JPH11134365A - Device and method for information access - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to integrally handle various information generated at home or SOHO(small office home office) by providing a retrieving means which retrieves information corresponding to specific attribute information and a display means which performs control for displaying the retrieval result of the retrieving means. SOLUTION: A list of various information is read out of, for example, a data storage part 1 and held in a storage part in a retrieval part 3. The various information holds attribute information such as a 'kind', a 'title', 'time infomation', 4a 'position information', and 'performer information'. A user inputs time information, e.g. '97/04/07' and then an input part 2 sends the time information out to the retrieval part 3. The retrieval part 3 extracts information including the time information '97/04007' and outputs it to a display part 4. Then the user indicates parts indicating various information displayed at the display part 4 to obtain target information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention
OHO (small office, homeoffy
The present invention relates to an information access device and an information access method for handling various information in ce) in an integrated manner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, various information is handled at home or in SOHO. Taking the information stored, managed, and used (for example, reference and processing) at home as an example, what can be input from outside the home include a TV broadcast, a telephone, and a letter.
Information generated at home includes various video tapes and photographs taken by a home video camera. Such information has a remarkable tendency to be digitized not only in analog form but also in digital broadcasts and photographs taken by digital cameras, for example.

[0003] Recently, the number of homes and SOHOs using a network has been increasing, and in particular, the exchange of digital information using the Internet has been increasing. For this reason, management of digital information obtained by WWW, electronic mail, electronic news, and the like provided on the Internet has become necessary in homes and the like.

[0004] As described above, the amount of information managed at home and the like is rapidly increasing, and the form of information is becoming more and more diverse.

However, the management of such information is actually performed individually for each of various types of information. For example, a videotape recording a TV broadcast is piled up in a room, or an e-mail sent daily is P
While accumulating in the file on C. Digital photos are also stored as files on a PC or stored in the form of albums.

Therefore, when trying to find and use a desired one from the stored digital information, it is necessary to first determine the form of the information to be used. If a function for information management and search is provided in the form of the information, use this function to search for the desired information, or refer to the management information created by itself to obtain the desired information. To find out where. For example, on a Web page, a function focused on organizing a large amount of information such as a keyword search function is provided. In a mail system, similar topics,
An environment is provided in which a user can devise a device for reading a desired e-mail, such as by preparing a holder for storing the mail for each sender.

However, heretofore, it has not been possible to handle these various kinds of information in one unified method. For example, if there is a memory that you have seen some information somewhere and you want to use that information, and there is no memory of that information form, you can search for all information forms using the respective search means. It is necessary to do.
That is, it is necessary to search for each type of information, such as searching on the Web, searching for a stored mail, or searching for a video, and so on to search for desired information.

[0008] Further, when there is a relationship between different digital information such as a TV broadcast and a photograph, even if an attempt is made to acquire such digital information, means for associating the two with each other has not been provided at present. .

As described above, a system capable of accumulating and processing various kinds of information in an integrated manner in order to efficiently utilize information that is increasing in SOHO or the like is desired.

[0010] On the other hand, there have been tools that assist in searching for a desired item from a large amount of information, such as the WWW keyword search described above. However, such tools require input from a keyboard. Yes, it is not easy to use for home use. For example,
A simpler method that does not use a keyboard for operations such as search is desired.

[0011]

Conventionally, in order to handle a wide variety of information, it has been necessary to handle each type of information. That is, in reality, various types of information are managed for various types of information, and such various types of information cannot be handled by one unified method.

For example, when a desired item is acquired from the stored information, even if there is a memory that the information has been seen somewhere, if there is no storage of the form of the information, each storage form is used. The search must be performed individually using each search means, and efficient processing cannot be performed.

[0013] When a large amount of information is exchanged in various forms and used in SOHO or the like, if the information cannot be comfortably searched without being aware of the form of the information, the stored information is And it wastes time. In the future, it is considered that the types of information in SOHO and the like will become more diversified and the amount of information will also increase, and the above problem will become more serious.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an information access apparatus and an information access method capable of integrally handling various types of information generated at home or in SOHO. And

Further, the present invention relates to a method for home use or SOHO
It is an object of the present invention to provide an information access device and an information access method capable of efficiently searching for various types of information generated in a computer.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an information access apparatus and an information access method which can be realized by a simpler method without using a keyboard for operations such as search.

[0017]

According to the present invention (claim 1), an information access apparatus includes a plurality of different types of information (for example, broadcast, WWW, electronic mail, electronic news, etc.) given predetermined attribute information. , A video, a photograph, or a sound) and a storage unit for storing each of the predetermined attribute information based on the predetermined search information when predetermined search information is input. And a display means for controlling the display of the search result obtained by the search means.

Further, the information access apparatus according to the present invention (claim 2) can provide at least two types of information in a plurality of different forms (for example, broadcast, WWW, electronic mail, electronic news, video, photograph, or audio). Above form)
And attribute adding means for giving predetermined attribute information to the information, and when predetermined search information is input, based on the predetermined search information, the predetermined attribute information And a display means for controlling the display of the search result obtained by the search means.

According to the present invention, a large amount of information in various forms can be uniformly handled. In particular, a large amount of information is delivered or generated in various forms,
In a case where the information is used in an HO or the like (for example, at home), information can be searched comfortably without being aware of the form of the information. You can make use of it. Further, since various kinds of information can be stored in a database and searched using a common interface, various kinds of information can be efficiently obtained in a SOHO or the like.

Further, the information access apparatus according to the present invention (claim 3) is a storage means for storing a plurality of different types of information to which predetermined attribute information is given; Searching means for searching for information corresponding to the predetermined attribute information based on the first search information when first search information corresponding to the first attribute information is input; Display means for performing control for displaying the search result obtained by the search, and based on the displayed search result, a second search corresponding to the second attribute information of the predetermined attribute information Control is performed so that information can be input.

Further, the information access device according to the present invention (claim 4) has a storage means for storing each of a plurality of different forms of information, and an attribute adding means for giving predetermined attribute information to the information. When first search information corresponding to first attribute information of the predetermined attribute information is input, search for information corresponding to the predetermined attribute information is performed based on the first search information. Searching means, and display means for performing control for displaying a search result obtained by the searching means, and a second attribute of the predetermined attribute information based on the displayed search result. It is characterized in that control is performed such that second search information corresponding to the information can be input.

According to the present invention, it becomes easier to search for information in different forms, and it is possible to access the information in a unified manner.

[0023] Preferably, the predetermined attribute information includes at least one of time information, position information, person information and content information.

[0024] Preferably, the apparatus may further comprise means for outputting (for example, displaying, presenting, reproducing, etc.) the retrieved information.

Preferably, when displaying the search result, a title of information included in the search result is individually displayed as a button on a graphical user interface, and any of the titles is displayed on the graphical user interface. When the above button is instructed, information corresponding to the instructed button may be output (for example, displayed, presented, reproduced, etc.).

Preferably, when the information is output, attributes included in the predetermined attribute information given to the information are individually displayed as buttons on a graphical user interface, and a graphical user interface is provided. In the above, when any one of the buttons is instructed, it is assumed that execution of a search using an attribute corresponding to the instructed button as search information is instructed, and the search means is caused to execute the search. You may.

Further, preferably, on a graphical user interface that can use at least one of a mouse and a remote controller as a pointing device, an instruction to execute a predetermined function (eg, an instruction to execute registration, an instruction to execute search) and The input of the attribute information may be made possible only by the operation of the pointing device.

Thus, operations such as registration and retrieval of attribute information can be realized by a simpler method without using a keyboard.

Further, the information access method according to the present invention (claim 10) comprises a storage means for storing a plurality of different types of information to which predetermined attribute information is given,
When the first search information is input, information corresponding to the predetermined attribute information is searched based on the first search information, and control for displaying the search result is performed. The second search information is input based on the search result obtained.

The digital information processing apparatus according to the present invention is a digital information processing apparatus for storing and retrieving at least two types of digital information of broadcast, WWW, electronic mail, electronic news, video, photograph, and audio. Means for inputting digital information, means for adding an attribute to the input digital information, means for storing the digital information to which the attribute has been added, means for specifying the attribute, and A search unit for searching the stored digital information.

Alternatively, the digital information processing apparatus according to the present invention can be used for broadcasting, WWW, electronic mail, electronic news,
A digital information processing apparatus for storing and retrieving at least two types of digital information of video, photograph, and audio, comprising: means for inputting digital information to which an attribute is added; and digital information to which the input attribute is added. , A means for specifying an attribute, and a search means for searching the stored digital information based on the specified attribute.

Preferably, there is provided means for presenting the retrieved digital information.

More preferably, when presenting the digital information, the added attribute is displayed as a related information search execution button.

More preferably, addition of an attribute to digital information, designation of an attribute, and retrieval of digital information can be executed using a mouse or a remote controller.

It should be noted that the present invention relating to the apparatus is also valid as an invention relating to a method, and the present invention relating to a method is also valid as an invention relating to an apparatus.

The present invention relating to an apparatus or a method is provided for causing a computer to execute a procedure corresponding to the present invention (or for causing a computer to function as means corresponding to the present invention, or for causing a computer to correspond to the present invention). The present invention is also realized as a computer-readable recording medium in which a program for realizing the function of performing the above is recorded.

[0037]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an information access device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The data storage units 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d (hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as "data storage unit 1") store information in various forms. The data storage unit 1 does not need to be physically distinguished, and may be logically distinguished in one storage device. In this embodiment, the data storage unit 1a stores photograph information, the data storage unit 1b stores broadcast information of a television or the like, the data storage unit 1c stores telephone call information, and the data storage unit 1d stores electronic mail information. And

The meaning of each of the above information in the present embodiment is as follows. Photo information: Image data having unique time information as an attribute. TV broadcast information: TV with unique time information as attribute
Etc. image data. Telephone call information: voice data of a telephone having unique time information as an attribute. E-mail information: E-mail message data having unique time information as an attribute.

The data storage section 1 does not need to be limited to the above-mentioned form, and is assumed to exist for each form of information.

In the present embodiment, the time information is at least included as the attribute information of the data. However, it is not particularly necessary to stick to this. For example, GPS, or unique position information recognizable by an identifier obtained from an antenna or the like used for transmission / reception of a communication device, channel information and title information of TV broadcast, performer information,
Information on the contents of the program, telephone number information on the transmitting side, sender's mail address information, and the like are included.

Further, the information shown above holds, as an attribute, information that is automatically added by the operation of various devices. When input by a user such as a sender, a sender, and a receiver, the information may be held as attribute information.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the information format. FIG. 2 relates to the format of the photographic information. In the image data section, the content photographed by the camera is stored as electronic information.

Returning to FIG. 1, the input section 2 is for inputting a key to be searched. In addition, the search unit 3 stores the data in the data storage unit 1 according to the search key given from the input unit 2.
And outputs the result to the display unit 4. Display unit 4
Is for displaying a search result obtained by the search unit 3 and an input screen by the input unit 1.

Next, the operation of the information access device of the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a list of various information stored in the data storage unit 1. This list of various information is read from the data storage unit 1, for example,
It is held in a storage unit (not shown) in the search unit 3. Various types of information include “type”, “title”, “time information”,
It holds attribute information such as "position information" and "performer information".

FIG. 4A shows an example of the input screen. The user inputs time information, for example, “97/04/07”, and the input unit 2 sends the time information to the search unit 3. When receiving the time information, the search unit 3 searches the list storage unit using the time information as a search key. The search unit 3 obtains the time information “97/04
/ 07 ”is extracted and output to the display unit 4.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the search result displayed on the display unit 4. As shown in FIG. Then, the user can obtain desired information by pointing to a portion indicating various types of information displayed on the display unit 4. For example, by instructing (for example, double-clicking) "photograph", a viewer for displaying photograph information is activated, and the desired information can be accessed.

Various methods can be considered for inputting the time information.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), a calendar for a certain month is displayed, and a calendar of a desired year and month is displayed by the user instructing (for example, clicking) the left and right scroll buttons of the year and month display. Then, by instructing (for example, clicking) a desired date of the calendar, a desired date may be input. FIG. 4B exemplifies a case where April 7, 1997 is designated, as in FIG. 4A.

The input of the time information is, for example, "97
It is also possible to specify a period such as “/ 04/07” to “97/04/10”, or to specify the time including the time. In this case, a search corresponding to the time is performed.

FIG. 4C is a diagram showing an example of an input screen on which a year, month, day, and time (or a range thereof) can be input. , A month, or a timetable, and instructs (for example, clicks or drags) a desired time (or a range thereof) in the timetable. FIG.
(C) illustrates a case where the instruction is given from 18:00 to 24:00 on April 10, 1997 (the indicated range is indicated by a thick line).

In the various information shown in FIG. 3, for example, the third "photo" and "telephone" can be associated with each other in the meaning of "enrollment" or "entrance ceremony". Therefore, the information is further organized by the user appropriately associating the information with the presented search result.

In the above description, photograph information, TV broadcast information, telephone call information, and e-mail information have been taken as examples of the form of digital information. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and broadcast information other than TV and obtained by a video camera can be used. Video / audio information, audio information other than telephone calls, information obtained from the WWW and electronic news on the Internet, etc.
Various forms of digital information can be handled.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the following description focuses on the differences from the first embodiment.

The semantic contents of each information stored in the data storage unit 1 in this embodiment are as follows. Photo information: image data having, as an attribute, unique position information or the like that can be identified by an identifier transmitted from a GPS or an antenna used for transmission and reception of a communication device. TV broadcast information: broadcasted channel information, title information obtained from a combination of broadcasted time and channel, or program identifier information such as a G code used at the time of recording by a VTR device, or such information. Image data of a TV or the like having, as an attribute, positional information on a place obtained from an information magazine of a broadcast program. Telephone call information: location information that can be identified from the transmitting station number, etc.
Voice data in a telephone having, as an attribute, transmission / reception position information recognizable by an identifier transmitted from a GPS or an antenna used for transmission / reception in the case of a mobile phone or the like. E-mail information: E-mail message data having, as an attribute, position information recognizable from a place name or the like appearing in the e-mail content.

Although the present embodiment focuses on position information as attribute information, time information and the like may be held as attribute information as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a list of various types of information stored in the data storage unit 1. This list of various information is stored in, for example, a storage unit (not shown) in the search unit 3.
Is held in. The various information holds attribute information such as “type”, “title”, “time information”, “position information”, and “performer information”.

It is assumed that the user inputs, for example, "Italy" from the input unit 2. In this case, for example, there are a method of directly inputting a keyword, a method of inputting with a clickable map indicating a specific point on a world map displayed on an input screen, and a method of inputting by voice. Input unit 2
Sends the position information to the search unit 3. When receiving the position information, the search unit 3 searches the list storage unit using the position information as a search key.

By the way, information such as position information can be developed into a higher concept and a lower concept in some cases. That is, if "Italy" is specified, "Rome" is a subset thereof. Therefore, the search unit 3 searches for the location information “Italy”
And information including "Roman" are extracted and displayed on the display unit 4.
Output to It should be noted that the user may be allowed to select whether to search only information including the specified position information or to search information including a lower concept of the specified position information.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the search result displayed on the display unit 4. As shown in FIG. (A) illustrates an example of a result of extracting information including position information “Italy” and “Rome” when “Italy” is specified as described above. (B) illustrates a search result when "Fukushima" is designated.

Then, the user can obtain the desired information by pointing to a portion indicating various kinds of information displayed on the display unit 4.

When inputting position information, a rough position or range can be specified on a map. In this case, a search key is generated based on the designated position or range, and the search is performed.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the following description focuses on the differences from the first embodiment.

The semantic contents of each information stored in the data storage unit 1 in this embodiment are as follows. Photo information: Image data having photographer information, photographed person information, and the like as attributes. TV broadcast information: broadcasted channel information, title information obtained from a combination of broadcasted time and channel, or program identifier information such as a G code used at the time of recording by a VTR device, or such information. Image data of a TV or the like having, as an attribute, performer information obtained from an information magazine of a broadcast program. Telephone call information: E-mail message data having sender telephone number information, recipient information, and the like as attributes. E-mail information: E-mail message data having sender e-mail address information as an attribute.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a list of various kinds of information stored in the data storage section 1. This list of various information is stored in, for example, a storage unit (not shown) in the search unit 3.
Is held in.

It is assumed that the user inputs, for example, “Hiro Tanaka” from the input unit 2. The search unit 3 uses this as a search key to search the list storage unit. Search part 3
Is information including the personal information “Hiro Tanaka” and information obtained from the person (for example, refer to other items in FIG. 8).
And outputs it to the display unit 4. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a search result displayed on the display unit 4. Then, the user can obtain desired information by pointing to a portion indicating various types of information displayed on the display unit 4.

In the present embodiment, the person to be designated is searched from the personal name list. In addition to this, a method of specifying a person based on a classification in life, such as a workplace or a school, can be considered.

(Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the following description focuses on the differences from the first embodiment.

The meaning of each information stored in the data storage unit 1 in the present embodiment is as follows. Photo information: Image data having, as attributes, content information such as a title input at the time of photographing or the like. TV broadcast information: broadcasted channel information, title information obtained from a combination of broadcasted time and channel, or program identifier information such as a G code used at the time of recording by a VTR device, or such information. Image data of a TV or the like having, as an attribute, content information of a program obtained from an information magazine of a broadcast program. Telephone call information: E-mail message data having, as attributes, content information such as title information transmitted by the sender during a call. E-mail information: E-mail message data having title information as an attribute.

In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the content of the input screen using the input unit 2 is hierarchically classified and is represented as a tree. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the input screen. The list of various information in the present embodiment is the same as that of the above-described embodiment (for example, FIG. 6).

It is assumed that the user designates the item “overseas travel” from the input unit 2. In this case, the user can sequentially follow from the upper hierarchy. Search part 3
Uses this as a search key to search the list storage unit. The search unit 3 extracts information on “overseas travel” according to the classification tree, and outputs this to the display unit 4. FIG.
6 is a diagram showing an example of a search result displayed on the display unit 4. FIG. Then, the user can obtain desired information by pointing to a portion indicating various types of information displayed on the display unit 4.

In the display example of FIG. 11, the item of the movie "Travel in Rome" in FIG. 6 is not displayed as a search result. This shows a case where information having “movie” as the type is included in the item “art” below “hobby”.

In the present embodiment, a method of determining which classification each information belongs to can be determined automatically based on a keyword in each information or a classification automatically determined by the system. A method in which the user makes appropriate changes may be considered.

When the system automatically determines, the form of information can also be used for the determination, such as making all movies less than or equal to the artistic item. Further, the determination algorithm of such a system can be appropriately changed according to the user's intention.

Further, it is possible to cope with a dynamic change by growing the classification tree according to the increase and decrease of the information.

In the present embodiment, the person to be designated is searched from the personal name list. In addition to this, a method of specifying a person based on a classification in life, such as a workplace or a school, can be considered.

(Fifth Embodiment) Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the following description focuses on the differences from the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a list of various types of information stored in the data storage unit 1.

Assume that the user wants to check the contents of a certain telephone. The content of the phone call is administrative and I do not remember who called it. I just remember that the call came while the movie "Travel in Rome" was being broadcast on TV.

In this case, first, a place "Rome" is inputted from the input section 2, and the broadcast time of "Travel in Rome" is searched.
After that, the found broadcast time is input, and the telephone that arrived at that time is searched.

FIG. 13A is a diagram showing an example of a search result based on the place "Rome". For this search result,
When the broadcast time portion of the movie is instructed (for example, clicked) (FIG. 13B), this time information is passed to the search section 3 as a search key, and information related to this broadcast time is searched. . FIG. 13C is a diagram illustrating an example of a search result based on the broadcast time. Then, for example, when an instruction (for example, clicking) of the title part "change of the date and time of the PTA meeting" is made (FIG. 13D), this information can be reproduced from the speaker. In this way,
Based on the ambiguous memory, it becomes possible to know the contents of the telephone.

In this case, the type of information may be specified. For example, in the above example, it is also possible to perform a search by adding information indicating that the call is a telephone.

As described above, based on the broadcast time of a movie,
The case where the broadcast time portion is specified, information related to the time information is searched, and further, based on the search result, information whose type is telephone is searched is shown.

By specifying the contents of the movie information from the displayed search results, all the information related to the movie is extracted, or the type of the information indicating that the information is a telephone among the information. It is also conceivable to extract the ones that meet the requirements.

That is, when the items of the movie information and the time information are designated (input), information having a common part with respect to the time information is searched. Further, the information type is specified (for example,
If the call is made, information about the call is retrieved. In addition, when a place or a person is specified, similarly,
Relevant information will be searched.

Here, when items such as date and time, place, person, and content are not specified, information having at least one common part is displayed in association with these items. In this case, it is conceivable that a numerical value indicating the distance of information is given to each item of each information, and the search result is displayed according to this numerical value. For example, it is conceivable that the time information is represented by numerical values of the date and time, and the position information is represented by 14 longitudes and latitudes. A method of treating persons and contents as a hierarchical set and assigning a numerical value to the set can be considered.

FIG. 14 shows an example of the flow of processing in this embodiment.

First, a search condition is input (step S
11) Based on the search condition, a search is performed for the list storage unit (step S12), and the “type”, “title”,
The attribute information such as "time information" and "position information" is displayed (step S13). For example, each attribute is displayed as a button.

Here, input is waited for (step S1).
4). Then, when any of the displayed attributes is designated (for example, “20:00:00 on April 7” as shown in FIG.
If the button of “5-21: 54” is clicked) (step S15), a search is performed using the specified attribute as a search condition (step S16), and the “type” of the information that satisfies the above search condition is obtained as a search result. ","title",
Attribute information such as "time information" and "position information" is displayed (step S13), and input is waited for (step S14).

On the other hand, if any one of the displayed titles is designated (for example, if the button of “change PTA meeting date and time” is clicked as shown in FIG. 13D) (step S18), Output (display, reproduce, etc.) the information corresponding to the title (step S1)
9). At this point, the process may be terminated, or the attribute information such as “type”, “title”, “time information”, and “position information” of the information may be kept displayed, and input waiting may be performed. (Step S14).

(Sixth Embodiment) A digital information processing apparatus (information access apparatus) according to the present embodiment
Stores at least two types of digital information out of WW, e-mail, e-news, video, photos, and audio,
A digital information input unit for inputting digital information, an attribute adding unit for adding an attribute to the input digital information, and a digital unit for storing the digital information with the attribute added. An information storage unit, an attribute specification unit for specifying an attribute, a digital information search unit for searching the stored digital information based on the specified attribute, and a digital information search unit for presenting the searched digital information. It has a digital information presentation unit.

According to the present embodiment, by adding attributes to digital information and storing it, various forms of digital information can be searched through a common interface, and various types of digital information generated at home or in SOHO can be searched. Can be obtained efficiently.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail.

FIG. 15 shows the configuration of a digital information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The digital information processing apparatus 201 includes a digital information input unit 210, an attribute adding unit 2
20, digital information storage unit 230, attribute designation unit 24
0, a digital information search unit 250 and a digital information presenting unit 260.

The digital information input unit 210 receives broadcast, W
Digital information (100) such as WW, e-mail, electronic news, video, photograph, voice, etc. is input.

The attribute adding section 220 adds a search attribute to the digital information input by the digital information input section 210.

Digital information storage section 230 stores digital information to which an attribute has been added by attribute adding section 220 in a database.

The attribute specifying section 240 specifies an attribute serving as a search key for the information stored in the digital information storage section 230.

[0100] The search section 250 is a digital information storage section 2
A search is performed on the information stored in the storage unit 30 using the attribute specified by the attribute specifying unit 240 as a key.

The digital information presenting section 260 causes the contents of the retrieved digital information to be output from a predetermined output device (for example, display on a display device or output from a speaker).

Next, the storage and retrieval processing of digital information using the digital information processing apparatus 201 according to the present embodiment will be described using a specific example.

FIG. 16 shows an example of inputting digital information. This digital information is a TV consisting of three scenes.
This is a case where a program is input, and it is assumed that scenes 1 to 3 in FIG. 16 are obtained by compressing moving image information. Here, as a unit of digital information to which an attribute is added, each scene in a program is assumed, but for example, a program may be used as a unit.

The attribute adding section 220 adds attribute information to each of the scene information in FIG. 16 as shown in FIG. Instead of adding the attribute information, pointer information indicating the storage location of the attribute information may be added.

Here, as the attribute information, for example, FIG.
As shown in the table, there are scene titles such as "title", "media", and "scene position", and information about scene keywords such as "date and time", "place", "person", and "content". Can be

FIG. 19 shows another input example of digital information. This digital information is obtained when text information of an electronic mail is input. As a unit of the digital information to which the attribute is added, one electronic mail is assumed here, but a plurality of electronic mails may be used as a unit, for example.

The attribute adding section 20 adds attribute information to the information shown in FIG. 19 as shown in FIG. Instead of adding the attribute information, pointer information indicating the storage location of the attribute information may be added.

Here, as the attribute information, for example, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, information representing text characteristics such as "title" and "media", and information relating to text keywords such as "date and time", "place", "person", and "content" are exemplified.

Here, the following method is assumed as a method of extracting an attribute to be added. (1) Automatic extraction from each media information (2) Manual input by appropriate attribute adding means As an example of the above (1), an e-mail that recognizes a telop in a moving image and extracts a title or a keyword Or using time information of electronic news.

The digital information to which the attribute is added by these means is stored as a database by the digital information storage unit 230.

A method for retrieving digital information stored in the database as described above will be described below.

First, the attribute is specified by the attribute specifying section 240. The specification of the attribute is performed, for example, in a format illustrated in FIG. In this case, the digital information whose media attribute is “TV program” and whose personal attribute is “XX prime minister” is designated.

On the basis of this designation, digital information search unit 2
At 50, the corresponding digital is searched.

The digital information matching the designation is displayed to the user by the digital information presenting section 260. If there is a plurality of matching digital information, a list of titles of the corresponding digital information may be displayed, and the title may be selected from the list.

FIG. 23 shows an example of the processing procedure in this embodiment.

First, a search condition is input (step S).
11), a search is performed based on the search conditions (step S22).

Here, if there is only one piece of information that matches the search condition (step S23), the contents of the searched information are output (step S27). At that time, the "Title", "Media", "Scene position",
Attribute information such as “date and time”, “place”, “person”, and “content” may be displayed together.

On the other hand, if there are two or more pieces of information that match the search condition (step S23), the “title”, “media”, “scene position”, “date and time”, and “place” of the searched information , "Person", "Content", and other attribute information are displayed (step S24). Here, selection of a title is awaited (step S25), and when any of the titles being displayed is selected, information corresponding to the selected title is output (step S26).

If no information matches the search condition, the process ends (step S23).

The processing procedure in this embodiment is shown in FIG.
4 may be used.

(Seventh Embodiment) A digital information processing apparatus (information access apparatus) according to the present embodiment
Stores at least two types of digital information of WW, e-mail, e-news, video, photo, and audio
A digital information input unit for inputting digital information to which an attribute has been added, a digital information storage unit for storing the input digital information to which an attribute has been added, and designating the attribute An attribute specifying unit for performing, a digital information search unit for searching for the stored digital information based on the specified attribute,
It is provided with a digital information presentation unit for presenting the retrieved digital information.

According to the present embodiment, by storing digital information to which attributes have been added, various forms of digital information can be searched through a common interface.
Various types of digital information generated at home or in SOHO can be efficiently acquired.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail.

FIG. 24 shows the configuration of a digital information processing apparatus according to this embodiment. The digital information processing device 202 includes a digital information input unit 211, a digital information storage unit 230, an attribute designation unit 240, a digital information search unit 250, and a digital information presentation unit 260.

The digital information input unit 211 inputs digital information (101) such as a digital broadcast and an electronic newspaper to which attribute information has been added. Here, it is assumed that the attribute information corresponding to each digital information is added by an information provider such as a broadcasting station or a newspaper company.

Digital information storage section 230 stores digital information to which an attribute has been added in a database.

The attribute specifying section 240 specifies an attribute serving as a search key for the information stored in the digital information storage section 230.

[0128] The search section 250 is a digital information storage section 2
A search is performed on the information stored in the storage unit 30 using the attribute specified by the attribute specifying unit 240 as a key.

Digital information presentation 260 displays the contents of the retrieved digital information.

The method of searching for digital information to which an attribute has been added is the same as in the case of the sixth embodiment.

(Eighth Embodiment) In this embodiment, the sixth embodiment
In the digital information processing device (information access device) according to the embodiments of the present invention and the seventh embodiment, attribute addition, search,
1 shows an example of a graphical user interface (GUI) used for operations such as information presentation.

In the present embodiment, as an example of a GUI, when presenting digital information, an attribute added to the digital information is displayed as a related information search execution button.
An environment is provided in which when a user instructs by clicking a related information search execution button or the like, digital information related to the attribute is searched.

For example, adding attribute information to digital information, designating attributes, searching digital information, etc.
The execution is performed using a mouse or a remote controller.

According to the present embodiment, as in the sixth and seventh embodiments, various digital information can be stored in a database and retrieved by a common interface. Various digital information to be obtained can be obtained efficiently.
Further, operations such as search can be realized by a simpler method without using a keyboard.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail.

Here, a configuration example based on the sixth embodiment will be described.

FIG. 25 shows the configuration of a digital information processing apparatus according to this embodiment. The digital information processing device 203 includes a digital information input unit 210, an attribute adding unit 2
22, digital information storage unit 230, attribute designation unit 24
2. It includes a digital information search unit 250 and a digital information presentation unit 262. The functions of these modules are
Each is basically the same as the function of the corresponding module in the sixth embodiment.

Next, the process of adding, retrieving, and presenting attributes of digital information using the digital information processing apparatus 203 according to the present embodiment will be described using specific examples.

FIG. 26 shows an example of the processing procedure in this embodiment.

First, an initial screen is displayed (step S3).
1) The input state is entered (step S32).

FIG. 27 shows an example of the initial screen 300.
FIG. 27 shows a state where digital information input from the outside is displayed on the screen by a predetermined function (not shown).

In FIG. 27, reference numeral 301 denotes a registration button, 302 denotes a media button, 303 denotes a time button, 304 denotes a location button, 305 denotes a person button, 306 denotes a content button, and 30 denotes a content button.
7 is a display area for the designated information, 308 is an operation button when the information displayed on 307 is stream information or a still image having a plurality of screens, 309 is a time attribute button,
310 is a place attribute button, 311 is a person attribute button, 3
Reference numeral 12 denotes a content attribute button.

In the initial screen shown in FIG. 27, if attribute information is added to the information to be displayed, it is displayed as buttons (309 to 312).

When the registration button (301) is clicked (step S33), the attribute information registration screen is displayed instead of the initial screen (or opened as a separate window from the initial screen), and the attribute information registration screen is opened. Upon receiving the input, the input attribute information is registered (step S34). When this registration processing is completed, the screen returns to the initial screen (or the registration screen of the attribute information is closed), and enters an input receiving state (step S).
32).

If a button (303, etc.) displaying attribute items such as "time" and "place" is clicked (step S35), the input screen of the search information corresponding to the attribute item is changed to the initial screen. It is displayed instead (or opened as a window different from the initial screen), and a specific attribute in the attribute item is input (step S36). When the input processing is completed, a search is performed using the attribute in the input attribute item as search information (step S37), the screen returns to the initial screen (or the search information registration screen is closed), and the input is accepted (step S32). ).

Note that the attributes of a plurality of attribute items (eg, media, time, and person) may be input as search information. In this case, for example, it is possible to indicate buttons of a plurality of attribute items on the initial screen, or to select whether to end input of search information or input another attribute item on the screen of each attribute item. For example, input is sequentially performed on the screen of each attribute item. Alternatively, it may be possible to sequentially perform an operation of performing a search with the next attribute, with a result obtained by performing a search with a certain attribute as a target range.

A plurality of attributes may be designated for one attribute item.

As shown in FIG. 36, “Diet” or “XX”
Buttons displaying specific attributes such as "Prime Minister"
212) is clicked (step S3).
9), a search is performed using the designated attribute as search information (step S40), and a list of titles of the searched information is displayed as a button, for example, as shown in FIG. 35 (step S40).
41).

Note that a plurality of attribute buttons may be designated in one search.

When the title button (313 in FIG. 35) is clicked (step S42), for example, as shown in FIG.
And outputs (displays, reproduces, etc.) information corresponding to the title designated in the predetermined area (307),
Each attribute included in the attribute information added to this information is displayed as a button (309 or the like) (step S4).
3).

Note that information may be displayed for a plurality of items as shown in FIG. 37, for example.

Next, a method of adding attribute information to digital information by simply clicking a button will be described.

First, on the initial screen, digital information to which attribute information is added is designated by a predetermined function (not shown), and the attribute information is added to this digital information. ), And click a “register” button (301).

Then, a registration screen for attribute information is displayed (or opened). FIG. 28 shows an example of the attribute registration screen 320.

In FIG. 28, 321 is a title button, 32
2 is a media button, 323 is a time button, 324 is a location button, 325 is a person button, 326 is a content button,
327 is a display area of the designated information, 328 is an operation button when the information displayed on 327 is stream information or a still image having a plurality of screens, 329 is a time attribute button, 330 is a location attribute button, 331 Is a person attribute button, 332 is a content attribute button, 333 is a display of an assigned title attribute, 223 is a display of an assigned media attribute, 335 is a display of an assigned scene position attribute, 336.
Is a button for ending attribute registration.

Attribute items such as "title", "media", and "scene position" can be registered on this screen 320. For the attribute items of “time”, “place”, “person”, and “content”, an input screen corresponding to the designated attribute item is displayed by clicking a desired button, and input is performed on the input screen. be able to.

When inputting a title, for example, by clicking a "title" button (321), a menu of words registered in the dictionary in advance is displayed, and a title is created by combining the words. When the "title button" is clicked, a field 333 in the figure becomes active, and a title may be input in this field. The input title attribute is registered and displayed in the field 333.

In the case of inputting a medium, for example, when a "title" button (322) is clicked, a menu of selectable media is displayed, and a menu is selected from the menu. The selected media attribute is registered and displayed in the field 334.

It is assumed that the scene position is automatically determined.
The input scene position attribute is registered and displayed in the field 335.

Next, "time", "place", "person",
The registration of “contents” will be described.

First, on the registration screen shown in FIG. 28, buttons (323 to 324) of desired attribute items are clicked.

Here, it is assumed that “Tokyo” is added as a location attribute to the inputted digital information.

When registering a "place attribute", clicking a button (324) representing "place" displays (or opens) a place attribute input screen as shown in FIG.

The keyword candidates are displayed hierarchically.
The left candidate button (341) represents the current area of interest, and the plurality of right buttons (342-347) represent the hierarchy immediately below the current area of interest.

Here, a button (3) displayed as "Japan"
When 42) is clicked, "Japan" is displayed as a candidate button as shown in FIG. 30, and a layer below Japan such as "Kanto" or "Tohoku" is displayed on the right button. For example,
When "Tokyo" is registered, the same procedure is repeated to descend the hierarchy until "Tokyo" is displayed as a left button as shown in FIG.

When the user clicks the left button labeled "Tokyo" in the state of FIG. 31, "Tokyo" is registered as a location attribute, and the screen returns to the attribute registration screen as shown in FIG. 32 (or the location attribute input screen). Closes). At this time, the attribute information is stored as shown in FIG.

For the registration of the other attribute items, the same operation as the registration of the “place attribute” is performed.

Then, “time”, “place”, “person”,
When registering a plurality of "contents", the above-described registration operation is repeated. Further, as shown in FIG. 32, a plurality of attributes may be registered for each attribute item.

Finally, when the end button (336) is pressed,
The registration processing ends, and the screen returns to the initial screen (or the attribute registration screen closes).

Next, a description will be given of a method for realizing a search for digital information only by clicking a button. Here, it is assumed that the search is started using the time attribute “9/29” as a key.

First, when the "time" button is clicked on the initial screen shown in FIG. 27, a time attribute input screen is displayed or opened. FIG. 34 shows an example of the time attribute input screen 360.

When the date "29" button is clicked on the time attribute input screen 360, the screen returns to the initial screen as shown in FIG. 35 (or the time attribute input screen is closed).
A list of digital information titles having a time attribute of 29 is displayed.

Note that a plurality of attributes can be specified as a key. For example, when the location attribute “Tohoku” is designated, a list of titles of digital information having Tohoku (or a lower hierarchy from Tohoku) as the location attribute and 9/29 as the time attribute is displayed.

[0174] Next, for example, when the "signpost speech" button is clicked on the screen illustrated in Fig. 35, the corresponding digital information, that is, the TV broadcast video of the signpost speech is displayed. FIG. 36 shows this state.

As shown in FIG. 36, attributes representing the time, place, person, and contents added to the digital information are displayed as buttons. These buttons are also
A key for searching for related information. For example, when a "Prime Minister" button of a person attribute is clicked, a list of digital information having the "Prime Minister" as a person attribute is displayed.
For example, when one of them, “Hansai Sancho” is selected, as shown in FIG.
The video of "Hansetsu Sancho" is displayed next to this video.

As described above, the selection of a title (display and the like and display of an attribute button) and the selection of an attribute (search and display of a list of titles) can be arbitrarily and sequentially performed.

As described above, the addition of an attribute to digital information, the designation of an attribute, the search using an attribute as a key, and the display of related information can all be realized by clicking a button.

[0178] The buttons may be clicked with a mouse or with a remote controller equipped with push buttons corresponding to those buttons.

In the above, an example of the configuration based on the sixth embodiment has been described. However, when the configuration is based on the seventh embodiment, the attribute adding unit 222 (function for adding an attribute) is added to the configuration described above. Is omitted. The detailed description is omitted.

Each of the above functions can be implemented as software.

Further, the present embodiment is a computer in which a program for causing a computer to execute a predetermined procedure (or for causing the computer to function as predetermined means, or for causing the computer to realize a predetermined function) is recorded. It can also be implemented as a readable recording medium.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be implemented with various modifications within the technical scope.

[0183]

According to the present invention, a large amount of information in various forms can be uniformly handled. Especially,
A large amount of information is delivered or generated in various forms,
In a case where the information is used in an OHO or the like (for example, at home), information can be searched comfortably without being aware of the form of the information. You can make use of it.

Further, according to the present invention, various types of information can be stored in a database and can be searched through a common interface, so that various types of information can be efficiently obtained in a SOHO or the like.

According to the present invention, operations such as search can be realized by a simpler method without using a keyboard.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an information access device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an information format.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a list of various information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an input screen.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a search result.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a list of various information.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a search result.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a list of various information.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a search result.

FIG. 10 shows an example of an input screen.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a search result.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a list of various information.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a search result.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration of a digital information processing apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of inputting digital information.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of digital information to which an attribute is added.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example of attribute information.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of inputting digital information.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of digital information to which an attribute is added.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example of attribute information.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of specifying an attribute.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a configuration of a digital information processing apparatus according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a configuration of a digital information processing apparatus according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of an initial screen.

FIG. 28 shows an example of a registration screen.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a display example of keyword candidates.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a display example of keyword candidates.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a display example of keyword candidates.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of a registration result of a keyword.

FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of edited attribute information.

FIG. 34 is a diagram showing a display example of keyword candidates.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing a display example of keyword candidates.

FIG. 36 is a diagram showing an example of a presentation result of digital information.

FIG. 37 is a diagram showing an example of a presentation result of related information.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Data storage part 2 ... Input part 3 ... Search part 4 ... Display part 201, 202, 203 ... Digital information processing device 210, 211 ... Digital information input part 220, 222 ... Attribute addition part 230 ... Digital information storage part 240, 242: attribute designation unit 250: digital information search unit 260, 262: digital information presentation unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Shigeru Koyanagi 1st, Komukai Toshiba-cho, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside the Toshiba R & D Center (72) Inventor Tatsunori Kanai Toshiba Komukai-shi, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa (72) Inventor Tetsuya Yamane 1 Tokoba Toshiba R & D Center, Komukai Toshiba-cho, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A storage means for storing a plurality of different types of information provided with predetermined attribute information, and when predetermined search information is input, the storage means stores the information based on the predetermined search information. An information access device, comprising: a search unit that searches for information corresponding to predetermined attribute information; and a display unit that performs control for displaying search results obtained by the search unit. 2. A storage means for storing each of a plurality of different forms of information; an attribute adding means for giving predetermined attribute information to the information; Search means for searching for information corresponding to the predetermined attribute information based on the search information, and display means for controlling display of a search result obtained by the search means. Information access device. 3. A storage means for storing each of a plurality of different forms of information given predetermined attribute information, and first search information corresponding to first attribute information of the predetermined attribute information. Is input, a search unit for searching for information corresponding to the predetermined attribute information based on the first search information, and a control for displaying a search result obtained by the search unit are performed. Display means, based on the displayed search result, wherein control is performed such that second search information corresponding to second attribute information of the predetermined attribute information can be input. Information access device. 4. A storage unit for storing a plurality of different types of information, an attribute adding unit for giving predetermined attribute information to the information, and a first attribute information of the predetermined attribute information A search unit that searches for information corresponding to the predetermined attribute information based on the first search information when first search information corresponding to the search information is input; and a search result obtained by the search unit. And display means for performing control for displaying a search result. Based on the displayed search result, second search information corresponding to second attribute information of the predetermined attribute information can be input. An information access device characterized in that: 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined attribute information includes at least one of time information, position information, person information, and content information. Information access device. 6. The information access apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for outputting the searched information. 7. When displaying the search result, titles of information included in the search result are individually displayed as buttons on a graphical user interface, and any one of the buttons is displayed on a graphical user interface. 7. The information access device according to claim 6, wherein when the user designates, the information corresponding to the designated button is output. 8. When outputting the information, attributes included in the predetermined attribute information given to the information are individually displayed as buttons on a graphical user interface, and the attributes are displayed on the graphical user interface. When any one of the buttons is instructed, it is assumed that execution of a search using an attribute corresponding to the instructed button as search information is instructed, and the search means is caused to execute the search. The information access device according to claim 6. 9. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a mouse and a remote controller can be used as a pointing device, and an instruction to execute a predetermined function and input of the attribute information can be made only by an operation of the pointing device. The information access device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: 10. A storage means for storing each of a plurality of different types of information to which predetermined attribute information has been given, wherein when first search information is input, based on the first search information, Searching for information corresponding to the predetermined attribute information, performing control for displaying the search result, and inputting second search information based on the displayed search result. Information access method.