JP4768525B2 - Search terminal and network search system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a search terminal and a network search system that can execute a content search on a network, and more particularly to a search terminal and a network search system that can efficiently search for desired content from a plurality of servers on the network.

  As a conventional technique, there is a network search system that introduces to a terminal a service server having content that satisfies the requirements of the terminal by a guidance server (for example, Patent Document 1).

According to this network search system, the guidance server introduces a service server having content corresponding to the request to the terminal by receiving the request from the terminal. The terminal accesses the introduced service server, acquires more detailed information directly from the service server, and accesses the desired content. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform a detailed search of the entire network, and the time required for the search can be shortened. . In addition, since it is not necessary to receive an enormous number of search results at once, the search can be executed in a portable terminal with a limited storage capacity.
JP 09-305517 A

  However, according to the conventional network search system, when a plurality of service servers are introduced, the content closest to the request does not always exist in the service server accessed by the terminal first. In such a case, since the terminal must sequentially access the remaining service servers, the efficiency of searching for desired content is reduced. On the other hand, it is conceivable that the terminal receives content from a plurality of service servers at one time. However, in such a case, the memory capacity of the terminal may be insufficient or the display may take time.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a search terminal and a network search system that can efficiently search for desired contents from a plurality of servers while suppressing an increase in memory consumption.

(1) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention transmits a specific search condition to a plurality of servers connected via a network, and is obtained for the search condition in each of the plurality of servers. A communication unit that receives content information from each of the plurality of servers based on the number of the plurality of servers, and the content information received from the plurality of servers by the communication unit. A control unit that creates one content list arranged in an order according to the relevance ratio, and a display unit that displays a specific range of the content list created by the control unit, the control unit including the specific range The content information included in the server is newly acquired from one of the plurality of servers according to the number of content information received from one of the plurality of servers. Determining the additional acquisition count of Ceiling information, the communication unit provides a search terminal and receives the content information of the additional acquisition number from one of the plurality of servers.

According to such a configuration, desired contents can be obtained with minimum content acquisition by rearranging the contents in the order according to the relevance ratio on the server side and rearranging the contents integrated on the search terminal. Therefore, it is possible to acquire the desired content with the minimum content acquisition required for display on the display unit without causing a shortage of memory capacity and without requiring processing time for display. This improves the content search accuracy.

(2) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention transmits a specific search condition to a plurality of servers connected via a network, and the search condition for each of the plurality of servers. A communication unit that receives content information from the plurality of servers in the order of the obtained precision, and the content received from the plurality of servers by the communication unit. A control unit that creates one content list in which information is arranged in an order according to the relevance ratio; and a display unit that displays a specific range of the content list created by the control unit; A server including all of the specified number of content information received in the specific range is determined as an additional acquisition server for acquiring additional content information, The number of content information displayed in the fixed range is additionally acquired by subtracting the rank in the content list of the content information having the lowest relevance ratio among the content information received from the additional acquisition server included in the specific range. The communication unit acquires additional content information from the additional acquisition server for the additional acquisition number, and the control unit acquires the additional content information from the additional acquisition server, and then acquires the content list. A search terminal is provided that is created and displayed on the display unit .

According to such a configuration, in addition to the effect of (1), the additional acquisition server is determined according to the arrangement position of the content, so that the accurate order display of the content is possible.

(3) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention stores a plurality of servers that store content information and calculates a conformity rate of the content information with respect to the received search condition, and specifies a plurality of servers via the network. The specified number of contents that are determined based on the number of the plurality of servers from the plurality of servers in the order of the relevance ratio obtained for the search conditions in each of the plurality of servers A network search system comprising: a search terminal that receives the received content information one by one, creates a single content list in which the received content information is arranged in an order according to the relevance ratio, and displays a specific range of the created content list on a display unit a is, the search terminal among the contents information included in the specific range, the plurality of servers Depending on the number of received content information from said plurality of newly acquired additional number of content information to retrieve from a server to determine, receives content information of said additional acquisition number from one of the plurality of servers that A network search system is provided.

According to such a configuration, a network search system having the effect (1) can be realized.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to search for contents more efficiently on the network.

  Embodiments of a network search system according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
(Configuration of network search system)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network search system according to the first embodiment.

  The network search system 1 includes a search terminal 10 having a content search function, and a server A 20A, a server B 20B, and a server C 20C capable of storing content, which are connected by a LAN network 30 and communicate with each other. Is possible.

(Configuration of search terminal)
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the search terminal 10 according to the first embodiment.

  The control unit 101 transmits a command to each unit according to the operation of the operation unit 102, performs signal processing of each unit via the bus 109, and performs overall control. The display unit 101 has a function of creating a content list based on the content information received from the servers A20A to C20C and causing the display unit 106 to display the content list. This process will be described later. Here, the content information is metadata related to the content data, and refers to information such as title information, EPG program description, recording time, and genre. The content list refers to a collection of a plurality of pieces of content information.

  The operation unit 102 outputs an operation signal corresponding to an operation of each switch (not shown) provided on the search terminal 10 or a remote controller to the control unit 101.

  The memory 103 temporarily stores a file being processed and assists data processing in each unit. Further, when the content information is received from the server A 20 A to the server C 20 C, the content information is stored in the memory 103.

  The storage unit 104 stores firmware for operating the search terminal 10, management data necessary for managing content such as video and audio, a program necessary for reproduction and control, and content data such as video.

  The reproduction unit 105 decodes and converts the compressed content data, and outputs the converted video signal and audio signal to the display unit 106 and the audio output unit 107.

  The display unit 106 includes a display drive circuit (not shown), a backlight LCD, and the like, and controls image display. The display unit 106 displays a moving image based on the reproduction signal of the content data output from the reproduction unit 105, and also displays the content list created by the control unit 101.

  The audio output unit 107 outputs audio based on the audio signal decoded and output by the reproduction unit 105.

  The communication unit 108 is connected to the LAN network 30 and transmits / receives information to / from external devices of the server A 20A to the server C 20C via the LAN network 30 with a cable. For example, the communication unit 106 transmits a search request specifying a search condition to the servers A20A to C20C. The communication unit 106 also receives content information that is a response from each of the servers A20A to C20C.

(Server configuration)
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the server A relating to the first embodiment. The server B and the server C have the same configuration.

  The control unit 201 transmits a command to each unit according to the operation of the operation unit 202, performs signal processing of each unit via the bus 207, and performs overall control. In addition, when receiving a search request specifying a search condition from the search terminal 10, the control unit 201 also has a function of calculating a relevance ratio for each content stored in the storage unit 205 according to the search condition. . The content information related to the specified number of contents from the specified order is transmitted from the communication unit 206 to the search terminal 10 as a response to the search request in descending order of the calculated relevance ratio.

  The operation unit 202 includes a plurality of switches, a remote controller, and the like provided in the server A 20A, and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation to the control unit 201.

  The memory 203 temporarily stores a file being processed and assists data processing in each unit.

  The playback unit 204 has a function of encoding content read from the storage unit 205 into a predetermined encoding method as necessary. The content read from the storage unit 205 is transmitted to the search terminal 10 by the communication unit 206 via the LAN network 30. In the search terminal 10, the content data is received by the communication unit 108, and the playback unit 105 decodes the content data, whereby video and audio are output by the display unit 106 and the audio output unit 107.

  The storage unit 205 stores firmware for operating the server 20A, management data necessary for content management, a program necessary for file control, and content data such as video and audio.

  The communication unit 206 is connected to a device such as the search terminal 10 via the LAN network 30 and transmits / receives information to / from an external device. For example, the communication unit 206 receives a search request specifying a search condition from the search terminal 10. In addition, the communication unit 206 also transmits content information that is a response to the response to the search terminal 10.

(Operation)
The operation of the network search system in the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  The search terminal 10 transmits search conditions to the servers A20A to C20C, receives a list of content information corresponding to the search conditions from each server, and integrates the list into one content list. Displayed on the display unit 106. By operating the operation unit 102 and selecting an item in the content list, the user can receive the selected content from the server and view it on the display unit 106 and the audio output unit 107.

(Fit rate)
When each server creates a list based on a search condition, it rearranges the contents using the relevance ratio described below.

  FIGS. 4A to 4C are schematic diagrams illustrating examples of relevance ratios with respect to search conditions in the first embodiment.

  If there are contents that match the search conditions from titles 1 to 7, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, a numerical value may be set so that the higher the number of viewing times, the higher the relevance rate.

  Alternatively, the relevance ratio may be calculated, for example, as shown in FIG. 4B so that the priority order of the unviewed content becomes higher.

  When there are six contents that match the search conditions and each content has temporal relevance, for example, for a continuous series such as a drama and a series, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to set a high precision for the oldest in time, set the precision in accordance with the temporal order, etc. for previous times, and set a low precision for subsequent times.

  It should be noted that any value may be set as long as the precision described in FIGS. 4A to 4C conforms to the conditions. Also, the search terminal 10 may automatically select from the type of content and select from the above-described precision setting method, or allow the user to select the precision setting method.

(Get content list)
FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram illustrating an initial search operation of the search terminal according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B, and FIG. 7, “A1” is the content information of the content data stored in the server A 20A, and indicates the one with the highest fitness. Similarly, for example, “C4” is content information of content data stored in the server C20C and has the fourth highest fitness.

  The display unit 106 of the search terminal 10 has a display area where the display of the content list is maximized. The number of display cases at that time is N. For example, in the first embodiment, the number of display cases is seven. The number of servers M is three servers 20A to 20C, and if the initial search number a of content information is 4 per server, the total number of content information acquisition a × M is 12 × 4 × 3. Thus, the number of acquisitions is greater than the number of displays. In addition, the search terminal 10 acquires together with the content information which is a search result from each server A20A thru | or C20C, the matching degree which concerns on each content information. The search terminal 10 integrates (merges) the acquired content information as one content list, and arranges them in order of precision.

  FIG. 5B (a) to FIG. 5 (b) are schematic diagrams showing supplementary operations for the initial search of the search terminal relating to the first embodiment.

  When the result of the initial search operation shown in FIG. 5A is as shown in FIG. 5B (a), for example, when all the pieces of content information C1 to C4 acquired from the server C20C are included in the display number N, C4 is Since the matching rate is the fifth highest as a whole, C5 and C6 stored in the server C20C may be added to the display area. Therefore, the search terminal 10 transmits a request to additionally acquire two pieces of content information to the server C20C.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5B (b), C5 and C6 are acquired as search results from the server C20C, and the content list in the display area is sorted in the correct order by reordering the content list. Can be displayed.

  FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are flowcharts showing the search operation of the search terminal regarding the first embodiment.

  First, search conditions are set in the search terminal 10 (S10). Next, the display number N that can be displayed on the display unit 106 of the search terminal 10 is acquired (S11). The number of cases may be set in advance or may be set by the user. Next, the number M of servers existing on the LAN network 30 is acquired (S12). Next, an initial search number a satisfying a × M> N is determined so that the number of content information items to be collected does not fall below the display number N (S13).

  Content search conditions are transmitted to each server, and the contents on each server are requested to be rearranged in the order of precision shown in FIG. 4 based on the search conditions (S14). Next, the content information of the initial search number a is acquired from the top of the content on each server that has been rearranged (S15). S14 and S15 are repeated in all servers (S16; No), and when the processing is completed in all servers (S16; Yes), the content list created on the search terminal 10 is rearranged in order of precision (S17).

  Next, when a certain server is selected and the acquired content information of the server is included in the display area shown in FIG. 5B (a) within the number of display items N (S18; Yes), the server is insufficient. The maximum number of contents to be acquired (N- <last search result position>) is additionally acquired as the additional acquisition number (S19). When all the contents are not included within the display number N (S18; No), S19 is skipped and not executed.

  In all servers, S18 and S19 are repeated (S20; No), and when the processing is completed in all servers (S20; Yes), the content list created by the search terminal 10 is rearranged based on the relevance ratio (S21). .

  FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams illustrating a search operation after changing the display area of the search terminal according to the first embodiment.

  When the user operates the operation unit 102 of the search terminal 10 and moves the display area to the state of FIG. 7A, how many pieces of content information are requested from each of the servers A20A to C20C. Identify. That is, for example, the search terminal 10 specifies how many pieces of content information lower than A4, B4, and C4 are necessary, and requests each server to additionally acquire the additional acquisition numbers a1, b1, and c1. Send.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, each server transmits the content information for the additional acquisition numbers a1, b1, and c1 to the search terminal 10 as a search result, and the search terminal 10 receives the received content information. To create a content list and sort it according to the precision.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the additional search operation of the search terminal according to the first embodiment.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7A, the user operates the operation unit 102 to set a display area (S31). When all the acquired content information of a certain server is included in the display area (S32; Yes), additionally acquire the maximum content number (N- <last search result position>) that is insufficient from the corresponding server as the additional acquisition number (S33). When the acquired content information is not included in the display area (S32; No), S33 is skipped and not executed.

  S32 and S33 are repeated in all servers (S34; No), and when the processing is completed in all servers (S34; Yes), the content list acquired by the search terminal 10 is rearranged based on the relevance ratio (S35). .

(Effects of the first embodiment)
According to the first embodiment described above, each server is requested to be rearranged, and content information is acquired from each server in accordance with the display area. Therefore, a large amount of content data is stored in each server. Even if the search terminal is receiving, the content list can be displayed even if the storage capacity of the receiving search terminal is relatively small. Further, since the volume of content information received at a time is small, the speed of content search and display is improved.

  Even when the display area is changed, the minimum amount of content information necessary for displaying the display area is acquired, so that the memory capacity is economically improved, and the acquisition speed and display speed are improved.

  By using the number of times of viewing as the relevance rate, it becomes possible to search for content in accordance with user preferences.

  Note that the search terminal 10 may receive content directly from a plurality of servers instead of content information.

  Note that the LAN network 30, the communication unit 108, and the communication unit 206 may use not only a wired LAN but also a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) as long as they can communicate with each other.

[Second Embodiment]
FIGS. 9A to 9B are schematic diagrams illustrating examples of the matching ratios with respect to the search conditions in the second embodiment. In the following description, portions having the same configuration and function as those of the first embodiment are denoted by common reference numerals.

  When searching for content based on character information indicating the title name and genre accompanying the content, performers, etc., for example, when searching for “ka” as a search character string, as shown in FIG. For the first character of the content, a numerical value corresponding to the character order is set as the precision.

  For example, when searching for “A” as a search character string, the search results are displayed in the order shown in FIG. 9B, and the relevance ratio for each search result is as shown in FIG.

  In addition, regarding the precision described in FIGS. 9A to 9B, an arbitrary value may be set as long as the setting condition is satisfied. Moreover, even if the search terminal 10 automatically selects from the above-described relevance rate setting methods based on the type of content, the user may be able to select the relevance rate setting method.

  The character string may be two or more characters, and the same precision is set for each character of the character string, and the precision is calculated by combining them.

(Effects of the second embodiment)
According to the above-described embodiment, since a character string can be used as a search condition, a detailed content search can be performed.

  It should be noted that by calculating the matching rate in combination with the calculation of the matching rate based on the number of viewing times shown in the first embodiment, a more advanced content search can be performed.

[Third Embodiment]
FIGS. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating examples of the matching ratios with respect to the search conditions in the second embodiment.

  When performing a content search using the number of viewing times as a search condition, as shown in FIG. For example, when allocating to unviewed content, favorite content, and viewed content, the one with the relevance rate 10 is viewed in the unviewed content folder, and the one with the relevance rate 2-9 is viewed multiple times. Sort the ones with a precision of 1 into the viewed folders to your favorite folders.

  When there are a plurality of users of the search terminal 10, as shown in FIG. 10B, the viewing status of the content is stored for each user. Assume that the number of times of viewing shown in the first embodiment is used for setting the precision ratio.

(Effect of the third embodiment)
According to the embodiment described above, grouping according to the relevance rate is executed, so that it is possible to easily search for desired content.

  In addition, since the content viewing state is stored for each user, more accurate content search is possible.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a network search system according to a first embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the search terminal regarding the 1st example of embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the server A regarding the 1st example of embodiment. (A)-(c) is the schematic which shows the example of the relevance ratio with respect to the search conditions in 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the initial stage search operation | movement of the search terminal regarding the 1st Example. (A), (b) is the schematic which shows the supplementary operation | movement of the initial search of the search terminal regarding the example of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the search operation | movement of the search terminal regarding the example of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the search operation | movement of the search terminal regarding the example of 1st Embodiment. (A), (b) is the schematic which shows the search operation | movement after the display area change of the search terminal regarding the 1st Example. It is a flowchart which shows the additional search operation | movement of the search terminal regarding the example of 1st Embodiment. (A), (b) is the schematic which shows the example of the relevance ratio with respect to the search conditions in 2nd Embodiment. (A), (b) is the schematic which shows the example of the relevance ratio with respect to the search conditions in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Network search system, 10 ... Search terminal, 20A ... Server A, 20B ... Server B, 20C ... Server C, 30 ... LAN network, 101 ... Control part, 102 ... Operation part, 103 ... Memory, 104 ... Storage part, 105: Playback unit, 106: Display unit, 107: Audio output unit, 108 ... Communication unit, 109 ... Bus, 201 ... Control unit, 202 ... Operation unit, 203 ... Memory, 204 ... Playback unit, 205 ... Storage unit, 206 ... communication unit, 207 ... bus

Claims (10)

It sends a specific search criteria for a plurality of servers connected via a network, in order of relevance ratio obtained for the search condition in each of the plurality of servers, the content information of the plurality A communication unit that receives from each server a specified number of times determined based on the number of the plurality of servers ,
A control unit that creates one content list in which the content information received from the plurality of servers by the communication unit is arranged in an order according to the precision;
A display unit for displaying a specific range of the content list created by the control unit;
The control unit, according to the number of content information received from one of the plurality of servers among the content information included in the specific range,
Determining the number of additional acquisitions of content information newly acquired from one of the plurality of servers,
The communication terminal receives the content information of the additional acquisition number from one of the plurality of servers . The said control part determines the said additional acquisition number according to the order | rank of the content information with the lowest relevance received from one of these servers among the content information in the said specific range. The search terminal according to 1. It sends a specific search criteria for a plurality of servers connected via a network, in order of relevance ratio obtained for the search condition in each of the plurality of servers, the content information of the plurality A communication unit that receives from each server a specified number of times determined based on the number of the plurality of servers ,
A control unit that creates one content list in which the content information received from the plurality of servers by the communication unit is arranged in an order according to the precision;
A display unit that displays a specific range of the content list created by the control unit;
The control unit, the number of said contents information designated number of items received in a specific range to determine the server that contains all the additional acquisition server get the additional content information, the content information displayed in the specific range , The number obtained by subtracting the rank in the content list of the content information having the lowest relevance ratio among the content information received from the additional acquisition server included in the specific range is determined as the additional acquisition number,
The communication unit acquires additional content information from the additional acquisition server for the number of additional acquisitions,
The said control part produces | generates a content list after acquiring the said additional content information from the said additional acquisition server, and displays it on the said display part, The search terminal characterized by the above-mentioned. The communication unit search terminal according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that a numerical value based on the views of the content as the precision ratio. The communication unit search terminal according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that said using numerical values based on the views of the content as a compatible rate, resetting the relevance ratio with respect to the content of the unviewed. The communication unit for a plurality of contents of successive ones, according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that to determine the relevance ratio in each of the plurality of contents based on the temporal order of the contents of the unviewed Search terminal. The communication unit uses a character string as the search condition, to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that a value corresponding to a predetermined character sequence of the search results and the character string as the matching rate The described search terminal. The search terminal according to claim 1 or 3 , wherein the communication unit uses a numerical value based on identification information of the search terminal user as the relevance ratio. The search terminal according to claim 1 or 3 , wherein the control unit groups the acquired contents based on the relevance ratio. A plurality of servers that store the content information and calculate the relevance ratio of the content information with respect to the received search condition ;
The specific search condition is transmitted to the plurality of servers via the network, and the content information is transmitted from the plurality of servers in the order of the relevance ratio obtained for the search condition in each of the plurality of servers. Receives a specified number of items determined based on the number of servers, creates one content list in which the received content information is arranged in an order according to the relevance ratio, and displays a specific range of the created content list A network search system having a search terminal to be displayed on
The search terminal additionally acquires the number of content information newly acquired from one of the plurality of servers in accordance with the number of content information received from one of the plurality of servers among the content information included in the specific range. And receiving the content information of the additional acquisition number from one of the plurality of servers .