JP4820595B2 - How to display search conditions - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a search condition display method for displaying search conditions for desired information on a screen.

  As a conventional information search method, a search method using a keyword or the like is known. In such a search method, a keyword necessary for the search is input by operating a keyboard or the like with reference to the search screen displayed on the display screen. At this time, the input keyword is displayed on the search screen. In the search system, a search is performed in a database using the input keyword as a search condition, and information obtained as a result of this search is displayed on a display screen.

  Such a keyword is expressed by a character string composed of a plurality of characters. As one conventional example, a search condition is formed by one keyword, and an information search is performed using this search condition. However (see, for example, Patent Document 1), a system for performing information search using a search condition including a plurality of keywords has also been proposed.

  As an example, a plurality of pull-down menus for displaying a list of keywords are provided, and a search condition composed of a plurality of keywords is created by selecting a desired keyword from each pull-down menu ( For example, see Patent Document 2).

As another example of a system for performing an information search using a search condition including a plurality of keywords, a search screen displayed on an information terminal of a consumer who desires to purchase a product has a plurality of keyword data fields. A system is proposed in which a search condition consisting of a plurality of keywords is formed when a consumer inputs a keyword for each field, and information search is performed based on the search condition. Examples of keywords that can be entered include "books", "happiness", and "fun", so that you can search for "books that make you feel fun". (For example, see Patent Document 3).
JP-A-9-229708 JP 2002-108906 A JP 2002-99548 A

  By the way, in the search method using keywords described in Patent Document 2, search information can be narrowed down by using a plurality of input keywords, and these keywords are arranged and displayed in the vertical direction on the display screen. Therefore, it is easy to check each keyword with a separator attached to each keyword. However, because the keyword display area is wide, if you search for information with other images displayed on the display screen, you may feel a part of the display image hidden in the keyword display area. There is. In addition, even if the touch screen method of the display screen is used and the operation unit for touch operation is provided on the search screen displayed on the display screen, the keyword display area having such a large area can be arranged as an operation button on the operation unit. Will have an impact. This becomes more prominent as the number of input keywords displayed simultaneously increases.

  On the other hand, it is also conceivable to display the input keywords as search conditions in a horizontal row. According to such a display method of the search condition, it is horizontally long, but the area of the spread is not exceptional, and it can be arranged on the upper / lower side of the display screen, which affects the displayed image. There is almost no, and the operation part of the search screen can be arranged with a margin. However, when a plurality of keywords are input as search conditions, these keywords are arranged in a horizontal line, which makes it difficult to confirm individual input keywords.

  Of course, it is conceivable to divide the keyword display area for each keyword, which makes it possible to clearly separate and display each keyword and facilitate confirmation of each input keyword. Each time a keyword is entered, it is necessary to specify an area for displaying the keyword, which is troublesome. Further, the number of keywords to be entered is limited, and the keyword length (number of characters) ) Is also limited.

  An object of the present invention is to solve such problems and to easily input search conditions and check each input keyword while displaying one or a plurality of input keywords forming a search condition side by side. Another object of the present invention is to provide a search condition display method that can efficiently display search conditions in a small space.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a search condition display method for a search system that searches information stored in a database in accordance with a search condition input from an operation unit and displays the search result. The search condition input from the operation unit on the display screen is displayed in one line in the character input area of one line, and the search condition is added to each keyword by one or more input keywords consisting of character strings. The keyword corresponding to the attribute information is displayed in succession, and when the character string of the input keyword cannot fit into the character input area, it is already displayed in the character input area. For each keyword, the display of the keyword is converted into one keyword input icon .

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the attribute information is displayed with an icon representing the attribute .

Furthermore, the present invention provides a method in which when the keyword displayed after the attribute icon is converted into a keyword input completed icon and displayed, and the character string of the keyword to be input cannot fit into the character input area, the input is performed. The character string that has already been input for the keyword being displayed is scrolled, and the scrolling character string is hidden under the attribute icon.
Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that an attribute information selection area for selecting attribute information is provided on the display screen.

  Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the attribute information selection area is a pull-down menu screen on which a list of attribute information is displayed by an operation.

  Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that a corresponding keyword is displayed in place of the selected keyword input icon by the selection operation of the keyword input completed icon.

  Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the attribute information can be changed and the keyword can be corrected by selecting the attribute information.

  Further, according to the present invention, a selection screen for selecting validity / invalidity of a pair of the selected attribute information and the keyword displayed subsequently is displayed by selecting the attribute information in advance for a predetermined time or more. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, the keywords constituting the search condition are added to the attribute information and displayed. Therefore, even if a plurality of input keywords are displayed in one horizontal line, the keyword delimitation becomes clear and each keyword is displayed. Since a plurality of sets of such keywords and their attribute information are displayed in order, it is easy to input a search condition composed of the plurality of sets.

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

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of a search system using a search condition display method according to the present invention. 1 is a display device, 2 is a database, 3 is an arithmetic processing device, and 4 is an operation unit. .

  The search system shown in FIG. 1 is applied to, for example, a television receiver (hereinafter abbreviated as “TV”), a car navigation device (hereinafter abbreviated as “car navigation”), a PC (personal computer), and the like that have a built-in database 2. The database 2 is, for example, a hard disk drive or other memory device, and stores various types of information. In order to search for desired information from these various types of information stored in the database 2, a search operation is performed by the operation unit 4 using a screen displayed on the display device 1. Information on search conditions generated by the operation of the operation unit 4 is supplied to the arithmetic processing unit 3 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit). This search condition is also displayed on a display screen (not shown) of the display device 1. The arithmetic processing circuit 3 performs arithmetic processing on the information of the supplied search condition and performs information search in the database 2 based on the search condition. Information obtained as a result of this search is taken into the arithmetic processing device 3, subjected to predetermined processing, and supplied to the display device 1. Thereby, the information of the search result is displayed on the display screen of the display device 1.

  Here, the operation unit 4 may be a touch panel of the display device 1 or may be a device separate from the display screen of the display device 1, that is, a remote controller, a pointing device, a key word, or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram showing a more specific configuration of the search system shown in FIG. 1, wherein 5 is a client terminal, 5a is a PC (Personal Computer), and 5b is a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance). ) 5c is a mobile phone, 6 is a search site, 6a is a server, 6b is a database, 7 is a network, and parts corresponding to those in FIG.

  In the figure, a client terminal 5 such as a PC 5a, PDA 5b, or mobile phone 5c as an information search device in this search system is connected to a search site 6 via a public line 7 such as the Internet, LAN, WAN, or telephone line. Has been. The search site 6 includes a server 6a having a database 6b. Here, these client terminals 5 include a display device, an operation unit, an arithmetic processing device, and the like. The operation unit is a remote control, a touch panel, a pointing device, a keyboard, or the like.

  When a search operation is performed at the client terminal 5, search condition information as the operation result is supplied to the search site 6 through the public line 7. In this search site 6, the server 6 a performs a search operation of the database 6 b based on the information of the search condition, and the predetermined search information obtained thereby is sent to the client terminal 5 that has made a search request via the public line 7. send. Thereby, in this client terminal 5, this search information is displayed on the display device 1 (FIG. 1).

  Next, an embodiment of a search condition display method according to the present invention used in such a search system will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the operation procedure of the operation unit 4 for this embodiment. Hereinafter, a display on the car navigation system 5e will be described as an example. In the case of the car navigation system 5e, the operation unit 4 includes operation buttons displayed on the display screen of the display device 1.

In the figure, when the car navigation system 5e is turned on and a search start operation is performed by the operation unit 4 (step 100), first, a menu screen 10 shown in FIG. 4 is displayed. The menu screen 10 is provided with operation buttons for selecting each setting target such as a destination. Now, when a “destination setting” button 10a is touch-operated to set a destination, a destination setting screen 11 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed, and an operation button for selecting a search method is provided. Here, when the “keyword” button 11a is touch-operated in order to search for a destination by keyword (step 101), a search screen by keyword is displayed (step 102).

FIG. 6 shows a search screen (initial search screen) that is displayed first, where 20 is a search screen, 21 is a character input area, 22 is a focus area, 22 ′ is a frame, 23 is an attribute unset icon, 24 is a cursor, 25a to 25d are attribute icons, 26 is a search number display area, 27 is a keyword addition button, 28 is a cursor movement button , 29 is a keyboard, 30 is a delete button, 31 is a character type selection button, and 32 is a predicted keyword display. An area, 33 is a search button, and 34 is a “return” button.

In this figure, on the search screen 20, various operation buttons such as a character input area 21 for displaying a keyword input for the search and a keyboard 29 for inputting the keyword are displayed. As other operation buttons,
Attribute icons 25a to 25d provided for each attribute to be searched
Keyword addition button 27 for instructing to add a keyword to the character input area 21
A cursor movement button 28 for moving the cursor 24 displayed in the character input area 21 in the front-rear direction.
Delete button 30 for deleting a keyword input in the character input area 21 character by character from the back
Character type selection button 31 for changing the character type (kana, katakana, alphanumeric) of operation keys on the keyboard 29
A search button 33 for starting a search based on a search condition based on a keyword input in the character input area 21
In addition, a search number display area 26 for displaying the search number for the search condition by the keyword input in the character input area 21 and a prediction for displaying a keyword (predicted keyword) to be input is displayed. A keyword display area 32 and the like are also provided. The predicted keyword displayed in the predicted keyword display area 32 is a keyword related to a character input to the character input area 21 by operating the keyboard 29, as will be described later. Here, since no keyword has been input yet, for example, predicted keywords such as “XX × TEN” and “XXXXX” are displayed based on the past keyword input history.

  The “return” button 34 is an operation button for returning to the destination setting screen 11 shown in FIG.

  In the initial search screen 20 shown in FIG. 6 displayed in step 102 of FIG. 3, a keyword or the like has not been entered yet, but the “?” Mark attribute is not set in the character input area 21. An icon 23 is displayed (step 103 in FIG. 3), and in this character input area 21, an area 22 including the attribute non-set icon 23 is surrounded by a thick frame 22 ′. When characters are input by operating the keyboard 29 or the like, the input characters are displayed in this area (hereinafter referred to as a focus area) 22. Further, a cursor 24 indicating a character input position is displayed in the focus area 22.

On the initial search screen 20, in order to specify an attribute to be searched (step 104 in FIG. 3), a desired one of the attribute icons 25a to 25d, for example, the attribute icon 25b of “address” is touched. Then (step 105 in FIG. 3), as shown in FIG. 7, the “address” attribute icon 25b is displayed in place of the “?” Mark attribute non-set icon 23, and the keyboard 29 is operated to select a keyword. When the input is made (step 106 in FIG. 3), the search screen 20a on which the input keyword 35 “depression only” is displayed, for example, is displayed after the attribute icon 25b as shown in FIG. Here, when the attribute icon 25 and the input keyword 35 are input in pairs and displayed in the character input area 21 as in the search screen 20a, one set of the attribute icon 25 and the input keyword 35 is provided. A search condition (search expression) is set, and a search using the attribute icon 25 and the input keyword 35 (that is, the search condition) is performed in the database 2 (FIG. 1). The number of information obtained (results of search ) is displayed in the search number display area 26, for example, 475.

  In the search screen 20a in which the input keyword 35 is displayed in the focus area 22, when the cursor movement button 28 is touch-operated, the cursor 24 in the focus area 22 is moved left and right one character at a time for each touch operation. it can. When an arbitrary character of the input keyword 35 is touched, the cursor 24 moves to the position of the touched character. When the cursor 24 is positioned at the character display position of the input keyword 35 and the “delete” button 30 is touched, the character is deleted. Therefore, if there is a character that has been input in error, the cursor 24 is moved to the display position of the character by operating the cursor movement button 28 or by touching the character, and the “delete” button 30 is touched. This erroneous character can be deleted.

  When a character is deleted in this way, the character or character string after the deleted character is moved to the left by one character so as to fill the space of the deleted character.

  When the cursor 24 is at the display position of the character at the position of the input keyword 35, for example, the character “mi”, one character key of the keyboard 29, for example, the character key “a” is touch-operated, and this character “ When "a" is entered, this input character "a" is displayed between the character "mi" where the cursor 24 is positioned and the character "no" one before it. Therefore, when the character “A” is input in this way on the search screen 20a shown in FIG. 7, the input keyword 35 displayed in the focus area 22 is “Utsuami Aya”.

  In this way, it is possible to delete or correct characters in the input keyword 35 displayed in the focus area 22. The same applies to a search screen described later other than FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the state in which “depression only” is input by specifying the attribute of the address, the predicted keyword display area 32 includes, for example, “depression only” such as “Shokusho” and “Ox Doori”. Predicted keywords are displayed. When the predicted keyword to be input is displayed in the predicted keyword display area 32, the user can input the predicted keyword as an input keyword by touching the predicted keyword, and the keyword input operation using the keyboard 29 can be omitted. Can be performed easily and quickly.

  In the initial search screen 20 shown in FIG. 6, when a keyword is input by operating the keyboard 29 (step 107 in FIG. 3) as a keyword input (step 104 in FIG. 3), the search screen 20 shows in FIG. As shown, in the focus area 22 of the character input area 21, a search screen 20b is displayed in which an input keyword, for example, an input keyword 35 such as “depression only” is displayed after the attribute unset icon 23 of the “?” Mark. Is done. Then, on this search screen 20b, in order to specify an attribute to be searched (step 108 in FIG. 3), for example, when the “address” attribute icon 25b is touched (step 109 in FIG. 3), a “?” Mark The attribute unset icon 23 is replaced with the attribute icon 25b of the “address”, and the search screen 20a shown in FIG. 7 is replaced with that in the case where the above-described processing in step 106 in FIG. 3 is performed.

In the search screen 20a in the display state (search condition) shown in FIG. 7, in order to start searching for information (step 111 in FIG. 3), when the search button 33 is touched (step 112 in FIG. 3), first, The result of the search performed under the search condition made up of the “address” attribute icon 25b and the input keyword 35 performed in the database 2 (FIG. 1) is displayed (step 112 in FIG. 3).

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific example of the search result display screen 40 displaying the search result of the search condition shown in FIG. 7, wherein 41 is search information, 42a and 42b are scroll buttons, and 43 is a “sort” button. , 44 is a “narrow down” button, and 45 is a “re-search” button.

  In the figure, on the search result display screen 40, information obtained as a result of the search, that is, search information 41 is displayed. If the maximum number of search information that can be displayed on the search result display screen 40 is N (N = 5 in the figure), when the number of search information obtained is 5 or less, all the search information is displayed. Displayed at the same time. When the number of search information obtained exceeds five, five of them are displayed at the same time, and the display area of the search information 41 scrolls upward or downward by touching the scroll buttons 42a or 42b. Search information that was not displayed can be displayed.

  Further, on the search result display screen 40, a “sort” button 43 for rearranging the search information in a predetermined order, for example, in the order of Iweo, and a “narrow” button 44 for performing a search information amount narrowing operation. , A “re-search” button 45 for performing a re-search is provided. When the “return” button 34 is touch-operated, the search mode ends (step 114 in FIG. 3), and the display returns to the destination setting screen 11 shown in FIG.

  In the search screen 20a shown in FIG. 7, if the number of searches in the search number area 26 is large, and it is necessary to add more keywords (step 110 in FIG. 3), the keyword addition button 27 is touched. The operation is performed (step 115 in FIG. 3). Thereby, the search screen 20c shown in FIG. 10 is displayed. In this search screen 20c, the “address” attribute icon 25b already displayed in the character input area 21 and the input keyword 35 of “depression only” are followed by a thick frame resulting from the touch operation of the keyword addition button 27. A focus area 22 is set, and an attribute non-set icon 23 and a cursor 24 are displayed on the focus area 22 (step 116 in FIG. 3). In the search screen 20c, a touch operation for selecting the attribute icon 25 is performed on the new focus area 22 in order to specify an attribute (step 104 in FIG. 3), as in the search screen 20 shown in FIG. (Step 105 in FIG. 3) Next, a touch operation for inputting a keyword can be performed, and a touch operation for inputting a keyword is performed in order to input a keyword (Step 106 in FIG. 3) (FIG. 3). Next, in order to designate an attribute (step 108 in FIG. 3), an operation of selecting the attribute icon 25 can be performed (step 109 in FIG. 3).

  Here, on the search screen 20c shown in FIG. 10, when a character for a keyword is input (step 107 in FIG. 3) without specifying an attribute (step 104 in FIG. 3), the input character is displayed in the focus area 22. Is displayed.

  FIG. 11 shows the search screen 20d when the first character “ki” is input. In this search screen 20d, the input character “ki” is displayed in the focus area 22 thereof. In this case, the predicted keyword display area 32 displays a predicted keyword predicted from the first input keyword “depression only” and the first character “ki” of the second input keyword. Here, prediction keywords starting with “ki” or “gi”, such as “gyoza”, “gallery”, “kyo ...”, “ginkgo”, “kishimen”, and the like are displayed. By selecting such a prediction keyword by a touch operation, the selected prediction keyword is input, and is displayed in the focus area 22 as an input keyword. Thus, if the keyword to be input exists as a predicted keyword, the keyword input operation using the keyboard 29 can be reduced and the keyword can be input. Needless to say, if the number of characters input to the focus area 22 by the touch operation of the keyboard 29 is increased, the predicted keywords displayed in the predicted keyword display area 32 are narrowed accordingly.

  Further, after selecting an attribute icon on the search screen 20c shown in FIG. 10 (step 105 in FIG. 3), even if a character for a keyword is input (step 106 in FIG. 3), this input character is input to the focus area 22. Is displayed.

  FIG. 12 shows the search screen 20e when the first character “ki” is input. In this search screen 20e, the input character “ki” is displayed in the focus area 22 together with the attribute icon 25d representing the facility name. Is displayed. In this case, a prediction keyword related to the facility name starting with the first input keyword “depression only (address)” and these characters “ki” and “gi” is displayed in the prediction keyword display area 32. Then, by selecting the predicted keyword by a touch operation, the selected predicted keyword is input, and is displayed in the focus area 22 as an input keyword as shown in FIG. Even in this case, if there is a predicted keyword corresponding to the attribute icon, it is possible to input the keyword while reducing the keyword input operation using the keyboard 29 by using the predicted keyword. Needless to say, if the number of characters input to the focus area 22 by the touch operation of the keyboard 29 is increased, the predicted keywords displayed in the predicted keyword display area 32 are narrowed accordingly.

  On the other hand, as in the search screen 20b shown in FIG. 8 and the search screen 20d shown in FIG. 11, the attribute unset icon 23 of “?” Is displayed in the focus area 22, and even a keyword is input. If the keyword addition button 27 is touch-operated (step 117 in FIG. 3), further keywords are added (step 108 in FIG. 3). A dialog for instructing to switch to is displayed (step 118 in FIG. 3).

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a specific example of this dialog when the keyword “Gyoza” is entered on the search screen 20d shown in FIG. 11, where 50 is a dialog, 51 is a message, and 52 is “close”. Buttons 25a to 25d are the previous attribute icons.

  In this figure, the search screen 20d in this case becomes inactive, and a dialog 50 pops up on it. In the dialog 50, the icons 25a to 25d are displayed, and a message to select one of them is also displayed. A “close” button 52 for canceling the dialog 50 is also provided.

When any one of the attribute icons 25a to 25d displayed in the dialog 50, for example, the attribute icon 25d is selected by touching (step 119 in FIG. 3), the next focus area 22 is displayed as shown in FIG. next search screen 20h shown in (step 120 in FIG. 3), in the focus area 22, so that the due to selection of the keywords add button 27 "?" attribute unset icon 23 and cursor 24 marks are displayed (Step 116 in FIG. 3). Then, returning to step 104 in FIG. 3, the above operation, an operation for selecting an attribute icon and inputting a keyword (steps 105 and 106 in FIG. 3), an operation for selecting an attribute icon by inputting a keyword (step in FIG. 3) 107, 108, 109) or touching the keyword addition button after inputting a keyword and further preparing for the next keyword input (steps 117 to 120 in FIG. 3).

  As shown in FIG. 13, a search screen 20 f in which a set of an address attribute icon 25 b and an input keyword “depression” and a set of an attribute icon 25 d representing meal and an input keyword “Gyoza” are displayed in the character input area 21. In FIG. 3, two sets of attribute icons and keywords are displayed, and search conditions are set by these sets. When the search button 33 is touched on the search screen 20f, the set of search icons is displayed (see FIG. 3). In step 111), a search is performed under the search condition using “depressed only” and “gyoza” as keywords, and the search result is displayed on the search result display screen 40a as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, when the character display area 21 includes the attribute non-set icon 23, as described in FIG. Attribute unset icon 23 displays a dialog 50 to indicate that replacing either attribute icon 25, is intact search is not performed.

  By the way, as described above, by touching the keyword addition button 27, new input keywords can be sequentially added in a set with attribute icons. However, the attributes to be displayed in the character input area 21 on one line. The display of the set of the icon 25 and the input keyword is also limited, and cannot be displayed (in this case, the keyword character cannot be input). However, in this embodiment, when such a state occurs, the display range of the input keyword is reduced, and an empty area in the character input area 21 is secured correspondingly so that a new input keyword can be displayed. I have to.

  FIG. 17 shows a specific example of the search screen 20i in such a state, in which 60 is a keyword input completed mark, and parts corresponding to the previous drawings are given the same reference numerals.

  In the figure, in the character input area 21 of the search screen 20i, three attribute icons 25b, 25d, and 25d are displayed, indicating that three input keywords have already been registered. However, the input keywords represented by the character strings of the respective attribute icons 25b, 25d, and 25d are represented by, for example, the keyword input icon 60 that is a right-pointing triangular mark. In this way, the input keyword 35 consisting of a character string is represented by the keyword input completed icon 60, thereby significantly reducing the space occupied by the input keyword and securing a free space in the character input area 21. More keywords can be entered.

  When inputting a keyword, the operation of converting such an already input keyword into the keyword input completed icon 60 to secure an empty space in the character input area 21 is performed in step 107 in FIG. The specific operation will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 15, for example, when a keyword is input to a new focus area 22 on the search screen 20h shown in FIG. 15 (step 104 in FIG. 3), the keyword is input by touching the keyboard 29 (step 200). ). In this case, it is determined whether or not the keyword can be input for each character (steps 201 and 202). This can be continued (step 203). When the next character needs to be input (step 204). 205), the keyboard 29 is again touched to input the next character (step 200).

  In this way, when there is an empty space in the character input area 21, characters can be sequentially input one by one (steps 200 to 205 are repeated). When the entire keyword is input (steps 204 and 205), The input operation ends (step 206), and the process proceeds to step 108 in FIG.

  When the character input operation is performed by touching the key word 29 and there is no empty space in the character input area 21 (steps 201 and 202), the input has already been completed. In the case of the search screen shown in FIG. 15, which is the first set of icons and keywords, the input keyword “depression only” is set as the keyword input completed icon 60 for the set of the attribute icon 25 b and the input keyword “depression only” 35. Conversion is performed (step 207). As a result, an empty space is generated in the character input area 21, so that the character to be input in step 200 can be input (steps 208 and 209), and the process proceeds to step 203, and if there is a character to be added (step 204, 205) The above operation from step 200 is entered.

  In this way, by sequentially converting the input keyword to the keyword input completed icon 60 for the set of attribute icons and keywords that have already been input (step 207), an empty space is generated each time, and the character Input is possible, but with all of the set of attribute icons and keywords that have already been input, if the input keyword is converted to the keyword input icon 60, an empty space is no longer secured in the character input area. Cannot be performed (“NO” in step 209). Even in this case, it is possible to input more characters, but the input character string is scrolled to the left, and the character in front is hidden in a form so as to sink under the icon.

  This will be described with reference to FIG. 19. As shown in FIG. 19A, the character string of the input keyword 35 is input up to “a dreamy one that can be constrained” in the focus area 22 d of the attribute non-set icon 23 c. If there is no more free space (steps 208 and 209 in FIG. 18), when the next character “ha” is input, the first character “gi” is not attributed as shown in FIG. The entire character string is scrolled to the left so as to be hidden under the setting icon 23c (step 210 in FIG. 18).

  In this way, by sequentially inputting characters (step 211 in FIG. 18), the character string is scrolled to the left by one character for each input, and the first character at that time is always the attribute unset icon 23c. Hiding under. Accordingly, it is possible to input a character string exceeding the length of the focus area 22d. However, only the range corresponding to the length of the focus area 22d is displayed (step 212 in FIG. 18).

  Such scrolling for one character is performed every time a character is input in step 200 of FIG. When there is no character to be added and the entire character string of the keyword has been input (steps 204 and 205 in FIG. 18), the keyword input operation ends (step 206 in FIG. 18), and the step in FIG. Proceed to 108.

  By the way, when a keyword 35 having a character string longer than the focus area 22 is input as in the search screen 20j shown in FIG. 19, the user can see only a part of the keyword on the screen. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 20A, for the keyword 35 having a long character string, close to the display position of the cursor 24 in the focus area 22, for example, “. A scroll button 70 represented by a “” mark is displayed to indicate that there is a character string of the keyword 35 behind the portion where the keyword 35 is displayed.

  When the scroll button 70 is touch-operated, as shown in FIG. 20B, the keyword 35 is scrolled in the left direction on the screen sequentially by one or two or more characters for each operation, and the number of characters from the right side. Appears one by one. As a result, the character string portion that has not been displayed can be seen. Note that the head portion in the scroll direction of the portion where the keyword 35 is displayed is hidden under the attribute icon 25 or the attribute non-set icon 23 displayed at that time, as described with reference to FIG. . Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 20C, when the last character of the character string of the keyword 35 appears in the focus area 22, the scroll button 70 disappears and only the cursor 24 is displayed.

  In this way, even the keyword 35 consisting of a character string longer than the focus area 22 can be viewed in its entirety with a simple operation. Note that, by touching a portion other than the scroll button 70 in the focus area 22, the scroll direction of the keyword 35 is reversed (that is, the right direction).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 20A, by inputting a plurality of keywords, a search condition in which a plurality of sets of attribute icons 25 or attribute non-set icons 23 and input keywords 35 are displayed in the character input area 21 is obtained. Some of the sets of the attribute icon 25 and the input keyword 35 are expressed as a set of the attribute icon 25 and the keyword input icon 60. However, when it is desired to directly check the input keyword 35 for the set. By performing a touch operation on the keyword input completed icon 60, as shown in FIG. 21, the focus area 22a is provided in this set, and the input keyword 35 is displayed thereon. When the focus area 22a is provided, the focus area 22 already displayed is reduced by the length. Further, when the focus area 22a is touched, the display state is returned to the display state including the set of the original attribute icon 25b and the keyword input icon 60 shown in FIG. The attribute icon 25 and the keyword 35 in the focus area 22a can be corrected as described above.

  In the display state shown in FIG. 21, even if the scroll button 70 in the focus area 22 that is already displayed is touched, the set of the attribute icon 25b and the input keyword 35 is the original shown in FIG. The display returns to the display state composed of the set of the attribute icon 25b and the keyword input completed icon 60. Therefore, the focus area 22 already displayed also returns to the original display state shown in FIG.

  In this manner, the set of the attribute icon 25 and the keyword input completed icon 60 can be directly confirmed by a simple operation, and the original attribute icon 25 and the keyword input completed icon 60 can be confirmed. Can be returned to the set state.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 22A, when an attribute icon 25c for a predetermined input keyword is selected by touching for a predetermined time or more, a valid / invalid selection screen 80 is popped up. This valid / invalid selection screen 80 is provided with a valid button 81 and an invalid button 82. When the invalid button 82 is touched, the input keyword 35 of the selected attribute icon 25c is invalidated and used for search. Disappear. As shown in FIG. 22B, an invalid mark 83 with an “x” mark is added to the attribute icon for the invalid keyword in this way.

  As shown in FIG. 22A, when the effective / invalid selection screen 80 is popped up for the attribute icon 25 in which the keyword is invalidated and the valid button 81 is touched, an “x” is displayed from the attribute icon 25. The invalid mark 83 of the mark is removed, and the invalid keyword becomes valid.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 17, in a situation where three keywords have already been input and a fourth keyword has been input, there are cases where the number of predicted keywords that match all the search conditions is small. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 17, five prediction keywords “Oodoori”, “Senmonte”, “Chuuou”, “XX Ten”, and “XX Ten” are displayed in the prediction keyword display area 32. However, only the first two keywords, “Oodoori” and “Senmonte”, are the predicted keywords that match all the input search conditions. The remaining three do not match the search conditions, but are currently input. The keyword may be predicted from the keyword “Ekimae”. In this embodiment, in order to effectively use the predicted keyword display area 32, the number of predicted keywords that match all the search conditions can be displayed in the predicted keyword display area 32 (here, five). If it is less than this, a keyword predicted from the keyword currently input or last input is displayed in the surplus area generated in the predicted keyword display area 32. At this time, prediction keywords that match all the search conditions may be distinguished from other prediction keywords by, for example, changing display colors. Here, if a prediction keyword that does not match all the search conditions is selected, the number of hits becomes zero. In this case, by using the input keyword valid / invalid switching described in FIG. 22 to change some of the other input keywords to invalid, the search condition is changed, and the last entered keyword It is possible to perform a search using the above.

  In this way, the input keyword can be invalidated or the invalid keyword can be validated with a simple operation.

  As described above, as a search condition, a keyword for information search can be displayed in one or more character input areas of one line, and an operation unit for inputting or deleting the keyword is also displayed at the same time. It is possible to perform various operations while looking at only the screen, improving operability.

  In addition, since keywords are displayed together with icons indicating their attributes, each keyword is separated by the attribute icon, making it easy to check what type of keyword you have entered for searching. You can definitely enter the keywords you need.

  In the above embodiment, the car navigation system is taken as an example, and the operation unit is also displayed on the screen so that it can be operated by a touch operation. In this case, since various operation units are provided on the remote control side, it is not always necessary to provide the operation unit on the screen.

  The same applies to a television or other client terminal, and a search operation can be performed by a screen operation or an operation of a keyboard, a pointing device, a remote controller, or the like.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the search condition display method according to the present invention in the case where the client terminal 5 in FIG. 2 is a PC 5a, and 90 is a pull-down menu screen corresponding to the previous drawing. The same reference numerals are given to the portions, and overlapping description is omitted.

  In the figure, in the PC 5a, when a keyword search is selected by a predetermined operation, a search screen 20 is displayed on the display screen. In the search screen 20, a pull-down menu screen 90, a one-line character input area 21 and a search button 33 are displayed in a horizontal row. The operation on the search screen 20 is performed by a keyboard or pointing device (not shown).

  The pull-down menu screen 90 is for selecting an attribute icon, and when this is clicked, a menu screen in which attribute icons 25a to 25d similar to those of the previous embodiment are displayed in a list is pulled down. Then, by clicking and selecting a desired attribute icon from among them, the selected attribute icons 25a and 25b and the like are displayed in the character input area 21. Note that the attribute non-set icon 23 is the same as in the previous embodiment.

  The keyword 35 in the character input area 21 is input by operating a keyboard (not shown). Further, the same operation as in the previous car navigation system is performed by operating the keyboard or the like. In addition, when the search button 33 is clicked, a search is performed using the keyword displayed in the character input area 21 as a search condition, and the search result displays, for example, the character input area 21 on the display screen. Displayed in areas other than the area.

  As for the attribute icons, instead of the pull-down menu screen 90, as shown in FIG. 24, the attribute icons 25a to 25d may be directly displayed, and necessary attribute icons may be selected by clicking. .

  As shown in FIG. 25, a floating window 91 in which a pull-down menu screen 90, a one-line character input area 21, and a search button 33 are arranged in a horizontal row is displayed at a predetermined position on the display screen. May be.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 26, a pull-down menu screen 90, a one-line character input area 21, and a search button 33 may be arranged and displayed in a horizontal row in the dialog box 92, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, a pull-down menu screen 90, a single-line character input area 21 and a search button 33 are provided with a window 93 with tabs 93a arranged in one horizontal row. By selecting this window 93, keyword search is performed. You may be able to.

  FIG. 28 is a diagram showing still another embodiment of the search condition display method according to the present invention when the client terminal 5 in FIG. 2 is a mobile phone 5c, wherein 94 is a display screen, 95 is an operation unit, Parts corresponding to those in the previous drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description is omitted.

  In the figure, the search screen 20 is displayed on the display screen 94 by a predetermined operation of the operation unit 95 provided with various keys of the mobile phone 5c. On this search screen 20, a one-line character input area 21 in which icons such as attribute icons 25b and input keywords are displayed as a set, various attribute icons 25 arranged in one column, and a search button 33 are displayed. . The search operation on the search screen 20 is also performed in the same procedure as in the previous embodiment by operating the operation unit 95.

  FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a search condition display method according to the present invention in the case of a television, wherein 96 is a television, 96a is a display screen, and 97 is a remote control. The same reference numerals are assigned and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

  In the figure, when a remote control 97 provided with various operation buttons and the like is predetermined, a search screen 20 is displayed at a predetermined location on the display screen 96a of the television 96. In this search screen 20, a pull-down menu screen 90 for selecting an attribute icon, a one-line character input area 21 in which an icon such as the attribute icon 25b and an input keyword are displayed as a set, and a search button 33 are displayed. The The search operation on the search screen 20 is performed in the same procedure as in the previous embodiment by operating the remote control 97.

  In the above embodiments, the four attribute icons 25a to 25d are used as the attribute icon 25. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any attribute icon can be used.

1 is a system configuration diagram schematically showing a specific example of a search system using a search condition display method according to the present invention. FIG. It is a system block diagram which shows roughly the other specific example of the search system using the display method of the search condition by this invention. It is a flowchart which shows a specific example of the operation procedure of one Embodiment of the display method of the search condition by this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the menu screen displayed by step 100 in FIG. It is a figure which shows one specific example of the destination setting screen displayed by step 101 in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of an initial search screen displayed in step 103 in FIG. 3. It is a figure which shows one specific example of the search screen displayed by step 106 in FIG. It is a figure which shows one specific example of the search screen displayed by step 107 in FIG. It is a figure which shows one specific example of the search result display screen displayed by step 114 in FIG. It is a figure which shows one specific example of the search screen displayed by step 116 in FIG. It is a figure which shows the other specific example of the search screen displayed by step 107 in FIG. It is a figure which shows one specific example of the search screen displayed by step 109 in FIG. It is a figure which shows the other specific example of the search screen displayed by step 106 in FIG. It is a figure which shows one specific example of the search screen displayed by step 118 in FIG. It is a figure which shows the other specific example of the search screen displayed by step 116 in FIG. It is a figure which shows the other specific example of the search result display screen displayed by step 114 in FIG. It is a figure which shows one specific example of the search screen which represented the input keyword by the keyword input completed mark. It is a flowchart which shows one specific example of step 107 in FIG. It is a figure which shows the display change of the search screen in step 210 in FIG. It is a figure which shows one specific example of the display method of the input keyword which consists of a long character string on the search screen shown to Fig.19 (a). It is a figure which shows operation in the case of converting the keyword input completed mark in the search screen shown to Fig.19 (a) into an input keyword. It is a figure which shows operation on the search screen for invalidating the input keyword and validating the invalid keyword. It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the display method of the search condition by this invention with respect to a personal computer. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the display method of the search condition by this invention with respect to a personal computer. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the display method of the search condition by this invention with respect to a personal computer. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the display method of the search condition by this invention with respect to a personal computer. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the display method of the search condition by this invention with respect to a personal computer. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the display method of the search condition by this invention with respect to a mobile telephone. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of the display method of the search condition by this invention with respect to a television.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Display apparatus 2 Database 3 Arithmetic processing apparatus 4 Operation part 5 Client terminal 5a PC
5b PDA
5c mobile phone 6 search site 6a server 6b database 7 network 20, 20a-20l search screen 21 character input area 22, 22a focus area 22 'frame 23 attribute not set icon 24 cursor 25a-25d attribute icon 26 search number display area 27 keyword Add button 28 Scroll button 29 Keyboard 30 Delete button 31 Character type selection button 32 Predictive keyword display area 33 Search button 34 Back button 35 Input keyword 40 Search result display screen 41, 41 ′ Search information 42 a, 42 b Scroll button 43 End button 44 Sort button 45 Filter button 46 Re-search button 50 Dialog 51 Message 52 “Close” button 60 Keyword input icon 70 Scroll button 80 Valid / Invalid Selection Screen 81 Valid Button 82 Invalid Button 83 Invalid Mark 90 Pull-down Menu Screen 91 Floating Window 92 Dialog Box 93a Tab 93 Window 94 Display Screen 95 Operation Unit 96 Television 96a Display Screen 97 Remote Control

Claims (8)

According to a search condition input from an operation unit, a method for displaying search conditions of a search system that searches information stored in a database and displays the search results,
The search condition input from the operation unit is displayed on the display screen in one line in the character input area of one line ,
The search condition includes one or a plurality of input keywords consisting of character strings and attribute information representing the attribute of the keyword added for each keyword, and the keyword corresponding to the attribute information is displayed in succession. And
When the character string of the input keyword cannot fit into the character input area, the display of the keyword is converted into one keyword input icon for each keyword already displayed in the character input area. The display method of the search condition characterized by this. In claim 1,
The method for displaying search conditions, wherein the attribute information is displayed as an icon representing the attribute . In claim 1 or 2,
When the keyword displayed after the attribute icon is converted into the keyword input completed icon and displayed, and when the character string of the keyword to be input cannot fit into the character input area, the keyword is input. The already input character string of the keyword is scrolled, and the scrolling character string is hidden under the attribute icon.
The display method of the search condition characterized by this. In any one of Claims 1-3 ,
A search condition display method , wherein an attribute information selection area for selecting the attribute information is provided on the display screen. In claim 4,
The method for displaying search conditions, wherein the attribute information selection area is a pull-down menu screen on which a list of the attribute information is displayed by an operation . In any one of Claims 1-5 ,
The search condition display method, wherein the keyword is displayed in place of the selected keyword input icon by the selection operation of the keyword input icon. In any one of Claims 1-6,
A method for displaying a search condition, wherein the attribute information can be changed or the keyword can be modified by selecting the attribute information. In any one of Claims 1-7,
By selecting the attribute information in advance for a predetermined time or longer, a valid / invalid selection screen for selecting valid / invalid of the pair of the selected attribute information and the keyword displayed subsequently is displayed. A method for displaying a search condition, characterized in that:

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