JP6136393B2 - Search support system, information sharing system, method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a search support system, an information sharing system, a method for supporting search of information, and a program for causing a computer to execute the method.

  In recent years, with the spread of highly portable communication terminals such as smartphones, tablet terminals, notebook PCs, etc., information sharing that uses these communication terminals to share information instead of paper in meetings and presentations A system has been developed.

  Information used in this information sharing system is digitized and stored in a database or the like, and can be searched from anywhere by a communication terminal. However, with the increase in accumulated information, there is a problem that when it is desired to use it in a meeting or a presentation, it takes a long time to search and a desired search result cannot be obtained.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique that enables searching for more relevant information using user information and keywords has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Thereby, a desired search result can be obtained.

  An information sharing system is provided with a plurality of information management devices in order to manage diversified and increasing information. Each information management apparatus is configured to be able to search for information managed by itself using a search function. In the prior art, since a plurality of information management devices are searched in a predetermined order, there is a problem that the target information cannot be provided quickly if the information management device that performs the search last holds.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention is a search support system for supporting search of information, an acquisition means for acquiring user information about the user from a user information management means based on a search request, and acquired user information A search unit including a selection unit that selects an information management device that performs a search from a plurality of information management devices that store and manage a plurality of information, and a transmission unit that transmits a search request to the selected information management device. A support system is provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the target information early and can improve a user's convenience.

The figure which showed the structural example of the information sharing system of this embodiment. The functional block diagram which showed an example of the meeting assistance system with which the information sharing system shown in FIG. 1 is provided. The figure which showed 1st Embodiment of the process performed by a meeting assistance system. The figure which illustrated user information managed with the user information management device with which the information sharing system shown in Drawing 1 is provided. The figure which showed 2nd Embodiment of the process performed by a meeting assistance system. The figure which illustrated meeting information stored in a meeting information storage part with which a meeting support system shown in Drawing 2 is provided. The figure which showed 3rd Embodiment of the process performed by a meeting assistance system.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an information sharing system for sharing information among a plurality of communication terminals. As the information sharing system, for example, a conference system such as a Web conference system that can share electronic conference materials among a plurality of communication terminals can be cited. Hereinafter, the information sharing system will be described as a conference system used for a conference.

  In the conference system, a plurality of communication terminals 10 and 11, a plurality of information management devices 12 to 14, a conference support system 15, and a user information management device 16 as a user information management means for storing and managing user information are mutually connected. The network 17 is connected. The plurality of communication terminals 10 and 11 are connected to the network 17 via access points 18 and 19 by wireless communication.

  The network 17 may be the Internet, a LAN, or a WAN. The network 17 is not limited to one network, and two or more networks may be connected by a relay device such as a router. Communication via the network 17 can be performed using a communication protocol such as TCP / IP or UDP / IP in the Internet, for example. The network 17 may be a network using wired communication or a network using wireless communication.

  The communication terminals 10 and 11 are terminals used by each user as a participant who participates in the conference. The information shared by each user who participates in the same conference is displayed on the screen, and a search request for searching for information is transmitted. To do. The communication terminals 10 and 11 include, as hardware, a storage device that stores a program for realizing this processing, a CPU that reads and executes the program from the storage device, and a network interface for connecting to the network 17. be able to. Moreover, the communication terminals 10 and 11 can be provided with a display device for displaying information on the screen and an input device for inputting data for creating a search request.

  The communication terminals 10 and 11 may be any device provided with hardware such as a storage device, a CPU, and a network interface. For example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a notebook PC, a PDA, or the like is used. it can. In FIG. 1, the number of communication terminals 10 and 11 is two, but may be three or more. The communication terminals 10 and 11 are not limited to the configuration connected to the network 17 via the access points 18 and 19 by wireless communication, but may be configured to be wired to the network 17 by cables or the like. .

  Each of the access points 18 and 19 includes a transmitter / receiver, transmits information on a carrier wave, and receives a carrier wave on which information is placed. As the access points 18 and 19, a wireless LAN access point or a broadband router having a wireless LAN access point function can be used.

  The information management devices 12 to 14 store and manage conference materials as information, and search for materials upon receiving a search request. Examples of the materials include PDF documents, html contents, books, and the like, which are digitized data that can be stored and searched in various ways. The content of the material may be any content, and may include images and tables. The information management devices 12 to 14 include, as hardware, a storage device that stores a program for realizing this processing, a CPU that reads and executes the program from the storage device, and a network interface that is connected to the network 17. Can be provided.

  The information management devices 12 to 14 may be any device as long as the device includes a storage device, a CPU, and a network interface. For example, a file server such as NAS (Network Attached Storage), a document server, a book database, and the like can be cited. It is also possible to use a PC or server on which groupware is mounted. The information management apparatuses 12 to 14 are not limited to the three shown in FIG. 1, but may be two or four or more.

  Here, the file server is a computer that shares the storage device managed by itself with other devices and can be used from the outside. The document server manages the document so that it can be searched and browsed. Computer. Groupware is software for information sharing and has a document sharing function, a file sharing function, an electronic bulletin board function, and the like.

  In FIG. 1, each of the information management devices 12 to 14 has a search function for searching for materials. However, each of the information management devices 12 to 14 may not have a search function. You may be comprised from the search means and the some memory | storage device.

  The conference support system 15 performs control such as starting and ending a conference between the plurality of communication terminals 10 and 11, joining the conference, and sharing materials. For this reason, the conference support system 15 also includes a storage device that stores a program for realizing the processing, a CPU that reads and executes the program from the storage device, and a network interface for connection to the network 17. it can.

  The user information management device 16 stores and manages user information of each user. The user information is, for example, account information used for access control to the conference control unit 21 described later, account information used for access control to each information management device 12 to 14, attribute information of each user, and the like. The account information is information necessary for login such as a user ID and a password. Details of the user information will be described later.

  The user information management device 16 provides user information requested from the conference support system 15 to the conference support system 15. The user information management device 16 can include a storage device for storing user information and a network interface for connecting to the network 17. In addition, the user information management device 16 has a CPU and a program for causing the CPU to execute the process in order to execute a process of reading and transmitting the corresponding user information in response to a user information acquisition request. May be.

  In the conference system shown in FIG. 1, the conference support system 15 and the user information management device 16 are shown as separate devices, but they may be configured as one device. Further, the conference support system 15 is shown as one device in FIG. 1, but may be composed of two or more devices.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the conference support system 15 included in the conference system. For easy understanding, the communication terminal 10, the information management devices 12 to 14, the user information management device 16, and the network 17 are also shown.

  The conference support system 15 includes a communication control unit 20, a conference control unit 21, a device selection unit 22, a device information storage unit 23, and a conference information storage unit 24. The conference control unit 21 includes an execution control unit 30, a sharing control unit 31, and a conference state control unit 32.

  The communication control unit 20 controls communication between the communication terminals 10 and 11. The communication control unit 20 communicates with the information management apparatuses 12 to 14, for example, transmits a search request for information received from the communication terminal 10 and receives a search result. Further, the communication control unit 20 communicates with the user information management device 16 and acquires user information from the user information management device 16.

  The execution control unit 30 included in the conference control unit 21 controls the holding, participation, and termination of the conference. The execution control unit 30 provides a login screen to the communication terminal 10 used by the user who participates in the conference, and user identification information (for example, a user ID) and password for identifying the user transmitted from the communication terminal 10 And authenticate the user. If the received user ID and password match the registered user ID and password, the execution control unit 30 logs the user in. Thereby, the user can participate in the conference. In addition, the execution control unit 30 receives a notification from the communication terminal 10 to end the conference, and logs off the user.

  The sharing control unit 31 transmits and displays the material to the communication terminals 10 and 11 and performs control for sharing the material. In addition, the sharing control unit 31 receives, for example, a document search request from the communication terminal 10 and requests the device selection unit 22 to select an information management device that performs a search based on the search request.

  The conference state control unit 32 controls the conference state via the communication control unit 20 and the execution control unit 30. When the conference is held by the execution control unit 30, the conference state control unit 32 uses the conference ID for identifying the conference, the conference name, the participants, the material names of the materials used for the conference as conference information It is stored and managed in the conference information storage unit 24 as information storage means. When the participant who is the user changes the material, the conference state control unit 32 changes the name of the material, and when the participant logs off, the conference state control unit 32 performs processing such as deleting the participant. Details of the conference information will be described later.

  In addition, the conference state control unit 32 receives a request from the sharing control unit 31 and performs a process of reading and providing the conference information from the conference information storage unit 24. Thereby, the conference state of the users who participate in the same conference is shared, for example, the display screen is made to be the same display.

  The device selection unit 22 receives a request from the sharing control unit 31 and selects an information management device that executes a search. The device selection unit 22 instructs the communication control unit 20 to acquire, from the user information management device 16, user information regarding the user who uses the communication terminal 10 that has transmitted the document search request. For this reason, the communication control unit 20 functions as an acquisition unit for acquiring user information. The device selection unit 22 functions as a selection unit and performs selection based on user information acquired from the communication control unit 20. Details of the selection method will be described later.

  The device selection unit 22 acquires index information from the device information storage unit 23 as a device information storage unit that stores index information related to the contents of the materials managed by the information management devices 12 to 14, and uses the index information. To make a selection. The device selection unit 22 generates an index of the contents stored in each information management device 12-14 using a traveling program that periodically monitors the update of each information management device 12-14, and updates the index information. To do. The index information will be described later, but includes, for example, the creator, a summary of the contents, and the like.

  The device selection unit 22 notifies the sharing control unit 31 of the device information of the selected information management device, and the sharing control unit 31 transmits a search request to the selected information management device. For this reason, the sharing control unit 31 functions as a transmission unit that transmits a search request. The information management apparatus that has received the search request uses a search function provided in the information management apparatus, searches for the related material from the managed materials, and returns the search result to the sharing control unit 31. The sharing control unit 31 makes the search result a list and sends it to the communication terminal 10 for display on the communication terminal 10.

  By viewing the displayed search results, the user can know what kind of material exists as the related material, and can select and display one of them. When the user wants to share the displayed material, the user sends a notification to the effect that he wants to share the material to the sharing control unit 31, and the sharing control unit 31 communicates with the communication terminal used by other users participating in the same conference. Notification is performed, and the process of downloading the data of the material is executed. It is also possible for the sharing control unit 31 to download and acquire the material data, transmit it to the communication terminal used by the other user, and display it. In addition, the sharing control unit 31 notifies the conference state control unit 32, and the conference state control unit 32 updates the content of the conference information stored in the conference information storage unit 24.

  Each of these functional units is realized by a network interface provided in the conference support system 15 or a CPU executing a program.

  A first embodiment of the process executed by the conference support system 15 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When the conference support system 15 starts a conference with the communication terminals 10 and 11 and receives a document search request from the communication terminal 10 during the conference, for example, the processing is started from step 300.

  In step 310, the sharing control unit 31 acquires the user ID of the user from information (session information) related to communication until the user using the communication terminal 10 logs in and logs off. Then, the sharing control unit 31 passes the user ID to the device selection unit 22 and requests the selection of the information management device that executes the search. In step 320, the device selection unit 22 causes the communication control unit 20 to acquire user information corresponding to the user ID from the user information management device 16 and acquires the user information from the communication control unit 20.

  Here, the user information will be described with reference to FIG. The user information includes user attribute information such as affiliation and name in addition to the user ID and password. The user ID and password are login information for the user to enter when participating in the conference. Affiliation is the name of the department, office, branch, etc. to which the user belongs. In FIG. 4, only four pieces of information for each user are used as user information. In addition, information such as job title, project name of a project in which the user participates, and user expertise can be included.

  Referring again to FIG. 3, in step 330, the device selection unit 22 causes the device information storage unit 23 to search for an information management device that holds a large amount of material related to attribute information included in the user information. Select as an information management device. At this time, the device selection unit 22 reads the index information from the device information storage unit 23 for each of the information management devices 12 to 14, refers to the index information, checks the number of materials related to the user attribute information, Select based on number. Specifically, the device selection unit 22 assigns priorities to the information management devices 12 to 14 and selects the information management device with the highest priority according to the number.

  In the files managed by the information management devices 12 to 14, attribute information such as creator, access right, and content summary is added for each document. Each information management device 12-14 also stores information such as its own installation location and user account. The device information storage unit 23 holds these pieces of information as index information. For this reason, the device selection unit 22 determines whether the user's affiliation relates to the contents of the file, whether the user is the creator of the file, whether the user has authority to access the file, and the like. You can check the number of materials related to information.

  For example, if the user belongs to the A office and the content of the file is a regular meeting of the A office, the device selection unit 22 determines that the information is related, and if the user is a regular meeting of the B office, It can be determined that the information is not.

  The device selection unit 22 selects the information management device that holds the most data, and notifies the sharing control unit 31 of device information such as the device name of the selected information management device. The user can notify that the target material is not found when the target material is not found. For this reason, the apparatus selection part 22 can receive the notification, and can notify the apparatus information of the information management apparatus which holds many materials next. In this way, device information can be notified in order of priority. This is an example, and the device selection unit 22 may notify the sharing control unit 31 of the priority assigned to each of the information management devices 12 to 14 together with the device information according to the number of related materials held. . In this way, it is not necessary to notify repeatedly.

  In step 340, the sharing control unit 31 sends a search request to the selected information management apparatus and requests a search execution of the material. In step 350, the selected information management apparatus executes a search, and transmits a list of hit materials as a search result to the communication terminal 10. Examples of information included in the list of materials may include addresses of file names and URLs of materials.

  In step 360, the communication terminal 10 displays the list, and the user selects one material in the list to download the selected target material from the information management device. The process ends. Since the material selected by the communication terminal 10 includes a file name and an address, it is possible to directly access the address and download the material having the file name.

  Searching a plurality of information management devices 12 to 14 in a predetermined order may take a search time, but in this conference support system 15, priority is given to an information management device that has a lot of highly relevant materials. The target material can be provided quickly because it is selected and searched.

  With reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, 2nd Embodiment of the process which the meeting assistance system 15 performs is described. When the conference support system 15 starts a conference with the communication terminals 10 and 11 and receives a document search request from the communication terminal 10 during the conference, for example, the process starts from step 500.

  In step 510, the sharing control unit 31 acquires the user ID of the user from the session information of the communication terminal 10 that is the search request source. In step 520, the sharing control unit 31 obtains the keyword of the agenda in the meeting from the conference state control unit 32, passes the user ID and the keyword to the device selection unit 22, and requests selection of an information management device that executes the search. To do.

  The agenda keywords acquired by the sharing control unit 31 from the conference state control unit 32 can be acquired from the conference information stored in the conference information storage unit 24. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of conference information. The conference information includes a conference ID for identifying the conference and a conference name associated with the conference ID. In addition, the conference information can include the names of participants who are participating in the conference, the location of the conference, and the names of the materials used in the conference. Further, the conference information can include agenda keywords as remarks.

  As with the user ID, the conference ID may be any number, character, symbol, or a combination thereof, and may be any number of digits. The conference name is a name given when the conference is registered in advance, and can be determined and registered by the user who hosts the conference such as “regular conference” and “review session” as shown in FIG. . Participant names, venues, material names, and agenda keywords can also be determined by the user hosting the conference and registered in advance. For this reason, in the conference information, the participant name of the participant who actually participates and the material name of the material actually used are input using the information registered in this manner, and the conference information storage unit 24.

  In step 530, the device selection unit 22 causes the communication control unit 20 to acquire user information corresponding to the user ID from the user information management device 16, and acquires the user information from the communication control unit 20. In step 540, the device selection unit 22 selects, from the device information storage unit 23, an information management device that has a lot of materials related to the user's attribute information and the keyword of the agenda as an information management device for executing a search. . Then, the device selection unit 22 notifies the sharing control unit 31 of the device information of the selected information management device.

  In addition to the user information of the users who participate in the conference, it is possible to select an information management device that holds many more relevant materials by using keywords of the agenda for the conference.

  In step 550, the sharing control unit 31 sends a search request to the selected information management apparatus, and requests the material to be searched. In step 560, the selected information management apparatus executes a search, and transmits a list of hit materials as a search result to the communication terminal 10. Examples of information included in the list of materials may include addresses of file names and URLs of materials.

  In step 570, the communication terminal 10 displays the list, and the user selects one material in the list, thereby downloading the selected target material from the information management device. In step 580, the communication terminal 10 downloads this material. The process ends. Since the material selected by the communication terminal 10 includes a file name and an address, it is possible to directly access the address and download the material having the file name.

  As described above, since the information management apparatus having a lot of highly relevant materials is preferentially selected and searched, the target material can be searched more quickly.

  A third embodiment of the process executed by the conference support system 15 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. When the conference support system 15 starts a conference with the communication terminals 10 and 11 and receives a document search request from the communication terminal 10 during the conference, for example, the processing is started from step 700.

  In step 710, the sharing control unit 31 acquires the user ID of the user from the session information of the communication terminal 10 that is the search request source. In step 720, the sharing control unit 31 acquires information on the meeting location from the conference state control unit 32, passes the user ID and information on the location to the device selection unit 22, and executes the search. Request selection.

  In step 730, the device selection unit 22 causes the communication control unit 20 to acquire user information corresponding to the user ID from the user information management device 16 and acquires the user information from the communication control unit 20. In step 740, the device selection unit 22 selects from the device information storage unit 23 an information management device that has a lot of materials related to the attribute information of the user and that is close to the venue as an information management device that executes a search. . Then, the device selection unit 22 notifies the sharing control unit 31 of device information such as the device name of the selected information management device.

  In step 750, the sharing control unit 31 sends a search request to the selected information management apparatus, and requests the material to be searched. In step 760, the selected information management apparatus executes a search, and transmits a list of hit materials as a search result to the communication terminal 10. Examples of information included in the list of materials may include addresses of file names and URLs of materials.

  In step 770, the communication terminal 10 displays the list, and the user selects one material in the list, thereby downloading the selected target material from the information management device. In step 780, the communication terminal 10 downloads this material. The process ends. Since the material selected by the communication terminal 10 includes a file name and an address, it is possible to directly access the address and download the material having the file name.

  Even when equivalent materials exist in a plurality of information management apparatuses, the download time can be shortened by obtaining the information from an apparatus close to the venue. In particular, when a physical medium such as a book hits, the download time can be significantly shortened by downloading from a device close to the venue.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, priorities can be given according to user information and a venue, and a search can be executed according to the priorities. In addition to the user information and the venue, priority is given including the keywords of the above agenda items. The order may be determined.

  The conference support system 15 has been described so far. Among the conference support system 15, the communication control unit 20, the sharing control unit 31, the device selection unit 22, the device information storage unit 23, the conference for supporting the search of the material. The information storage unit 24 can be configured as a search support system. Each of these functional units may be provided in the same device as shown in FIG. 2, or may be provided in different devices.

  So far, the search support system, information sharing system, method and program of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be modified within the range that can be conceived by those skilled in the art, such as other embodiments, additions, changes, and deletions, and the present invention is not limited as long as the operations and effects of the present invention are exhibited in any aspect. It is included in the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a conference support system including a search support system, an information processing apparatus equipped with the conference support system, a recording medium on which the above program is recorded, and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 11 ... Communication terminal, 12-14 ... Information management apparatus, 15 ... Conference support system, 16 ... User information management apparatus, 17 ... Network, 18, 19 ... Access point, 20 ... Communication control part, 21 ... Conference control part , 22 ... Device selection unit, 23 ... Device information storage unit, 24 ... Conference information storage unit, 30 ... Execution control unit, 31 ... Sharing control unit, 32 ... Conference state control unit

JP 2011-244319 A

Claims (10)

A search support system for supporting search of information used in a meeting ,
Based on the search request, obtaining means for obtaining user information about the user from the user information management means,
And the acquired user information, conference information storage means included in the stored meeting information to based at least one of the agenda and the meeting place of the meeting, a plurality of information management device for storing a plurality of information management Selecting means for selecting an information management device for executing a search based on the search request from;
A search support system comprising: transmission means for transmitting a search request to a selected information management apparatus. Device information storage means for storing index information related to the content of information managed by each of the plurality of information management devices;
2. The search support system according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects an information management apparatus that executes the search based on the acquired user information , at least one of the agenda and the venue, and the index information. The selection means refers to the index information, manages most information related to the acquired user information , and manages most information related to the agenda, or closest to the venue, Alternatively, the search support system according to claim 2, wherein the information management device that manages the most information related to the agenda and selects the information management device closest to the venue as an information management device that executes the search.   The selection unit monitors update of information managed by each of the plurality of information management devices, generates the index information according to the update of the information, and stores the index information stored in the device information storage unit The search support system according to claim 2, wherein the search support system is updated. The search support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, user information management means for storing user information regarding each user, a plurality of communication terminals used by each user, and a plurality of information stored and managed. A plurality of information management devices,
An information sharing system in which information searched by an information management device selected by the search support system is transmitted to the plurality of communication terminals and shared by the plurality of communication terminals. Furthermore, the information sharing system according to the conference information storage means including, in claim 5 for storing the meeting information including the venue of the agenda and the meeting of the conference. A method executed by a search support system for supporting search of information used for a meeting ,
Based on the search request, acquiring user information about the user from the user information management means,
And the acquired user information, conference information storage means included in the stored meeting information to based at least one of the agenda and the meeting place of the meeting, a plurality of information management device for storing a plurality of information management Selecting an information management device that performs a search based on the search request from:
Transmitting a search request to a selected information management device. The search support system includes device information storage means for storing index information related to the content of information managed by each of the plurality of information management devices,
The method according to claim 7, wherein in the selecting step, an information management device that performs the search is selected based on the acquired user information, the agenda, at least one of the holding place, and the index information. In the selecting step, the index information is referred to, the information related to the acquired user information is managed most , and the information related to the agenda is managed most, or closest to the venue 9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: managing an information item related to the agenda most frequently and selecting an information management device closest to the venue as an information management device for executing the search.   The program for making a computer perform the method of any one of Claims 7-9.