JP4787887B2 - System for searching digital contents and search method using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for presenting a search result screen to a user as a result of searching a database storing digital contents such as a large number of videos or moving images.

  In a database system that manages digital content such as moving images, a user can search for and use desired digital content. As an example of such a database system, a commercial portal site that provides a search service on the WWW is known. That is, when the user inputs one or more search terms (keywords) via the browser screen on the client computer, the search engine on the server computer searches the database storing the digital content according to the search terms. Thereby, the hit item is presented as a search result on the browser screen. As a search result, for example, thumbnail images associated with the hit moving image are arranged in the browser screen and displayed as a list. The user can access desired digital content (moving image file) by referring to such a list of thumbnail images and selecting a specific thumbnail image.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses a technique that allows a user to easily search for a thumbnail image related to a desired image and obtain a desired image. Specifically, Patent Document 1 outputs a rectangular output image in which a plurality of strip-like output images in which thumbnail images are arranged in the vertical direction are juxtaposed in the horizontal direction for each predetermined classification (title), and the strip-like shape is displayed on the display screen. Disclosed is an image playback device configured to scroll display output images.

JP 2006-318814 A

  In a conventional search service on the WWW, thumbnail images associated with moving images hit by a search are simply arranged in a raster shape in the browser screen, and as a result, arranged in a two-dimensional grid (two-dimensional matrix) It was only done. For this reason, for example, thumbnail images positioned in the vertical direction in the browser screen are automatically adjacent to each other depending on the area size of the browser screen, and the search result in the browser screen is for a specific thumbnail image. It did not improve user accessibility.

  In addition, for items that did not hit as a result of the search, the user does not know whether the input search term was not appropriate and the item did not hit, or the item was not found in the database, so it did not hit in the first place. Eventually, the search had to be attempted by re-entering another search term.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, a search result screen (rectangular output image) in which thumbnail images are arranged in a matrix is provided so that a user can access a desired image.

  However, in the search result screen of Patent Document 1, only the thumbnail image rows classified for each title and arranged in the vertical direction are juxtaposed in the horizontal direction in response to the selection of the search term (ie, title). Thumbnail images searched according to a plurality of search terms are not arranged from a multidimensional viewpoint according to the plurality of search terms. Therefore, even if the user can refer to the thumbnail images classified for each title, it cannot be referred from a multidimensional viewpoint, and it cannot be said that the user's accessibility is sufficient.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in a search of a database storing digital contents such as videos or moving images (hereinafter referred to as “moving image database”), a search with improved user accessibility. The purpose is to provide a result screen.

  Specifically, an object of the present invention is to search a moving image database according to a search term according to a plurality of viewpoints, and for a hit moving image, a thumbnail image representing the moving image is displayed in a grid shape according to a title with the viewpoint as an axis. The search result screen arranged in the screen is provided to the user so that the user can efficiently access a desired moving image.

  Another object of the present invention is to search a moving image database according to a search term according to a plurality of viewpoints, but when there is no moving image hit in the title of the viewpoint, the position of the corresponding grid point is set to a blank state. The search result screen is provided to the user so that the user can intuitively understand that there is no moving image hit with a specific title in this viewpoint.

  Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to search a moving image database in accordance with a time concept viewpoint and a search term according to another viewpoint, and for a hit moving image, a thumbnail image representing the moving image is arranged on the time axis. A search result screen is provided to a user so that the user can efficiently access a desired moving image.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, searches a moving image database based on a search term according to a plurality of viewpoint axes, and based on the search result, along each of the plurality of viewpoint axes, A search in which titles for viewpoint axes are arranged, and thumbnail images associated with the hit video content indicated in the search results are assigned to each cell specified by the combination of titles for each of the viewpoint axes. This search system displays a result screen.

  That is, the present invention according to a certain aspect is configured to be accessible to a Web server, a database server connected to the Web server, the Web server and the database server, and a moving image file and a moving image included in the moving image file And a storage that stores a thumbnail image file associated with the image content and an index table. The database server is configured to perform a database search based on the index table in response to a query from the Web server, and transmit a query result by the database search to the Web server. The web server receives a search request including a search term according to each of a plurality of viewpoint axes from a browser of a client computer, acquires a query result for a query created based on the search request from the database server, and Based on this, a page script that is interpreted and displayed by the browser is generated, and the generated page script is transmitted to the browser. In the page script, a first title for each of the viewpoint axes is arranged on the plurality of viewpoint axes, and for each cell specified by a combination of the first titles for each of the viewpoint axes, The browser is configured to display a search result screen to which a thumbnail image file associated with the hit moving image content indicated by the query result is assigned.

  As a result, the thumbnail images that have been hit in accordance with a plurality of viewpoint axes are displayed on the browser on the user's client computer, so that the user can easily find desired moving image content while looking down on the thumbnail images. .

  The present invention according to another aspect is a search method for searching for moving image content on a moving image database. That is, in the search method of the present invention, the search server receives a first search request including a search term according to a plurality of viewpoint axes from a browser on a client computer, and the search server receives the first received Based on the search request, performing a search on the moving image database to obtain a first search result, and the search server, based on the first search result, on the plurality of viewpoint axes, A thumbnail image associated with the hit moving image content indicated in the search result is arranged for each cell specified by the first combination for each of the viewpoint axes by arranging a first title for each of the viewpoint axes. Providing a search result screen to which the file is assigned to the browser.

  The present invention can also be understood as a computer program that causes a server computer to execute the above search method and a recording medium that records the computer program.

  According to the present invention, thumbnail images of moving images hit by the search of the moving image database are arranged in a grid shape in the search result screen with a plurality of viewpoints as axes, so that the user can look down on these thumbnail images. However, a desired moving image can be found efficiently.

  Further, according to the present invention, when the moving image database is searched from a plurality of viewpoints, but there is no moving image hit in the title in the viewpoint, the position of the corresponding grid point in the search result screen is blank. As a result, the user can intuitively grasp that there is no moving image hit in the specific title in the viewpoint.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the video database is searched by combining another viewpoint with the viewpoint of the temporal concept, and the thumbnail images of the moving pictures hit along the time axis are arranged. It becomes possible to efficiently access a desired moving image while going back and forth on the axis.

It is a block diagram for demonstrating the search system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the client which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the function of the search server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the format of the query in the search server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the search result screen on the browser which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the index table in the search server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the schematic process in the search system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the search result screen on the client which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the schematic process in the Web server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the schematic process in the database server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the production | generation process of the page script in the Web server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the production | generation process of the page script in the Web server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the search result screen on the client which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the page script production | generation process based on the narrowing-down search request in the Web server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the search result screen on the client which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the display process of the search result screen in the client which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the narrowing-down search result screen on the client which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the preview screen displayed on the browser of the client which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the event search result screen displayed on the browser of the client which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example which selected the specific grid point about the event search result screen on the client which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the event narrowing search result screen on the client which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

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

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a search system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the search system 1 according to this embodiment is typically configured by connecting a client 2 and a search server 3 to each other via a network 4. The network 4 is composed of, for example, a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, or a combination thereof. The network 4 may be either a wired / wireless system. The client 2 and the search server 3 typically communicate with each other based on a request-response protocol (for example, http). The search system 1 also includes a management server 5 for managing the search server 3.

  The client 2 is a computer system of a user who uses a search service provided by the search server 3. The client 2 is typically installed with a browser program that runs on the OS. The client 2 implements the browser 21 on the client 2 by executing a browser program under the control of a processor (not shown). The browser 21 can typically be a web browser. The browser 21 functions as a user interface for the search server 3 in combination with a pointing device (not shown) of the client 2. When the user inputs a search term via the screen of the browser 21 on the client 2, the client 2 transmits a search request according to the search term to the search server 3 on an http basis.

  The search server 3 is a computer system that provides a search service to users. Specifically, the search server 3 searches the database based on the search request transmitted from the client 2 and transmits the search result to the client 2. The search server 3 according to the present embodiment includes a web server 31, a database server 32, and a storage 33.

  The Web server 31 executes a mounted Web server program under the control of a processor (not shown) to realize a Web service (http service) for the client 2. The Web server 31 also functions as an application for the database server 32. That is, the Web server 31 passes a query to the database server 32 and receives the result. The search server 3 may restrict users (clients 2) who can use the search service by performing login authentication processing prior to providing the search service.

  The database server 32 receives a query from the Web server 31, searches a database file (index table) on the storage 33, and returns the result (query result) to the Web server 31. In response to the query result, the Web server generates a page script, reads a resource (for example, a thumbnail image) to be provided to the client 2 from the storage 33, and transmits a response message including the resource to the client 2.

  In the present embodiment, the Web server 31 and the database server 32 are configured by physically independent computers, but may be realized by implementing the respective functions on one computer.

  The storage 33 is typically a storage device configured by a large capacity hard disk drive group, and functions as a database of the search server 31. That is, the storage 33 stores a large number of digital contents 34 and responds to a read request from the Web server 31.

  The digital content 34 is typically video or moving image digital content (hereinafter referred to as “moving image content”) (not intended to exclude still image digital content), and has a predetermined format. It is stored in the storage 33 as a moving image file 34a (see FIG. 3). One moving image content does not need to be associated with one moving image file 34. For example, since a playback moving image based on one moving image file 34a can include a plurality of subjects, each of the plurality of subjects can be defined as usable moving image content. Different moving image contents in the same moving image file 34a are distinguished by, for example, a reproduction start time code.

  The digital content 34 includes a thumbnail image file 34b associated with each moving image content 34a. The thumbnail image is simple image data used for showing the moving image content hit by the search on the search result screen. The storage 33 also stores an index table 35 that is referred to by the database server 32. The index table 35 is a table that defines metadata referred to in database search. The index table 35 is defined for each predetermined category. That is, by defining the index table 35 for each predetermined category, a database for each predetermined category can be constructed. In the present embodiment, the index table 35 is defined according to the categories “landscape”, “animal”, and “event”, and the respective databases are constructed. The index table 35 may be loaded into the memory of the database server 32 during operation of the search system 1 and configured as part of the database engine.

  The management server 5 is an administrator computer system for managing the search server 3. Under the operation of the administrator, for example, the management server 5 stores new digital content in the storage 33, and accordingly, sets metadata and updates the index table 35. The management server 5 implements a database management program related to such database operation. The management server 5 may have a function of generating a thumbnail image file from moving image content.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of the client 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Although not shown, the client 2 typically includes hardware resources including a processor, memory, input / output device, auxiliary storage device, communication device, etc., and software resources including an OS, device driver, application program, and the like. And a computer system that realizes a predetermined function under the control of the processor.

  That is, the client 2 according to this embodiment includes a browser 21, an input device 22, a display device 23, and a communication device 24 that are realized under the control of the processor, as shown in FIG. The

  The browser 21 typically performs protocol communication with the Web server 31 to acquire a resource (for example, an HTML document) from the Web server 31, a parser for analyzing the acquired resource, and the analysis result. It consists of a renderer that performs processing for screen display. In addition, the browser 21 can incorporate an external plug-in module to be a part of the browser function. The plug-in module includes, for example, a module that encodes and reproduces a moving image file in a predetermined format.

  The input device 22 is a keyboard or a mouse operated by the user, and the display device 23 is a display that displays the screen of the browser 21 provided to the user. The input device 22 and the display device 23 function as a user interface under the control of the processor. The communication device 24 is a network interface circuit for the browser 21 to communicate with the Web server 21 via the network 4.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining functions of the search server 3 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the search server 3 includes the Web server 31, the database server 32, and the storage 33.

  In such a system configuration, the Web server 31 includes a communication unit 311, a request analysis unit 312, a resource reading unit 313, a query unit 314, and a page script generation unit 315.

  The communication unit 311 communicates with the browser 21 on the client 2 according to a predetermined protocol. The communication unit 311 is typically realized by a network interface circuit and a device driver. The request analysis unit 312 analyzes the request message received from the browser 21 and performs processing according to the analysis result. For example, if the request message is a resource transfer request, the request analysis unit 312 instructs the resource reading unit 313 to read the resource (file or the like) specified by the resource transfer request. Here, the resource transfer request includes a moving image reproduction request (streaming transfer request). If the request message is a search request, the request analysis unit 312 calls the query unit 314 and delivers the search request. The resource reading unit 313 performs file input / output control with the storage 33. The resource reading unit 313 reads the resource (moving image file, thumbnail image file, etc.) designated by the request analysis unit 312 from the storage 33 and transmits it to the communication unit 311.

  The query unit 314 accesses the database server 32. Specifically, the query unit 314 creates a query based on the search request delivered from the request analysis unit 312 and transmits it to the database server 32. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a query format in the search server 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the query 40 includes, for example, a statement 401, column names 402 of two or more, a table name 403, and other arguments. A statement 401 is an instruction to the database server 32, and “SELECT” in this example indicates execution of a search. The column name 402 corresponds to the search term set by the browser 21, and the table name 403 corresponds to the category of the index table 35. Returning to FIG. 3, the query unit 314 also receives a query result returned from the database server 32 in response to the query 40. The query unit 314 transmits the query result received from the database server 32 to the page script generation unit 315.

  The page script generation unit 315 generates a page script based on the query result transmitted from the query unit 314. The page script is a page description language that is interpreted by the browser 21 of the client 2. The page script generation unit 315 transmits the generated page script to the communication unit 311, and in response to this, the communication unit 311 transmits the page script to the browser 21. The browser 21 configures and displays a search result screen according to the generated page script.

  The database server 32 is formed with the database engine as a core, and performs a database search by referring to the index table 35 on the storage 33 according to the query 40 transmitted from the query unit 314. As indicated by broken lines in the figure, in the search server 3, a part related to database search may be generally described as a search engine.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of a search result screen on the browser 21 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the search result screen of this embodiment has a configuration in which search results are arranged in a two-dimensional grid with two viewpoints as axes (that is, a two-dimensional table configuration). That is, when a user inputs search terms according to two viewpoints, search results that hit one or more titles belonging to the respective viewpoints are displayed in a two-dimensional grid. The search result is typically indicated by one thumbnail image associated with the hit moving image content along with the number of hit moving image contents. When there is no hit moving image content, for example, “N / A” is displayed at the corresponding grid point instead of the thumbnail image.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the index table 35 in the search server 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The index table 35 is a file having a table structure for searching for moving image content related to a search term according to a plurality of viewpoints. The figure shows a part of the index table 35 for the animal database.

  That is, as shown in the figure, the index table 35 includes a column consisting of a subject name 351, a plurality of different titles 352, a moving image file name 353, a thumbnail image file name 354, a reproduction start time code 355, and the like. Consists of. The subject name 351 indicates the name of a subject defined as usable moving image content. For example, if different subjects are included in a playback moving image based on a certain moving image file, these subjects are defined as different moving image contents. The title 352 corresponds to the search term set by the browser 21 and also corresponds to the viewpoint axis displayed on the search result screen of the browser 21. The title 352 includes, for example, “natural environment”, “photographing place”, “classification”, “individual composition”, “description”, “photographing date”, and the like.

  All or some of the titles 352 may have a hierarchical relationship. For example, the title 352 having a hierarchical relationship such as a level of a continent such as Asia, North America, and Oceania, a country level, and a region level may be included for “shooting location”. A title level 352 having a hierarchical relationship is given a hierarchical level. When referring to the title 352 of the index table 35, the Web server 31 checks whether or not a hierarchical relationship is defined. If the Web server 31 determines that the title has a lower hierarchy, the user selects the title. Set as possible.

  The moving image file name 353 is a file name of a moving image file including the moving image content of the subject. The thumbnail image file name 354 is the file name of the thumbnail image file for the moving image content of the subject. The reproduction start time code 355 indicates the reproduction start position of the moving image content on the reproduction time axis of the moving image file. As is clear from this, when the same moving image file includes moving images of different subjects, it can be handled as different moving image contents by designating the time when the moving images of the respective subjects are started to be reproduced.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining schematic processing in the search system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The search system 1 of this embodiment is a system for searching for moving image content (moving image file).

  With reference to the figure, first, the client 2 receives search terms according to a plurality of viewpoint axes (two viewpoint axes in this example) input from the user via the screen provided by the browser 21 (STEP 701). Note that the browser 21 may set a search term according to a predetermined viewpoint axis as an initial value, and consider that the search term is accepted when the browser 21 is activated. Prior to accepting the search term, the browser 21 may accept selection of a predetermined category from the user. The category indicates a database for searching for moving image content. Upon receiving the search term, the browser 21 creates a search request (request message) based on the received search term and transmits it to the search server 3 (STEP 702). A search request typically includes a search term that follows a category and two perspective axes.

  The search server 3 analyzes the search request transmitted from the browser 21 (STEP 703), and searches the database based on the search request (STEP 704). The database search is performed by the search engine of the search server 3. Subsequently, the search server 3 generates a page script while identifying the moving image content and the thumbnail image file associated therewith based on the search result of the database (STEP 705). The page script generation process will be described later. The search server 3 transmits the generated page script to the browser 21 (STEP 706). The page script is a response message including a search result for the search request of the browser 21.

  When the browser 21 receives the page script from the search server 3, the browser 21 interprets it and configures and displays a search result screen (STEP 707).

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a search result screen on the browser 21 of the client 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, “animal” is set as the category, “classification” is set as the first viewpoint axis (vertical axis), and “location” is set as the second viewpoint axis (horizontal axis) in the category.

  That is, as shown in the figure, each title (ie, “mammal”, “bird”,...) Belonging to the first viewpoint axis “classification” is expanded and displayed on the search result screen, and the second viewpoint axis is displayed. Each title belonging to “location” (ie, “Africa”, “Europe”,...) Is expanded and displayed, and a moving image hits a grid point (cell) formed by each title on the vertical axis and the horizontal axis. The number of contents and thumbnail images associated with one representative moving image content are displayed. In addition, a thumbnail image is not displayed in a cell between specific titles, but “N / A” is displayed instead. This indicates that moving image content corresponding to the specific title combination is not registered in the database.

  The browser 21 receives input from the user for such a search result screen. For example, when the user causes the mouse cursor to overlap a specific thumbnail image displayed in a grid for a predetermined time, the browser 21 executes a “slide show” process for sequentially switching and displaying the thumbnail images in the cell. Thus, the user can quickly confirm the moving image content of a specific cell without a special mouse operation. The user can select a desired moving image content from thumbnail images displayed in a grid on the entire search result screen according to two viewpoints, and further drill down on a moving image content group located in a specific grid. Search and refine search can be performed.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a schematic process in the Web server 31 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Such processing is realized by executing a Web server program and a subprogram (for example, a CGI program) implemented in the Web server 31 under the control of the processor.

  That is, as shown in the figure, when receiving the request message from the browser 21 of the client 2 (STEP 901), the Web server 31 analyzes the received request message (STEP 902). When the Web server 31 determines that the request message is a resource transfer request based on the analysis result (No in STEP 903), the Web server 31 reads the resource specified by the resource transfer request from the storage 33, and reads it from the browser. The resource transfer process to be transmitted to 21 is executed (STEP 902). The resource transfer process here is the same as a normal http request in the WWW system.

  In contrast, when the Web server 31 determines that the request message is a search request based on the analysis result (YES in STEP 903), the Web server 31 executes a query 40 for the database server 32 as shown in FIG. Created (STEP 905), and sends the created query 40 to the database server 32 (STEP 906). In response to this, the database server 32 executes a database search and transmits the result (query result) to the Web server 31 (see FIG. 10).

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining schematic processing in the database server 32 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such processing is realized by executing a database program installed in the database server 32 under the control of the processor.

  With reference to the figure, when the database server 32 receives the query 40 from the Web server 31 (STEP 1001), the database server 32 executes a database search based on the received query 40 (STEP 1002). Specifically, the database server 32 extracts all the related elements belonging to the column name 402 specified by the query 40 in the index table 35 specified by the query 40. Then, the database server 32 transmits the elements extracted for the title 352 specified by the column name 402 to the Web server 31 as a query result (STEP 1003).

  Returning to FIG. 9, when the Web server 31 receives a query result from the database server 32 (STEP 907), the Web server 31 generates a page script that can be interpreted by the browser 21 based on the query result (STEP 908). Then, the Web server 31 transmits the generated page script to the browser 21 of the client 2 (STEP 909). As a result, the browser 21 displays a search result screen based on the page script.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining page script generation processing in the Web server 31 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the Web server 31 first sets each of the search terms specified in the search request to each of the viewpoint axes (STEP 1101). For example, if the search terms are “classification” and “photographing place”, the first viewpoint axis (vertical axis) is “classification”, and the second viewpoint axis (horizontal axis) is “photographing place”. Next, the Web server 31 acquires the number of types of elements belonging to each of the viewpoint axes (corresponding to the title column 352) included in the query result (STEP 1102), and titles each type of element for each viewpoint axis. (STEP 1103). Subsequently, the Web server 31 acquires the number of hits at the grid point (cell) for each title of the viewpoint axis (STEP 1104). That is, the number of hits in the cell is a search result under the AND condition for the elements in the index table 35.

  Next, the Web server 31 checks whether or not the title (element) set as the viewpoint axis has a lower title (STEP 1105). Whether or not the title has a lower title is determined by whether or not a hierarchical relationship is defined for the title in the index table 35. If the Web server 31 determines that the title has a lower title (Yes in STEP 1105), the Web server 31 sets the title so that the user can select it (STEP 1106). The title set so that the user can select is visually distinguished and displayed on the screen of the browser 21, for example. On the other hand, if the Web server 31 determines that the title does not have a lower title (NO in STEP 1105), the Web server 31 sets the title so that the user cannot select it (STEP 1107). The Web server 31 determines whether or not the check has been completed for all of the titles arranged on each of the viewpoint axes (STEP 1108). If it is determined that there is a title that has not been checked (No in STEP 1108) ), The process returns to STEP 1105.

  Next, the Web server 31 sequentially selects one cell specified by the combination of titles arranged on each viewpoint axis (STEP 1201 in FIG. 12), and whether the number of hits in the selected cell is 0 or not. It is checked whether or not (STEP 1202). When the Web server 31 determines that the number of hits in the cell is not 0 (No in STEP 1202), the Web server 31 assigns the number of hits to the cell (STEP 1203), and thumbnails associated with the moving image content that has been hit. An image file is assigned (STEP 1111). The plurality of thumbnail image files assigned to the cell are set so as to be sequentially switched and displayed on the browser 21 under a predetermined condition (overlapping mouse cursor), for example. In contrast, when the Web server 31 determines that the number of hits in the cell is 0 (STEP 1202 Yes), the Web server 31 assigns an N / A object indicating that no moving image content exists (STEP 12031112). The Web server 31 determines whether or not the check has been completed for all the cells (STEP 1113). If it is determined that there is a cell that has not been checked (NO in STEP 1113), the processing of STEP 1109 is performed. Return.

  Thus, a page script is generated and transmitted to the client 2 each time the above-described processing is performed based on the query result. The browser 21 of the client 2 interprets the transmitted page script, and configures and displays a search result screen as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining search result screen display processing by the browser 21 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  That is, as shown in the figure, the browser 21 interprets the page script transmitted from the Web server 31, and arranges and displays the title on each viewpoint axis (STEP 1301). Next, the browser 21 sequentially selects one cell specified by the combination of titles on the viewpoint axis (STEP 1302), and checks whether or not the number of hit video content in the selected cell is zero. (STEP 1303). When the browser 21 determines that the number of hits in the selected cell is not 0 (NO in STEP 1303), the browser 21 displays the number of hits in the cell (STEP 1304), and acquires a thumbnail image file for the cell from the Web server 31 ( (STEP1305). On the other hand, when the browser 21 determines that the number of hits in the selected cell is 0 (YES in STEP 1303), the browser 21 displays “N / A” in the cell (STEP 1306). The browser 21 determines whether or not the check has been completed for all the cells (STEP 1307). If it is determined that there is a cell that has not been checked (NO in STEP 1307), the browser 21 returns to the processing of STEP 1302. .

  The user can search for moving image content suitable for use while viewing thumbnail images arranged in a grid on the search result screen. For example, the user can perform a drill-down search as a further search. In this specification, a drill-down search refers to a search that expands the selected title to a lower title by selecting any title arranged on the viewpoint axis for the search result in a specific cell. . For example, in the search result screen as shown in FIG. 8, the user selects the cell specified by the title “Mammal” and the title “Africa”, and then selects the title “Africa”. As a result, the search server 3 performs a database search and generates a page script as described above, with the search terms having “mammals” and “Africa” as a new viewpoint, and the browser 21 follows the page script. Configure and display the search result screen. FIG. 14 shows an example of a search result screen by such a drill-down search. The user can perform a further drill-down search for “mammals” and “Africa” on such a search result screen.

  In addition, there seems to be a moving image file suitable for use in a specific grid point (cell), but when the number of hits is still large, the user can further perform a narrowing search for the cell. In this case, as shown in FIG. 15, the user selects a cell to be subjected to a narrowing search, displays a search term selection window, and additionally selects a search term. In the figure, “individual composition” is selected as the search term. Accordingly, the browser 21 additionally sets the selected search term and transmits a search request based on the set search term to the search server 3.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining a page script generation process based on a refinement search request in the Web server 31 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in the figure, the Web server 31 acquires the number of hits for each element extracted based on the search term set in the refinement search request (STEP 1601). For example, when the title “individual composition” is further added as a search term to the title “mammal” and the title “Africa”, each element in the “individual composition” satisfying “classification” and “location” according to the index table 35 is obtained. The number of hits is acquired. Subsequently, the Web server 31 sorts the extracted elements according to the number of hits (STEP 1602).

  Next, the Web server 31 selects one of the sorted elements (STEP 1603), and checks whether or not the element has a lower title (STEP 1604). When the Web server 31 determines that the element has a lower title (STEP 1604: Yes), the Web server 31 sets the element so that the user can select it (STEP 1605). The elements set so as to be selectable by the user are visually distinguished and displayed on the screen of the browser 21, for example. In contrast, if the Web server 31 determines that the element does not have a lower-level title (NO in STEP 1604), the Web server 31 sets the element so that the user cannot select it (STEP 1606).

  Subsequently, the Web server 31 checks whether or not the number of cases in the selected element is 0 (STEP 1607). When the Web server 31 determines that the number of cases in the element is not 0 (NO in STEP 1607), the Web server 31 assigns the number of cases to the element (STEP 1608) and associates the moving image content with the moving image content. A thumbnail image file is assigned (STEP 1609). On the other hand, if the Web server 31 determines that the number of cases in the element is 0 (STEP 1607: Yes), the Web server 31 assigns an N / A object indicating that no moving image content exists (STEP 1610).

  Then, the Web server 31 determines whether or not the check has been completed for all the sorted elements (STEP 1606), and when determining that there is an element that has not been checked (No in STEP 1606), The processing returns to STEP 1603.

  By performing the narrowing search process as described above, a page script related to the narrowing search result is generated and transmitted to the client 2. The browser 21 of the client 2 interprets the transmitted page script, and configures and displays a search result screen as shown in FIG.

  That is, FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a refinement search result screen on the client 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This example shows a result of a narrowing search with the title “individual composition” for the cells identified by the titles “mammals” and “Africa” on the search result screen shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, in the refinement search result screen, the elements of the title “individual composition” are arranged in descending order of the number of hits, and thumbnail images associated with the elements are displayed. In this case, if any element has a lower-level title, the element is displayed so that the user can select it, and the user can perform further narrowing search.

  When the moving image content is narrowed down by performing the search as described above and the user selects a specific thumbnail image, the browser 21 requests a request message for previewing the moving image content associated with the specific thumbnail image. (Preview request) is transmitted to the Web server 31. The web server 31 generates a page script as necessary based on the request message for preview, and transmits the requested resource to the browser 21.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a preview screen displayed on the browser 21 of the client 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  That is, as shown in the figure, the preview screen includes a moving image content selection area 181 and a moving image content playback area 182. The moving image content selection area 181 is used to select a desired moving image content to be previewed from the moving image content group in the moving image file 34a including the specific moving image content selected by the user on the search result screen. A list of thumbnail images associated with the moving image content in the moving image file 34a is displayed. The user can select moving image content to be previewed by checking one or more thumbnail images from the displayed thumbnail images. In the moving image content selection area 181, a specific thumbnail image selected by the user to view the preview screen may be checked in advance.

  The moving image content reproduction area 182 is an area for reproducing the moving image content selected in the moving image content selection area 181 and includes a reproduction button, a stop button, a fast forward / rewind button, and the like. When the moving image content is selected by the user and the playback button is selected, the browser 21 acquires the selected moving image content from the Web server 31 and plays back the moving image content in the moving image content playback area 182. To do.

  In the present invention, various viewpoint axes for search can be set and a search result screen can be configured. In the following embodiment, an event database search will be described in which the age is set in time series on the first viewpoint axis (vertical axis) and the classification is set on the second viewpoint axis (horizontal axis).

  FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of an event search result screen displayed on the browser 21 of the client 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The search result screen is a screen that is displayed first when the user selects an event database, for example.

  That is, as described above, the browser 21 sets “age” and “classification” as search terms, and transmits a search request to the Web server 31. The Web server 31 searches the index table 35 related to the event database based on the search request, acquires the titles of the viewpoint axis “age” and the viewpoint axis “classification”, and acquires the number of hits for each grid point. Here, the title of the viewpoint axis “age” is defined for each calendar year, and the viewpoint axis “classification” is defined as a title similar to a headline such as news. In this embodiment, a rectangular object is arranged at a grid point instead of a thumbnail image so that the user can see at a glance whether there is moving image content available at the grid point. In addition, the size and color of the rectangular object may be set according to the number of hits. The web server 31 generates a page script based on the result of the database search, and transmits the page script to the browser 21. The browser 21 interprets the page script, and configures and displays a search result screen.

  For example, by selecting any grid point on such a search result screen, the user can browse the moving image content according to the age in the title of the second viewpoint axis. Become.

  For example, assume that the user selects 1928 for the title “Relationship with Foreign Countries” as shown in FIG. In response to this, the browser 21 transmits a search request with “1928” and “relationship with foreign countries” as search terms to the Web server 31. The Web server 31 creates a query based on the search request and requests the database server 32 to perform a database search. Subsequently, the Web server 31 generates a page script based on the query result transmitted from the database server 32. In this embodiment, the Web server 31 assigns the moving image content in the title “Relationship with Foreign Countries” for each age so that the user can browse the moving image content according to the age. Further, the Web server 31 may set a label for the selected age (1928) and specify a display position in the page. The Web server 31 transmits the generated page script to the browser 21, and in response to this, the browser 21 configures and displays a search result screen as shown in FIG. 21, for example. The user can browse the thumbnail images assigned to the ages before and after the selected era by operating the scroll bar on the search result screen.

  The present invention can be widely applied to a search system for searching a database storing digital contents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Search system 2 ... Client 21 ... Browser 3 ... Search server 31 ... Web server 32 ... Database server 33 ... Storage 34 ... Digital content 34a ... Moving image file 34b ... Thumbnail image file 35 ... Index table 4 ... Network 5 ... Management server

Claims (13)

A web server;
A database server connected to the web server;
The moving image file, the thumbnail image file associated with the moving image content included in the moving image file, and a plurality of title columns each including a plurality of elements are configured to be accessible to the Web server and the database server. A search server comprising a storage for storing an index table,
The database server is
A database search is performed based on the index table in response to a query from the Web server, and a query result by the database search is transmitted to the Web server;
The web server
Receiving a search request including a search term according to each of a plurality of viewpoint axes corresponding to the plurality of title columns from a browser of a client computer, obtaining a query result for a query created based on the search request from the database server; Based on the query result, a page script that is interpreted and displayed by the browser is generated, and the generated page script is transmitted to the browser.
The page script is
An element included in a specific title column among the plurality of title columns corresponding to the search term is arranged on the plurality of viewpoint axes as a first title for each of the viewpoint axes, For each cell specified by the first title combination for each, a search result screen to which a thumbnail image file associated with the hit moving image content indicated in the query result is assigned is displayed on the browser. Configured,
Search server. When the Web server indicates that there is no moving image content hit for a specific cell, a page script to which an object indicating that there is no moving image content hit in the specific cell is assigned Generate,
The search server according to claim 1 . The web server
Based on the index table, if it is determined that the second title of a lower layer to the first title which is the setting exists, the user selects a second search term for re-searching for the first title Generate a page script to be displayed in the browser as possible,
The search server according to claim 1 . The web server
Query result obtained from the database server for a query generated based on the search request received from the browser including a second search term based on the first title displayed so as to be selectable Based on the above, a page script in which an element included in the title column related to the first title is set as the second title for the viewpoint axis corresponding to the first title is generated, and the generated page script is Send to the browser,
The search server according to claim 3 .   The search server according to claim 1, wherein the search result screen is configured in a two-dimensional table shape in which the first title is arranged along a first viewpoint axis and a second viewpoint axis. 6. The search server according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first viewpoint axis and the second viewpoint axis is set as a time axis in the search result screen.   The search server according to claim 1, wherein the Web server generates a page script that enables the browser to sequentially switch and display a plurality of thumbnail images according to a plurality of thumbnail image files assigned to the cell.   When the Web server receives a preview request for moving image content associated with one thumbnail image file from the browser, the moving image in the moving image file including the moving image content associated with the thumbnail image file. The search server according to claim 1, wherein a page script for displaying a list of thumbnail image file groups associated with the content group is generated. A search method for searching for moving image content on a moving image database,
Receiving a first search request including a search term according to a plurality of viewpoint axes from a browser on a client computer;
Based on the received first search request, the search server refers to an index table that includes a plurality of title columns each including a plurality of elements, and performs a search on the moving image database. Obtaining search results;
Based on the first search result, the search server adds an element included in a specific title column of the plurality of title columns corresponding to the search term on the plurality of viewpoint axes. As a first title for each, a cell identified by the first combination by the first title for each of the viewpoint axes is associated with the hit video content indicated in the search results. Providing a search result screen to which the thumbnail image file is assigned to the browser;
Search method including When the search server determines that a second title in a lower hierarchy exists in the set first title based on the hierarchical relationship of the titles defined in the index table, the first title is reproduced again. Setting the user selectable as a second search term for the search;
The search method according to claim 9 , further comprising: The search server receiving from the browser a second search request including a second search term based on the first title displayed so as to be selectable;
The search server performs a search on the moving image database based on the search request to obtain a second search result;
The search server setting, based on a second search result, an element included in a title column associated with the first title as a second title for a viewpoint axis corresponding to the first title; ,
The search method according to claim 10, further comprising:   A program for causing a search server to execute processing for searching for moving image content on a moving image database,
  Receiving a search request including a search term according to a plurality of viewpoint axes from a browser on a client computer;
  Performing a search on the moving image database with reference to an index table including a plurality of title columns each including a plurality of elements based on the received search request, and obtaining a search result;
  Based on the search result, an element included in a specific title column of the plurality of title columns corresponding to the search term is set as a first title for each of the viewpoint axes on the plurality of viewpoint axes. A search in which a thumbnail image file associated with the hit moving image content indicated in the search result is assigned to each cell specified by the first combination according to the first title for each of the viewpoint axes. Providing a result screen to the browser;
For causing the search server to execute.   A search system comprising a client computer that implements a browser and a search server connected to the client computer,
  The search server
  A web server;
  A database server connected to the web server;
  The moving image file, the thumbnail image file associated with the moving image content included in the moving image file, and a plurality of title columns each including a plurality of elements are configured to be accessible to the Web server and the database server. A storage for storing an index table,
  The database server is
  A database search is performed based on the index table in response to a query from the Web server, and a query result by the database search is transmitted to the Web server;
  The web server
  Receiving a search request including a search term corresponding to each of a plurality of viewpoint axes corresponding to the plurality of title columns from a browser of the client computer, obtaining a query result for a query created based on the search request from the database server; A page script that is interpreted and displayed by the browser is generated based on the query result, and the generated page script is transmitted to the browser.
  The client computer is
  Based on the page script transmitted from the Web server, elements included in a specific title column among the plurality of title columns corresponding to the search terms are included on the plurality of viewpoint axes. For each cell that is placed as the first title for and identified by the first title combination for each of the viewpoint axes, a thumbnail image file associated with the hit video content indicated in the query result is Display the assigned search result screen in the browser;
Search system.