JPH09330195A - Information guidance method and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a target retrieval result through a little key operation by allocating characters to each key, performing retrieval from a data base with input of a vague key sequence of place information, etc., and repeating retrieval by prompting input of additional information when more than one retrieval result is obtained and narrowing down candidates. SOLUTION: Characters are assigned to one key and an input part 21 accepts a vague key sequence of a reading of name information or place information inputted by a user 22. A data base retrieval part 26 uses the accepted key sequence as a retrieval key for retrieval from an information data base 23 and a vagueness solution part 27 decides whether or not the retrieval result is unique. When not, a scenario/message dictionary 28 is referred to and a message prompting the user to input additional information is sent out to the user 22 through an output part 31. The additional information inputted by the user is used to repeat retrieval from the information data base 23, thereby narrowing down candidates.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is utilized for telephone number guidance and the like and can be obtained by once operating a key corresponding to one character to be input by an input means in which a plurality of characters are assigned to one key. The present invention relates to an information guide method and apparatus for receiving a key sequence, that is, a key string including ambiguity, searching a database for the key sequence, and providing a search result desired by a user.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It has been proposed to input Japanese phonetic reading information by an input means such as a telephone, which has fewer keys than the number of Japanese characters or English characters. That is, for example, as shown in FIG.
Key 1 corresponding to the number “1” of the number keys 12
The letter "aiueo" in line 2 of the Japanese syllabary table in 2 ₁
Key 12 corresponding to the number "2" is assigned
Assign the character "Kakikukeko" on the _2nd line and the alphabet "ABC", and the characters "Sashisuseso" and "DEF" on the second line to the key 12 ₃ corresponding to the number "3", and so on. Further, the "*" mark key 13 ₁ is assigned to the dakuon (") and the semi-voiced sound (°), and the"#"mark key 13 ₂ is assigned to the" space "," end "and" break ". The following methods are conceivable as methods for inputting Japanese information using such input means. (A) "A" If you want to enter the "A" key 12 ₁ once it is labeled a, if you type the "i" is such that the key 12 ₁ twice that "A" has been expressed The method of selecting the key that specifies the line in and specifying the character by the number of times the key is pressed. (B) "A" is "01", "I" is "02", etc. When each character is encoded using two digits and "Ai" is input, keys 12 ₀ , 12 ₁ , 12 ₀ , 1
Method to operate 2 ₂ in sequence. (C) "Hikari 49" is "1234", "Tokyo Station" is "9876", etc. Compound words, words, etc. are encoded corresponding to one number, and the corresponding number key is pressed. Enter it. (D) As shown in JP-A-63-21110,
Keys 12 ₇ , 12 ₆ , 12 ₄ , 12 ₈ , 12 ₄ in which the English characters are displayed in the order of spelling of the personal name information Smith
It has been proposed to sequentially input and input, and to retrieve information by searching a database with a key sequence (key sequence) including the input ambiguity. In this case, the key operation needs to be performed only once for one character, and it is not necessary to know the correspondence between the character and the code. However, even if the key 12 ₇ is operated, for example, it is unknown whether the character “P”, “R”, or “S” is input, that is, there is ambiguity. In order to solve this ambiguity problem, for example, in telephone number guidance, request almost all of the address information and name information that are necessary for specifying the name to be guided, and request the user with the entered key sequence. As shown in FIG. 14, if the database is searched and there is only one search result, that information is provided to the user, and if there are multiple search results, for example, "Does the name begin with the letter J?" Questions that can be answered yes / no (Boolean exclusive question) to the user, eliminate incorrect candidates in the search result according to the answer, and sequentially various Boolean exclusive questions until the remaining one I do. If the number of candidates cannot be narrowed down to a predetermined number or less even after asking various questions, the user is requested to input new information.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned conventional methods have the following problems. Since the conventional method (A) is a method of designating an input character, the accuracy of the input character is guaranteed. However, the letter "A row" is the button key once, the letter "I row" is the button key twice, the letter "U row" is the button key 3 times, and the letter "E row" is the button key 4 times, the character of "row" is pressed 5 times the button key, and assuming that the characters of all the rows are used at almost the same frequency, the average number of times the button key is pressed is 3, You need to press many buttons. Further, if there is no display device, it may be impossible to know how many times the button key has been pressed, which increases the probability of erroneous input. Also, when you continue to input characters on the same line, such as "Ue", "U" is the "A line" button three times,
"Eh" means pressing "Ah" four times, but if you press "Ah" seven times in a row, you will get an incorrect input ("Ao", "No",
There is a possibility of "Ue", "Ei", etc.), so "Ah"
After pressing the button three times and waiting for the input to be confirmed,
You have to press "Ah" in "E" four times, and it will take time to input.

In the conventional method (B), the accuracy of the input itself is assured even when the character is encoded by a two-digit numerical string. However, since the button key is pressed twice for each character with reference to the code table, the input time becomes long, and the number of times the button is pressed is twice the number of characters when a long character string is input. Therefore, there is a problem that the probability of input error increases.

In the conventional method (C), there is also a method in which a code is obtained by referring to a conversion table coded in advance into a numeric string corresponding to the Japanese character string to be input and then input. This method will refer to the code table for each input information,
There is a problem that it takes time to put it in. With the key input including ambiguity like the conventional method (D), all the information that seems necessary is input at once, and the database search can be done only once, so there can be only one search result. However, the amount of information to be input at one time is large and the burden on the user is large.

Further, the information preferable as the search condition does not necessarily match with all the search objects. As a result, many candidates are generated in the search results, and many questions are required to narrow down the search results, which increases the burden on the user, and in some cases, requires more information input, further burdening the user. increase.

[0007]

According to the present invention, by means of the input means in which a plurality of characters are assigned to one key, each part of the nominal information or the place information corresponds to each reading character in kana characters. When a key sequence input by operating one key once is accepted, the received key sequence is used as a search key to search the database, and a plurality of search results are obtained by the search, a. Providing guidance that prompts for additional information related to these multiple search results, b. Accepting an additional key sequence whose additional information is entered in a similar manner by the input means, c. When a plurality of search results are narrowed down using the additional key sequence and the search results obtained so far, and the steps a to c are repeated while there are a plurality of narrowed down results, and the narrowed down results become one, Provide the result information to the user.

As the additional information, items that the user hears and understands are selected from the input information up to that point. In other words, the request for additional information does not make the user aware of whether there are multiple search results because there are few search conditions, or whether there are multiple search results due to ambiguity in the input method. Interactive control is performed. As the additional information, various types of conditions determined from the search condition (search key) and the search results obtained so far and corresponding additional information are stored in the scenario dictionary. It will search for a match and will prompt you for that additional information. The additional information may be stored as a message prompting the user for the additional information.

When it is not possible to narrow down to one by repeating the above steps a to c, the information constituting the plurality of remaining search results is sequentially provided to the user, and the user is allowed to specify the alternative.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1A shows an example of the functional configuration of an information guide device for carrying out the method of the present invention. An ambiguous key sequence (key sequence) input by the user 22 by the input means shown in FIG. 13, for example, is accepted by the input unit 21, and when this acceptance is made, is the information database 23 searched? Whether or not additional information is requested, whether or not the information that the user 22 has already input is monitored by the dialog control unit 24, and the user 22 and this information are monitored. A dialogue with the guide device 25 is performed.

The database search unit 26 searches the information database 23 using the key sequence received by the input unit 21 as a search key, and the search result (candidate) is determined by the disambiguation unit 27 to determine whether it is unique. If not, a decision is made as to what additional information to request from the user. This determination is performed by referring to the scenario / message dictionary 28 in which a condition determined by the search condition (search key) and the search result and a message prompting the user to input additional information according to the condition are stored. A response based on the acceptance of the key sequence, a question, a message of additional information, and a search result are processed by the output data creation unit 29 so as to be provided to the user 22, and the processed output data is output as normal voice information. Three
1 to the user 22. In the information database 23, one record is composed of one or more index parts for searching and those information body parts.

Next, the processing procedure of the embodiment of the information guiding method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Step 1 : The input unit 21 accepts an input of an ambiguous key sequence (key sequence), and the input is accepted by the dialogue control unit 24.
Send to The dialogue control unit 24 identifies which of the following states the current state is: (1) State before information database search. (2) After the information database is searched, additional information is requested. (3) Candidates are confirmed and information can be provided to the user.

Further, the dialogue control section 24 sends the above-mentioned state and the ambiguous key string obtained by the input section 21 to the database search section 26. Step 2 : In the database search unit 26, the above (1)
In the case of the state, the information database 23 is searched by the ambiguous key string obtained by the input unit 21, and candidates (search results) are acquired. In the case of the state (2), only candidates satisfying the ambiguous key string obtained by the input unit 21 are selected from the candidates already searched. Step 3 : The dialogue control unit 24 checks whether or not the ambiguity remains in the current candidate, that is, whether or not a plurality of candidates are obtained, and divides the processing according to the check result. When no ambiguity remains, that is, when there is one candidate, the candidate is sent to the output data creation unit 29 (moves to step 10). When the ambiguity remains, the candidate is sent to the ambiguity resolution unit 27 (moves to step 4). Step 4 : The disambiguation unit 27 divides the processing depending on whether or not the additional information requestable to the user 22 still exists.
If additional information that can be requested still exists, what is requested from the user as additional information is determined from the difference between the candidates. In this case, the search results obtained up to that point and various search keys (search conditions) are used as the scenario / message dictionary 28.
The condition part of the scenario part is compared to obtain the action of the scenario that matches the condition. In the message section, a message is recorded, which is a template for requesting which additional information should be requested to the user in response to the condition. The action of the scenario that matches the above condition, that is, a message is sent to the dialogue control unit 24 (go to step 5). If the requestable additional information cannot be found in the scenario / message dictionary 28, a message to that effect is sent to the dialogue control unit 24 (go to step 6). Step 5 : The dialogue control section 24 sends an item (message) to be obtained as additional information to the output data creating section 29, and receives data for requesting additional information from the user 22. Further, this data is sent to the output unit 31 to request the user 22 to input additional information. Step 6 : Processing is divided according to the number of candidates. If the number of candidates is N or more, the process proceeds to step 7, and if it is less than N, the process proceeds to step 8. Where N is a variable value, 4 or 5
Takes an integer value such as. Step 7 : Since the dialogue control unit 24 has N or more candidates and cannot specify any more, the result is set to “many candidates”. Step 8 : The dialogue control unit 24 sends less than N candidates to the output data creation unit 29, and the data for prompting the user to select a candidate (for voice data, “A? B? Guidance?) And asks the user 22 to make a selection through the output unit 31.
Further, the selection result of the user is acquired through the input unit 21. Step 9 : The dialogue control unit 24 sets the candidate selected by the user as the result. Step 10 : The dialogue control section 24 sends the result to the output data creating section 29, and receives data for providing an appropriate result. Furthermore, by sending this data to the output unit 31,
The user 22 is provided with information as a search result. [Specific Example 1] Next, a process of sequentially narrowing down candidates (search results) using additional information will be described using a specific example.
The input unit 21 receives dial tone data from a telephone with push buttons capable of transmitting push tones, and the output unit 31 outputs a voice signal to the handset of the telephone. Therefore, the data transmitted from the information guiding device 25 to the user 22 is voice data. FIG. 3 shows an example of the contents of the information database 23 used for explaining the specific example. This example is fictitious, and the following examples are similarly fictitious.
The address key sequence 33 and the family name key sequence 34 in FIG. 3 are based on the example of character assignment to each key 12 shown in the figure.
This is an index portion in the information database 23 in which the reading of the address and the reading of the first and last names are each replaced with a numeric string, and the telephone number string 35 in FIG. 3 is the information main body portion of the information database 23. For example, "Shigaken" becomes "32 * 20" by the character assignment in the figure. Note that "32
* 20 ”is a key string for“ Sagaken ”as well as“ Shigaken ”. As such, there is ambiguity in the address key sequence (the same applies to the first and last name key sequence).

Various flags and registers are provided in the apparatus for control to eliminate these ambiguities.
For example, in the disambiguation unit 27, as shown in FIG.
Address, prefecture input flag, address * city / ward input flag, address * town / village input flag, surname input flag, first name input flag are provided to check the input status of each item such as address and family name. These input flags are information. Is input when is not input, and is input when information is input. The input state of each search item is checked from these input flags.

Further, the database search unit 26 is provided with a candidate number register which stores the number of candidates corresponding to this key string as a result of the key search and a search result number register which stores the number of data corresponding to these candidates. ing. For example, when searching with the key string “32 * 20” as described above,
2 is stored in the candidate number register, and the number of data for these candidates is stored in the search result number register.

The interactive control unit 24 is provided with a service flag, which is OFF when the system is not operating, and is ON when the apparatus is activated by the user. It is configured to be turned off when the desired information is provided to the user. The method of setting these flags and registers can be arbitrarily expanded by searching items or searching. Although these flags and registers are not shown in the scenario / message dictionary of FIG. 4, this apparatus can realize means for detecting the input / output state and the search state by using these flags and registers. The ON / OFF states of all these flags and the register contents are collectively referred to as the system state.

FIG. 4 shows an example of contents of the scenario / message dictionary 28 used for explaining the concrete example. The scenario / message dictionary 28 is used for confirming the information confirmed by the information guide device 25 to the user and confirming the additional information required by the user, and includes a scenario section 36 and a message section 37. The scenario part 36 is divided into a condition part and an action part. That is, the beginning to the symbol → in the scenario part 36 is the condition part, and after the symbol →, the (right side) is the action part. The condition part shows various conditions determined by the search results obtained so far and the search condition (search key), and it is possible to check whether or not there is a condition that satisfies the condition (matches the condition). It is described in the format.

For example, | (condition 1) & (condition 2) & (condition 3) | / (condition 4) is described, and & requires that the conditions on both sides of the condition are satisfied at the same time, and / is the condition on both sides. It means that either of the above is satisfied. More specifically, the condition part and action part of scenario number 4 in FIG. 4 are as follows. (Number of city / district candidates = multiple) & (Number of search results> M) & (Last name input = N) & (First name input = N) → Town / village input request This is the city / district of the accepted key string (key sequence) It represents the condition that there are multiple candidates, the number of search results by the candidates is more than M, the surname information is not input, and the first name information is not input. In this case, the action part is the town and village input request. Then, the message part 37 of the column indicates that you need to enter the town and village information as additional information. If you do not know which town or village in the city or district you just entered, enter "I do not know" Please send a message saying "please" to the user to request the input of town and village information. In other words, the condition part is composed of various combinations of the search key (item) that has been input so far, the search result, and the search key (item) that has not been input, and is preferably added to the action part in correspondence with each condition. Information (search key, that is, item) or confirmation is described, and a message model for requesting the additional information or confirmation from the user is described in the message section. The scenario of the scenario / message dictionary shown in FIG. 4 is configured by a strategy of first focusing on the area (address) and then narrowing down the name when searching.

Here, the system processing flow shown in FIG. 5 is used to check the system state that changes depending on the input / non-input state of the search key (item) and the number of search results,
For example, a scenario / message dictionary 28 as shown in FIG.
The operation of the information guiding apparatus until the search results are narrowed down to one by using will be described. In a state where the device is not operating, the service flag is OFF, and the system waits for a telephone number inquiry from the user. Step S _{1 When the} call for the telephone number is accepted from the user, the device is activated, the system state is reset as shown in scenario number 1 in FIG. 4, and the service flag is turned on.
Becomes Step S _{2 In} this step, the input state of information such as an address and a family name is acquired.

Initially, since all the search items have not been input, the input flag of each item is OFF. Then, when the user inputs information such as city, step S described later.
_{At 12} , the flags corresponding to the input information such as the address * city / district input flag are changed from the OFF state to the ON state, and the system state is changed. In this step S ₂ , the input flag O
ON, O such as flags provided as necessary to detect N, OFF states and other system operating states
Get the FF state. Step S _{3 The} system state is compared with the condition section of the scenario / message dictionary 28 to determine whether there is a scenario item that matches all the items in the condition section, and if there is, a step S 3
To _4, in the absence proceeds to step S _13.

Initially, all input flags are OFF, that is, all search items have not been input. In this case, since the condition part of scenario number 2 is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S ₄ . Step S _{4 When the} search result is finally uniquely specified and the telephone number guidance is sent out like the scenario number 21, the service flag is turned off. The service flag remains ON while information is being retrieved. In addition, when the user inputs many times to the same search item, but the search result is 0, that is, when there is no scenario item that matches the system state, the input count is counted, When the number of times of input exceeds the predetermined number of times, it is possible to send a warning message to the user "The input method seems to be wrong. Please check the usage again before using it." . Step S _{5 The} message part in the scenario item that matches the system state is taken out, and the input message from the user is included in this message part to edit the output message. This message includes the contents of requesting confirmation of input information from the user and input of new item (additional information).

For example, first, enter "Enter the name of city, ward, or county. If you do not know, enter the prefecture name." Described in the message part of scenario number 2 in FIG. To retrieve the message requesting. Also,
There is a key input of "4873" in the city name from the user with the intention of "Toyama", a result of the search for this key column in step S _11, S _12, which will be described later, in addition to the same key column of "Toyama" When "Tsuyama City" having "4873" is also searched and a plurality of city candidates such as scenario number 4 are searched,
A message requesting you to enter another search item (additional information), such as "Which town or village in the city you just entered? If you do not know, please enter" I don't know "." Is retrieved.

Alternatively, the user may call the city “Yokosuka City”.
There is a key input of "82323", and as a result of searching with this key string, when narrowed down to one city name like scenario number 3, "The input address is" Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture "isn't it? Edit the message requesting confirmation from the user. Step S _{6 The} message retrieved or edited in step S ₅ is output as voice to the user. Step S ₇ service flag is checked whether it is ON state. Also, does not provide the information to the user still proceed the same flag is to step S ₈ if the ON state, on the other hand, service flag gone to guide the telephone number to the user O
If it is in the FF state and it is no longer necessary to operate the device, the operation is terminated. Step S ₈ The information input from the user according to the message content output in step S ₆ is accepted. Step S _{9 The} system state is changed according to the input situation from the user.
For example, when there is an input of the city name from the user by the step S _8, the address * ON a city input flag from the OFF
To In other words, turn on the input flag of the item that was input
To A flag is also provided for "yes" and "no" responses to the confirmation items, and it is turned on or off depending on whether or not there is a reply. Step S _{10 It} is judged whether or not the information database 23 needs to be searched based on the input information from the user, and if necessary, the step S ₁₁
To willing to search, returns to step S ₂ if necessary, performs the processing in the system state. For example, if the input from the user is only a "yes" or "no" response to the confirmation item, there is no need to search the information database 23, and the process returns to step S ₂ . Step S _{11 The} information database 23 is searched from the input information of the user, narrowed down to the candidates intended by the user, the candidates obtained as the search result are stored and stored, and a plurality of candidates are obtained from this search result. Analyze whether it was raised or narrowed down to one, what kind of item is input by the user and narrowed down candidates. Step S _{12 The} system state is changed based on the result obtained in step S ₁₁ . That is, depending on how many results of a certain search item are obtained as described above, the candidate number register or the search result register of a predetermined item in the database search unit 26 is selected and its contents are changed, or which search item is selected. Since the items are narrowed down, a flag that shows what input item is required next is selected and the state is changed.

Then, returning to step S ₂ , this system state at this time is acquired, and the search candidates are narrowed down by using the system / message dictionary in the subsequent steps as described above, and the search candidates are reduced to one. The operations from step S ₂ to step S ₁₂ are repeated so that Step S _{13 In} this step, if there is no scenario item that matches the current system status in the scenario / message dictionary in step S ₃ , that is, if the search is not possible, the user is prompted to “unfortunately find the information you are looking for. Message is displayed and the system is terminated.

The scenario / message dictionary shown in FIG. 4 asks the user for additional information one after another, for example, in Osaka Prefecture,
This is centered on an example in which the number of search results is reduced to 1,000 in Ikeda City, and the number of search results is narrowed down to one so that there are 10,000 candidates. A specific example will be described below. Specific Example 1-1 (Case where ambiguity does not occur in city / district based on input information) When a specific number for calling the information guiding device 25 is accepted from the user 22 at the input unit, this is the dialogue control unit 24.
The service flag is turned on and the device is set (step S _{1 in} FIG. 5). The dialogue control unit 24 detects that the apparatus has been activated (step S ₂ ), and the system state at this time corresponds to the first condition portion of the scenario number of the scenario / message dictionary shown in FIGS. 4 and 8. detected and that (step S _3), taken out by the output data generating unit 29 the message "phone number is guidance system" in this scenario number 1 (step S _5). (Since it is the initial state and the service flag is ON, step S ₄
Skip. ) Since the service flag is still ON (step S ₇ ), the user input is accepted (step S ₈ ), but since there is no input at first, the system state is not changed (step S ₉ ), and the database is searched. it is not necessary (step S _10), change without system state, in other words, address * prefecture input flag, address * properly input flag, address * towns and villages input flag, last name input flag, and has become all the name input flag OFF The dialogue control unit 24 indicates that the system state has not been input.
In it is acquired (Step S _2). Then, it is detected that this system state corresponds to the condition part of scenario number 2 in the scenario / message dictionary of FIG. 4 (step S
₃ ).

[0026] message as properly County input requests in the action part of the scenario number 2 "cities, districts, and enter the name of the county" in the output data generating unit was taken out (step S _5), this message Is announced to the user 22 (step S ₆ ). It is assumed that the user 22 inputs “124 * 3” as the city / ward name. Key sequence with the input unit 21 ambiguity "124 * 3" receives the input (Step S _8), and sends it to the dialogue control unit 24. The dialogue control unit 24 recognizes that the current state is a state before information retrieval. Further, in the dialogue control unit 24, the input unit 2
In response to the input of the city / gun name from 1, the address * city / city input flag is turned on (step S ₈ ), and it is judged that information retrieval is necessary by the key string of this city / gun name (step S ₈ ). S ₁₀ ), Send the above state (pre-search state) and the ambiguous key string “124 * 3” to the database search unit 26.
(Step 1 in FIG. 2).

In the database search unit 26, the input unit 21
The information database 23 is searched by the ambiguous key sequence “124 * 3” obtained in step S1 to obtain a candidate (FIG. 5).
Step S ₁₁ of FIG. 2 Step 2). Since the contents of the information database 23 are as shown in FIG. 3, the address key strings having “124 * 3” in the city / ward are listed as candidates. Here, there is only Ikeda-shi as an address having a key string corresponding to "124 * 3" in the city. Therefore, at this point, it is possible to confirm that the address is “Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture”.

Here, in the city of the address key column, "124 *
It is assumed that 1000 name records (search results) having “3” are obtained. In other words, the number of city / district candidates = 1, the number of search results =
From the search results of 1000, the number of candidates register = 1 properly County, search result number registers = 1000, last name input flag and name input flag is the system state of each OFF (step S _12).

The dialog control unit 24 checks whether or not the ambiguity remains in the current candidate (whether all the information is not the same in the candidate). However, since there are 1000 search result numbers, at this point Since there are multiple search results in, it is necessary to further narrow down the search results. Therefore, the dialogue control unit 24 sends these search result candidates to the disambiguation unit 27 (step S ₁₂ in FIG. 5, step 3 in FIG. 2).

The ambiguity resolving unit 27 acquires the system state as described above (step S _{2 in} FIG. 5), and the user 2
The processing is divided depending on whether or not there is still additional information that can be requested in 2. Here, with reference to the scenario / message dictionary 28 of FIG. 4, the system status is compared with the scenario condition section. In this case, the search results in only one city / district candidate, Ikeda City, and the search result is 1000 (n = 5 or more), and neither surname information nor surname information has been entered yet. This matches the condition of scenario number 3 in FIG. 4 (step S ₃ ). Instruct to take action for this condition. Here, the action section shows that after confirming the address, the input of the surname is requested as additional information (step 4 in FIG. 2).

The dialogue control unit 24 receives the action "address confirmation & surname input request" and the corresponding message input from the disambiguation unit 27, and the address data required for the message from the search results "Ikeda City" up to that point. "Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture" is embedded and a message is generated and sent to the output data creation unit 29. Here, the "input address looks" Osaka Ikeda-shi ", then you are looking towards Please enter the last name of" to generate a message that (step S ₅₎ available from the output unit 31 as voice data It is sent to the person 22 to request the input of the family name as additional information (step 5 in FIG. 2 and step S _{6 in} FIG. 5). Here, the output data creation unit 29 may perform the embedded generation of the address of the message. In addition, voice data generation in the output data creation unit 29 may be performed by voice synthesis or playback of recorded voice.

In the following description, description based on the flowchart of FIG. 5 will be omitted, and description will be given according to the flowchart of FIG. It is assumed that the user 22 inputs “112” as the family name. Input unit 21
Then, the input of the ambiguous key string “112” is accepted and sent to the dialogue control unit 24. The dialogue control unit 24 recognizes that the current state is a state after the information database is searched and additional information is requested. Further, the dialogue control unit 24 sends the above state (additional information request state) and the ambiguous key string “112” obtained by the input unit 21 to the database search unit 26 (step 1 in FIG. 5). The database search unit 26 selects only candidates having surnames satisfying the ambiguous key string “112” obtained by the input unit 21 for 1000 candidates already searched (step 2). Here, "11323 # 124 * 3 # 112" is used as the search key. Only records having “112” as the surname in the surname and first name key column 34 remain as candidates in “Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture”. Since the contents of the information database 23 are as shown in FIG. 3, only "Isao Ueki, Fushiodai 2-chome, Ikeda-shi, Osaka" can be obtained as a candidate. There was only one candidate (Fig. 2
Step 3) of step 3), so move to step 10.

Next, the disambiguation unit 27 finds that only the result of the search so far, Ikeda, has one search result, the surname has already been input, and that the name information (search key) has not been input yet.
Detecting that the condition of the scenario number 11 in the scenario / message dictionary 28 of FIG. 4 is met, the corresponding action is to say "Is Ueki who lives in Ikeda-shi, Osaka alone is Isao Ueki? Message? ”Is sent to the user 22.

The dialogue control section 24 sends response data from the user 22 indicating that there is no mistake, for example, the key 12 representing Y.
After confirming by receiving the data of ₉ , telephone number 2
Tell 2. That is, the scenario / message dictionary 2 in FIG.
Take out the message part of scenario number 21 in 8.
"Isao Ueki's telephone number is 0727-88-9999" is transmitted to the user 22 as voice data.

Through the above processing, the user is requested to input the surname for a large number of candidate names obtained from the ambiguous input key sequence "124 * 3", and the user is selected from the candidates. The user can be provided with one candidate that the user wants as a search result. That is, the user can obtain desired information by inputting only one additional information.

Moreover, the request information is also the city, district and family name, and is the information that is requested by the user. Specific Example 1-2 (Case where Ambiguous Address Information Occurs) It is assumed that the user inputs “32 * 20” as the prefecture name. In the input unit 21, this ambiguous key string "3
The input of “2 * 20” is accepted and is sent to the dialogue control unit 24. The dialogue control unit 24 recognizes that the current state is the state before the information database search. Further, the dialogue control unit 24 sends the above state (pre-search state) and the ambiguous key string “32 * 20” obtained by the input unit 21 to the database search unit 26.

In the database search unit 26, the input unit 21
The information database 23 is searched by the ambiguous key string “32 * 20” obtained in step S3, and candidates are acquired. Since the contents of the information database 23 are as shown in FIG. 3, all records of “Shiga prefecture” and “Saga prefecture” are candidates as records having “32 * 20” in the prefecture of the address key column 33. Come on. It can be seen that there is ambiguity at the prefecture name level entered here.

The dialogue control unit 24 checks whether ambiguity remains in the current candidates (whether all the information is not the same among the candidates), but since there are three or more candidates, the current Ambiguity remains in the candidates. Therefore, the dialogue control unit 24 sends these candidates to the disambiguation unit 27. The disambiguation unit 27 divides the processing depending on whether or not the additional information requestable to the user 22 still exists. However, referring to the scenario / message dictionary 28 in FIG. The action section enters a process of requesting the city / city name as additional information, and an announcement "Please enter the city / city name in which you are living" is sent to the user 22.

From the user 22, the name of the city is "114
3 ”is input. The input unit 21 accepts the input of this ambiguous key string “1143” and sends it to the dialogue control unit 24. The dialogue control unit 24 recognizes that the current state is a state after the information database is searched and additional information is requested. Further, the dialogue control unit 24 sends the above-mentioned state (additional information request state) and the ambiguous key string “1143” obtained by the input unit 21 to the database search unit 26.

The database search unit 26 selects only candidates having city / gun names that satisfy the ambiguous key string “1143” obtained by the input unit 21 for the candidates already searched. Since the contents of the information database 23 are as shown in FIG. 3, only records having “1143” in the city / ward / county name of the address key sequence having the key sequence of “32 * 20” in the prefecture name remain as candidates. At this stage, the ambiguity of the prefecture name was resolved. However, as shown in Figure 3, there are more than two candidates for "Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture" alone.

In order to obtain additional information for narrowing down the candidates, it is determined that the condition matches the scenario number 8 in the scenario / message dictionary 28, the surname information is requested to be input, and "112" is input from the user 22. To do. In response to this, the information database 23 is searched with "32 * 20 # 1143 # 112" as a search key, and as a result, four or more candidates remain as shown in FIG.

By the way, the input information so far (reception information)
Since the prefecture, city and district in the address key column 33 and the surname in the first and last name key column 34 are input, the additional information that can be requested is in the ward, town and last name and first name key column 34 in the address key column 33. The name remains. The differences (differences) between the four candidates are “Mt. Ishiyama” and “Honmachi”, but even if it is determined which is the other, two candidates still remain from FIG. However, due to the difference between the four candidates, the name is "44 * 3 (Zhong)" and "6".
93 (Hiro) "," 131 (Yuo) ", and" 131 "
(Gong) ”, so there is a possibility that the ambiguity can be resolved at once by having the name entered. The scenario / message dictionary 28 is created in consideration of such things.

From the search results and the search conditions obtained so far, the scenario number 9 in FIG. 4 matches the condition, and the user 22 is informed that "Please input the name next." It (Case 1) If the input information from the user is “44 * 3”, the number of candidates is only “Tadashi Aoki” of “Ishiyama Temple” as a result of the search in the information database 23 of FIG. 3, so confirm the rest. After that, the process moves to show the telephone number. (Case 2) If the input from the user is “131”,
From FIG. 3, the search of the information database 23 is narrowed down to two cases of “Ishio Ishiyamadera Yukio Aoki” and “Isao Oki Honmachi”.
However, at this point in time, there is still no distinction between the surname corresponding to “112” as “Aoki” or “Ooki”.

At this time, do you hear the information of "ward / town / village"?
The information can be specified by listening to the kanji information of "name". In this case, since there are two cases, either information may be heard, but generally, the scenario is configured by setting a strategy as to which information is given priority according to the number of nominal candidates. In this case, usually the address is heard first.

If the input from the user is "13874 * 9", it can be specified that "Ishio Aoki of Ishiyama-dera". If it is "60481", it means "Oki of Honmachi
It can be specified that it is "gong". For example, when the acquisition of information on "ward / town / village" fails (when the user does not know), or when the information on "first and last name" cannot be confirmed even after the information on the district / town / village is acquired, and the kanji information is reliable. When the conditions are met,
With the kanji information of the "first name", the ambiguity of the "last name" can be resolved at the same time.

For example, if the user is asked "Is Iso's kanji a horrible smell?"
You can specify that "112 # 131" is "Yuo Aoki", and also generate a sentence that asks the character type, such as "Isao's kanji is successful?", And present it to the user. If the answer is yes, then "112 # 131"
Will be able to be “Isao Oki”.

By the above processing, even if the user cannot specify only the input, the user can confirm which candidate is the desired one and use the one candidate requested by the user as the search result. Can be provided to the person. In addition, after requesting information on "prefecture name", the user requests information on "city / gun name", which is a subordinate concept, so that the user does not feel uncomfortable. Can provide additional information without feeling psychological stress, and the user can uniquely identify the desired record from multiple records (candidates) for the input key sequence that he believes he has entered. Believing that the device 25 is cooperating, the device 25 conducts dialogue guidance that does not disappoint the user's expectations and trust, and resists information for disambiguation from the user. You can get it without feeling. Concrete Example 2 Next, a concrete example of how the dialogue control is performed according to the information held by the user will be shown. In this specific example, the contents of the scenario / message dictionary 28 are as shown in FIG. The scenario of FIG. 8 is configured by a strategy of narrowing down regions (addresses) to some extent and then focusing on the ambiguity of the name by an empirical rule described later. For example, for the same key input “112” for the family name, “Aoki”,
There is ambiguity such as "planting tree" and "large tree", but in order to resolve this ambiguity without the user being aware of it, the search result is 1 by asking the peripheral information related to the item currently being searched. It mainly shows an example of narrowing down to one.

Although the device configuration is the same and the processing algorithm itself is the same as that shown in FIG. 5,
By providing the various dictionaries shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 8, it is possible to realize information guidance that matches the characteristics of the user group in inputting information and the actual conditions of the area such as having many surnames in a certain area. it can. In the following, the input method (PB method) of pressing the button key once for the Japanese reading is adopted,
A specific example of a telephone number guide service using a telephone as an input means will be shown.

Assignment of the Japanese syllabary to the button keys is as shown in FIG. 13 as in the first embodiment. The number symbol string corresponding to the address reading information necessary for designating the address with the subscription name desired by the user in the number guide is shown in FIG. 6 as the address database 23a forming a part of the information database 23 of the present apparatus. It has already been recorded as shown in. Further, it is assumed that a personal home telephone number database 23t, which is composed of a record storing information of names and addresses of subscribers and telephone numbers, is also recorded as a part of the information database 23 as shown in FIG.

Further, the disambiguation unit 27 requests the user for additional information by searching the scenario / message dictionary 28 as shown in FIG.
As an example of a service that provides the telephone number of a private home, when providing the user with the telephone number of “Akio Aoki” of “Aioicho, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture” think of. Specific Example 2-1 (When User Holds Required Information) Consider a case where the user has all the information of “Akio Aoki in Aioi-cho, Toyama City” at the time of use.

First, in order to limit the area where the telephone number is searched to a certain size (city / ward level), the user is required to input address information. From the dialogue control unit 24
The user 22 inputs the city name in response to the message "Please enter the name of the ward or county." The input is made by pressing the button key "4873" corresponding to the character string "Toyamashi", recognized as "4873" by the input unit 21, and sent to the database search unit 26. Database search unit 26
Searches the address database 23a by using this number string "4873" as a search key, searches for and stores all addresses corresponding to this number. In this case, two cases of "Toyamashi" and "Tsumashishi" are searched, and it is understood that the readings are different.

Therefore, the ambiguity resolving unit 27 searches for a means for trying to resolve the ambiguity without notifying the user that the ambiguity remains at this point. The scenario / message dictionary 28 of FIG. 8 in which the countermeasure is described is searched based on the situation describing the situation of the search result. As a result of this, FIG.
The message used when there are multiple readings of search results for cities and districts under the condition of scenario number 4 from "The town or village of the city that was just entered (distinguishment of cities and districts)? When not sure,"don't know " Please input "." From the scenario / message dictionary 28 in FIG. The dialog control unit 24 is requested to insert the necessary information into the selected message and request the user for the necessary information.

The dialogue control section 24 displays a message saying "Please enter which town or village you have just entered (distinguishing municipalities). If you do not understand, please enter" I don't know. " Enter "City" in "City",
The message "Which town or village in the (city) you just entered? If you don't know, please enter" I don't know "" is output.

The user 22 believes that "Toyamashi" was recognized, but speculates that the search range is wide in Toyama City and the search would be difficult, and then "1" which corresponds to "Aio ginkgo".
111481 ”is input. The system can search the address database 23a for information that simultaneously satisfies the information "4873" and the two information "1111481", and identify "Toyama Ken / Toyamashi / Aio ginkgo".

Since the ambiguity has been resolved, the ambiguity resolution unit 27
Takes steps to confirm the address. Scenario / message dictionary 2
The condition of scenario number 6 is satisfied from 8 (FIG. 8), and “The address to be examined is (city / ward / gun name, town / village name) is read out” and sent to the dialogue control unit 24. The dialogue control unit 24 inserts “Toyama City, Aioi Town” into the above message, announces to the user 22 as “The address to look up is (Toyamashi Aio Icho),” and confirms.

The range to be searched at this stage could be limited to “Aioicho, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture”. The search key at this time is "4872".
0 # 4873 # 1111481 ". Next, request the user to input the name. By following the same procedure as above, the information guide device 25 requests the user 22 based on the scenario number 8 of FIG. 8 "Please enter the surname of the person you are looking for." The user 22 inputs "112" as "Aoki" from the telephone.

The above address key "48720 # 4873 # 1"
As a result of searching the personal home telephone number database 23t (FIG. 7) under the conditions of “111481” and the surname key “112”, there are 6 corresponding persons in Aioi-cho and there are 4 ways to read the surname. Recognize. The disambiguation unit 27 does not notify the user that the reading has ambiguity, but decides to request the input of a name for disambiguation, and selects the scenario number 11 from the scenario / message dictionary 28 (FIG. 8). The message is read out, and the dialog control unit 24 informs the user 22 "There are 6 people who are applicable. Please enter your name."

Here, it is assumed that the user 22 inputs Akio's reading (Akio) "121" from the telephone. When this condition is added and the search is performed again, there is only one candidate. That is, as is clear from FIG. 7, when inputting only the family name, “1
For "12", in addition to "Aoki", there is a possibility of "Ooki", "Ueki", "Ioka", etc. If you enter only the name, "121" will be used in addition to "Akio" and "Ikue".
There are possibilities such as "Ikuo" and "Akie", but if you look at Aioi-cho, Toyama City, for example, a person who has a real family name that satisfies this condition at the same time is "Aoki-Akio."
There is only. At this point, the search partner desired by the user can be identified.

Further, in the dialogue control section 24, from the scenario number 9 of the scenario / message dictionary 28 (FIG. 8), "Is that person living in (city + town name) (surname + first name)?" Read the message and ask the user, "Is that person Akio Aoki, who lives in Aioi-cho, Toyama-shi?", And after confirming, from scenario number 21 "The person's telephone number is (0764 -31-1111). "

By the above processing, the information guidance method of the present invention succeeds in eliminating the ambiguity of the input and at the same time narrowing the search range. On the other hand, the user does not feel a psychological resistance because he or she has provided necessary information by an efficient input method. In this way, the user has the advantage that he / she can enjoy the merit of being able to input in a short time, and the information guiding device 25 can maximize the information possessed by the user, eliminate the ambiguity, and narrow the search range. Search efficiency can be improved. Specific Example 2-2 (When User Information is Insufficient (1)) Consider a case where the user has only the information of “Akio Aoki in Toyama City” at the time of use. That is, the user does not remember the town name clearly.

Regarding the input of the address, the distinction between "Toyamashi" and "Tsumashi" is not made at the time when "4783" is input as in the specific example 2-1. Since the user does not have information on Aioi-cho, the following is the response to the user. From the information guidance device 25, the user 22 is inquired about the detailed address in the city, but the user inputs "02951" corresponding to "I do not know". Information guidance device 25
If there are multiple city candidates and you do not know the detailed information about the city, go to scenario number 5 in the scenario / message dictionary 28 (Fig. 8) and ask "Do you know which prefecture? Please read. ”And request the input of the prefecture name. The user "Toyamashi"
Typing "Toyama Ken" while wondering if there are other places in Japan (in fact, "Sendaishi" exists in Miyagi and Kagoshima prefectures, and "Chuo-ku" and "Kita-ku" exist in various places. To). It is possible to search the address database 23a (FIG. 6) with the information "48720-4873" from the user and confirm even "Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture (city address unknown)".

Alternatively, it is conceivable to start the process of asking for the surname while leaving both "Toyamashi" and "Tsumashishi" as candidates, but here we consider the process that Toyama City can identify. In this case, regarding the address, refer to “Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture (4
8720 # 4873) "is the search key, and" Aoki, Akio (112 # 121) "is the search key for the family name. Personal home telephone number database 23t under this condition
Searching (Fig. 7), there are two cases: "Aio Aoki, Aioicho 1-chome" and "Ikuo Aoki, Arakawa". At this point, the surname could be identified as "Aoki", but the surname was not. In such a case, "(Aoki) is in (Aioi) and (Arakawa) in Toyama City. Please let me know somewhere." Can be narrowed down.

Through the above processing, a desired telephone number can be provided without clearly remembering the town name. In addition, in most cases, it is not a heavy burden on the users, considering that they can answer the question if they are given a candidate name. 6 characters (Aki Akio)
Considering pressing the button 12 times in order to encode and input by the conventional method, in the method of the present invention, 13 times in the case of (Aoki Akio) + (Aio Icho), (Aoki Akio) + (Arakawa ) Is 10 times, and considering that even more detailed address information can be confirmed with this information, the same or higher effect can be expected. Specific Example 2-3 (When User Information is Insufficient (2)) Consider a case where the user has only "Aoki in Aioi-cho, Toyama City" at the time of use. That is, the user does not remember the name clearly.

The information input by the user is "4873 # 1111481" in Aioi-cho, Toyama-shi and "11 Aoki".
2 ". With this, private home telephone number database 23t
Searching (FIG. 7) will find 6 records.
The name is queried, but the answer is "I don't know." Therefore, the information to be inquired next becomes the chome information.

It is assumed that the user remembers the information of 1-chome. In this case, the candidates are narrowed down to two. But,
Since there are two surnames, "Aoki" and "Ueki", the name is not read to the users, and there are "Akio" and "Minoru".
Is it Akio? The ambiguity is resolved by inquiring to the user.

When the user does not have the chome information,
If the number of search solutions is too large, the guidance is abandoned (step 7 in FIG. 2). Further, when the number of search solutions is not too large and is plural, it is solved by enumerating the names and prompting the user to make a selection (step 8, in FIG. 2).
9). As described above, the selection of the additional information is performed by the method incorporated in the scenario, but is selected according to the following criteria.・ Requested first name after entering the family name and surname that the user is expected to hear.

After inputting the name of the city, request the detailed name of the city or the name of the ward.・ Request a job title after entering the company name or store name. -Matters equivalent to the superordinate concept and the subordinate concept-If the same city or ward name exists, request the prefecture name in which the city or ward is located.・ Internal organization of the company.

A restaurant or the like that indicates the type of food and drink.・ Impressive items for users ・ The first name and last name are more likely to be more impressive than the number and the character.・ Stores, hospitals, companies, etc. have memorized nearby objects rather than address information.

As described above, items that are natural to the user and that can be answered without any resistance are selected as additional information. Next, a specific example in the case where items corresponding to the above-mentioned superordinate concept and subordinate concept are targeted for retrieval will be described. FIG. 9 shows a specific example of the superordinate concept and the subordinate concept.

In FIG. 9A, there are Setagaya Ward, Shinjuku Ward, ..., Chiyoda Ward as subordinate concepts of Tokyo, Shimokitazawa, Shirota, Kyodo, etc. as subordinate concepts of Setagaya Ward, and in FIG. 9B, universities are subordinate concepts of hospitals. There are hospitals, general hospitals, and private hospitals, and the university hospitals have subordinate concepts such as the University of Tokyo hospital and Keio hospital. In FIG. 9C, subordinate concepts of companies include trading companies, manufacturers, sales businesses, and service industries. There are general affairs department, public relations department, sales department, etc. As a subordinate concept of general affairs department, there are human resources department, labor department, etc. In FIG. 10, there are a cafeteria, a coffee shop, a restaurant, a bar, and a bar with a customer service as a subordinate concept of a restaurant, and a soba restaurant is a subordinate concept of a cafeteria,
There are restaurants, etc., subordinate concepts of coffee shops include shop names such as Seine and Loire, subordinate concepts of bar include bar, tavern, etc. Subordinate concepts of bar with female hospitality include bar, cabaret, and club. Under each of these subordinate concepts, there is a store name, etc. In the above specific example, since the guidance of the personal telephone number was taken as an example, the address, (place) information and personal name information were requested, but the company as a corporation,
Hospital: For restaurants, government offices, etc., in addition to name information indicating the name and location information, for example, with the restaurant name entered, the type of food such as French food, Japanese food, Indian food, etc. as additional information. Various types of additional information can be used, such as inputting information such as the steel industry, chemical industry, electrical industry, and financial industry as additional information when the company name is entered. Appropriate additional information is selected according to the information, and the ambiguity can be narrowed down with a small amount of input.

Further, it is possible to receive the guidance of the telephone number, store other supplementary information in the information database 23, and request the supplementary information after the search result is uniquely determined. For example, as a personal home telephone number database, as shown in FIG. 11, an address key column 33 and a family name key column 3
4 is provided with an additional information column 38, and the additional information column 38 stores the family structure, hobbies, work place, etc. of the subscriber. In the same manner as in the above specific example, for example, when the search for Akio Aoki in Aioi-cho, Toyama City is uniquely determined, the information guidance device 25 asks "Do you want to know the telephone number?" Do you want to know about? "Or" Do you want to know about the family structure? "
For example, when the answer of "yes" is input to the third inquiry, the answer is "the husband and wife and the eldest son, and the second son is the two."

As the supplementary information, when the name information is a store such as a restaurant, information about business hours and information that serves as a guide for directions, and in the case of a hospital, various information according to name information such as specialized subjects Can be considered. In the following specific example, a process of providing a telephone number of a corporation will be briefly described. The information database 23 partially includes a corporate telephone number guide database 23k as shown in FIG. Specific Example 3-1 (Case where a post office where the name of a town is known is checked) In response to a request for inputting an address from the information guidance device 25, the user inputs "303 * 822" in Shinjuku-ku as "city / ward". Suppose In this case, by matching with the information database 23, "303 * 82" at the level of "city / ward"
Since "2" only applies to Shinjuku Ward, this device 25 sends a message saying "I'm looking for you in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo." And the next entry is required, "Please enter your name." To be done.

Although the user does not know what the name is, he / she wants to check the telephone number of the post office.
16 * 0282 ". From this name information, a match search from the end, that is, a search for the end of the "Post Office", the search results are "Ushigome Post Office" and "Ushigome Second Post Office". Since both post offices are naturally the same "post office" in "profession", additional information is required from the user to distinguish this. Here, since the information of "ward / town / village" is effective for distinguishing, the user is asked "Which town is the post office?". And the user is "876 * 3481" which corresponds to "Yamabushi Town".
When you enter the key, "412814 # 303 * 822 # 876, which corresponds to" Tokyo + Shinjuku-ku + Yamabushi-cho + post office "
The key search is “* 3481 # 816 * 0282”. As a result, the post office is uniquely determined to be the name of "Ushigome Second Post Office", and the phone number of the Ushigome Second Post Office in Yamabushi-cho, Shinjuku-ku is 03 # 3269 # 2222. The message is provided to the user. Specific Example 3-2 (Case of Searching Only by Existing City and Store Name) It is assumed that the user inputs "303 * 822" of Shinjuku City in response to an address input request from this device. in this case,
In the same way as above, Shinjuku City is specified, and a message "This is Shinjuku City, Tokyo." Will flow from this device, and the next entry will be requested, "Please enter your name." Then, the user corresponds to the name "raccoon dog""452"
Key is input, the key sequence corresponding to this "Tanuki in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo" is "4112814 # 303 * 822 # 45".
As a result of searching the information database with “2”, three candidate names of “Tsuneko”, “Tanaka”, and “Tanuki” are listed as shown in FIG. 12, and further, “Tanuki” has a lower name of “Shinjuku”. It can be seen that there are three branches, “East Exit Store”, “Shinjuku East Exit 2nd Store”, and “Shinjuku 3-Chome Store”, and there are a total of 5 stores.

Then, "profession" is selected by the disambiguation section 27 as effective additional information for narrowing down the candidates of this search result, and "Please enter the occupation of the store." Is input to the user. Request. If the user thinks it is a "bar" and enters "578", which is equivalent to this word, "578"
The lower-ranking occupations (including “Tavern”, “Tavern”, etc.) and the five “occupational occupations” in the search results are narrowed down by the AND condition, and as a result, “Shinjuku East Exit” and “Shinjuku” of “Tanuki” There are 3 candidates, "East Exit 2" and "Shinjuku 3-chome". To further narrow down the candidates, ask the user to enter additional information, "Are there any landmarks or targets?" If the user remembers that it was close to Shinjuku Gyoen, and inputs "303 * 822 * 810", which is equivalent to "Shinjuku Gyoen", this device becomes "Tokyo + Shinjuku Ward + Tanuki + bar + Shinjuku Gyoen". Corresponding "412814 # 303 * 8
22 # 452 # 578 # 303 * 822 * 810 ”, the information database is searched for, and the search result is 1
As a result, it is specified as "Tanuki Shinjuku 3-chome store". And to the user, "The phone number of" Tanuki Shinjuku 3-chome store "near Shinjuku Gyoen is 03-3507-9999."
And provide information. Further on, "If you would like to know the information of this store, please enter the required information."
You can also check whether service information is provided by asking the question. When the user makes a predetermined input for requesting supplementary information about the store, the service information "The draft beer festival is now being held." Is provided. Specific Example 3-3 (Case where Information is Provided from Existing Town Name and Name) The user inputs "484 * 2 # 11474", which corresponds to Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, in response to an address input request from this device. And If you search the information database using this key string, you will see "484 * 2" at the "City / City" and "City / City" levels
"# 11474" corresponds to "Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku" only, so the message "I'm looking for it in Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo" will flow, and "Please enter your name." Input is required.

Then, when the user inputs "746 * 33813 *" which is equivalent to "Mitsuboshi Shoji", there are three retrieval results, and as shown in FIG. There are "Public Relations Department" and "Sales Department". In this case, even if the user asks the job type, the ambiguity cannot be resolved. Therefore, the apparatus requests the input of the lower name as additional information. If the user knows the lower name, he / she can provide the information corresponding to this by inputting the lower name. Therefore, a message "Please enter the department name of Mitsuboshi Shoji. If you do not know the department name, please enter the prescribed information." Is sent from the device to the user. (Case 1) The user is "2161" which corresponds to the "public relations department".
If you enter "6 *", the key sequence corresponding to "Tokyo + Chiyoda-ku + Otemachi + Mitsusei Trading + Public Relations Department" is "4112814 #"
484 * 21174 # 746 * 33813 * # 216
16 * ”searches the information database. As a result, the telephone number of the public relations department of Mitsuboshi Shoji is uniquely determined, and the message "The telephone number of the public relations department of Mitsuboshi Shoji in Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku is 03-3505-1112." Is provided to the user. . (Case 2) When the user inputs that it is unclear which department of Mitsuboshi Shoji, "I will provide the phone number of the General Affairs Department of Mitsuboshi Shoji. The phone number is 03-350.
It is 5-1111. Message.

Although a specific example of the scenario / message dictionary used for corporate (professional) telephone number guidance has not been shown above, from the above example that of personal telephone number guidance, that is, FIG.
Alternatively, it can be easily understood that it can be made in the same manner as in FIG. Or use a personal scenario / message dictionary,
Whether or not to use the corporate scenario / message dictionary, for example, when you accept the directory information, first ask "Do you want to know your personal phone number?" Or "Do you want to know your corporate (professional) phone number?" ? ”And select the dictionary to use according to the answer. Alternatively, the user is made to access the telephone number guidance device by different telephone numbers for personal use and for corporate use (by occupation), and the dictionary to be used is selected according to the access.

Recently, a communication system such as ISDN (Digital Integrated Communication Network) having a function of transmitting the identification information of the calling terminal represented by the number of the calling terminal to the exchange at the start of communication is used. It's coming. By utilizing this function, the advantages of the present invention can be further enhanced. For example, in a case similar to the third embodiment, it is assumed that the user accesses the center having the function of the present invention in order to know the number of the nearest post office. If the calling terminal information also arrives at the same time, the area where the calling terminal is installed can be specified from the information corresponding to the area code of the telephone number. As a result, information about a region such as a prefecture or chome can be obtained, and there is a possibility that this location information will not be required from the user. From the user's point of view, if the information corresponding to the name "Post Office" is entered, this information guide device may search for the nearest post office and obtain the number.

In the above description, when the key 12 is used to display not only kana characters but also English characters as shown in FIG. Do not enter "154141" which corresponds to the reading
The key corresponding to "T" may be used to input "688", and similarly, in the latter case, a benefit that the number of key operations is small is obtained. Also, not only when inputting with kana characters,
You may enter it in Roman letters. In such a case, by registering the key sequence corresponding to the kana character and the English character in the database, it is possible to access either the kana character input or the English character input (data input is possible).

Further, the input means is not limited to the keyboard of the telephone, but the input of other keyboard such as a personal computer,
Others may be used, and not only the key input by the two-frequency tone signal but also the dial pulse may be performed, and the number may not necessarily be displayed on the key of the input means.

[0080]

As described above, according to the present invention, 1
One key represents a plurality of characters, and the character is read only by operating the key once for each character, that is, it is entered as an ambiguous key sequence, the number of input operations is small, and the operability is good, In addition, part of nominal information and location information is entered, the information database is searched, additional information is requested using the search results obtained so far, and the database is searched including the additional information. Since it is repeated, it is often the case that users can get the desired search result with fewer key operations than inputting all the information that seems necessary in all cases. The remarkable effect that the desired number or information can be reached in a short time is produced. In addition, rather than inputting the number and information required for information retrieval at the same time at the beginning, it is better to sequentially inquire from information that is easy to recall, such as a prefecture name and then a city / ward group name, as in the present invention. From the viewpoint of cognitive psychology, it has been found that this is a method with less psychological burden on the user.

Particularly, by selecting appropriate additional information according to the input information and the search result up to that point, the desired search result can be obtained with a small number of key operations. For that purpose, as described above as the scenario / message dictionary, by setting the relationship between the input information, the condition determined by the search result and the non-input search key, and the additional information (action) appropriate for this, as a dictionary, You can search efficiently. Also, it is possible to narrow down the candidates with a smaller number of times than narrowing down the candidates with the Boolean exclusion question.

Also, the user is prompted to input additional information,
By properly selecting the content of the additional information, it seems to be a natural question for the user and does not impose a psychological burden. Furthermore, by making the scenario independent of the main body of the apparatus, there is an advantage that information guidance that matches the service environment can be performed without changing the apparatus configuration by changing the scenario.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an information guide device of the present invention, and B is a diagram showing an example of flags held in the device.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a personal home telephone number database.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a scenario / message dictionary.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for disambiguation processing.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an address database.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of a personal home telephone number database.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of a scenario / message dictionary.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a relationship between a superordinate concept and a subordinate concept.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the relationship between a superordinate concept and a subordinate concept.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a personal home telephone number database having supplementary information.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a corporate telephone number database.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which kana characters and English characters are assigned to keys of a telephone.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a conventional method.

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] June 20, 1996

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 11

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Claim 12

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

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Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. An input means in which a plurality of characters are assigned to one key is used to operate once each one key corresponding to each character in which part of the name information or place information is a kana character. The process of accepting the key sequence input by the user, the process of searching the database by using the accepted key sequence as a search key, and the plurality of search results obtained by the search, a. Providing a guidance prompting the user to enter additional information related to the plurality of search results; b. A step of receiving the additional key sequence in which the additional information is input by the user in the same manner as above by the input means, and c. A step of narrowing down the plurality of search results using the additional key sequence and the search results obtained so far, a step of repeating the steps a to c while there are a plurality of narrowing down results, and the narrowing down result And a method of providing the resulting information to the user. 2. The selection of the additional information in the process of providing the guidance is performed by a condition determined by the input information up to that point, a search result, and an unentered search key, and appropriate additional information corresponding to the condition. 2. The information guide method according to claim 1, wherein a dictionary that matches various conditions is searched for by referring to various described dictionaries, and the additional information of the matched conditions is used to obtain the information. 3. A message for requesting each additional information from the user is also described in the dictionary, the additional information of the condition corresponding to the matching condition and the search result detected so far. 3. A message for requesting additional information is edited and the message is sent to the user.
Information guidance method described. 4. When it is not possible to narrow down to one by repeating the above steps a to c, the information constituting the plurality of remaining search results is sequentially provided, and the designation of alternative is accepted. The information guidance method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information is narrowed down to one by the designation. 5. When the search result during the narrowing down, when there is no ambiguity of the information included in the key sequence, a step of providing a guidance requesting the user to confirm the information obtained at that time is provided. The information guidance method according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The information guidance method according to claim 1, wherein information other than the nominal information and the location information is used as the additional information. 7. A process of sequentially making an inquiry as to whether or not each additional information included in the one piece of information has the narrowed-down state, and a step required in the inquiry. 7. A method for guiding information according to claim 1, further comprising a step of detecting an answer and transmitting corresponding incidental information. 8. The information guide method according to claim 1, wherein the key sequence is input by an input means in which a plurality of different alphabetic characters are assigned to each key. 9. The process of identifying the installation area of the calling terminal from the identification information of the calling terminal entered together with the key sequence entered first, and the location where the specified area information is entered by the user. 9. The information guiding method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of using it as at least a part of information. 10. An input means for accepting an input of an ambiguous key sequence from a user, an information database in which information is stored, a search means for searching the information database, and a search result up to that point as conditions. A dictionary in which additional information to be requested next is described in correspondence with the condition, and an ambiguity resolution means for determining additional information by referring to the dictionary when the search result by the search means is not unique; Output data creating means for creating output data such as question sentence data requesting information, sentence data for providing search results to the user, and output means for outputting the output data as a voice signal to the user , Monitoring the state of dialogue with the user expressed by the key sequence input by the user and the question text data to the user, and the above-mentioned search means based on the monitoring The execution of the search that,
An information guide device comprising: an operation control of the ambiguity resolution means based on the availability of the search and a result; a dialogue control means for controlling the output data means and the operation control of the output means. 11. A template of a message for creating the question sentence data is described in the dictionary, and the dialogue control means corresponds to the search results up to that point and the determined additional information. 11. The information guide device according to claim 10, further comprising means for editing the question sentence data from the message template and supplying it to the output data output means. 12. The message morphology of the dictionary includes a confirmation message morphology that asks the user to confirm the information obtained at the time when the ambiguity of the information held by the key sequence disappears in the search result. The interactive control means includes means for editing confirmation message data from the confirmation message release corresponding to the determined additional information and the search results so far and supplying the edited confirmation data to the output data output means. The information guide device according to claim 11, which is characterized in that. 13. The information according to claim 10, wherein the condition of the dictionary includes a search key that has been input and a search key that has not been input. Guidance device. 14. A means for identifying the area where the originating terminal is installed from the identification information of the originating terminal entered together with the first key sequence from the user, and the identified area information from the user. Means for using as at least a part of the location information input by the user.
The information guide device according to any one of 3 above.