a description method of the service itself, or usage conditions, provision conditions, etc. These are data structures (tags) that can be commonly understood. If it is defined in advance and shared and managed, it can be interpreted by any user or terminal. However, it is necessary for the application side to consider how to share the corresponding data structure, and in order to automate information sharing, the sharing method of this data structure must be clarified.
[0009]
In addition, the content of current information services is fixed, and the same service is available for the same request regardless of who the end user is and the system status when receiving the service. Provided.
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The above prior art is based on the premise that the end user can search for service contents provided for the first time after connecting to the information providing computer and apply for service use, and cannot connect to multiple information providing computers at the same time, and Since it is assumed that only the service request information is sent from the end user and the information providing computer does not receive or hold the personal information of the end user, there are the following problems.
[0011]
(1) It is difficult to find a service desired by the end user.
[0012]
Even if a certain information providing computer provides a service desired by the end user, the service cannot be used unless the end user knows the existence of the information providing computer and the connection destination. It is difficult for end users to grasp the service contents and connection destinations of a huge number of information-providing computers personally, which means that it is difficult for end users to use the services they really want. .
[0013]
(2) It is difficult to use a suitable service according to changes in the situation.
[0014]
Every day, many information providers not only enter the information service business, but also frequently add and change to existing information-providing computer services. It is difficult to grasp. As a result, the end user is more likely to use a specific service in a fixed manner even when a better service is added.
[0015]
In addition, services that better satisfy end-user requirements vary depending on the system environment and the quality of information / services. It is difficult for an end user to evaluate these situations in an integrated manner and select a suitable service according to the change.
[0016]
(3) It is difficult to personalize services based on end user preferences and usage history.
[0017]
Only the end user knows the end user's preference and service usage history. Accordingly, the information providing computer cannot select a service that satisfies the requirements of each individual end user, the end user searches for the service that suits his / her preference, and also maintains the service usage history by himself / herself. Must be managed.
[0018]
(4) When receiving the services of a plurality of information providing computers in an integrated manner, the procedure for the end user becomes complicated.
[0019]
When receiving a complex service that spans multiple information-providing computers, end users connect to each information-providing computer sequentially, search for individual service contents, apply for use, and adjust themselves between services. You must pay for the service for each information provider. In particular, the adjustment for coordinating a plurality of services requires much time and effort of the end user.
[0020]
(5) The possibility of providing services from more information providers for end users cannot be expanded.
[0021]
In a system connected to a wide area network, an end user can receive a service from a service provider in a system that manages each service business. If such a cooperation process between service systems is performed, it may be possible for an end user to find an optimum service more suited to his / her preference. However, adjustment for coordination between service systems has a lot of time and effort for the service system administrator, and there is no guarantee that end users can receive timely services.
[0022]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. The object of the present invention is to manage a service content requested by an end user or a data structure constituting a service / information provision condition on the system side, and The object is to provide a search system that can realize service requests and service provisions based on data types that can be understood by users and information providers.
[0023]
Furthermore, if the service content requested by the end user is clearly stated, the end user's individual preference and usage history are evaluated, and the service of the computer on the side providing the information is selected and provided, and the information is provided If there is an addition or change in the service of the computer on the computer, the service provided to the end user is changed based on the contents, and at the same time, the system environment and the quality of the service / information are evaluated. Search that realizes the ability to provide a mechanism to change the service to be provided, and controls the delivery of the optimal information service to end users in cooperation with various information provision service systems that exist in a wide area To provide a system.
[0024]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the structure of the invention according to the information search method of the present invention searches for information. End user terminal And provide information Information provider terminal And mediation management between the user terminal and the information provider terminal Mediation management server In the information search method of the information search system in which the user terminal, the information provider terminal, and the mediation management server are coupled via a network, the information search at the end user terminal and the information provider terminal The provision of information to be input is performed by a pair of the same attribute and the corresponding value, and the mediation management server is classified in units of a user managed on the network or a device managed on the network, And holding group information of a group in which one or more attributes used in the search of information in the end user terminal and provision of information input from the information provider terminal are held, and the group information is associated with the group. The attributes are shared by users or devices related to the group, and the group has a hierarchical structure and corresponds to the upper group. And the attribute corresponding to the lower group have an inheritance relationship in the object-oriented model, the mediation management server manages the relationship between the group and the attribute in a hierarchical structure, and the end user terminal, or Content information provided by an information provider belonging to the group, the information provider terminal having means for displaying and operating the hierarchical structure And a pair of an attribute associated with the group and a value of content data corresponding to the attribute. And when a search is performed from the end user terminal, by executing a program on the processing device, a value belonging to the group or attribute belonging to the user or device related to the search On the basis of the Appropriate content data provided by information providers belonging to the group The The data is taken out and transmitted to the end user terminal via the network.
[0026]
More specifically, in the information search method, the attribute is implemented as an XML data tag, as a service type property of an OMG trading service, or as a database field.
[0027]
In order to achieve the above object, the configuration of the invention related to the information search system of the present invention searches for information. End user terminal And provide information Information provider terminal And mediation management of both the end user terminal and the information provider terminal Mediation management server In the information search system in which the user terminal, the information provider terminal, and the mediation management server are coupled via a network, the mediation management server is a user managed on the network or managed on the network A group categorized in units of devices, and a correspondence between a search from the group and the end user terminal and one or more attributes used in providing information input from the information provision as group information Means for setting group information, group communication means for communicating about group information, and means for holding content transferred from the information provider terminal, the end user terminal for searching Means for inputting values to the attributes, means for making a search request to the mediation management server, Means for receiving and displaying the resulting content and group communication means for communicating about group information, and the information provider terminal registers the content by inputting a value for the attribute as a form of information provision , A group communication unit for communicating about group information, and a unit for transferring content to the mediation management server or the end user terminal. The group has a hierarchical structure and has attributes corresponding to the upper group. And the attributes corresponding to the lower group have an inheritance relationship in the object-oriented model, the intermediary management server manages the relationship between the group and the attribute in a hierarchical structure, and the end user terminal or the information A means for displaying and operating the hierarchical structure on a provider terminal; , Search requests that the key value of the attribute and the attributes from the end user terminal Received Sometimes, the user who requested the search by executing the program on the processing device Groups that are classified Or The end user terminal belongs to a group classified as a device Attributes and their values When Based on , Target Content Said End user terminal Is to be sent to.
[0030]
More specifically, in the information search system, a search engine for searching is placed in the information provider terminal, and the search is performed by the information provider terminal. As a result, the information provider terminal is connected to the end user terminal. The command is sent to transfer the result.
[0031]
By the above means, it is possible to realize a mechanism that allows the attribute data structure to be shared between the terminals and users in the group. Therefore, the data structure of the attribute value such as the request condition and provision condition necessary for the search process is automatically set between the terminals. To share with. That is, when each information provider and end user registers a service or requests a service, values are input for the same attribute, and the accuracy of the search result is improved.
[0032]
In addition, since attributes are managed for each group, even when adding or changing attribute items, change notifications can be transferred in real time within the group, allowing for flexible changes in the information structure you want to share. .
[0033]
As a result, the above-mentioned problems can be solved, service search processing with the same data structure can be realized, a service closer to the end user's request can be provided, and the end user's information service can be used efficiently be able to.
[0034]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
[0035]
[Embodiment 1]
A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
[0036]
(I) Overview of the search system of the present invention
First, the use image, concept, data flow, etc. of the search system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0037]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration and use image of a search system according to the present invention.
[0038]
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining groups.
[0039]
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of user profile information.
[0040]
In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the end user uses a search system as a means of eating out such as a restaurant.
[0041]
This system includes an end user site S01 used by an end user who wants to search for information, an information provider site S02 that provides information, and a mediation manager site S03 that mediates both searches. The end user site S01 has an end user terminal 01, the information provider site S02 has an information provider terminal 02, and the mediation manager site S03 has a mediation management server 03.
[0042]
First, an end user who receives information using this search system registers in advance to belong to a “group”. Here, the group is a concept for gathering end users and information providers who use the search system. For example, “Gourmet club”, “French cuisine information provision”, “Europe travel information provision”, etc. , Make sure that the user belongs to a group that suits his purpose. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the group of “Gourmet Club” is a group model for each user. As an end user, individuals, corporations, etc. are entered. As information providers, restaurants, It is possible to provide information services related to the restaurant industry. Further, as a concept of this group, as shown in FIG. 2B, an apparatus-centered concept such as an end user terminal and an information provider terminal belonging to the group may be used. In order to belong to this group, there may be a case where there is a charge as an information provision fee, or there is a case where it is free such as a hobby club. The end user registers an individual user profile as shown in FIG. The registration ID is managed by the user, and becomes a key when authentication for receiving the service and when the information provider provides preferable information to the user by using the profile.
[0043]
When the end user uses this search system, the search screen is called up and input is performed by activating dedicated search software on the end user terminal or accessing an Internet WWW browser or the like. The user first inputs his registration ID. Then, input is performed by filling in values corresponding to the attributes. For example, when the user intends to search for a restaurant to be used from now on as in the input data d00 of FIG. 1, the “type” of the cuisine is “French cuisine”, and the “price range” is “¥ 2000-200”. “¥ 4000”..., Enter a value in the value column with a keyboard or mouse to search for a restaurant that suits your taste.
[0044]
On the other hand, information that the information provider wants to provide from the terminal of the information provider is registered as an attribute / value pair. For example, as in the registration data d01, “Restaurant name” is “ABC”, “Type” is “French cuisine”, “Menu” can be provided, and the like.
[0045]
When the input is completed, the information provider registers the input data in the mediation manager site S03 in advance so that it can be searched by the mediation management server.
[0046]
When the input is completed, the end user makes a search request to the mediation server, for example, by clicking a search instruction button. The range searched by the mediation server is registration data of information providers included in the group to which the end user belongs. In the example of this embodiment, when the end user belongs to the “gourmet club” and tries to search for a restaurant that matches the input data d001, the result output data such as d002 is obtained from the registration data d002. Search results can be obtained. By seeing this, the end user can know a restaurant close to the image he / she wants. As described above, the search system according to the present invention is not a simple “character string” search but a search form in which attributes and values are paired, and the search paradigm is integrated with the concept of group. Thus, a mechanism for providing useful information to the end user is provided, and the information provider aims to utilize the information provided by the end user in a more useful form.
[0047]
(II) Configuration of the search system of the present invention
Next, the configuration and operation of the search system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0048]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the end user terminal 01 of the present embodiment.
[0049]
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the information provider terminal 02 of the present embodiment.
[0050]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the mediation management server 03 of this embodiment.
[0051]
The end user terminal 01, the information provider terminal 02, and the mediation management server 03 are roughly divided into hardware including a processing device 3 and a transmission device 2, and various software placed on a memory at the time of execution. The three parties are connected by a network 4. The transmission device 2 is a device that transmits and receives data from the network 4 and is responsible for the interface with the processing device 3. The processing device 3 executes programs and gives instructions to various connected devices to perform input / output, and is the central part of a terminal or a server.
[0052]
The programs executed in the end user terminal shown in FIG. 4 are the end user program 10, the content mediation function module 11, and the group communication function module 5. The end user program 13 executes a portion closely related to an end user operation such as an input / output process for requesting information, a character string process, and a process for displaying information obtained as a result of the search on the screen. It is a program.
[0053]
The content mediation function module 11 is a program that operates when a search request is received from the end user program 13. When the search is requested, the content mediation function module 11 mediates, for example, a request for searching for additional information such as the position of the content that can be provided and the terminal information to be held to the search engine.
[0054]
The group communication function module 5 in the end user terminal 01 is a program that sends and receives group information to the mediation management server 03.
[0055]
Next, the programs executed in the information provider terminal 02 shown in FIG. 5 are the information provider program 20, the content registration function 21, the group communication function module 5, and the content execution management module 22.
[0056]
The information provider program 14 is a program for executing input / output for registering information that the information provider wants to provide to the end user and managing the contents of the information. The content registration function module 10 is a module for registering information to be registered by an information provider (hereinafter referred to as “content”), and for storing and managing the content. The content information is stored in the content storage file 7 on the information provider terminal 02 side.
[0057]
The group communication function module 5 at the information provider terminal 02 is also a program that sends and receives group information to the mediation management server 03.
[0058]
The content transfer execution management module 22 has a function of receiving the search result of the mediation management server 03 and transferring the content to the end user terminal 01.
[0059]
Next, the programs executed by the mediation management server 03 shown in FIG. 6 are the mediation manager program 30, the search engine 31, the group registration function module 32, and the group communication function module 5. The mediation manager program 30 is a program that performs various settings for mediation between the end user requesting information retrieval and the information provider providing information, and the management thereof. The search engine 31 receives a request from the content mediation function module 11 of the end user terminal 01 and searches the connected content storage file 6 for appropriate content. Further, an instruction is given to transfer the hit content from the information provider terminal 02 to the end user terminal 01.
[0060]
The group communication function module 5 of the mediation management server 03 is a program for transmitting information as a group to the end user terminal 01 and the information provider terminal 02. The group registration function module 32 is a module for newly registering or deleting a group of users or devices, changing registered contents, and the like, and the information is written in the group management file 7. Also, group information is broadcast to the user terminals belonging to the group.
[0061]
(III) Data structure of the search system of the present invention
Next, the data structure used in the search system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0062]
FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the data structure of the search system of the present invention.
[0063]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the concept of the search method according to the search system of the present invention in comparison with the prior art, where (a) shows the search method of the present invention and (b) shows the search method of the prior art. It is a figure for demonstrating.
[0064]
The point of the search system of the present invention is the concept of holding the attribute 101 and its value as a pair 102 as shown in FIG. The attribute 101 is determined for each type of group. For example, in the case of a “gourmet club” group for the purpose of searching for a restaurant as mentioned in this embodiment, the “type” of the dish in FIG. 7, the “price range” desired by the user, the user "Purpose" when using the restaurant. The value 102 is an actual value corresponding to these attributes. When the end user searches or when the information provider provides information, the value 102 is entered in the list of attributes displayed. Do it. When the end user performs a search, the system treats the set of those values as the mediation request value 120, and when the information provider provides the information, treats it as the content registration value 121.
[0065]
In addition, this search system handles a set of attributes by putting them together in one identifier.
[0066]
The group identifier 111 is for uniquely identifying a group in the system. The group management file 7 already described with reference to FIG. 6 stores which group holds what attribute 101. For example, when the group identifier 111 of “gourmet club” is G001, it is held in the group file as ((G001): “type”, “price range”, “purpose”,...).
[0067]
The content storage location 112 contains information that can uniquely identify the location where the content is stored on the network. For example, it indicates a combination of information such as a stored terminal address and port number, management program ID, storage area memory address, or storage file name. When CORBA is used, it is only necessary to manage the object name of the object that manages the content and the object (instance) name of the content.
[0068]
The content storage location file 6 stores information indicating which content storage location 112 stores a set of values 102.
[0069]
The search method of the present invention is based on the data model described above. First, an attribute shared by an information provider by an end user is determined. What attributes are determined is determined by the nature of the group to which they belong. Then, the end user site S01 creates a mediation request value 120 as a value for the attribute. Also, in one information provider site S02, a content registration value 121 is created as a value for the attribute and registered in the mediation manager site S03.
[0070]
When the end user searches, the mediation request value 120 is transmitted to the mediation administrator site S03 and a search is requested. According to this method, the attributes handled by the group are determined and shared by the end users and information providers in the group, so that the user's request and the information provider's input for providing information are easily matched. Become. Therefore, it is expected that the information intended by the end user can be easily obtained, and the search processing capability for matching data can be improved.
[0071]
On the other hand, the outline of the search method normally performed in the Internet of the prior art of FIG.8 (b) is as follows. That is, in the information provider site, first, a keyword that represents information that the user wants to convey is extracted from the text, and is registered in the search site as a content registration keyword. Extracting keywords from text may be done manually or may employ a technology that automatically generates content registration keywords within the system. The end user comes up with a keyword related to the information he / she wants to search and sends it to a search site to request a search.
[0072]
This prior art method is advantageous in that it is easy to manage content and specify a search request because the user is not aware of keyword management. However, since the content registration keyword is generated from the natural language as text, the content of the search result that is not required by the end user is output during the search, and there is a high possibility that the content that is really necessary cannot be acquired. There is.
[0073]
The search method of the present invention described with reference to FIG. 8A can solve such problems, and is expected to obtain a result intended by the user.
[0074]
Next, details of the data structure used in the search system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0075]
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the group management table.
[0076]
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the content storage table.
[0077]
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a message transfer packet for sharing attribute information within a group.
[0078]
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a message transfer packet when content registration is performed from the information provider site to the search engine and when a content mediation request is made from an end user.
[0079]
FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a message transfer packet when a search engine instructs content transfer execution management to transfer content.
[0080]
A group management table T0 shown in FIG. 9 is a table stored in the group management file 7, and is a table for associating groups with attributes used for search. The group management table T1 has fields of a group identifier F01, an attribute list F02, an attribute list identifier F03, and a user identifier F04.
[0081]
The group identifier F01 stores an identifier of a group that can uniquely identify a group handled in the search system. The attribute list F02 stores a list of attributes to be searched for in this group. The first record in FIG. 9 is an example of a “gourmet club” that has been used so far. The upper limit value that can be defined for this attribute may be determined in advance by the system or for each group. The attribute list identifier F03 stores an attribute list identifier that can uniquely identify a plurality of attributes stored in the attribute list F02 within the mediation management server 03. By passing and referring to this attribute list identifier, items of a plurality of attributes can be handled.
[0082]
The user identifier list F04 stores a list of identifiers for identifying users belonging to this group. In the example of FIG. 9, the user registration ID is used as an identifier. The example described here is an example in which a user is considered as a member of a group. However, when a device is considered as a member of a group as shown in FIG. Information and terminal information of the information provider must be stored in a form that uniquely identifies them. The upper limit number of users belonging to a group may be defined in advance by the system, or may be changed by an administrator who manages the group.
[0083]
Next, the content storage table T1 shown in FIG. 10 is a table stored in the content storage file 6, and is a table for managing the content provided by the information provider and its storage location. This content storage table T1 has fields of a content identifier F11, an attribute list identifier F12, a value list F13, and a content storage location F14.
[0084]
The content identifier F11 stores a content identifier for uniquely identifying the content provided by the information provider and registered in the mediation management server 03. This may be performed by the mediation management server 03 automatically generating and allocating at the time of content registration. The attribute list identifier F12 contains the attribute list identifier described with reference to FIG. The value list F13 contains a value corresponding to each attribute indicated by the attribute list identifier. In this figure, as an example of an information provider of the group of “Gourmet Club”, “ABC” as the value of the “Restaurant Name” attribute, “French Cuisine” as the value of the “Kind” attribute, “Full Course A” is displayed.
[0085]
The content storage location F14 stores an identifier for identifying where the content is stored in the search system. How the content storage location is managed is as shown in the explanation of FIG.
[0086]
Next, three types of message transfer packets used in this search system will be described.
[0087]
The message transfer packet T3 shown in FIG. 11 is a packet for sending attribute information at the end user terminal 01 at the end user site S01 or the information provider terminal 02 at the information provider site S02 in the system. It consists of a flag F30, a group identifier F31, an attribute list identifier F32, and an attribute list F32.
[0088]
The data identification flag F30 stores a flag for identifying what kind of packet this packet is on the network. Since various types of buckets are mixed and transferred on the network, such an identification flag is necessary.
[0089]
The group identifier already described is stored in the group identifier F31. However, if the group identifier includes information necessary for the transfer process, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to have the transfer destination address information separately. is there. For example, in the IP protocol, there is an implementation method that associates a multicast address with a group identifier. Moreover, you may comprise a group identifier combining several data. In the case of mounting, it is sufficient to have an information structure that enables multicast communication only by determining the group identifier.
[0090]
In the attribute list identifier F32, an identifier for uniquely identifying each attribute stored in the attribute list 33 is entered.
[0091]
The message transfer packet T4 shown in FIG. 12 is a packet for registering content from the information provider terminal 02 at the information provider site S02 or issuing a mediation request for search from the end user site S01. It consists of an identification flag F40, a group identifier F41, an attribute identifier F42, a value list identifier F42, a user identifier F44, and user information F45.
[0092]
The data identification flag F40, group identifier F41, and attribute identifier F42 are the same as those in the message transfer packet T3. The value list identifier F43 stores a value corresponding to the attribute identifier F42. The user identifier F44 stores an identifier for uniquely identifying the end user or information provider that has transmitted this packet. The end user sends this packet when requesting a search from the mediation management server, and the information provider sends this packet when requesting content registration from the mediation management server. It is. The content storage location when the information provider transmits this packet is stored in the user information F45 and notified to the mediation management server 03. When the end user transmits this packet, necessary information such as the position information of the end user's terminal is sent to the user information F45.
[0093]
The message transfer packet T5 shown in FIG. 13 is a packet for instructing the content transfer execution management of the search engine information provider site S02 of the mediation manager site S03 to transfer content, and includes a data identifier flag F50 and a content identifier F51. , Content storage location F52, and request source user identifier F53. The data identifier flag F50 stores a flag representing this packet type, that is, a “content transfer command”.
[0094]
The content identifier F51 contains an identifier for identifying the content to be transferred, and the content storage location F52 contains the location where the content is stored. The request source user identifier F53 stores the identifier of the user who has searched and requested the content. Thereby, the content transfer execution management can know to which user the content should be transferred.
[0095]
(IV) Data flow and operation of the search system of the present invention
Next, the operation of the search system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15.
[0096]
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a data flow at the site and its operation in the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0097]
FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating a communication sequence of the attribute information transfer operation.
[0098]
Next, the data flow at each site and the operation thereof are shown in FIG. 14 as follows.
[0099]
When an end user makes a search request at the end user site S01, first, an attribute to be searched is obtained by the group communication function (a05), and when the end user inputs a value of the attribute and issues a search request. The end user program 10 notifies the content mediation function that there is a search request (a00). The content mediation function transfers the input data and issues a mediation request to the search engine (a03). The packet sent at this time is the message transfer packet T4 for the mediation request from the end user shown in FIG.
[0100]
The search engine of FIG. 12 searches the content provided from the information provider of the group to which the end user belongs in the content storage file, and when a hit is found, executes the content transfer of the information provider site S02. The end user information is sent to the management and a transfer request is issued (a07). The packet sent at this time is the message transfer packet T5 of the content transfer command shown in FIG. The content transfer execution management receives the request and transfers the content to the content brokering function of the corresponding end user (a11), and conveys the information to the end user program (a01).
[0101]
When the information provider registers content on the information provider site S02, first, the group communication function obtains an attribute to which the value should be input (a06), and then the information provider program calls the content registration function. Thus, the content is registered in a form in which a value is input to the attribute (a08). Then, the content registration function transfers information necessary for the search to the search engine (a06). The packet sent at this time is the message transfer packet T4 for content registration from the information provider shown in FIG.
[0102]
Note that the relationship between the actual content storage location and content transfer execution management can be the following two.
[0103]
(Method 1) Each information provider terminal holds content, and content transfer execution management is also executed on the terminal.
[0104]
(Method 2) All contents are stored in the mediation management server, and content transfer execution management is also executed on the mediation management server.
[0105]
Although any method does not impair the characteristics of the present invention, the present embodiment has been described assuming (Method 1).
[0106]
At the time of content registration 307, the actual content storage location is stored in a shared area (shared memory or on a shared file) that can be accessed from either the content registration function or the content transfer execution management 12 function. Have to leave
Furthermore, various transfer methods are conceivable for the content transfer process. For example, a method using the FTP protocol for transferring data on the IP protocol, a transfer method using the HTTP protocol that is standardly used on the Internet, or a data transfer method defined as a standard such as CORBA It is. The type of communication line may be any type such as Ethernet, ATM, public line network (ISDN, frame relay, etc.), mobile phone network (PDC network, CDMA network). It is also conceivable to have an option for selecting how to transfer the content. In this case, a method designated from the information provider program 14 via the content registration function or the connection environment of the information provider There are two types of methods that are automatically defined by the content registration function.
[0107]
Next, when information about a group is set from the mediation manager site S03 and is transmitted to the end user site S01 and the information provider site S02, the mediation manager program requests the group communication function (a04). The group communication function of the mediation manager site S03 transmits it to the group communication function (a05) of the end user site S01 and the group communication function of the information provider site S02 (a06). The group information is transmitted to the end user program (a02) at the end user site S01 and (a10) to the information provider program at the information provider site S02, and the information is reflected. When registering or changing group attributes, a message transfer packet of attribute information shown in FIG. 11 is sent.
[0108]
As described above, the following two methods are conceivable for the end user or the information provider to acquire a list of attributes using the group communication function.
[0109]
(Method 1) All attribute information corresponding to each group managed by the mediation management server 03 is held by the group communication function on each end user terminal or information provider terminal side.
[0110]
(Method 2) Only attribute information on the group selected from the end user program 10 or the information provider program 20 is transferred from the mediation management server 03 as needed, and only necessary information is managed.
[0111]
Any method is possible, and an appropriate method may be selected in consideration of the throughput of the terminal or server and the communication form. However, the following description will be given assuming (Method 1).
[0112]
Next, a time-series communication sequence of the attribute information transfer operation will be described with reference to FIG.
[0113]
First, from the mediation manager program 20 to the group communication function, group generation or attribute information change processing is performed (a20). The update information is broadcasted to a terminal held by a user belonging to the group (a21), and is received and held by the group communication function in each user terminal. Thereby, the latest group information and attribute information are always held in each terminal.
[0114]
When the end user makes a search request, since a list of attribute information is necessary, it can be obtained by calling the group communication function of his / her terminal (a30) (a31).
[0115]
Further, when the information provider also registers contents, the group communication function of the terminal is called for a list of attribute information (a40), and the value is obtained and input (a41) to register the contents. be able to.
[0116]
(V) Implementation of the search system of the present invention
Next, how the data structure of the search system of the present invention is implemented using existing technology will be described.
[0117]
The concept of attributes introduced by the search method of the present invention can be implemented using various existing data management techniques. Here, three implementation methods are given as examples.
[0118]
First, when a search engine called Trading Service standardized by OMG (Object Management Group) is implemented as the search engine 31 of this embodiment, the attribute corresponds to Service Type of Trading Service, and its value is called Properties. Corresponds to the parameter. However, this prior art does not have a concept of grouping attributes, and a function corresponding to a group management function for sharing this attribute needs to be independently constructed.
[0119]
A case will be described in which the second implementation method is implemented using an international standard document description language called XML (extensible Markup Language). In this case, information for indicating the data contents of XML “tag” corresponds to the attribute value of the present embodiment. And DTD is defined as a data type which manages this tag structure, and this DTD corresponds to an attribute. However, the mechanism for sharing the DTD structure between terminals is not defined in XML. By using the XML data structure for the group communication function of the present invention, this DTD information is shared between terminals. It becomes easy to manage each application data flexibly.
[0120]
The third method uses an existing relational database. In this case, the fields of the relational database table come to mind the attributes of the present invention.
[0121]
In general, when searching the contents of a database, the search condition cannot be specified without knowing the data structure of each schema. In order to share this data structure between terminals, the group communication function of the present invention can be used, and the search engine 31 can be implemented by using the database search function.
[0122]
In this way, it is possible to construct a search system for realizing the functions described in the present embodiment using existing technologies and products.
[0123]
[Embodiment 2]
Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0124]
In the first embodiment, the basic idea of the present invention is to provide a function that mediates between an end user who performs a search by combining the concept of a group and the concept of a search attribute and an information provider who provides information. explained.
[0125]
In the present embodiment, a model in which groups have a hierarchical structure will be described based on the first embodiment. In addition, when group information is changed, what kind of group communication is performed in the mediation management server and each terminal when the attribute is changed is also described.
[0126]
First, the group structure of the search system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
[0127]
FIG. 16 is a view of a screen displaying a tree showing the hierarchical structure of the group according to the present embodiment.
[0128]
This example is a group formed by leisure information providers. Under the “leisure” group G0, there are a “gourmet club” group G1, a “travel club” group G2, a “shopping” group G3, etc. The “Gourmet Club” group G1 has a “restaurant” group G10, a “fast food” group G11,. Further, the “restaurant” group G10 includes an inherent subordinate group “French cuisine” group G101, “Chinese cuisine” group G102, “Japanese cuisine” group G103. Each group has attribute information, but there is a case where the attribute of the upper group can be inherited by the lower group as a feature of the group having a hierarchical structure. For example, the “price range”, the “purpose” and “location” attributes used in the first embodiment are the “restaurant” group G10 and its subordinate groups “French cuisine” group G101, “Chinese cuisine”. “Group G102” and “Japanese food” group G103. Attributes unique to the lower group (for example, the “favorite wine” attribute is an attribute unique to the “French cuisine” group G101) may be defined in each lower group.
[0129]
Another advantage of grouping is that it provides an interface that is easy to understand for the user operating the group. That is, it is obvious to the user what kind of group is present and the relationship between them, and how the attributes are generated and managed can be determined very easily.
[0130]
The simple operation contents when the user operates the group are as follows.
[0131]
When the user selects a group, the user may click on the corresponding group with a mouse or the like. When adding a group, after selecting the corresponding group and clicking the [Add Group] button b0, a new group is generated below the clicked group. When deleting a group, after selecting the corresponding group, the [Delete Group] button b1 is clicked. When updating an attribute included in a group by adding, changing, or the like, the group is selected and then the [update attribute] button b2 is clicked.
[0132]
Next, the data structure of the search system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0133]
FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the group management table of this embodiment.
[0134]
FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a message transfer packet when changing the attribute from the mediation management server to each user terminal group.
[0135]
The group management table T6 shown in FIG. 17 corresponds to the group management structure of this embodiment, and an upper group identifier T60 and a lower group identifier T61 are added to the head of the group management table T0 of the first embodiment. It is a thing. That is, the field of the upper group identifier T60 stores the identifier of the group that is higher in the group, and the field of the lower group identifier T61 stores the identifier of the group that is lower in the group. The first record in FIG. 17 corresponds to the example in FIG. 16, the upper group of the “restaurant” group G10 is the “gourmet club” group G1, and the lower group is the “French cuisine” group G101, “ It shows that they are “Chinese cuisine” group G102, “Japanese cuisine” group G103. Similar to the first embodiment, the group and the attribute are linked by the group identifier F01 and the attribute list F02.
[0136]
FIG. 18 shows a packet when changing the attribute associated with the group. The meaning of the data identification flag T70, the group identifier T71, and the attribute list identifier T72 is the same as that of the message transfer packet in FIG. The change attribute list information T73 contains information for changing attributes. The example in the figure is a packet for adding a “recommended dish” attribute to the “gourmet club” group G10.
[0137]
Next, processing when performing group communication when updating group information and attribute information in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20.
[0138]
FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the group communication operation of the end user.
[0139]
FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the group communication operation in the mediation management server.
[0140]
A user of this search system can provide a flexible service to a user who performs a search by changing group information or dynamically updating attribute information using the interface described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, description will be made on the assumption that a group or attribute is changed from a user terminal (end user terminal 01 or information provider terminal 02).
[0141]
The user terminal receives various events from the network and various programs and operates (S1901). When displaying group list information as shown in FIG. 16 on the terminal screen, the group communication function, upon receiving a list request event from the user program, inquires and acquires the list information from the mediation management server 03 (S1904). When the list information is acquired, the display content is updated (S1905).
[0142]
It is also possible to always maintain the group list information in the group communication function of the user terminal. In this case, the process of S1904 is not necessary.
[0143]
When the group information is updated, the group communication function receives a group information update event from the user terminal program (the end user program 10 or the information provider program 20). In response to this, the group communication function notifies the mediation management server of an update request event (S1902). The reason for notifying the event to the mediation management server is that the group information must be managed by the mediation management server because it must be consistent with the members of all groups. is there.
[0144]
When a database or the like that can guarantee data consistency in a distributed environment is introduced, processing for updating the table contents of the group management file in the corresponding terminal is executed instead of S1902. Consistency of data within the system is guaranteed by the database function.
[0145]
When updating attribute information, such as adding an attribute item, the group communication function receives an attribute information update event from the user terminal program (end user program 10 or information provider program 20). The group communication function notifies the mediation management server of an attribute information update event (S1903). Here, the mediation management server is notified to maintain consistency of group attributes.
[0146]
Next, the group communication function of the mediation management server 03 will be described.
[0147]
The mediation management server 03 also operates in response to an event from the network or various programs (S2001).
[0148]
When the mediation management server 03 receives a group information update event from the user terminal via the network, it updates the contents of the group management table T6 of its own group management file 7 (S2002). In this case, there is no need to notify the update of the group information. This is because the contents of the group are acquired when necessary at the user terminal as shown in FIG.
[0149]
When the mediation management server 03 receives an attribute information update event from the user terminal via the network, it updates the contents of the group management table T6 of its own group management file 7 (S2003). Then, all the terminals in the group are notified that the attribute information has been changed by the message transfer packet shown in FIG. As a result, the consistency of attributes within the group is maintained.
[0150]
As another method, a method may be adopted in which a group management file is held in the corresponding terminal based on an event from the user program, such as by using a distributed database, and updated. it can.
[0151]
[Embodiment 3]
Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
[0152]
FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a data flow at a site and its operation in the third embodiment of the present invention.
[0153]
In the first embodiment, the search engine is in the form of centrally holding and managing data to be searched in the mediation management server at the mediation manager site S03. On the other hand, the present embodiment aims to provide a search engine in the information provider site S02 to realize load distribution of search processing and improvement of expandability of the information provider terminal.
[0154]
FIG. 21 shows the second embodiment. The biggest difference in the configuration of the first embodiment is that the search engine exists in the information provider site S02.
[0155]
In the following description of the operation, emphasizing that the search is distributed, the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described.
[0156]
When an end user makes a search request at the end user site S01, first, an attribute to be searched is obtained by the group communication function (a55), and when the end user issues a search request by inputting the attribute value. The end user program 10 informs the content brokering function that there is a search request (a50). The content mediation function issues a search request request to the group communication function (a62). The group communication function of the end user site S01 broadcasts a search request to the group communication functions of all information provider terminals of the information provider site S02 (a63).
[0157]
When the information provider site S02 that has received the search request holds the corresponding content, the group communication function requests a search from the search engine of its own site (a64), and the content transfer execution management is performed from the result. The content transfer execution management transfers the content to the content mediation function of the end user site S01 (a61).
[0158]
When a search request is received and it is determined that the corresponding content does not exist on the site, the search engine does nothing and waits for the next event.
[0159]
Thereby, when a user of the group searches, all search results are transferred from the information provider holding the corresponding content.
[0160]
Next, when information about a group is set from the mediation manager site S03 and is transmitted to the end user site S01 and the information provider site S02, the mediation manager program requests the group communication function (a54). The group communication function of the mediation manager site S03 conveys it to the group communication function (a55) of the end user site S01 and the group communication function of the information provider site S02 (a56). The group information is transmitted to the end user program (a52) at the end user site S01 and (a51) to the information provider program at the information provider site S02, and the information is reflected. This part is the same as in the first embodiment. Similarly to the first embodiment, when registering or changing group attributes, a message transfer packet of attribute information shown in FIG. 11 is sent.
[0161]
When the information provider registers content on the information provider site S02, first, the group communication function obtains an attribute to which the value should be input (a60), and then the information provider program calls the content registration function. Thus, the content is registered in a form in which a value is input to the attribute (a58). The content registration function stores the content in its own content storage file. The search is performed with reference to the search engine (a59). In this way, the contents are held in a distributed manner, and the information provider site S02 stores only the contents provided from the information provider program 20 of the terminal, and the load distribution is measured. It is expected that the total search throughput will be improved as compared with the case where a search engine is provided in the brokerage administrator site.
[0162]
In the first embodiment, registration of new contents and terminals requires processing to be registered in the mediation management server, and there is a concern that the amount of procedures when expanding the terminals may be complicated. Then, even when a new information provider terminal is added, if the group communication function in the terminal that adds a group connection function supports, various events are received and content registration / search / content can be performed in the terminal itself. Since the providing process can be executed, it is expected that the expandability of each terminal is improved from that of the first embodiment.
[0163]
[Embodiment 4]
Next, a fourth embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
[0164]
FIG. 22 is a network configuration diagram of a search system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[0165]
In the description of the present embodiment, application examples of application systems based on the technology shown in the previous embodiments will be described with reference to a network configuration diagram. In particular, in this embodiment, application examples to an electronic commerce system and a mobile information service system are assumed.
[0166]
In the model of this embodiment, the end user who performs a search in the above embodiment is a general consumer, and holds a mobile information terminal or a mobile phone equipped with a GUI screen as the terminals 01a to 01n accessed by the consumer. Suppose you are.
[0167]
In the example of the electronic commerce system, it is assumed that information terminals such as personal computer terminals 01a to 01n for each end user himself / herself used in a company or at home are held.
[0168]
When providing an information providing service for general consumers in a mobile information service system, the information provider has personal information provider terminals 02a to 02n for personal use and provides content information to the system online. The content information here is sales of the shop, advertisement information for restaurants, event information such as department stores, amusement facilities, road information such as traffic jams, and the like. In the electronic commerce system, search your favorite products and services, especially in catalog shopping
Then, it can be applied to order what you want.
[0169]
The end user terminals 01a to 01n and the information provider terminals 02a to 02n are connected to the mediation management servers 03a to 03n via networks 00a to 00n such as a local network or a public line network such as ISDN. Each mediation management server is connected to the networks 00a to 00n managed by each mediation management server, and receives a content registration request or content mediation request from each user terminal group, and is a server group that realizes content mediation processing for an end user. is there.
[0170]
The intermediary management servers share group information and attribute information, and classify and manage information defined as groups and attributes and each content to determine what kind of store information, event information, restaurant information, etc. .
[0171]
When registering content, the information provider obtains a list of this group information and attribute information, determines what content registration value is specified for which group and registers the content managed by the information provider, Execute content registration processing. Similarly, the end user obtains a list of group configuration and attribute information, determines what mediation request value is specified, acquires the necessary content, and sends the content mediation request to the mediation management server. Issue.
[0172]
The mediation management server group uses the implementation method defined in each of the above embodiments to search for content that matches the requested attribute value, and provides the content to the terminal of the requesting end user.
[0173]
The difference from the conventional information provision method via the Internet is that the system displays the content classification and attributes of each classification in advance, and executes content registration or content mediation request based on the attributes. It is a point to do. In this way, by allowing the information providing side and the information using side to recognize the search condition in advance as a common data structure, it becomes possible to mediate the content satisfying the mediation request condition as a search result. Further, the information provider wants to register the content in consideration of what kind of end user he / she wants to see. In such a case, it is an important factor for acquiring an end user to determine under what provision conditions to register. In the search system of the present invention, since the data structure for designating content provision conditions is shown as a list from the system side in advance, it participates in a certain group and provides its own information in the form of value input to attributes. Therefore, since the form of the provision condition matches the user's desire, the probability of finding a potential end user increases, and the merit for the information provider also increases.
[0174]
Furthermore, as a difference from the Internet system structure for general consumers, the terminal on the information provider side is also connected to the mediation management server online via a network or the like. As a result, content registration, attribute registration, change, expansion of a new information provider terminal, etc. are reflected in the system in real time, and each user terminal can always acquire information related to the latest content mediation. .
[0175]
As described above, by using the search system of the present invention, the end user of the mobile information service system or the electronic commerce system is likely to be able to acquire the information desired by the user. It is expected to be able to provide services.
[0176]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the service content requested by the end user or the data structure constituting the service / information provision condition is managed on the system side, and based on the data types that can be understood by the end user and the information provider, It is possible to provide a search system that can realize service request and service provision.
[0177]
Further, according to the present invention, if the service content requested by the end user is specified, the end user's individual preference and usage history are evaluated, and the service of the computer on the side providing the information is selected and provided. If the service of the computer providing the information is added or changed, the service provided to the end user is changed based on the contents, and at the same time, the system environment and the service / information To provide a mechanism to change the service provided by evaluating the quality of the service, and to control the delivery of the optimal information service to end users in cooperation with various information provision service systems existing in a wide area It is possible to provide a search system that achieves this.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration and use image of a search system according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining groups.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of user profile information.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an end user terminal 01 according to the first embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information provider terminal 02 according to the first embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a mediation management server 03 according to the first embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a data structure of a search system according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the concept of a search method according to the search system of the present invention in comparison with the prior art.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a group management table.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a content storage table.
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a message transfer packet for sharing attribute information within a group.
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a message transfer packet when content registration is performed from an information provider site to a search engine and a content mediation request is made from an end user.
FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a structure of a message transfer packet when a search engine instructs content transfer execution management to transfer content.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a data flow at a site and its operation in the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating a communication sequence of attribute information transfer operation;
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a screen displaying a tree showing a hierarchical structure of a group according to the second embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a group management table according to the second embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a message transfer packet when an attribute from the mediation management server to each user terminal group is changed.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an operation of group communication by an end user.
FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an operation of group communication in the mediation management server.
FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a data flow at a site and its operation in the third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 22 is a network configuration diagram of a search system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (3)

An end user terminal that searches for information, an information provider terminal that provides information, a mediation management server that performs mediation management of both the user terminal and the information provider terminal, and the user terminal In the information search method of the information search system in which the information provider terminal and the mediation management server are coupled via a network,
The search of information at the end user terminal and the provision of information input from the information provider terminal are performed with a pair of the same attribute and a corresponding value,
The mediation management server is classified in units of users managed on the network or devices managed on the network, and searches for information at the end user terminal and information input from the information provider terminal. Holds group information for groups associated with one or more attributes used in the offer,
The attribute associated with the group is shared by the users or devices related to the group, the group has a hierarchical structure, and the attribute corresponding to the upper group and the attribute corresponding to the lower group are object-oriented models. The intermediary management server manages the relationship between the group and the attribute in a hierarchical structure, and causes the end user terminal or the information provider terminal to display and operate the hierarchical structure. Having means,
The intermediary management server holds a pair of content data provided by an information provider belonging to the group , and an attribute associated with the group and a value of the content data corresponding to the attribute data . Appropriate content provided by the information provider belonging to the group based on the user belonging to the search or the group belonging to the device and the value entered in the attribute by executing the program on the processing device when executed A method for retrieving information, comprising: extracting data and transmitting the data to the end user terminal via the network. The attribute
As an XML data tag,
Or as service type property of OMG trading service,
The information search method according to claim 1, wherein the information search method is implemented as a database field. An end user terminal that searches for information; an information provider terminal that provides information; and a mediation management server that performs mediation management of both the end user terminal and the information provider terminal. In the information retrieval system in which the information provider terminal and the mediation management server are coupled via a network,
The intermediary management server includes a group categorized as a user managed on the network or a device managed on the network, a search from the group and the end user terminal, and information input from the information provision Means for maintaining correspondence with one or more attributes used in the provision as group information;
Means to set group information,
A group communication means for communicating about group information;
Means for holding content transferred from the information provider terminal,
The end user terminal is
A means of entering values for attributes for searching;
Means for making a search request to the mediation management server;
Means for receiving and displaying search result content;
A group communication means for communicating about group information,
The information provider terminal is
Means for registering content by inputting values for attributes as a form of providing information;
A group communication means for communicating about group information;
A means for transferring content to a mediation management server or an end user terminal;
The group has a hierarchical structure, the attribute corresponding to the upper group and the attribute corresponding to the lower group have an inheritance relationship in the object-oriented model, and the mediation management server hierarchically determines the relationship between the group and the attribute. Managed by a structure, and has means for causing the end user terminal or the information provider terminal to display and operate the hierarchical structure,
When the mediation management server receives a search request using the attribute and the value of the attribute as a key from the end user terminal, by executing a program on a processing device, a group in which the user who requested the search is classified , or, the information retrieval system, characterized in that said end user terminal based on the value of the attribute as belonging to the group that is classified as device and controls to transmit the content of interest to the end-user terminal.

Images