JP4535072B2 - Information mediating device and client device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information mediating apparatus and a client apparatus.

  With the recent development of communication technology and its penetration into the general public, information sources on the World Wide Web (hereinafter “Internet”) are increasing. Examples of information sources include, for example, multi-participant intellectual activities (where multiple people exchange information with each other via the Internet, such as an electronic bulletin board (BBS) system or chat system on the Internet). The network community (hereinafter simply referred to as community) established on the Internet and other sites that handle various contents such as video, painting, music and other sites have appeared. As the total number of such information sources becomes enormous, it has become more difficult for users to search for information sources that match their values from the enormous number of information sources. There is an increasing need for a mechanism for presenting information sources that can be efficiently selected and participated by users.

As an example of the prior art of a mechanism for presenting information sources so that the user can efficiently select them, first, classification display by category is given. In this method, information sources are classified in advance into several categories (for example, “Art and Humanities”, “Business and Economy”, “Computer and Internet”, etc.), and the category name is displayed. is there. When the user selects one of a plurality of category names, information sources belonging to the category are displayed. In many cases, the category classification is generally hierarchical. Hierarchical category classification has a repetitive structure in which a subcategory is included in one category and a subcategory is included in one subcategory. For example, it has a repetitive structure such as “entertainment> movie, video> movie music>…”.

Further, as another example of the prior art for presenting information sources to the user, there is a method of listing information sources extracted by keywords and presenting them to the user. The search by keyword is to prepare a database in which information sources and the keywords corresponding to the information sources are registered in advance, and the corresponding information source is displayed when the user inputs a keyword of interest. . In this case, it is common to adopt words and phrases appearing in the contents of the information source as keywords. For example, “hobby” and “fishing”. In addition, as a display method in the case of presenting a list, there are used methods such as displaying a list in order from the newest information, and displaying a list in order from the largest number of hits.
JP 2001-155063 A

  However, the conventional information source presentation method as described above has the following problems.

[1. Category display]
First, the category-specific classification display as described above cannot always efficiently display the systematic classification of information sources that the user wants. This is because the information source is the purpose of the installation, the personality of the creator, the personality of the installer, the propensity of the participant, the type and content of information handled by the information source, the variety of participants, the degree of activity, the discussion, and the presentation of questions. Depending on the solution, the expression of opinions, the recruitment of friends, the sharing of emotions, etc., the “information value” it has varies. “Information value” is evaluation information given to an information source or individual information included in the information source, and particularly shows the characteristics of each information source more prominently with respect to the total of the target information sources. Refers to evaluation information.

  On the other hand, each user has different desired information value depending on their own values. For example, in general, a user who prefers logical thinking will prefer a logical one, and a user who places importance on sensibility prefers one that emphasizes sensibility.

  Considering user satisfaction, it is desirable to use an information source display method that can be selected according to the values of individual users. However, it is based on the conventional general category display and information value. The classification display does not necessarily match. Moreover, it is generally difficult to objectively determine the information value of the information source as described above and assign a category name. Therefore, in such a method of presenting information, it is not possible to present so that the user can efficiently select the information source that the user is seeking.

[2. Keyword search method]
On the other hand, even in the keyword search method, the obtained display result does not necessarily match the values required by the user. This is because the keyword specified by the user (for example, “logical”) is not always included in the information source having the desired information value. This is because there are many cases where the information source having the desired “information value” cannot be retrieved and output. Also, in general, unlike a normal search, a user inputs a keyword when searching for information on a specific topic, and a keyword representing “information value” that matches his own values as described above is used. Explicit verbal input is generally difficult except for users who are always doing self-analysis.

  In addition, since the display order of the information sources extracted by the search does not necessarily match the user values, it must correspond to the contents of all the extracted information sources, and the number of extracted information sources is enormous. In this case, it becomes practically impossible for the user to hit the contents of the information source. Therefore, in such a conventional information presentation method, the information source requested by the user cannot be presented so that the user can efficiently select it.

  The contents and purposes handled by information sources on the Internet are diverse, and the information value is also diverse. Even if it is limited to information sources especially on user-participation-type sites, there are a wide variety of issues such as problem solving, information exchange, opinion expression, recruitment of friends, emotion sharing, content exchange, and work presentation. Moreover, the expression of the contents ranges from a logical sentence to a symbolic character string representing emotion even if it is limited to information sources represented by letters. The diversity of content, purpose, expression, and expression method exchanged over a variety of information sources on the Internet reflects the values of the participants related to the information source, and the information is self-developed. Considering these as the characteristics and attributes that have been formed as the axes of the values and thoughts of the source, we will refer to them as “communication value” below. Communication value is one example of information value.

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining information value. User-specific values based on the user's thought system and expression desires are referred to as “user values”. To give examples of user values, for example, “Values that place importance on logical discussions” and “I do not care about logical consequences but emphasize emotional expressions and share atmospheres” “Values”. These values cannot be explicitly verbalized by the user himself.

  In the figure, the first layer L1 shows the inner surface of the user, the second layer L2 shows the information value space, and the third layer L3 shows the space made up of information sources. The information source may handle character information or may handle non-language information such as image data. Moreover, it may be generated by a plurality of participants like a bulletin board site, or may be generated by one creator.

  The user 100 may have one or more values 102 (hereinafter referred to as “user values”) on the psychological inner surface 101. For example, the same user may have a sense of emphasizing logical things in the company, but may also emphasize a deliberate sense of value after returning home.

  The second layer L2 is an information value space that is a system of information value. For the derivation of the information value space, for example, it is conceivable to use an analysis method described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-155063 “Thinking System Analysis Method and Analysis Device”.

  A plurality of information values 104 exist in the information value space 103, the above-described user values 102 correspond to one of the information values 104, and the user 100 displays the information values 104 corresponding to his / her user values 102. Satisfied with the information sources they have. However, in general, there are few cases in which the user explicitly knows what the user values are, and the user values that are included in the user's deep psychology can also be known by the user himself / herself. Since it is difficult, it is difficult to autonomously discover the information value 104 corresponding to the user value 102 of the user.

  The third layer is a space 105 composed of information sources on the network, and the space 105 includes a plurality of information sources 106. The information source 106 includes one or more pieces of information 107. The content of the information source 106 may be changed every time when new information is added or old information is deleted, or the content may not be changed. The information 107 included in the information source 106 may be information provided by a plurality of unspecified participants, may be provided by one or more specified participants, and others Information by any provision method may be used.

  The information value 104 corresponding to the information source 106 is one of important elements that determine the characteristics and attributes of the information source. This is because the information context and thought direction of the information source 106 appear in the information value 104, and the information value 104 increases new participants and further develops intellectual activities. . However, there is a problem that the display of the information source 106 based on the information value 104 cannot be realized in the conventional technique.

  The present invention displays a plurality of information sources 106 existing on the net based on the information value 104 possessed by the information sources. For example, regarding the regularity based on the similarity at the time of display, the analysis method described in JP 2001-155063 “Thought-based analysis method and analysis device” described above can be used. Objects representing the information source 106 having the information value 104 of the trend are arranged so as to be close to each other, or arranged so as to be arranged on the same straight line.

  Further, the present invention derives any additional information by persons involved in the information source, such as community participants or search site classifiers, when the similarity of the information value 104 of the information source 106 is derived. The primary source of the information source 106 as an analysis element of the information value 104 without requiring an evaluation process (for example, questionnaire aggregation such as “Does this community place importance on logical consequences”)? It is characterized by using information. “Primary information” refers to information provided to the information source 106 in accordance with the purpose of the information source 106, such as a bulletin board site post, a museum site image, a music site music file, and the like. .

  The present invention has the following features as means for solving the above problems.

  The above invention may be provided with a graphical user interface for presenting a plurality of information sources to the user, and the information source display arranged in the information value space based on the correlation of the information sources obtained by the analysis. It is characterized by displaying an object. The appearance of the information source display object is determined according to the attribute or characteristic of the corresponding information source. An example of the attribute or characteristic of the information source is the activity of the information source. The activity level may be determined by the degree of increase in information of the information source during a certain period (for example, the number of messages in the bulletin board community). Alternatively, the activity may be determined by the information addition interval (for example, the interval between speeches) during a certain period.

  In addition, a measure of information source freshness is also considered as an attribute or characteristic of the information source. The “freshness” may be determined by a period after the information source is generated, or may be determined by an addition date and time of the last added information.

  The “activity” may be displayed according to the rotation speed of the information source display object, and the “freshness” may be displayed according to the shape of the information source display object, or vice versa. Also good.

  The above invention may include a graphical user interface for presenting a plurality of information sources to the user, and includes an information source display object arranged based on the correlation of the information sources obtained by the analysis. It has the 1st display area which displays the whole information value space, and the 2nd display area which displays the area | region included in a user's virtual visual field among the said information value space, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In addition, by providing both the first display area and the second display area, the user can be provided with a function for showing the user an information value space including a large number of information source display objects from both a macro viewpoint and a micro viewpoint. Have.

  The first display area has a function of displaying to the user at which position the viewpoint is currently located in the information value space which is the entire thinking system.

  The second display area allows the user to examine the information value space in detail by moving the viewpoint or zooming.

  Further, the invention described above further includes a third area for recording the information source display object and displaying the latest state of the recorded information source display object. By recording the information source display object so that it can be confirmed by itself, changes in the corresponding information source can be continuously observed.

  The above-described invention further includes a fourth area for recording the field of view designated by the user and displaying the contents of the information value space in the field of view recorded in response to a request from the user in the first area. It is characterized by that. The fourth area is to observe changes in a specific area in the information value space, such as the occurrence of a new information source, the disappearance of the information source, and the change in the location of the information source (information value or communication value) by fixed point observation. To make it easier.

  Provide efficient means of searching, observing and participating in information sources.

Hereinafter, an information mediating system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
The first embodiment deals with an electronic bulletin board system (hereinafter referred to as a bulletin board) on the Internet as the information source 106. Here, the “bulletin board” is formed by the participation of a plurality of participants, and the primary information of the activity content is added to the information source by the user / user of the information source. It is assumed that the information is a natural sentence written on an electronic bulletin board by a bulletin board user, for example.

[System configuration example]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an information mediation system that links a user (user) of the information mediation system according to the present embodiment and a bulletin board. In the figure, the information mediation system can be connected to the information mediation server connected to the communication network 201, the bulletin board server 203 connected to the communication network 201, and the information mediation server 202 and the bulletin board server 203 via the communication network 201. Client apparatus 204. Although only one bulletin board server 203 is illustrated, it is assumed that a representative is displayed and there are a plurality of bulletin board servers 203.

[Communication network 201]
The communication network 201 enables transmission / reception of information between the devices connected to the target device regardless of wired / wireless, dedicated line / switched line, when a session is established with the target device. Act on. Each communication network may be realized by combining a plurality of networks via a gateway, such as the Internet. In addition, even if the connection is not directly connected to the so-called backbone, which is called a backbone, even if it is temporarily connected by a PPP connection or the like, information can be transmitted and received during the establishment of a session. I do not mind. Note that the “communication network” includes a communication network that does not use an exchange, such as a fixed-line connection.

[Information Mediation Server 202]
The information mediating server 202 determines a predetermined index based on the contents of the bulletin board site (for example, posted text posted on the bulletin board) based on the correlation between the bulletin board sites provided by the plurality of bulletin board servers 203 as the information sources 106. In addition, information for associating the predetermined index with the bulletin board site and causing the client device to display the predetermined index and the bulletin board site is generated and provided.

  The information mediating server 202 is an information processing apparatus such as a computer or a workstation, and includes an arithmetic processing unit (CPU), a main memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), an input / output device (I / O), a hard disk. It may be composed of a device having an external storage device such as a device. A program for causing the information processing apparatus to function as the information mediating server 202 or a program for causing the computer to execute the information mediating method is stored in the ROM or the hard disk device, and the program is loaded on the main memory. When the CPU executes this, the information mediating server 202 is realized or an information mediating method is executed. In addition, the program need not be stored in a storage device in the device, but is provided from an external device (for example, an ASP (Application Service Provider) server) and stored in the main memory. It may be configured to be mounted on.

[Bulletin Board Server 203]
The bulletin board server 203 is a server device for realizing one or a plurality of bulletin board sites. The bulletin board server 203 receives a post from the client device 204 as a contributor, stores the post, and responds to a request from the client device 204. Is displayed on the client device.

[Client device 204]
The client device 204 has a function of receiving information for causing the client device to display the predetermined index and the bulletin board site from the information mediating server 202 and displaying the information to link the user and the bulletin board site. The client device 204 is an information processing device such as a computer, a workstation, or a mobile terminal that can be connected to the information mediating server 202 via the communication network 201, and is, for example, a Web document browsing software having a Web connection function. A computer equipped with a so-called browser, a mobile communication terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or the like.

[Bulletin Board Client Device 303]
The bulletin board client device 303 has a function of posting to or browsing the bulletin board site provided by the bulletin board server 203. The bulletin board client device 303 is an information processing apparatus such as a computer, a workstation, or a mobile terminal that can be connected to the bulletin board server 203 via the communication network 201. For example, the bulletin board client device 303 is a web document browsing software having a web connection function. A computer equipped with a so-called browser, a mobile communication terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or the like. The same information processing apparatus may function as the client apparatus 204 and the bulletin board client apparatus 303.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the information mediating server 202, the client device 204, and the information source space 301 including a plurality of bulletin boards. The information mediating server 202 includes an information collection unit 305 that is a means for obtaining the contents of a plurality of bulletin boards 302 included in the information source space 301, and an analysis unit 306 that analyzes the information value from the contents obtained by the information collection unit 305. Have. Further, the client device 204 has a display unit 307 for displaying analysis contents supplied from the information mediating server 202. The information source space 301 includes a plurality of bulletin boards 302. Each bulletin board 302 receives a post provided by the bulletin board client device 303 from the bulletin board user 304, stores this, and sends the posted content to the bulletin board user by the bulletin board client device 303. 304. The bulletin board user 304 and the user 308 of the present system may be the same or different.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another system configuration example when the information mediating server 202 is not provided independently as shown in FIG. In the present modification, the information collection unit 305 and the analysis unit 306 serving as the acquisition unit may be provided in the client device 204 operated by the user 308.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing still another configuration example of the present system. This configuration example shows a case where the information processing apparatus serving as the information mediating server 202 simultaneously functions as the bulletin board server 203. The present embodiment is also established in such a configuration.

  Next, configuration examples of the information mediating server 202, the bulletin board server 203, the client device 204, and the bulletin board client device 303 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 will be described.

[Configuration example of bulletin board server and bulletin board client device]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the bulletin board server 203 and the bulletin board client device 303. The bulletin board server 203 includes a communication control unit 601, a main controller 602, a display information generation unit 603, a bulletin content registration processing unit 604, and a bulletin content database (DB) 605.

  The communication control unit 601 has a function of receiving information from the communication network and sending information to the communication network. For example, the communication control unit 601 includes a protocol stack and a central processing unit that executes a predetermined communication procedure according to the protocol stack. It is a front-end communication processor. The main controller 602 controls the communication control unit 601, the display information generation unit 603, and the posting content registration processing unit 604 to accept postings from the bulletin board client device 303 and provide data indicating the posting content to the bulletin board client device 303. It has the function to do.

  The display information generation unit 603 has a function of reading data from the posting content DB 605 and generating data (for example, HTML document data having posted content) to be transmitted to the bulletin board client device based on the data.

  The bulletin content registration processing unit 604 has a function of writing post data transmitted from the bulletin board client device 303 into the bulletin content DB 605. The posted content DB 605 has a function of recording post data so as to be readable and writable.

  On the other hand, the bulletin board client device 303 has the following configuration. The bulletin board client device 303 includes a communication control unit 606, a main controller 607, a display unit 608, and an input unit 609.

  The communication control unit 606 has a function of receiving information from the communication network 201 and sending information to the communication network 201. For example, a protocol stack, a central processing unit that executes a predetermined communication procedure according to the protocol stack, etc. Is a front end communication processor. The communication control unit 606 may be mounted on the bulletin board client device by an operating system (OS) such as Windows (registered trademark).

  The main controller 607 has a function of controlling communication, input, and display in the bulletin board client device 303, and is, for example, web browser software such as Internet Explorer (registered trademark) and Netscape Communicator (registered trademark). The display unit 608 is a means for displaying information to the user, and is, for example, a liquid crystal display device, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) or the like. The input unit 609 is a means for receiving an input from the user, and is a keyboard, a pointing device, or the like, for example.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the information mediating server 202 and the client device 204.

  The information mediating server 202 is connected to the communication control unit 704, the main controller 705 and the information collection unit 305 connected thereto, the search unit 707 and the morpheme analysis unit 706 connected to the main controller 705, and the information collection unit 305. And an analysis unit 306, a main controller 705, an information collection unit 305, and a display object database (DB) 708 connected to the analysis unit 306.

  The communication control unit 704 has a function of receiving information from the communication network 201 and transmitting information to the communication network 201. For example, a protocol stack, a central processing unit that executes a predetermined communication procedure according to the protocol stack, etc. Is a front end communication processor.

  The main controller 705 has a function of controlling each component of the information mediating server 202. The morpheme analysis unit 706 has a function of analyzing a search sentence (natural sentence) and extracting a word that matches a predetermined condition from the natural sentence. Predetermined conditions are specification of part of speech included in the analysis result and headword format (appearance form, word stem, etc.).

  The search unit 707 has a function of receiving a search expression and returning an information source extracted as a search result that matches the search expression. For example, the search unit 707 operates to search for an information source including the word extracted by the morpheme analysis unit 706 and return a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) that identifies the extracted information source as a search result.

  The information collecting unit 305 functions to check whether or not a predetermined information source has been added, modified, or updated, and to acquire the contents if there is such addition. The information collecting unit 305 may collect information from the information source 106 like a traveling robot, or obtain information supplied as PUSH type information from the information source 106. Also good.

  The display object DB 708 has a function of storing data for displaying each information source in association with multiple information values. FIG. 8 shows a data configuration example of the display object DB 708. FIG. 8 shows the structure of a record related to one bulletin board. The display object DB 708 has such a record for each information source 107 (= bulletin board) to be displayed.

  The analysis unit 306 analyzes the content stored in the display object DB 708 and / or the content collected by the information collection unit 305 by a statistical method, derives a multi-value information value 104, and also uses the information value 104 and the information A function of associating with the source 106; The analysis unit 306 functions when changing the entire axis of the space in which each object representing the information source 106 is displayed. For example, the analysis unit 306 only needs to operate once every several months.

  Note that the components of the information mediating server 202 described above do not necessarily need to be physically provided in one device, but are distributed in a plurality of devices connected to each other via a communication line, for example. May be.

  Next, a configuration example of the analysis unit 306 will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the analysis unit 306. In the example shown in the figure, the analysis unit 306 includes a morpheme analysis unit 901, a multivariate analysis unit 902 connected thereto, a signpost data creation unit 903 connected to the multivariate analysis unit 902, and a guide data creation unit 904. , Each base word coordinate value creation unit 905, and a database (DB) registration controller 906 connected to each creation unit.

  The morpheme analysis unit 901 has a function of analyzing a natural sentence collected by the information collection unit 305 and extracting a word that matches a predetermined condition from the natural sentence. Predetermined conditions are specification of part of speech included in the analysis result and headword format (appearance form, word stem, etc.).

  The multivariate analysis unit 902 analyzes information about each bulletin board (data stored in the display object DB 305, data collected by the information collection unit 305) using a statistical method, and obtains the correlation between the bulletin boards. As a technique for realizing the multivariate analysis unit 902, a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-155063 “Thought-shaped analysis method and analysis apparatus” is conceivable.

  The signpost data creation unit 903 has a function of creating object data for representing the information value of each bulletin board based on the analysis result of the multivariate analysis unit 902.

  The guide data creation unit 904 creates data for displaying “tube” described later based on the analysis result of the multivariate analysis unit 902. The guide data is data for visually displaying the regularity related to the arrangement of information sources to the user.

  Each base word coordinate value creation unit 905 has a function of generating position coordinates of a “base word” that functions as an index that forms an information value space. The DB registration controller 906 functions as a DBMS (database management system) that writes or reads data created by each creation unit to or from the display object DB 708.

  Note that the components 901 to 906 of the analysis unit 306 described above do not necessarily need to be physically provided in one device. For example, a plurality of devices (client devices) connected to each other via a communication line. 204).

[Operation example of information mediation server]
In response to a request from the client device 204, the information mediating server 202 creates information for connecting the user and the information source (the bulletin board in this embodiment) based on the data stored in the display object DB 708. This is transmitted to the client device 204. Information for associating the user with the information source is provided to the user as a display user interface in the client device 204. Further, the information mediating server 202 performs the following regular monitoring process.

[Periodic monitoring processing]
In general, in the case where the information source 106 has a participatory nature, its information value and these information value spaces change over time. In the present invention, by periodically acquiring the contents from the information source, this change can be reflected and the information source, its information value, and the new state of the information value space can be displayed to the user.

  The algorithms relating to this periodic monitoring process are shown in FIGS. FIG. 10 shows an algorithm for updating attributes (activity, etc.) of each information source, and FIG. 11 shows an algorithm for updating accompanying analysis of the information value space. Since the former is lighter than the latter, the convenience of the user can be improved by increasing the update frequency and constantly updating the latest information.

  In FIG. 10, the information mediating server 202 first resets a timer (not shown) (step 1001). Next, it is checked whether or not a predetermined period has elapsed after the timer reset (step 1002). If the predetermined period has not elapsed, the process returns to step 1002, and if it has elapsed, the information collection unit 305 is activated, the circulation of each bulletin board is performed, and updated information is collected (step 1003).

  Thereafter, the process returns to step 1001 and the same processing is repeatedly executed. This makes it possible to periodically collect updated information on the bulletin board, and provide information for connecting the user and the information source based on the updated information.

  FIG. 11 shows the flow of update processing accompanying the analysis of the information value space by the information mediating server 202. First, the information mediating server 202 resets a timer (not shown) (step 1101). Next, it is checked whether or not a predetermined period has elapsed after the timer reset (step 1102). If the predetermined period has not elapsed, the process returns to step 1102, and if it has elapsed, the information collecting unit 305 is activated to collect updated information from each information source (step 1103). Based on the collected update information and the information already recorded, the analysis unit 306 analyzes the correlation of each information source (the bulletin board in this embodiment) (step 1104). Thereafter, the coordinate value, signpost data, guide data, base word coordinate value, etc. in the information value space of the object indicating the information source (hereinafter referred to as “information source display object”) generated based on the analysis result are displayed in the display object DB 708. Write (step 1105). Thereafter, the process returns to step 1101 and the same processing is repeatedly executed.

[Example of Information Value Space Display Method in Client Device 204]
In order to derive the information value of the information source 106 (the bulletin board in this embodiment) and the correlation between the information sources, an information value space formed by a system of information values of a large number of target information sources is considered. For the derivation of the information value space, it is conceivable to use primary information included in the information source. When the bulletin board is handled as the information source 106, the content of the message from the target bulletin board is used as an analysis element. It is conceivable to use an analysis method listed in JP-A-2001-155063 “Thought-based analysis method and analysis apparatus”.

  In addition, by the method described in the above-mentioned patent publication, individual information source display objects are displayed on the obtained information value space (for example, one bulletin board is displayed as one object), and the correlation between the information values of the respective information sources is obtained. It can be placed in a position according to the relationship. Information source display objects placed in this way are displayed with objects having similar or approximate information values placed in the vicinity.

  By this display method, the user browses a certain information source (bulletin board), and thereby analogizes the information value of the information source corresponding to the other information source display object arranged in the vicinity of the information source display object. be able to.

  In addition, this display method displays signpost data representative of the information value corresponding to the nearby information source display object, so that the user can display the information value of the information source indicated by the information source display object in the vicinity of the signpost data. Can be easily known. This makes it possible to find an information source having the information value desired by the user and to support a heuristic search associated therewith.

  Further, by displaying guide data that visually indicates the regularity of the information source display object to the user together with the information source display object, the user can intuitively grasp the regularity.

  As described above, the information mediating server 202 obtains information for associating the user with the information source, and provides this to the client device 204. The client device 204 processes the provided information with the main controller 702 and displays it on the display unit 307 so that the user can recognize it. Hereinafter, a method of displaying information for connecting a user and an information source in the present embodiment and a graphical user interface realized by the method will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the information value space displayed in the present embodiment. In this example, the information value space is displayed imitating a three-dimensional space (space). A plurality of information sources (bulletin board in this example) exist in the three-dimensional space 1201, and each information source is displayed as an information source display object 1202 that imitates a galaxy or a star. Each information source display object 1202 has attributes such as shape, size, rotation speed, and color, and these attributes represent the characteristics of the information source corresponding to the information source display object 1202. For example, the shape represents the freshness of the information source, the size represents the number of members of the information source, the rotation speed represents the activity of the information source (such as the number of posts in a given period), etc. It is preferable to use an intuitively easy-to-understand expression method.

  In the three-dimensional space 1201, the user viewpoint can be freely changed, and the user can observe the information source display object 1202 arranged in the three-dimensional space 1201 from the position and direction preferred by the user. Can be done. For example, the information source display object 1202 included in the space can be freely observed by freely moving in an arbitrary direction or freely changing the line-of-sight direction.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an information value space including guide data. In the figure, an information source display object 1202 is arranged in an information value space 1301, and a tube 1303 as guide data and a base word label 1302 representing signpost data are arranged.

  For example, according to the method mentioned in the analysis method listed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-155063 “Thought-based analysis method and analysis device”, information source display objects having the same information value are arranged on one straight line. Cloth placement is possible. In this case, by displaying the tube 1303 as guide data indicating the straight line, it is possible to provide a display method in which the directionality of each tendency of the information source display objects 1202 placed in the information value space 1301 can be easily understood. For example, the user can easily find a plurality of information sources having a common information value by selecting information source display objects 1202 around the same tube 1303.

  In addition, the user can easily find an information source having an information value that matches the user value by selecting the information source display object 1202 in an area where many signposts 1302 that match the user value can be found. It becomes possible.

  Further, as described above, using the non-linguistic attributes such as the color, shape, texture, and rotation speed of each information source display object 1202, the state of the corresponding information source (for example, the degree of activity and freshness) is indicated to the user. The visual display allows the user to intuitively grasp the state of the information source.

  FIG. 14 shows an example of a screen when an information source display object 1202 in the display example of FIG. 13 is activated by a user's predetermined operation (for example, clicking with a pointing device). In the figure, when the object 1202 is clicked, a bulletin board display window 1401 is generated and the content of the bulletin board is displayed on the display unit 307 of the client device 204.

  That is, information (for example, URI (Uniform Resource Identifier)) for specifying an information source corresponding to each of the displayed information source display objects 1202 is associated with the information source by the user clicking the mouse or the like. By selecting and executing the display object, the display jumps to the corresponding information source and the content is displayed on the display unit 307 of the client device 204. This makes it easier for the user to select an information source, browse its contents, and participate.

[Configuration example of graphical user interface]
Next, a configuration example of a graphical user interface (hereinafter referred to as GUI) provided by the display unit 307 of the client device 204 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 18. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a GUI for causing the client device 204 to display information for associating a user and an information source provided by the information mediating server 202. FIG. 16 illustrates an information value space display area. 1502 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the entire display area 1503, FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the information source fixed point observation area, and FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the viewpoint clipping area.

  In the configuration example shown in FIG. 15, a GUI for displaying information for connecting a user and an information source is generated in a window 1501, and the GUI includes an information value space display area 1502, an entire display area 1503, It has a view operation area 1504, a search input area 1505, an information source fixed point observation area 1506, an attribute display area 1507, and a viewpoint clipping area 1508.

  The information value space display area 1502 has a function of displaying the information value space in the field of view designated by the user. The information value space display area 1502 displays the information source display object 1202, the signpost data 1302, and the guide data 1303 included in the field of view according to their positional relationships. For example, a three-dimensional virtual space as shown in FIGS. indicate. The signpost data 1302 and the guide data 1303 do not necessarily have to be displayed, and display / non-display may be switched according to the user's selection.

  The information source display object 1202 represents the attributes / characteristics of the information source corresponding to the appearance. For example, the shape of the information source display object 1202 may be a triangular pyramid, a cube, or a polyhedron according to the freshness of the information source. Further, the rotation of the information source display object 1202 may be changed or the rotation may be stopped according to the activity of the information source. Further, as an example, the information source display object 1202 indicating the information source that has been browsed by the user may be set to a predetermined color (for example, red). As another example, an information source display object 1202 indicating an information source hit in the search from the search input area 1505 may have a brightness higher than that of other information source display objects 1202. Note that the appearance of the information source display object 1202 indicating the attributes / characteristics of the information source is not limited to the appearance elements as described above, and any appearance element that can be expressed by the client device 204 may be used. For example, the color / lightness / luminance of the information source display object 1202, the pattern / texture pasted on the information source display object 1202, the blinking speed of the information source display object 1202, the rhythm of the pulsation, and the rotation direction of the information source display object 1202 It is conceivable to show attributes and characteristics of information sources using various appearance elements.

  The entire display area 1503 has a function of displaying the entire information value space, and is an area for indicating the relationship between the area displayed by the information value space display area 1502 and the entire information value space. The display in the entire display area 1503 allows the user to grasp which direction in the information value space is facing in which direction.

  The view operation area 1504 has a tool for arbitrarily changing the view in the information value space. For example, the visual field operation area 1504 moves the visual field position in the front-rear direction (vertical direction toward the paper surface) and the cross key for rotating the visual line direction of the visual field up, down, left and right. A plus key and a minus key. The user can change the field of view in the information value space by operating them, and accordingly, the content displayed in the information value space display area 1502 is changed in conjunction with it.

  With reference to FIG. 16, the change of the view and the relationship between the information value space display area 1502 and the entire display area 1503 will be described. First, in the information value space 1301, the user looks over the information value space 1301 so that the position 16021 becomes the field of view 16011. At this time, the field of view 16011 includes two information source display objects 12021 and 12022. In the information value space display area 1502, two information source display objects 12021 and 12022 are displayed.

  Next, the user performs a rotation operation using the view operation area 1504 so that the view 16012 is obtained. Two other information source display objects 12023 and 12024 are included in the field of view 16012. The content displayed in the information value space display area 1502 is changed in accordance with the change of the field of view. In the information value space display area 1502, two information source display objects 12023 and 12024 are displayed, and the information source outside the field of view 16012 is displayed. Display objects 12021 and 12022 are not displayed in the information value space display area 1502.

  Next, the user changes the viewpoint from the viewpoint position 16021 to the viewpoint position 16022 using the view operation area 1504. Then, in place of the field of view 16012 instead of the field of view 16013, another three information source display objects 12025, 12026, and 12027 are displayed in the information value space display area 1502.

  In this way, the user can view any region in the information value space by appropriately changing the field of view.

  Further, the display of the information display object or the signpost object may be changed as the user moves the virtual viewpoint. For example, a small number of global signposts are displayed at a long distance, and many detailed signposts are displayed when approaching a short distance. By controlling the amount of information displayed in this way, the amount of information that the user looks at a time can be kept within an appropriate range, and the information value space can be easily recognized.

  On the other hand, the entire display area 1503 displays the information value space 1301 viewed from the viewpoint position 1603 where the entire information value space 1301 can be overlooked. Further, the current viewpoint position of the user may be displayed in the information value space 1301. As a result, the user can immediately grasp where the user is currently located in the information value space 1301, and can use it as a guide for which to move next.

  Next, the search input area 1505 will be described. The search input area 1505 is an area for receiving a search word from the user. The accepted search word is transferred to the search unit 707 of the information mediating server 202, and the search unit 707 specifies an information source including the search word and notifies the client device 204 of this information source. The client device 204 displays an information source display object 1202 corresponding to the notified information source to the user by a predetermined method. As the predetermined method, the object may be changed to a specific color or blinked.

  Next, the fixed point observation area 1506 will be described. The fixed point observation area 1506 has a function of recording the information source display object 1202 that the user wants to continuously observe and displaying the latest state of the recorded information source display object 1202. FIG. 17 shows a configuration example of the fixed point observation area 1506. The fixed point observation area 1506 has one or a plurality of recording areas 1701, and the information source display object 1202 is operated by dragging the information source display object 1202 to any one of the recording areas 1701 with a pointing device. A display object with a copy of or a display form with more detailed information is generated and stored in area 1506. The information source display object 1202 displayed in the fixed point observation area 1506 is displayed according to the latest information of the information mediating server 202, and a state according to the change of the corresponding information source is shown. Accordingly, the user can observe or access the information source display object 1202 at any time by referring to the fixed point observation area 1506 without moving the information value space using the operation area 1504. Further, it is possible to know the detailed information by looking at the display form accompanied with the detailed information. Here, as an example of a display form with more detailed information, conversion to a rotation speed at a finer stage than the information source display object 1202 and the like can be given.

  Next, the attribute display area 1507 will be described. The attribute display area 1507 has a function of displaying detailed information of the information source display object 1202 designated by the user. Examples of detailed information include title, site name, top category, last update date, total number of utterances, and the like. The user designates the information source display object 1202 by a pointer over operation, a click, or the like.

  Next, the viewpoint clipping region 1508 will be described. The viewpoint clipping area 1508 records the field of view specified by the user (viewpoint position and direction of field of view), and displays the contents of the information value space in the field of view recorded in response to a request from the user in the information value space display area 1502. It has a function. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the viewpoint clipping region 1508. In this configuration example, the viewpoint clipping area 1508 has a viewpoint clipping display area 1801, a registration button 1805, and a delete button 1806. The viewpoint clipping display area 1801 has a function of displaying one record for each recorded viewpoint information. Each record includes a coordinate position 1802 indicating the viewpoint position, a line-of-sight direction 1803 indicating the direction of the field of view, information 1804 regarding voting data located in the vicinity of the fixed point, and the like. In the example shown in FIG. 18, records R1801, R1802, and R1803 corresponding to the three fields of view 16011, 16012, and 16013 shown in FIG. 16 are recorded. The user designates one of these records by clicking or pressing the enter key, and displays the field of view corresponding to the record in the information value space display area 1502.

  Further, when the user activates the user by clicking the registration button 1805 or pressing the enter key, new viewpoint information can be recorded. When new viewpoint information is recorded, a new record is displayed in the viewpoint clipping display area 1801. Further, when the user designates any fixed point information record and activates it by clicking the delete button 1806 or pressing the enter key, the record of the viewpoint information can be deleted.

  Note that the above-described configuration example of the user interface is merely an example, and the present embodiment and the present invention are not limited to the configuration of the user interface.

[Modification of this embodiment]
This embodiment can also be used as a system that displays and plays back pictures, videos, images, moving images, and audio files as information sources to the user according to user values. In addition, if information that visually displays contents such as pictures, videos, images, and videos is used as an information source display object, the information source display object itself can function as signpost data. It is possible to support heuristic search.

[Others]
The information source that can be handled in the present invention is not limited to an information site such as an electronic bulletin board system, but may be other information. In addition, as the information analyzed by the information mediating server 202, “natural sentences” such as posted sentences on the bulletin board can be considered, but images, pictures, videos (cuts, scenes, etc.) can be used instead of or together with natural sentences. It can also be applied to communities that use non-linguistic elements such as music (artists and lyrics etc. as analytical elements) as a means of communication, or non-linguistic elements themselves.

In the following, modifications of the present invention using non-linguistic elements will be described.
(1) Virtual Museum Site FIG. 19 shows a display example of a GUI (Information Value Space Display Area) according to the present invention when the information source is a virtual museum site. In the figure, in the information value space display area 1901, thumbnails 1902 of images are arranged and displayed as information source display objects. A thumbnail 1902 is a thumbnail of an image stored in the virtual museum site. The user can heuristically search for an image based on his / her preference while viewing the thumbnail. When you find an image you like, you can jump to the virtual museum site by clicking on the thumbnail 1902 of the image, and the user can view the images stored in the virtual museum site.

(2) Pet photograph FIG. 20 is a display example of a GUI according to the present invention when an image thumbnail is used as an information source display object, and the image is a photograph of a pet selected by a participant. . In the figure, an information value space display area 2001 includes an image thumbnail 2002 as an information source display object. The thumbnail is a picture of the pet selected by the participant. It is considered that what kind of pet photo is selected reflects the personality and lifestyle of the participant, and the user walks through the thumbnail 2002 arranged in the information value space to walk his own user value. Not only pets that match or similar to the view, but also participants who have matching or similar personalities and lifestyles can be found.

(3) Music Site FIG. 21 is a display example of a GUI according to the present invention when an object that reproduces all or part of a music piece (for example, a start portion) is used as an information source display object. All source display objects are represented by small spherical objects. In the figure, a small spherical object 2102 is arranged as an information source display object in the information value space display area 2101. When the spherical object is activated by the user, the whole or a part of the music is reproduced. The user searches the information value space while reproducing all or part of the music, and can search for a favorite music.

  As described above, the present invention can be established even when non-linguistic elements are used.

[Advantages of this embodiment]
As described above, according to the present invention, information sources on the net are displayed in an arrangement based on the information value, thereby enabling a user's heuristic search and efficient information source search and observation. Can provide a means of participation. Although it is difficult for a user to express his / her own values explicitly, according to the present embodiment, information sources having similar information values are arranged close to each other. If a user can find one information source or signpost that suits his / her values by using a signpost that represents the information value as a landmark or actually browsing the contents of the information source, it will be placed in the vicinity. Similarly, it can be expected with high probability that the information source is also in accordance with the values, so that it can be found efficiently.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, there is an advantage that it is easy for the user to grasp the tendency of the information source by displaying guide data (for example, a tube) that suggests the similarity of information value.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, only the primary information in the information source is used for the analysis of the information value. Therefore, additional evaluation processes and the like are given to information source participants or operators. Analysis can proceed without the need for trouble.

  Further, by selecting the displayed information source display object by clicking the mouse or the like, the presentation contents of the corresponding information source are displayed, and the user can easily select and participate in the information source.

  In addition, by periodically acquiring the activity content from the information source, it is possible to always display the latest state of the information value space to the user.

[Effects of the present embodiment]
According to the present embodiment, information for linking a user and an information source that enables a user to easily find an information source having an information value that matches his own values (user values) is provided. It can be presented to the user.

  According to the present embodiment, even if the user does not explicitly recognize his own values (user values), an information source having an information value that matches his own values (user values) can be obtained. It can be easily discovered.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, information display objects having approximate information value are arranged in the vicinity of the information display objects that are of interest to the user. It is possible to discover the user's own values (for example, preferences, preferences).

It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating information value. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the information mediation system which connects a user (user) and a bulletin board. It is a figure which shows the relationship with the community space containing an information mediation server, a client apparatus, and a some bulletin board. It is a figure which shows another example of a system configuration | structure when not providing an information mediation server independently. It is a figure which shows another example of a structure of this information mediation system. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a bulletin board server and a bulletin board client apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of an information mediation server and a client apparatus. The example of a data structure of display object DB is shown. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of an analysis part. It is a flowchart which shows the algorithm of the update of the attribute (activity etc.) of each community. It is a flowchart which shows the algorithm of the update accompanying the analysis of information value space. It is a figure which shows the example of information value space. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the information value space containing a guide. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen when an object is activated by predetermined | prescribed operation of the user. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a graphical user interface. It is a figure for demonstrating an information value space display area and a whole display area. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a fixed point observation area | region. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a viewpoint clipping area | region. It is a figure which shows another structural example of a graphical user interface. It is a figure which shows another structural example of a graphical user interface. It is a figure which shows another structural example of a graphical user interface.

Explanation of symbols

201 communication network 202 information mediating server 203 bulletin board server (information source)
204 Client Device 303 Bulletin Board Client Device 305 Information Collection (Engine) Unit 306 Analysis Unit 307 Display Unit 704 Communication Control Unit 705 Main Controller 706 Morphological Analysis Unit 707 Search Unit 708 Display Object DB
1202 Information source display object 1501 Window (GUI)
1502 Information value space display area 1503 Whole display area 1504 View operation area 1505 Search input area 1506 Fixed point observation area 1507 Attribute display area 1508 View clipping area

Claims (8)

An information intermediary device capable of analyzing the contents of messages from a plurality of bulletin boards and transmitting information for visually displaying the relationship between the bulletin boards to the client device,
An information collection unit for acquiring words from the plurality of bulletin boards connected to a communication network;
Analyzing words contained in the plurality of bulletin boards as analysis elements by a predetermined statistical method, and based on the obtained correlation between the plurality of bulletin boards, each of the above-described three-dimensional virtual spaces displayed on the client device An analysis unit for creating coordinate values for placing an object representing the bulletin board;
From the bulletin board, a morphological analyzer that extracts words that match a predetermined part of speech, appearance form, or word stem;
A search unit that searches the bulletin board including the word extracted by the morphological analysis unit and returns a URI that identifies the bulletin board extracted as a search result;
A communication control unit that transmits the URI and coordinate values of each bulletin board to the client device;
A display object database for storing at least address information for identifying the bulletin board, information indicating the latest update date of the bulletin board, and information indicating the number of messages on the bulletin board for each bulletin board;
With
The information collection unit examines whether there is addition, correction, or update to the content of the bulletin board, and when there is addition, correction, or update, acquires the content of the bulletin board in which the addition, correction, or update has been performed,
The analysis unit analyzes the information stored in the display object database, the word acquired by the information collection unit,
Information mediator. The analysis unit
A signpost data creating unit that creates signpost data for displaying words representing the plurality of objects arranged in the vicinity in the three-dimensional virtual space;
A guide data creation unit for creating guide data for visually displaying the regularity regarding the arrangement of the plurality of objects;
With
The communication control unit transmits one or both of the signpost data and the guide data to the client device.
The information mediating apparatus according to claim 1 . The guide data creation unit creates guide data indicating the straight line when the plurality of objects are arranged on a straight line.
The information mediating apparatus according to claim 2 . The appearance of the object displayed on the client device is determined according to the attribute or characteristic of the corresponding bulletin board.
The information mediating apparatus according to claim 3 . The object displayed on the client device is displayed so as to rotate at a rotation speed corresponding to the number of posts in a predetermined period of the corresponding bulletin board.
The information mediating apparatus according to claim 4 . The object displayed on the client device is displayed in a size corresponding to the number of members of the corresponding bulletin board.
The information mediating apparatus according to claim 5 . An information collection unit that acquires words from a plurality of bulletin boards connected to a communication network, and a correlation between the plurality of bulletin boards obtained by analyzing the words included in the plurality of bulletin boards using a predetermined statistical method as an analysis element And an analysis unit for creating coordinate values for arranging the objects representing the bulletin boards in the three-dimensional virtual space displayed on the client device, and analyzing the contents of messages from a plurality of bulletin boards A communication control unit that receives information via the communication network from an information mediating device capable of transmitting information for visually displaying the relationship between the bulletin boards;
A display unit for displaying the object based on information received by the communication control unit;
Equipped with a,
The appearance of the object is determined according to the attribute or characteristic of the corresponding bulletin board,
The object is displayed to rotate at a rotation speed corresponding to the number of posts in a predetermined period of the corresponding bulletin board.
Client device. The object is displayed in a size corresponding to the number of members of the corresponding bulletin board.
The client device according to claim 7 .