JPH10161996A - Method and device for preparing document - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the quality of generated document and to remarkably shorten the time for user to prepare the document, by taking such an information that changes momently or any suitable information from the outside into the document. SOLUTION: At a template selecting part 2, any template required for the user is selected out of document templates stored in a template storage part 1 while including retrieval keys. While using the retrieval key included in the selected template, an information retrieving part 4 retrieves information existent in a prescribed range and a retrieved result replacing part 3 replaces the retrieval key with the retrieved result.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a document creation method and a document creation device used in, for example, a word processor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a word processor or the like has been generally used for document creation. However, although the input of a sentence such as kana-kanji conversion has been made more efficient, the user still has to consider all the contents of the sentence itself, such as the structure of the sentence. In order to solve such a problem, a method of using a document template has recently been considered when creating a relatively fixed document such as a business letter. In this method, prepare a document in which the name and other parts are perforated in advance, and let the user directly select a template, or select a template in question form or menu format, and Is also entered directly or replenished in a question or menu format.

However, according to this method, the text itself is only recorded in a template registered in advance, and the variation in the content of the created document is poor. Further, it is impossible to prepare a template in advance for contents that change every moment, such as current affairs information, and this method cannot cope with this.

[0004]

As described above, in the conventional document creation method using the document template, the pattern of the document tends to be monotonous, and in order to improve the quality of the text, the user must use the template. However, there is a problem in that it takes time and effort to rewrite after creation. In addition, if it is not possible to prepare a document template in advance, such as a speech manuscript that describes the current situation and reinforces the thesis, the user separately searches for information from related files, networks, etc., Must be inserted into the document.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and a search key is inserted into a document template, and information that changes every moment using the search key is included in the document. An object of the present invention is to provide a document creation method and a document creation device capable of improving the quality of a generated document and shortening the creation time by adopting the method.

[0006]

A document creation method according to the present invention comprises the steps of selecting a required template from a document template including a search key stored in a storage means;
An information search step of searching for information existing within a predetermined range using a search key included in the template selected by this step; and a search result replacement step of replacing the search key with a result searched by the information search means. And characterized by the following.

Further, the document creating apparatus of the present invention has a template storing means for storing a document template including a retrieval key, a template selecting means for selecting a required template from the templates stored by this means, and a selecting means for selecting the template. Information searching means for searching for information existing within a predetermined range using a search key included in the template obtained, and a search result replacing means for replacing the search key with a result searched by the information searching means. It is characterized by the following.

According to the document creating method or the document creating apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the portion of the search key included in the template is replaced by the search result. Information can be incorporated into documents.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same parts or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a main part of the first embodiment of the present invention, which comprises a template storage unit 1, a template selection unit 2, a search result replacement unit 3, and an information search unit 4. These may be configured using a part of hardware of an information processing device such as a word processor and a personal computer.

The template storage unit 1 is a place where some document templates are stored in advance. The template selection unit 2 selects a template stored in the template storage unit 1 according to a user's instruction. The selection method is
A known method such as a selection method using a keyword or a selection method using a hierarchical menu may be used. The search result replacing unit 3 checks the contents of the document template selected by the template selecting unit 2, and if there is a search instruction line, that is, a search key line, sends the search condition described there to the information search unit 4, The search instruction line is replaced with the search result sent from the information search unit.

The information search unit 4 is based on the search conditions sent from the search result replacement unit 3 and is based on file information in a personal computer or the like in which the document creation device is built, or a network to which the document creation device is connected. Search for information that exists above. To perform this search, an external database may be searched, or WWW (World WideW) may be used.
The server on eb) may be searched. FIG. 2 is an example of a document template stored in the template storage unit 1. Note that this example is an example of a format, and the same information may be stored in another format, or information may be added as appropriate. Further, in FIG. 2, for the sake of simplicity, the beginning of the line is numbered for the sake of simplicity, but is not actually required. In this example, the line starting with “$ REF” is the line for the search instruction, that is, the line for the search key, and the character string enclosed by “()” of “FIND ()” is the search instruction. The search result replacement unit 3 replaces the search result with the search result of the information search unit 4. When the head of the line is other than "$ REF", that is, 1,
Lines numbered 2 and 4 are lines that do not require replacement.

Next, the flow of processing in this apparatus is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, in step A1, the user is instructed which document template to use among the document templates stored in the template storage unit 1, and the designated template is selected. As this selection method, a conventionally well-known method such as a selection method using a keyword or a selection method using a hierarchical menu may be used as described above. Next, in step A2, 1 is substituted for a variable i indicating the number of lines to be processed on the document template selected in step A1. Then, in step 3, in the search result replacing unit 3, the head of the i-th row of the selected document template is “$ REF”.
Find out if it is. Otherwise, there is no need to replace the text on that line, so step A
Fly to 7. If it is “$ REF”, in step 4, a character string surrounded by “()” of “FIND ()” is extracted from the part of the line excluding the leading “$ REF” from the information search unit 4. Is assigned to a variable Q representing a question sentence to.

Further, in step A5, the query substituted for the variable Q is sent to the information search unit 4 to perform a search process. In step A6, the search result replacement unit 3 replaces the i-th row with the information search unit 4 Replace with search results received from. In step A7, it is determined whether the i-th line is the last line of the document template. If it is not the last line, 1 is added to the variable i in step A8, and the process returns to step A3.

Next, the above-described document creation method will be specifically described using an example. For example, assume that a document template as shown in FIG. 2 is selected in step A1. First, in step A2, 1 is substituted for a variable i,
At step A3, it is checked whether or not the first line is "$ REF".
Since the line is not the last line, 1 is added to the variable i in step A8 to set it to 2. Then, returning to step 3, since the head of the second line is not "$ REF", the process jumps to step A7 again.
In step A8, the value of the variable i is set to 3, and the process returns to step A3.

In step A3, the head of the third line is "$ R
EF ”, the process proceeds to step A4, and“ FIND
() ”, A character string enclosed by“ () ”, that is,“ FIN
“KEYWORD =“ PC sales situation ”” sandwiched between D (”and“) ”and LENGTH <= 3li
Nes ”is assigned to the variable Q. In step A5, the information search unit 4 interprets this question Q as, for example, "Search for information on the sales status of personal computers of three lines or less." As a result, "9
5.5 million units were shipped domestically in FY5, and 70
100,000 units are expected. Is obtained.
In step A6, this result is sent to the search result replacement unit 3, and the third line is replaced with this search result. Then, in step A8, the variable i becomes 4, and the process returns to step A3. The above steps are repeated, and finally, FIG.
Is generated.

As described above, according to the above embodiment, the template selection unit 2 allows the user to select a candidate from the templates stored in the template storage unit 1, and selects the template specified by the user. Then, the search result replacement unit 3 determines whether the search key is a search key line by line, and if so, searches the information search unit 4 according to the search key and replaces the result with the search key. As a result, it is possible to incorporate information that changes every moment or appropriate information from the outside into the document, thereby improving the quality of the generated document and shortening the creation time.

The above embodiment is a case where there is only one search result (for example, when the first search result for the search key question Q is obtained and this is used as the search result). The user can be made to select one or a plurality of results from the search results. FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the main part of the second embodiment of the present invention that makes this possible. The one shown in FIG. 5 is obtained by adding a search result selection unit 5 to the one shown in FIG. The template storage unit 1 and the template selection unit 2 may be the same as those in FIG. 1, but the information search unit 4 may obtain a plurality of search results. When a plurality of search results are obtained, the search result replacement unit 3 sends the received search results to the search result selection unit 5. The search result selection unit 5 presents a plurality of search results, which are replacement candidates, to the user, and allows the user to select one or several of them. Then, the search result replacement unit 3 replaces the line of the search instruction with the selected search result.

FIG. 6 shows a processing flow in this case. FIG.
Is obtained by adding steps B1 and B2 between step A5 and step A6 in FIG. 3, and in step B1, the search result replacing unit 3 outputs a plurality of search results obtained in step A5. Is determined. If there is only one search result, step A
When the processing jumps to step 6 and there are a plurality of search results, the process proceeds to step B2, where the search results are presented to the user, and one or some of them are selected. Then, the process proceeds to the step of replacing the line of the search instruction with the selected search result according to the selected search result in step A7.

Specifically, when the document template shown in FIG. 2 is selected, the processing up to step A5 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above. The number will be 5.5 million units, and 7 million units are expected in 1996. "
Daily sales reached 25 units. Are obtained. In step B2, the results of the determination in step B1 are obtained, and in step B2, the results are displayed by the search result selection unit 5, for example, as shown in FIG. For example, assuming that the search result "... in 1995" is selected, in step A6, the search result replacement unit 3 replaces the line of the search instruction with the selected search result. Thereafter, processing is performed in the same manner as in the above-described first embodiment. In this case, a sentence as shown in FIG. 4 is finally generated.

As described above, a plurality of search results obtained by the information search unit are obtained, and the user is allowed to select one of the search results, so that more appropriate information can be obtained from information that changes every moment or information from outside. The information can be incorporated into the document, and the quality of the document can be further improved.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the sentence is fixed except for the search key of the document template. However, when the user selects a template in the template selecting section 2, a method for asking a question is used. May be used together to change portions other than the search key. For example, a document template as shown in FIG. 8 can be used. This template has "[product classification]" and "[product name]" as variables, and asks "What is the product classification?" And asks the user to enter the product classification. By making a selection from the list and then asking the same for the product name, a single document template can satisfy a wide range of usage purposes. In this case, the search key can be changed according to these variables. For example, in FIG. 6, a variable "[product classification]" is included in the search key, and a portion other than the search key (the sentence on the second line) changes by selecting "[product classification]". At the same time, the search key is configured to change.

In each of the above embodiments, "search content" and "length of result" are used as search keys. In addition, "restriction on date and time of generation of information", "Limitations of information sources", "stylistics", "languages" and the like can be used as appropriate.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the sentence itself obtained as a result of the search is used without modification (in the second embodiment, even if the sentence itself selected from a plurality of results is selected). The search key is replaced with the search key in the document template. The instruction to be performed is recorded, and step A6 of the first or second embodiment is performed.
In, it is also possible to make such a modification before actually replacing the search result to be replaced.

A description will be given of a third embodiment of the present invention in which the style is changed. FIG. 9 shows the details of the processing flow in step A6 in FIG. 3 or FIG. 6 in this case.
In this case, in the first or second embodiment, a style conversion unit is provided in the search result replacement unit 3, and the same style as the entire template is specified in the document template. For example, in the case of a template as shown in FIG.
If you record the instructions that make the style of "Oh, mas",
Before actually replacing the search result to be replaced, the search result replacement unit 3 reads an instruction to set the style of “is, mas” tones from the template (step 91), and then reads the search result to be replaced. The sentence is analyzed and its style is examined (step 92). As a result, if the style is “is, mas”, it is determined that the style is the same as the designated style (step 93) and the replacement is performed as it is (jump to step 95).
However, if the search result to be replaced is such as "5.5 million units shipped in Japan in 1995 and 7 million units are expected in 1996." Since it is determined that the style is not the same (step 93), the style is converted to a "masu" tone by style conversion means (step 94). Million units, and 7 million units are expected in fiscal 1996. "
5). Therefore, even after the replacement, it is possible to keep the style consistent. If the sentence in the search result does not include a word indicating the style, and the style cannot be specified in step 92,
In particular, it is not necessary to convert the style, and in this case, the replacement may be performed as it is with the specified style (jump from step 93 to step 95).

Next, a description will be given of a fourth embodiment of the present invention in which a sentence is processed, for example, a processing is performed so as to specify the quotation source of a search result. The details of the processing flow in steps A5 and A6 in FIG. 3 or FIG.
0 is shown. In this case, in the first or second embodiment, an instruction to display the quotation source is recorded in the template. Then, in step A5, the search result replacing unit 3 reads an instruction to display the quotation source from the template (step 101), and sends a request for information on the quotation source of the search result together with the question assigned to the variable Q to the information search unit 4.
(Step 102), and the information search unit 4 performs a search (step 103), and the information replacement unit 3 receives the search result and information about the quotation source of the search result (step 104). Before actually replacing the search result to be replaced in step A6, the search result replacement unit 3 converts the information about the quotation source of the search result into an insert sentence, for example, “March According to the XX newspaper dated 10th, it is created as a form like "(step 105)
This sentence is combined with the sentence of the search result (step 10
6), "According to the XX newspaper dated March 10, the domestic shipment volume in FY1995 is 5.5 million units, and in 1996, 7 million units are expected."
7). By inserting the citation source in this way, the reliability of the created document is improved.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention for summarizing search results will be described. The details of the processing flow in step A6 in FIG. 3 or FIG.
It is shown in FIG. In this case, in the first or second embodiment, the search result replacing unit 3 is provided with a summarizing unit, and an instruction for summarizing is recorded in the document template. Then, in step 6, before actually replacing the search result to be replaced, the search result replacement unit 3 reads that the summary is instructed from the template (step 111),
The summarizing means summarizes the search result to be replaced to an appropriate length using the summarizing means (step 112). As the summarizing means, a known means can be used. For example, a means as disclosed in JP-A-7-44566 may be used. After summarizing, it is replaced with a search key (step 113). When the search results are summarized in this manner, only the "search contents" need be used as the search key as in the first or second embodiment, and the "length of the result" need not be used. Therefore, the range of search results obtained when the length of the search results is limited is expanded, so that more appropriate search results can be selected.

In each of the above embodiments, each unit in FIG. 1 or FIG. 5 has been described as being constituted by hardware, but a part for performing these processes may be constituted by software. Further, a program for performing these processes may be stored in a storage medium, the program may be read by a computer, and the computer may execute the program.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to incorporate information that changes every moment or appropriate external information into a document, thereby improving and utilizing the quality of the generated document. This significantly reduces the time required for a user to create a document.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of a document template stored in a template storage unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an example of a document created in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example in a search result selection unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of the document template stored in the template storage unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of main parts according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing of a main part according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing of a main part according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 template storage unit 2 template selection unit 3 search result replacement unit 4 information search unit 5 search result selection unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yumi Ichimura 1st address, Komukai Toshiba-cho, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the Toshiba R & D Center (72) Inventor Kazuhiro Kimura Komukai, Sai-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa No. 1, Toshiba Town Inside Toshiba R & D Center

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A step of selecting a required template from a document template including a search key stored in a storage means, and using a search key included in the template selected in this step to exist within a predetermined range. A document creation method, comprising: an information search step of searching for information; and a search result replacement step of replacing the search key with a result searched by the information search means. 2. A step of selecting a required template from a document template including a search key stored in a storage means, wherein a part of the contents of the selected template is selectable and a part of the contents of the template is selected. Changing a search key included in the template according to the selected content when is selected, and information for searching for information existing within a predetermined range using the search key changed by this step. A document creation method, comprising: a search step; and a search result replacement step of replacing the search key with a result searched by the information search means. 3. A step of selecting a required template from a document template including a search key stored in the storage means, and using a search key included in the template selected in this step to exist within a predetermined range. An information search step of searching for information, a result selection step of selecting one or a plurality of results from the plurality of results when there are a plurality of results searched by the step, and selecting the search key by the result selection step And a search result replacement step of replacing the search result with the search result. 4. The document creation method according to claim 1, further comprising a search result modification step of modifying a result replaced by the search result substitution step. 5. The document creation method according to claim 4, wherein the step of changing the search result is a step of changing the style of the result. 6. The document creation method according to claim 4, wherein said search result transformation step is a step of processing a sentence of said result. 7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the step of transforming the search result is a step of summarizing the result. 8. A template storing means for storing a document template including a search key, a template selecting means for selecting a required template from the templates stored by the means, and a search key included in the template selected by this means. And a search result replacing unit that replaces the search key with a result searched by the information searching unit. . 9. A structure in which a part of the contents of the template is selectable, and when a part of the contents of the selected template is selected, a search key changes according to the selected contents. 2. The document creation device according to claim 1, wherein the document creation device is configured to perform the following. 10. A template storing means for storing a document template including a search key, a template selecting means for selecting a required template from the templates stored by the means, and a search key included in the template selected by the means. Information retrieval means for retrieving information existing within a predetermined range by using the method, and a result selection means for selecting one or a plurality of results from the plurality of results when there are a plurality of results retrieved by the information retrieval means And a search result replacing means for replacing the search key with the result selected by the result selecting means. 11. The document creation apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a search result deforming means for deforming a result replaced by said search result replacing means. 12. The retrieval result transforming means for changing the style of the result.
Document creation device according to. 13. The document creation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said search result deforming means processes a sentence of said result. 14. The document creation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said search result transforming means summarizes the result.