JPH11203326A - Electronic debate supporting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic debate supporting device for presenting and analyzing the present situation of debate according to the taste and intention of a user while being linked with an electronic debate system for performing debate by storing and reading an opinion in the form of an electronic document. SOLUTION: A client 10 is provided with a user interface, and a server 20 device is provided with an electronic document extraction functioning part. The user interface accepts the input of a retrieval expression from a user, and transfers the retrieval expression to an electronic document extraction functioning part, and receives the retrieved result extracted by the electronic document extraction functioning part, and displays the retrieved result. The electronic document extraction functioning part retrieves the substance or reference of plural electronic documents suited to the retrieval expression, divides those retrieved results for each debate management data for extracting the electronic documents, generates retrieved result management data including the logical position information of debate management data being the origin of extraction of the substance or reference of the electronic documents and the substance or reference of the plural extracted electronic documents, and provides those plural retrieved result management data to the user interface as the retrieved result based on the retrieval expression.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electronic debate system for discussing by accumulating and browsing opinions in the form of electronic documents, and presents the current state of the discussion in accordance with the interests and intentions of the user. The present invention relates to an electronic discussion support device for analysis.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A place for discussion is indispensable for performing collaborative work, and various systems for electronic discussion have been conventionally considered. Known techniques for electronic discussion systems include the following.

"Network News System" This is one of the electronic discussion systems constructed on a worldwide scale. In this system, electronic documents are stored in a plurality of distributed news servers. By transferring an electronic document between servers using a bucket brigade method, electronic discussions can be conducted on a global scale. A user makes an opinion by inputting an opinion into the system in the form of an electronic document, and the opinion is handled by a unit of related opinions called a news group. In this system, there are various news groups according to the purpose and taste of various discussions, and a user can freely participate in discussions and participate in discussions by selecting a news group.

"WWW (World Wide Web)"
This is a system capable of storing and browsing electronic documents on a worldwide scale. In this system, it is possible to transmit not only browsing but also user input to a server by using a form called a form. In recent years, using this function, there are countless “electronic bulletin boards” and “electronic conference rooms” around the world. Although these electronic discussion systems vary in function, users input opinions in the form of electronic documents, which are stored in a server,
The basic function is common in that discussions are performed by browsing opinions stored in the server or adding new opinions in response to a user request.

"Group ware products" Many group ware products are used to support the collaborative work. One of the representative products of this type is Lo.
tus Notes (product name). This product is a form of collaborative work by storing and browsing products obtained in the course of group activities in the form of electronic documents in a database. This product is equipped with various services such as e-mail and document database for collaborative work. Of course, it also provides electronic discussion service.・ It has a method of organizing opinions similar to the system.

As described above, these prior arts provide a basic function for inputting opinions, organizing the input opinions in some way, and viewing the organized opinions.

[0007] Here, as the first problem in the electronic discussion system, the discussion is sometimes very complicated, and the discussion is widely spread over various discussion spaces.
Because it is often large and dynamic, it is necessary to have a means for accurately grasping the current state of discussions. As a second problem in the electronic discussion system, there is a need for a method for allowing a user to find a discussion space according to his / her interests from a large number of various discussion spaces.

[0008] As a first method for solving such a problem, there is a method using an overview of a discussion space. The above-mentioned conventional technology solves this problem by displaying the structure of the organized discussion space and the attributes of opinions and providing an interface that allows the user to roughly grasp the flow of the discussion by looking at the display. We are dealing. For example, a method of displaying a reference structure in the form of a pseudo-tree structure called “thread” or displaying attributes of opinions such as a subject and a name of a speaker are adopted.
This allows the user to roughly grasp the current state of the discussion.

[0009] As a method for addressing the second problem,
There is a way to use the subject of the discussion space. In the prior art described above, the theme is often defined for the discussion space, and the user participates in the discussion space with the expectation that the discussion being performed in the discussion space is almost the same as the subject, so to speak, We are dealing with operational technology.

Further, as a second method for addressing the first problem, there is a method in which information retrieval based on the user's interest is also used. According to the invention described in JP-A-8-110892, artifacts (electronic documents) according to the user's interest are retrieved from a database, collected and displayed, so that a large group of related electronic documents can be easily organized. Can be handled. Also, in the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-6667, it operates in conjunction with a network news system or the like, and can perform a keyword search by specifying a search range for opinions that match the interests of the user.

Further, as a third method for addressing the first problem, there is a method of giving a direction of a discussion by feeding back evaluations by users to each user. The invention described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,683 introduces a mechanism that allows the examiner to select some items or add comments on the contents of a certain electronic document, and further tallies the evaluation. In this way, the points to be discussed later on the electronic document are automatically calculated and returned to the user. In other words, an agenda for the later discussion is automatically generated, whereby the current situation of the discussion is grasped and assigned in a manner that is in line with the overall trend of each user.

[0012]

However, in the first method for solving the first problem, it is necessary for the user to manually select and examine the contents of the discussion with reference to the rough structure and attribute information of the discussion. There was a problem that it was very costly to grasp the current situation of the discussion.

In a second method for solving the first problem, such a manual operation by the user is somewhat reduced by using information search technology in combination. However, since the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-110892 is an invention for collaborative design support, a search is made for a matching artifact from a single artifact group for which dependency management is performed for a specific design model. Things. For this reason, there is no concept of multiple discussion spaces, and it is difficult to apply for the purpose of conducting discussions in multiple discussion spaces and searching for such discussions. Does not work. The invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-6667 is for organizing a plurality of discussion spaces or searching for a matching opinion from a plurality of discussion spaces. According to the present invention, a file for listing opinions of search results and a file for storing opinions of the search results linked from the file are obtained as search results. However, in such a search result structure, the structural information of each discussion opinion that originally belonged to which discussion space originally belonged to, and what other relevance opinions it belonged to, was directly obtained. Cannot be expressed.

As described above, in the method according to the related art based on the information retrieval, it is possible to determine how the retrieved opinion was described in the original discussion space and what other opinions were present. It is difficult to trace again. In discussions, the place where a certain opinion is issued and the process of reaching that opinion are important. As with these conventional technologies, collecting only opinions that match the user's intentions and interests, as in these conventional technologies, is not enough. It is not enough to grasp the current situation and track the transition.

[0015] The third method for dealing with the first problem can only handle preparation of a discussion on a single electronic document, and cannot evaluate a plurality of discussion spaces as a whole. Also,
The method of addressing the second issue relies solely on the operational skills that will lead to discussions on the subject of the discussion, and the content of the discussion will not necessarily be in the spirit of the discussion space, both now and in the future. There is no guarantee that they will match. In the case of a network news system or a groupware product, the logical position of the discussion space (for example, the name of a newsgroup or the name of a discussion database) is clear, but it can be found on the World Wide Web. In the case of a discussion space, there are countless discussion spaces distributed all over the world, and in the first place, it is difficult to find a discussion space having a subject desired by a user.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and has as its object to provide a user with an automatic status grasp and transition tracking function for the entire discussion space scattered in a wide-area distributed environment. As described above, an important point in grasping the present situation and tracking the transition in the discussion is that the place where the opinion was given and the circumstances so far can be reflected in the grasp of the current state and the tracking of the transition. The object of the present invention particularly includes achievement of this object as an important item. In addition, beyond the current status grasp and transition tracking function according to the user's individual interests and intentions, reflecting the overall trend of the user in the current situation grasp and transition tracking also grasps the current situation of discussions that have not yet been opinionated. It is to be. It is an object of the present invention to provide the user with such a more advanced status grasping and transition tracking function.

[0017]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is based on a mechanism for extracting a relevant part of a discussion based on a search formula for searching a discussion space, and further, from a user. By receiving an input from the user, the extraction result is visualized, and an interface that enables the user to follow the debate from the visualized result is provided, thereby providing a function for grasping and tracking the current state of the debate. At this time, rather than simply collecting relevance opinions, by extracting relevance opinions with a structure divided for each discussion, it is important to understand the current situation in the Be able to reflect the details on the current situation and tracking of changes.

In the electronic discussion support apparatus according to the first aspect,
Unique structure that describes the search formulas for the discussion space (discussion management data and electronic documents that express the opinions organized by the discussion management data) from multiple discussion spaces that match the search formula The electronic document extraction function unit extracts as a search result having "." This search result,
It is obtained as a set of a plurality of search result management data, which is a group of data in which a group of matching opinions is divided and aggregated for each discussion space to which the opinion belongs. As a result, it is possible to obtain a search result in a form in which a certain relevance opinion is described in which discussion space and in which other relevance opinion exists in the discussion space.

In the electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 2,
It has user interface means. Thus, the user can input the search formula according to his / her interest and intention, search the discussion space, and receive the display of the search result. In the electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 2, the electronic discussion support apparatus is configured in a client-server format.
The interface means is configured by a client device, and the electronic document extraction function unit is configured by a server device.

In the electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 4,
In particular, when there are a plurality of electronic document extraction function units, a search cooperation unit is provided which operates in cooperation with each of the electronic document extraction function units and relays a search expression between the plurality of electronic document extraction function units. User interface means has a function of receiving search results from a plurality of electronic document extraction function units and displaying the search results. As a result, even in a discussion space that is dispersed in a wide area environment, it is possible to thoroughly search and grasp the current situation.

In the electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 5,
A search formula storage unit for permanently storing a search formula; further, an electronic document extraction function unit repeats a search based on the search formula in the search formula storage unit. The display is repeated according to the repetition of the search of the extraction function unit. This allows the user to track the change of the discussion space that suits his or her interests and the matching part within them over time, without any effort.

In the electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 6,
The user interface means receives an input of an evaluation function for evaluating the search result, and displays the search result based on the result evaluated by the evaluation function. This allows the user to more analytically view the search results, and to more accurately grasp the current situation based on the results.

In the electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 7,
When the search results of multiple users in use are examined and a set of discussion spaces with high similarity is extracted in common by many users, the set of discussion spaces with high similarity is related. A discussion-related generating means for judging that there is, and notifying each user interface means as a result of the judgment with such a set of discussion spaces; and further comprising a related discussion space notified by the discussion-related generating means. A display indicating the relevance between the discussion spaces is performed based on the result of the judgment. As a result, the overall trend of the user can be reflected in the grasp of the current state of the discussion space, and the present state can be grasped from a new viewpoint of “location of the entire interest” that transcends the individual interest of the user.

In the electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 8,
The user interface means displays the search results as a character string or a graphic, and displays the search results in a form prioritized by the evaluation function. Accordingly, the user can easily understand the search results visually and in the order of importance.

[0025] In the electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 9,
The user interface means displays the search result in a multi-dimensional graph constituted by the axis of the value of the evaluation function by positioning the search result by a character string or a graphic. Thereby, the user can grasp the search result visually easily and more analytically.

[0026] In the electronic discussion support apparatus according to the tenth aspect, the user interface means receives a user operation on the display expressing the search result and displays a list of matching opinions corresponding to the search result. This allows the user to grasp not only information on where the discussion space is suitable, but also what type of appropriate opinion exists in the discussion space.

[0027] In the electronic discussion support apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, the user interface means receives a user operation on a display expressing the search result, and the user interface means matches the search result in the discussion space corresponding to the search result. The opinion is distinguished and displayed. This allows the user to not only know information about where the discussion space fits and what relevance opinion exists in the discussion space, but also based on what background the relevance opinion is based on It is possible to grasp whether or not a statement has been made.

In the electronic discussion support apparatus according to the twelfth aspect, the user interface means receives an operation of the user on the display expressing the opinion and displays an electronic document describing the content of the opinion. This allows the user to
It is possible to smoothly transition from grasping the current state of the discussion and tracking the transition to grasping the content of the opinion, and thus easily grasp the current state of the discussion and track the transition.

[0029]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an electronic discussion support apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Each of the embodiments described below is a World Wide Web (WWW), which is one of world-wide environments that handle hypertext data.
b) Using technology, HTML (HyperText Markup Languag
e) As a device that cooperates with an electronic discussion support system in a network environment in which a plurality of databases storing electronic documents in various formats, including electronic documents written in various formats, are widely distributed. It is an application of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a configuration and an example of a use form of the electronic discussion support apparatus according to the first embodiment. As illustrated, the electronic discussion support device according to the present embodiment includes:
A plurality of WWW servers 1, electronic document storage means 2 connected to each WWW server 1, and a plurality of database management systems (hereinafter referred to as DBMS)
3. An electronic document storage unit 4 connected to each DBMS 3 is connected by a network 5 and is present in a network environment where electronic documents can be stored in a distributed manner. In addition, the WWW server 1 cooperates with a database management system gateway (hereinafter, referred to as a DBMS gateway) 6 connected to the WWW server 1 so that the electronic document under the control of the DBMS 3 can be changed to a normal Web document. Can be treated similarly.

A plurality of discussion view clients 10 and a plurality of discussion view servers 20 are connected to the network 5, and the discussion view server 20 and the discussion view client 10 are the main components of the electronic discussion support device of the present invention. Components. Each discussion view client 10 is provided with a WWW browser 11, and a user uses a user interface provided through each WWW browser 11 to use such a network system. These facilities are not special at all, and are generally widely used technologies. The present embodiment is built on these existing technologies for effective use of existing assets. Needless to say, in realizing the present embodiment, these maintenances are not essentially essential, and may be replaced by another technology having the same function.

Each discussion view client 10 is provided with a discussion execution means 12, which operates in cooperation with the corresponding WWW browser 11 to provide a user with a discussion space. To provide access to and access to opinions and additional services. This part can also be easily realized by using some kind of electronic conference system implemented on the ordinary WWW technology.

The discussion view server 20 is connected to the network 5
A discussion view is generated for the electronic document group and the discussion space that are distributed and stored above, and provided to the user.
To realize this function, discussion space search control means 2
1. It has a search status storage means 22, a discussion space search means 23, and a search cooperation means 24. Discussion space search control means 2
1 and the discussion space search means 23 constitute an electronic document extraction function unit, the search status storage means 22 constitutes a search formula storage means, and the search cooperation means 24 constitutes an electronic document extraction function unit. It constitutes a document extraction linking means.
The detailed configuration of each of these parts will be described later. In addition,
Each of the discussion view servers 20 includes the WWW server 1 and the DBMS.
3 has a unique management target range. In other words, one discussion view server 20 does not process all electronic documents on the network 5, but a plurality of discussion view servers 20 cooperate and share the electronic documents on the network 5.

The discussion view client 10 is combined with the discussion execution means 12 and the WWW browser 11 to
It provides a user with an interactive interface, and operates in cooperation with a normal WWW browser 11 so that the WWW browser 11 acts as a contact point for actual communication with the user. The discussion view client 10 has a discussion perspective view related UI unit 13 as a discussion view front end, a perspective view construction unit 14 as a discussion view construction unit, and a discussion space search request generation unit 15. The detailed configuration of each of these parts will be described later. In the present embodiment, the discussion view server 20 and the discussion view client 10 are realized as a program executed by a computer, but their overall configuration or a partial configuration may be realized by some hardware.

"Structure of Discussion Space in First Embodiment" The concept of the logical structure of the discussion space in the present embodiment is shown in FIG. The discussion space is a management unit in which zero or more opinions that can be associated are grouped together, and the discussion space can add an association between a plurality of discussion spaces. The discussion space is realized as an electronic file having a special data structure on a database (electronic document storage means 2, 4 managed by the WWW server 1 or the DBMS 3), and the details of the data structure will be described later.

An opinion is a reference to an electronic document existing on the network 5. In this discussion support apparatus, a user creates an opinion in a discussion in the form of an electronic document, and stores it in an electronic document storage unit on the network 5. Opinion will be expressed by storing it in 2, 4. The storage location of the electronic document serving as an opinion does not necessarily need to exist in the electronic document storage units 2 and 4 where the discussion space in which the opinion is stated exists, and may be anywhere. In the present embodiment, the position of the entity of the opinion is a UR commonly used in WWW technology.
Expressed using L (Uniform Resource Locator). Arbitrary attribute information can be added to each of the discussion space and the opinion, and this will be described in detail later in the data structure of the discussion space.

"Concept of Discussion View in First Embodiment" Before describing the detailed operation of the present embodiment, the concept of the discussion view in the present embodiment will be described.
As described above, the present invention provides a user with a service for grasping the current state of the discussion space and tracking the situation in the future. FIG. 3 shows a conceptual configuration of such a service in the present embodiment.

On the user side, with respect to the discussion space, a search expression (query1, qu, que) based on the attribute of interest is provided.
erry2,...) and sends them to the discussion view server 20. The details of the structure of the search expression will be described later. The discussion view server 20 uses the search formula received from the user to search the discussion space that is the management target range of each discussion view server 20, and specifies and specifies the portion of the discussion space that matches the search formula. The discussion space of the part is returned to the user as a search result with a specific structure described in the basic configuration. This specific data structure is hereinafter referred to as a partial discussion space. The search formula is stored in the search status storage unit 22 of the discussion view server 20 unless instructed by the user.
, And are re-searched from time to time to provide search results to the user. Through such processing, the user can track and confirm the transition of the entire discussion space.
Note that the discussion view server 20 copies the search formula received from the user to another discussion view server 20, so that a plurality of discussion view servers 20 distributed on the network 5 operate in a distributed and cooperative manner. The search results are individually provided to the user from each discussion view server 20.

The user can use this search result to grasp the current state of the entire discussion space. As shown in FIG. 3, for example, a display entitled "Discussion Perspective for query1" is displayed on the user interface. Output from
In the debate perspective view, an icon representing a partial debate space that matches the search formula of each debate space is shown. In addition,
The same applies to the display entitled "Discussion Perspective Diagram for query2". Furthermore, the area (icon) representing the partial discussion space is also an entrance to the partial discussion space and the discussion space. For example, when the pointer is moved to the icon representing the partial discussion space in the figure and the mouse button is clicked. Through a cooperative operation with the discussion executing means 12, a partial discussion space corresponding to this icon is displayed to constitute a user interface. Details of an example of implementation and functions of this interface will be described later. Note that the specific form (shape, color, etc.) of the function as an entrance to the partial discussion space or the discussion space depends on various user interface policies and designs. Do not specify.

[Definition of Discussion Space] Here, as a preparation for defining the meaning of the discussion search formula in the present embodiment, a formal definition of the discussion space will be described. This is one of the formalizations of the discussion space in ordinary electronic discussion systems. The discussion space d is d = <idd, Pd, Rd, A
d> and is composed of four terms. The discussion space d corresponds to the discussion management data in the basic configuration. Here, idd is the discussion space ID of the discussion space d
Where id∈ is a set of discussion space IDs (the set of discussion space IDs is a set of all ID numbers that can be taken as ID numbers of the discussion space). This is a kind of attribute of the discussion space, which will be described below, but is separately described in consideration of convenience of processing and notation.

Pd is an attribute set of the discussion space d, and Pd =
{<N, v> | n} set of arbitrary character strings, v {set of arbitrary character strings {set of real numbers}}.
This is a set of pairs <n, v> consisting of an attribute name n composed of an arbitrary character string and a value v of the attribute. Rd is a related set of the discussion space d, and Rd = {<id, v> | id}
It is a set of the form of a set of discussion space IDs, v {set of arbitrary character strings}. This is a set of a pair <id, v> of an ID number id of the discussion space to which the discussion space d relates and a character string v representing the type of association.

Ad is an opinion set Ad = {a1,..., An} consisting of opinions ai belonging to the discussion space d. Opinion a
Is defined as a = <ida, Pa, Ra, Ba>, and is composed of the following four items. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the attribute information of the opinion, the related information to the other opinion, and the electronic document representing the text of the opinion are associated in this manner. You can take any method. Here, ida is the opinion ID of opinion a, and ida @
It is a set of opinion IDs.
D is a set of all ID numbers that can be taken as D).

Pa is an attribute set of opinion a, and Pa =
{<N, v> | n} set of arbitrary character strings, v {set of arbitrary character strings {set of real numbers}}.
This is a set of pairs <n, v> consisting of an attribute landmark n composed of an arbitrary character string and a value v of the attribute. Ra is opinion a
And a set of the form Ra = {<id, v> | id {set of opinion ID, v} set of arbitrary character strings}. This is a set of pairs <id, v> of the ID number id of the opinion to which the opinion a is related and the character string v representing the type of association. Ba is an opinion text, and any specific form of Ba may be used formally. In the system used by the present embodiment, Ba is a URL pointing to the electronic document of the entity of the opinion as described later.

"Data Structure of Discussion Space" FIGS. 4, 5, 6, and 7 show the data structure of the discussion space. This data structure is an example of an expression for the formal definition of the discussion space described above. is there. These data structures are stored in one of the electronic document storage means 2 and 4 in the form of an electronic file, and are managed by the corresponding specific discussion view server 20. The "discussion space management table" having the structure shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 is the highest data structure handled by the discussion view server 20, and each row of this discussion space management table represents one discussion space. The discussion space management table includes “discussion space ID”, “attribute list”,
It consists of four sets of "related list" and "opinion list", which are the formal definitions of "discussion space ID", "attribute set (of discussion space)", and "(of discussion space), respectively". Related set "and" opinion set ".

The “discussion space ID” is an identification number of the discussion space uniquely determined on the network 5. There are various methods for generating a unique number on such a network, but in the present embodiment, the unique number is generated using a host name and a random number value. Of course, other methods may be used. The “attribute list” is a reference indicating a list composed of pairs of attribute names and their attributes related to each discussion space, as exemplified in FIG. 4, and the “attribute list” includes an arbitrary attribute name and its attribute. Attribute values can be added.

As shown in FIG. 5, the “related list” is a discussion space ID of another discussion space related to each discussion space.
And a reference indicating a list composed of a pair of the discussion type and its related type. The "related list" can include any other discussion space related to a certain discussion space and its related contents. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the "opinion list" is a referrer indicating an "opinion table", which is a table for managing opinions issued in each discussion space.

FIGS. 6 and 7 exemplify the "opinion management table", and each line of the "opinion management table" corresponds to one opinion. As shown in the figure, the opinions are “opinion ID”, “attribute list”, “related list”,
It is composed of four sets of "opinion references", which are the formal definitions of "opinion ID" and "(opinion)", respectively.
They correspond to “attribute set”, “related set (of opinion)”, and “opinion text”.

The "opinion ID" is an identification number of an opinion uniquely determined on the network 5. There are various methods for generating a unique number on such a network, but in the present embodiment, the unique number is generated using a host name and a random number value. Of course, other methods may be used. The “attribute list” is a referrer indicating a list composed of pairs of attribute names and their attributes related to each opinion, as shown in FIG. 6, and an “attribute list” includes an arbitrary attribute name and its attribute. Can be priced.

As shown in FIG. 7, the "related list" is a referrer indicating a list composed of pairs of opinion IDs and related types of other opinions related to each opinion. Can attach any other discussion space related to one discussion space and its related content. An “opinion reference” is an indicator that indicates the position of the entity of an electronic document that is an opinion, and a URL is used in this embodiment. Thereby, the electronic document on the electronic document storage means 2 managed through the WWW server 1 and the DBMS gateway 6 operating in conjunction with the WWW server is designated.

In the present embodiment, the logical structure of the discussion space shown in FIG. 2 is represented by the above-described data structure. Since the generation and maintenance of such a data structure is out of the scope of the present invention, the description of the generation and maintenance of such a data structure is omitted. That is, the gist of the present invention lies in how to provide a service for providing a discussion perspective diagram for a data structure generated and maintained in such a structure.

[Structure of Discussion Space Search Formula] In the present embodiment, the discussion space search formula has the following structure. Discussion search formula :: = Discussion search formula | Discussion search formula, Discussion search formula Discussion search formula :: = All discussion search formula: | Partial discussion search formula | All discussion search formula: Partial discussion search formula All discussion search formula :: = All discussion search item | All discussion search formula + All discussion search item | All discussion search formula # All discussion search item All discussion search item ::: All discussion search factor | All discussion search item * All discussion search factor All discussion search factor: : = (All discussion search formula) | All discussion search predicate All discussion search predicate :: = dspace-attrib (attribute name: [lower limit, upper limit]) | dspace-attrib (attribute name: ｛attribute value 1, ... ·, Attribute value n｝) | despace-ref ({relation type 1, ..., relation type n})

Partial discussion search formula :: = partial discussion search term | partial discussion search formula + partial discussion search term partial discussion search equation # partial discussion search term partial discussion search term :: = partial discussion search factor | partial discussion search term * Partial discussion search factor Partial discussion search factor :: = (partial discussion search formula) | Partial discussion search predicate Partial discussion search predicate :: = article-attrib (attribute name: [lower limit, upper limit]) | article-attrib (attribute Name: {attribute value 1, ..., attribute value n}) | article-ref ({relation type 1, ..., relation type n}) | article-body (keyword) attribute name :: = any character Element of a set of columns Attribute value :: = Element of a set of arbitrary character strings | Element of a set of constants Upper limit :: = Constant | System constant Lower limit :: = Constant | System constant Related type :: = Any Element of a set of character strings Keyword :: = Element of a set of arbitrary character strings

The above description expresses the grammar of the retrieval formula for the discussion space in the present embodiment. For example, dispace-attrib (total opinion, [0,1000]): article-attrib
(Speaker, {A, B}), article-attrib (speaker, {hei,
丁}) is a search expression. The meanings of the partial discussion search predicate and the full discussion search predicate are defined as follows.

Article-attrib (opinion attribute name: [lower limit value, upper limit value]) = {<iddi, Pdi, Rdi, {aj | aj} Adi, <n ', v>} Paj, n' = n, l <= V <= h｝> | di {D} where n = name of opinion attribute, l = lower limit, h = upper limit, D
= Discussion view is a set of all discussion spaces under the management of the server. This represents "a set of discussion spaces having an opinion set in which only opinions whose attribute value indicated by the opinion attribute name n is between the lower limit and the upper limit are extracted." For example, it can be used for a purpose of extracting only an opinion at a certain time from a certain time at a utterance time. The upper limit and the lower limit can take any real values, and special constants prepared by the system can be used. For example, various constants such as a constant indicating the current time and a constant indicating the time n hours before the current time can be used. Note that a discussion space having an opinion set obtained by cutting out an opinion set having a certain property is called a "partial discussion space".

Article-attrib (opinion attribute name: {attribute value 1,..., Attribute value m}) = {<iddi, Pdi, Rdi, {aj | aj} Adi, <n ′, v>} Paj, n '= n, v {V}> | di {D} where n = opinion attribute name, V = {attribute value 1,..., attribute value m}, D = discussion All discussions under view server management It is a set of spaces. This is because "a discussion space having an opinion set in which only the opinion whose attribute value indicated by the opinion attribute name n is an element of the attribute value set {attribute value 1,..., Attribute value m} is extracted. Set ". For example, it can be used for the purpose of extracting only the opinion that the speaker is this person or that person.

Article-ref ({related type 1,..., Related type m}) = {<iddi, Pdi, Rdi, {aj | aj} Adi, <id, v> {Raj, v {V}> | Di {D} where V = {related type 1,..., Related type m}, D = discussion set of all discussion spaces managed by the view server.
This is because the relation type is {relation type 1,..., Relation type m}.
A set of discussion spaces having a set of opinions that extracts only the opinions that are the elements of "". For example, it can be used for the purpose of extracting only the opinions whose relations are “question” and “reply”.

Article-body (keyword) = {<iddi, Pdi, Rdi, {aj | aj} Adi, Baj contains k}> | di {D} where k = keyword, D = under discussion view server management Is a set of all the discussion spaces in. This represents "a set of discussion spaces having an opinion set in which only opinions containing keywords in the opinion text" are extracted.

Dspace-attib (discussion space attribute name: [lower limit value, upper limit value]) = {di | di {D, <n ′, v> {Pdi, n ′ = n, l ≦ v ≦ h} Here, n = discussion space attribute name, l = lower limit value, h = upper limit value, D = set of all discussion spaces managed by the discussion view server. This represents "a set of discussion spaces in which the value of the attribute value indicated by the discussion space attribute name n is between the lower limit and the upper limit." For example, it can be used for the purpose of extracting only opinions at a certain time from a certain time at a discussion start time. Note that the upper limit and the lower limit can take arbitrary real values, and special constants prepared by the system can be used. For example, various constants such as a constant indicating the current time and a constant indicating the time n hours before the current time can be used.

Dspace-attrib (discussion space attribute name: {attribute value 1,..., Attribute value m}) = {di | di {D, <n ', v> {Pdi, n' = n, v} V} where n = discussion space attribute name, V = {attribute value 1,...
·, Attribute value m｝, D = Discussion View is a set of all discussion spaces under the management of the server. This represents “a set of discussion spaces in which the attribute value indicated by the discussion space attribute name n is an element of the set of attribute values {attribute value 1,..., Attribute value m}”. For example, it can be used to extract only the discussion space whose organizer is this person or that person.

Dspace-ref ({association type 1,..., Association type m}) = {di | di {D, <id, v> {Rdi, v} V}, where V = {association type 1, .., Association type m｝, D = discussion set of all discussion spaces under view server management.
This is because the relation type is {relation type 1,..., Relation type m}.
A set of discussion spaces that are elements of "". For example, it can be used for the purpose of extracting only the discussion space whose association is “lower discussion”.

The meanings of logical sum (+), logical product (*), and logical difference (#) are defined as follows. D1 * D2 = {<iddi, Pdi, Rdi, Adi {Adj} | di {D1, dj} D2, iddi = iddj}, which is a set of discussion spaces D1, D2, as shown in FIG.
This is an operation for generating a new set of discussion spaces in the form of leaving only the opinions commonly included in both discussion spaces with only the discussion space having the same ID included in both.

D1 + D2 = {<iddi, Pdi, Rdi, Adi∪Adj> | di∈D1, dj∈D2, iddi, = iddj｝ ∪ ｛di | di∈D1, dj∈D2, iddi ≠ iddj｝ ∪ ｛ dj | di {D1, dj {D2, iddi {iddj}, as shown in FIG. 9, this is a set of discussion spaces D1, D2
For the discussion space with the same ID that is included in both, a new set of discussion spaces that combines the opinions that are included in both, and furthermore, the discussion space that is included in only one of them This is an operation to generate a set of discussion space that combines sets.

D1 # D2 = {<iddi, Pdi, Rdi, Adi＼Adj> | di∈D1, dj∈D2, iddi = iddj｝ ∪ ｛di | di∈D1, dj∈D2, iddi ≠ iddj｝, Are the sets D1 and D of the discussion space, as shown in FIG.
A new discussion space set in which the opinion included in D2 is deleted from the opinion included in D1 with respect to the discussion space having the same ID included in both of the two, and
This is an operation for generating a set of discussion spaces in which the sets of discussion spaces included only in D1 are combined.

Further, a qualifier (:) and a connector (,)
Is defined as follows. D1: D2 is D1 * D
2, whereby the set D2 of the discussion space can be limited by the logical product with D1. D1 and D2 are D1
+ D2, so that the discussion space sets D1 and D2
Can be combined by OR.

[Structure of Discussion Space Search Request] The structure of the above discussion space search request (query) is shown in FIG. 11 and FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. A typical discussion space search request is shown in Figure 1.
1, and includes a search request ID, a processing result return destination, a search request propagation path, a search request type, and a search expression. The search request ID is an identification number of a search request uniquely determined on the network 5, and can be generated using a host name, time, or a random number. The processing result return destination is a target to which the discussion view server 20 sends a discussion view (discussion perspective view), and indicates the discussion view client 10 that has transmitted the discussion space search request. This processing result return destination information can be uniquely determined on the network 5 using the host name, the port number, and the like.

The search request propagation path is a delivery history when a discussion space search request is distributed among a plurality of discussion view servers 20, and is a list including the host names of the discussion view servers 20 through which the discussion space search request has passed. It is. The search request type is information indicating the type of processing, and stores a symbol indicating “search” in the normal discussion space search request shown in FIG. The search expression stores the above discussion space search expression itself.

The discussion space search request shown in FIG. 12 is a special discussion space search request for canceling a previously requested discussion space search request. The search request ID, the processing result return destination, and the search request propagation path are usually This is the same as the discussion space search request. Search request type is "cancel" for cancellation of discussion space search
Is stored. In the cancellation of the discussion space search, a search request ID to be canceled is added instead of the search formula, and the discussion space search request to be canceled is specified by this ID information.

[Operation of Discussion View Server] The discussion view server 20 in this embodiment operates as follows.
FIG. 13 shows P representing the operation of the discussion space search control means 21.
It is an AD diagram. The discussion space search control means 21 receives a discussion space search request via the network 5, and performs registration or cancellation processing of the search request according to the type of the request. Further, the discussion space search control unit 21 passes the search request to the search cooperation unit 24 and sends the search request to another discussion view server 20.
It also performs processing such as coordination with, and the creation of a new dedicated thread for periodically performing a search in response to a search request.

That is, as shown in FIG. 13, at the start of the execution, the discussion space search control means 21 executes a procedure "discussion space search control", and this procedure is executed at step s1.
At -001, an infinite loop for event processing is immediately entered. In this loop, event e is acquired in step s1-002. If the acquired event e is "arrival of a new search request", that is, if the discussion space search control unit 21 receives the search request, step s1-0.
From 03, the process branches to a series of processes from step s1-004.

In step s1-004, the received search request r is extracted, and in step s1-005, it is determined whether or not the search request r has already been registered in the search status storage unit 22. The determination is made using the ID. If the search request r has not been registered in the search status storage means 22, the process proceeds to s1-006 and later. In step s1-006, the search request r is registered in the search status storage means 22, and The search status corresponding to the search request r is initialized. The search status will be described later.

Then, steps s1-007, s1-0
At 08, the search request ID of the search request r is extracted,
Further, a “search control thread” using the ID as an identification number is newly generated. In this process, a thread for performing a process described in a procedure “search control thread” to be described later is formed (the process by this thread is a process that is executed in parallel independently of other processes). Further, in step s1-009, by passing the search request r to the search linking means 24, a plurality of discussion view servers 20
To perform a cooperative operation between them. The operation of the search cooperation means 24 will be described later.

On the other hand, if the acquired event e is "arrival of search cancellation request", that is, if the discussion space search control means 21 receives the search cancellation request, the process branches from step s1-010 to the processes after step s1-101. . In step s1-011, the received search cancellation request r is extracted, and in step s1-012, the search request ID to be canceled is extracted from the search cancellation request r into a variable id. In step s1-113, it is determined whether or not the search status corresponding to the search request ID exists in the search status storage unit 22. If the search status exists, the process proceeds from step s1-013 to step s1-014 and subsequent steps. The process branches to steps s1-014 and s1-015, where the search status corresponding to id is deleted from the search status storage means 22, and the search control thread corresponding to id is deleted. Step s
In step 1-016, the search cancel request r is passed to the search linking unit 24 to cause the discussion view servers 20 to perform a link operation. The operation of the search cooperation means 24 will be described later.

FIG. 14 shows the processing contents of the "search control thread" procedure described above. This search control thread is generated with a variable id and a search request ID. First, in step s2-001, a search expression q is extracted from the search request corresponding to id by the search status storage unit 22, and in step s2-002, the search status storage unit 2 is extracted.
The processing result return destination b is extracted from the search request corresponding to id from Step 2, and an infinite loop for search control is entered in Step s2-003. In the loop, after waiting for a certain period of time (step s2-004), the discussion space search means 23 is used to perform a discussion space search using the search formula q to obtain a search result a (step s2-005). The search status is updated on the status storage means 22 (step s2-006),
The search result a is returned to the processing result return destination b (s2-00).
7) is repeated.

FIG. 15 shows the data structure of the information stored in the search status storage means 22. The search status storage means 22 stores a list structure based on a pair of a search request and a search result corresponding to the search request, as shown in FIG. The situation. In the search request, the discussion space search request itself is stored, and in the search result, only a portion of the entire discussion space that satisfies the search request is stored in the same data structure as the discussion space. The search result returned to the reply destination is such that data in this form is transmitted to the reply destination using appropriate encoding.

FIG. 16 is a PAD diagram representing the operation of the discussion space search means 23. This procedure "discussion space search" is called by the search control thread with a search expression q. First, in step s3-001, it is determined whether or not the search expression q is grammatically correct. This can be done in light of the grammar rules of the search formula described above. And
If not correct, in step s3-002,
Returns an error and terminates this procedure. On the other hand, if it is correct, in step s3-003, the variable a for storing the search result is linked to the empty list, and
Pointer d pointing to the row of the discussion space management table in 4.
p is initialized to point to the head of the discussion space management table.

Then, in step s3-005, a loop for scanning the rows of the discussion space management table from the beginning to the end is entered, and in step s3-006, the discussion space management table indicated by the pointer dp conforms to the retrieval formula q. It is determined whether or not. For this determination, the pointer d
Each attribute value of the “attribute list” linked to the row of the discussion space management table pointed to by p, and the “related list”
And the all-discussion search formula specified on the left side of the qualifier “:” appearing in q. If the row of the discussion space management table indicated by dp matches at least one of the discussion search expressions appearing in the search expression q, this discussion space is determined to be suitable. However, if the lvalue of the qualifier ":" is empty, it always matches. The determination of a match in the entire discussion space search formula is made based on the meaning of the above discussion space search formula. That is, the determination is made based on the match between the attribute value and the related type value that each of all the discussion search predicates means, and the meaning of the logical operation between those predicates.

If the discussion space indicated by dp is suitable,
The process branches to step s3-007. Steps
In step 3-007, a reconstructed search expression q is substituted for the variable q0 in such a manner that only the discussion search term that matches the row of the discussion space management table indicated by dp is extracted. Step s3
In -008, a new empty list is generated, and this is stored in the variable a0.
Tie to. Next, in step s3-009, a pointer indicating the head of the opinion management table linked to the row of the discussion space management table indicated by the variable dp is substituted for the variable ap.

Then, in step s3-010, a loop for scanning the lines of the opinion management table from the beginning to the end is entered. In step s3-101, the opinion management table indicated by ap or the opinion text traceable from the opinion management table is searched for. It is determined whether q is satisfied. In this determination, each attribute value of the “attribute list” and the value of the related type of the “related list” and the opinion text linked to the row of the opinion management table pointed to by the pointer ap, and each discussion search of the search expression q0 The partial discussion search formula specified on the right side of the qualifier ":" that appears in the term is used. The line of the opinion management table pointed to by ap and the opinion text that can be traced from now on
If even one of the partial discussion search expressions appearing in the search expression q0 matches, this opinion is determined to be suitable. However,
If the right-hand side of the qualifier ":" is empty, it always matches. The determination of a match in the partial discussion space search formula is made based on the meaning of the above discussion space search formula. That is, the determination is made based on the match between the attribute value, the related type value, and the keyword that each partial discussion search predicate means, and the meaning of the logical operation between those predicates.

If the opinion pointed by ap matches, the processing branches to step s3-012, and the list a
A line of the opinion table pointed to by ap is added to the end of 0.
In step s3-013, the pointer ap indicating the line of the opinion management table is advanced, and the process returns to the beginning of the loop s3-010. This loop ends when the end of the opinion management table is reached, and the process branches to step s3-014. In step s3-014, if a0 is not an empty list, that is, if some suitable opinion is found, the process branches to step s3-015 to construct a search result. In step s3-015, the variable al is set to d.
The row of the discussion space management table pointed to by p is copied and linked. Further, in step s3-016, the opinion list of the variable al is connected to the variable a0 which is a list of matching opinions. As a result, an opinion list a consisting of only conforming opinions
A row al of a new discussion space management table, which represents a discussion space having 0 as an opinion list, is configured. Then, in step s3-017, the row al of the new discussion space management table is added to the search result a.

In step s3-019, the pointer dp pointing to the row of the discussion space management table is advanced, and the process returns to the beginning of the loop s3-005. This loop ends when the end of the discussion space management table is reached, and the step s
At 3-019, the result a is returned. As described above, the search result in the present example has a form in which a suitable opinion group is extracted for each suitable discussion space and linked to a list.

FIG. 17 is a PAD diagram showing the operation of the search cooperation means 24. The search cooperation control procedure in this figure is called by the discussion space search control means with a search request r. First, in step s4-001,
The search request propagation path length of the search request r is equal to or less than a predetermined length (hop number limit: this is predetermined for each discussion view server), and the host name is included in the search request propagation path length. If not included, step s4-0
The process branches after 02 to perform the processing. This condition judgment
The purpose is to prevent a search request from being circulated on the network 5 without ever disappearing.

In step s4-002, the host is added to the search request propagation path field of the search request r, and a new search request r 'is obtained. Then, step s4-00
3. In s4-004, the search request r 'is transferred to each of the predetermined transfer destination hosts (this is predetermined for each discussion view server). The partner receiving the search request r 'is the discussion space search control means of the partner host d.

[Operation of Discussion View Client] As shown in FIG. 1, in the electronic discussion support apparatus of this embodiment,
The discussion view client 10 operates in cooperation with the WWW browser 11 and the discussion executing means 12. The discussion executing means 12 is a mechanism for reading an opinion in the discussion space and placing a new opinion in the discussion space, and is a part of the infrastructure of the electronic conference system to which the present invention is applied. It is.

FIG. 18 shows an example of the user interface viewed from the WWW browser 11 in the present embodiment, and F1 and F2 in FIG.
F3 is a user interface controlled by the discussion view client 10. In the state shown in FIG. 18, the entrance to the current partial discussion space that matches the "search expression" is displayed in the display area F3 with the icons "discussion space A", "discussion space B", and "discussion space C". The “discussion space A” is selected by the user, and the display area F2 displays a discussion space including the partial discussion space selected in the display area F3. In the display of the display area F2, a portion indicated by a dotted line is an opinion that is not included in the partial discussion space of the search result in the opinion of the discussion space, and a portion indicated by a solid line is the opinion of the search result. It is an opinion included in the partial discussion space. This display area F
The display of No. 2 is generated by the discussion executing means 12 by comparing the opinion included in the partial discussion space of the search result passed from the discussion view client 10 with all the opinions in the original discussion space of the partial discussion space. ing. Further, in the state shown in FIG. 18, the opinion shaded in the display area F2 is selected by the user, and the content of the opinion is displayed in the display area F2.
1 is displayed.

The discussion view client 10 cooperates with the WWW browser 11 and the discussion execution means 12, and when a user inputs a predetermined action such as double-clicking a partial discussion space icon in the display area F3, the discussion view client 10 is displayed. It is possible to instruct the WWW browser 11 and the discussion executing means 12 to display the discussion space and the partial discussion space corresponding to the entrance in the display area F2 as shown in FIG. Also, a plurality of “search expressions” can be provided, and as shown in FIG. 19, a plurality of search expressions can be displayed by a pop-up list PL and selected from them. It should be noted that what is not currently displayed in the area of F3 is always kept and updated internally.

FIG. 20 is a PAD diagram showing the operation of the discussion perspective view related UI means 13. First, step s5-001
Enters an infinite loop waiting for an event, and proceeds to step s5-
At 002, the process waits for an event and substitutes the event for the result e. The event is triggered by W
It occurs from the WW browser 11 or when a search result is provided from the discussion view server 20 via the network 5.

Next, in step s5-003,
If the event e is a request to access the partial discussion space, the process branches to step s5-004. This event occurs when the user performs a predetermined action such as double-clicking the entrance of the partial discussion space on the display area F3 shown in FIG. In this case, in step s5-004, the partial discussion space specified by the user's action is specified, and further, in step s5-004.
In 005, a partial discussion space is displayed on the discussion execution means 12. As a result, the corresponding partial discussion space is displayed on the display area F2 shown in FIG. This allows the user to have quick access to the part of the discussion that suits his or her interests.

On the other hand, in step s5-006, if the event e is a request to change the display discussion perspective, the process proceeds to step s5-007. This event occurs when the user changes the “search formula” selected on the pop-up list PL as shown in FIG.
In this case, in step s5-007, the search request ID for the selected “search formula” is extracted as a variable id. Here, the discussion view client 10 holds all the discussion space search formulas designated by the user from the time of startup and the search results (discussion views). A key for identifying a plurality of search expressions and search results is based on a search request ID generated when a search request is issued. Then, in step s5-008, a corresponding search result v {id} is extracted from the search request ID, and is displayed again in s5-008. Note that v {id} is the search request I
This is an associative array variable that stores a search result using the D number as a key.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step s5-009 that the event e is a discussion view update request, the process proceeds to step s5-010. This event occurs when the perspective view construction means 14 receives the search result. In this case, in step s5-010, step s5
The search request ID is taken out in the same manner as in -007, and step s
In 5-011, the search request ID and the search result are stored in combination. Further, Steps s5-012,
In s5-013, if the discussion perspective corresponding to the search request ID is being displayed, the display is also updated.

On the other hand, if the event e is a discussion space search / registration request in step s5-014, the process proceeds to step s5-015. This event occurs when the user enters a new search expression in the "Search Expression" field,
Occurs when the "Register" button is pressed. In this case, in step s5-015, a search expression q to be registered is acquired, and in step s5-016, the discussion space search request generation unit 15 is instructed to issue a search request for the search expression q.

On the other hand, if the event e is a request to stop the discussion view client 10 in step s5-017, the process proceeds to step s5-018. This event is sent to the WWW browser 1
1 occurs when the discussion view client 10 stops displaying or when the browser 11 itself is terminated. In this case, in step s5-018, the discussion view client 10
Is issued to issue a search cancel request for all discussion space search requests held by.

FIG. 21 is a PAD diagram showing the operation of the perspective view construction means 14. This perspective view construction means 14 monitors the network 5 and operates when a search result is returned from the discussion view server 20, and immediately enters an event waiting loop in s6-001. Then, step s6
At -002, the event e is acquired, and step s6
If the event e is a reply of the discussion space search result in -003, the operation is performed.

Then, in step s6-004,
The retrieval result a is extracted from the returned result, and based on the retrieval result a, in step s6-005, a discussion perspective view is configured and the result is substituted into v. In the present embodiment, since the discussion perspective does not have a structure, a process of merely arranging entrances to the partial discussion space in accordance with some geometry management policy is performed, but of course, other configurations may be performed. Then, in step s6-006, a request is made to the discussion perspective view related UI means 13 to update the discussion perspective view to v. As described above, this request is acquired as an event in the discussion perspective view-related UI means 13 and is updated.

FIG. 22 is a PAD diagram showing the operation of the discussion space search request generation means 15. As shown in FIG. 22A, the procedure “issue discussion space search request” is called by the discussion perspective view related UI means 13 with a search formula q. In step s7-001, for the search expression q, FIG.
A search request r is generated by adding a field as shown in FIG. 1, and in step s7-002, the search request r is transmitted to the discussion view server 20 set by the user. Also, as shown in FIG. 22 (b), the procedure “cancel issuance of all discussion space search requests” is also called from the discussion perspective view related UI means 13. Step s7-003
Then, a search cancellation request as shown in FIG. 12 is generated for all search requests held by the discussion view client 10 and transmitted to the discussion view server 20 set by the user.

[Operation Example] FIGS. 23, 24 and 25 show
An operation example according to the present embodiment is shown. It is assumed that the user's interest is in the key persons “speaker A” and “speaker B” in many discussions, and that he wants to know the trends of these persons in the last three hours. In this case, the user expresses his / her interest in a search expression, and transmits this to the discussion view server 20 using the discussion view client 10. The search expression in this case is “article-attrib (time of opinion remark, [3 hours ago, current time]) * article
−attrib (speaker, {speaker A, speaker B}) "
Becomes

FIG. 23 shows an initial state, in which a part that matches the user's interest is specified, and the user can easily access that part through the discussion perspective displayed on the user interface. . Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the user's interests are tracked over time, so that the user can easily grasp the latest situation of the debate that changes momentarily as the debate progresses without any difficulty. FIG. 24 shows a situation when a little time has passed from the state shown in FIG. 23. As the discussion progresses, the partial discussion space that matches the interest of the user changes. Further, as the time elapses, “discussion space 2”, which has not been related to the user's interest, has newly appeared as a user's interest. FIG. 25 shows a situation where a little more time has passed than the state shown in FIG. 24, and the partial discussion space that matches the user's interest has changed. According to the present invention, such a dynamically changing situation of the debate is accurately tracked without operation by the user,
You can now easily access it as needed.

Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described. The configuration of the device and the structure of the discussion space in this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment. However, the concept of the discussion perspective is slightly different and will be explained.

"Concept of Discussion View in Second Embodiment" The conceptual configuration of the service and discussion perspective in this embodiment is as shown in FIG. 26. The difference from the first embodiment is that the search is performed as a user's intention. The point is that not only the expression (query) but also the coordinate axis (axis) can be used. For this coordinate axis, for example, numerical information such as a time axis and the number of utterances, and character string information such as a utterer name and a related type can be freely set. With the introduction of coordinate axes, in the first embodiment, the discussion perspective view has no structure,
In the present embodiment, structuring can be performed along the designated coordinate axes. As a result, the position of each partial discussion space can be clarified in the discussion perspective view, and the user can more accurately grasp the current state of the discussion. In the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the discussion perspective view forming unit 14 is configured to construct a discussion perspective view based on coordinate axes, and thus is partially modified. Hereinafter, the changed portion will be described.

[Operation of Discussion View Client] FIG. 27 shows an example of a user interface viewed from the WWW browser 11 in this embodiment. Unlike the first embodiment, the interface design of the area F3 in FIG. 27 is changed. In the first embodiment, the entrance of the current partial discussion space that matches the “search expression” is represented without a structure, but in the present embodiment, the entrance icon of the partial discussion space has two coordinate axes ( Axis) is mapped on a two-dimensional graph spanned by (axis). Selecting a coordinate axis means inputting an evaluation function for evaluating a search result and mapping to the coordinate axis. Of course, the essential point of the present embodiment is that the partial discussion space as a search result can be analyzed in various ways by using some evaluation scale called a coordinate axis. Therefore, as an expression form, three-dimensional display or more multidimensional display is degenerated. Various other forms, such as the one made, may be used.

FIG. 28 is a PAD diagram expressing the operation of the discussion perspective view related UI means 13 in this embodiment. The difference of this operation from the above-described first embodiment is that the discussion perspective view re-display procedure (steps s8-008, s8-
013, s8-021) is changed so as to display the structure according to the coordinate axes. In the present embodiment, the attributes of the partial discussion space, the attributes of the opinions included in the partial discussion space, or the values evaluated by some function are simply mapped and displayed on the coordinate axes designated by the user. In the present embodiment, since the image is a two-dimensional graph, the mapped area forms a two-dimensional figure. An example of this display will be described later.

The difference from the first embodiment in FIG. 28 is that
This means that a coordinate axis change request has been added to the acceptable event e (step s8-19). This event occurs when the user changes the coordinate axis using the coordinate axis pop-up list L as shown in FIG. in this case,
The processing branches to step s8-20 and step s8-21, and the discussion perspective is re-displayed according to the new coordinate axes.

"Operation Example of Second Embodiment" FIGS. 29 and 30 show an operation example of the present embodiment. It is assumed that the user's interest wants to know the trend of discussions in the last three hours, and also wants to know how the utterance was related. In this case, the user first expresses his / her interest in a search formula, and the discussion view client 1
This is transmitted to the discussion view server 20 using 0.
In this case, the search expression is “article-attirb
(Opinion utterance time, [3 hours ago, current time]) ".
Then, the user determines the coordinate axes for displaying the discussion perspective. In FIG. 29, “utterance time is within the last 3 hours” is selected as a search formula, and “opinion utterance time” and “opinion-related type” are selected as coordinate axes.

The state shown in FIG. 29 is an initial state, and shows a discussion situation at time 11:00. In the present embodiment, in the display of the discussion perspective, the rectangle representing the entrance of the partial discussion space indicates the range of the attribute value of the relevant discussion subspace. For example, the entrance to the partial discussion space of “discussion space 1” displayed by “Dspace-1” is such that the oldest comment time in this partial discussion space is 9:00.
Indicates that the time of the newest utterance is 10:30. Also, looking at the related type of the opinion, it indicates that the question and the answer were made. The state shown in FIG. 30 is a state when a longer time has elapsed than in FIG.
At this point, it can be seen that the discussion in "Discussion space 1", which had been only questions and answers in the previous time, has shifted to more productive discussions such as answers, suggestions, and summaries. Also, the discussion of "Discussion space 3" had been proposed in the previous time, but at this time only questions were asked, and it can be seen that the discussion did not proceed very well. Of course, in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is also possible to access a desired partial discussion space using the display of the discussion perspective. As described above, in the present embodiment, by introducing the coordinate axes, the user can more accurately and appropriately grasp the current situation of the debate to the quality.

Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described. The structure of the discussion space in this embodiment is the first
This embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the configuration of the apparatus and the concept of the discussion perspective are slightly different, and therefore will be described.

"Concept of Discussion Perspective View in Third Embodiment" In this embodiment, the conceptual configuration of the service and the discussion perspective view is as shown in FIG. 31, which is the same as in the above-described second embodiment. , A user is provided with access means to a partial discussion space based on a search formula (query) and a coordinate axis (axis). The difference from the second embodiment lies in that a discussion space relation generation unit 30 is added.
The discussion space relation generation unit 30 detects the trend of the interest of all the users by synthesizing the situation of the discussion perspective view in each discussion view client 11, and further feeds back the trend to each user. The introduction of the discussion space relation generation means 30 highlights the current situation of the discussion that many users are interested in in common. further,
In this way, the discussion space in which many users have a common interest is shown to each user, the exchange between the discussion spaces is activated, and the discussion is further activated.

FIG. 32 is a block diagram of the device of this embodiment. In contrast to the first embodiment, discussion space relation generating means 30
Is added on the network 5, and a discussion space-related linking means 16 is added to each discussion view client 10. The discussion space relation generating means 30 and each discussion space relation linking means 16 combine to form a discussion association means. The discussion space relation generating means 30 communicates with each discussion space relation linking means 16 via the network 5, obtains discussion perspective views of each user, synthesizes them, and returns the result to the discussion space relation linking means 16. belongs to.

[Operation of Discussion View Client] FIG. 33
FIG. 9 shows a PAD diagram expressing the operation of the discussion perspective view related UI means 13 in the present embodiment. The difference from the second embodiment in this figure is that processing for a discussion space related information reception notification event is added (step s9-0).
26). This event occurs when the discussion space relation linking means 16 receives the discussion space related information from the discussion space relation generation means 30. For this event,
The process branches to step s9-027. Step s9
At −027, the discussion space related information r is acquired, and stored at step s9-028. The stored discussion space related information r is stored in the discussion perspective view redisplay procedure (step s8-).
008, s8-013, and s8-023). The data structure of the related information r is a set including the discussion space IDs of the related discussion spaces.

Another change is that step s9
-014, s9-015 and step s9-024,
This is an addition of s9-025. This is because when the discussion perspective is updated / modified, the discussion space-related linking means 16
It passes new relevant information between the discussion spaces. In step s9-014 or s9-024, relevant information between the updated / modified discussion view discussion space is detected. In the present embodiment, a discussion space in which a figure that represents the discussion space on the discussion perspective view has an area of a certain size or more that overlaps with each other is determined to be relevant. Of course, various other relevance evaluation criteria such as the Euclidean distance between the centers of gravity of the figures representing the discussion space and other distances can be used. Then, step s9-015 or step s9
At −025, the discussion space related information r is passed to the discussion space related linking means 16.

[Operation of Discussion Space Related Linking Means 16] FIG.
FIG. 4 is a PAD diagram expressing the operation of the discussion space relation linking means 16 in the third embodiment. Immediately after execution, this operation enters an infinite loop in step s10-001. In the loop, an event is waited in step s10-002. In step s10-003, if the received event is transmission of the discussion space related information, step s10-002 is performed.
Branch to -004. This event, as described above,
Discussion perspective view related UI means 13 is generated.

In step s10-004, the discussion space related information r is extracted, and in step s10-005, it is transmitted to the discussion space related generation means 30. As shown in FIG. 35, the data structure of the discussion space information transmitted / received to / from the discussion space relation generation means 30 is “discussion space related information ID” for identifying the information, and the source of the information is identified. "Source identifier" to identify, the ID of the relevant discussion space
"Discussion space related information" including a set is included. on the other hand,
In step s10-006, if the received event is reception of discussion space related information, step s10-007 is performed.
Branch to This event is a discussion space relation generating means 3
Occurs when new discussion space related information is received from 0. In step s10-007, the discussion space related information r
And passes it to the discussion perspective view related UI means 13 in step s10-008.

[Operation of Discussion Space Association Generation Means 30] FIG.
6 is a PAD diagram expressing the operation of the discussion space relation generation means 30 in the third embodiment. Immediately after this operation, the variable s is initialized to empty in step s11-001. This variable stores related information of the discussion space in the previous processing in the loop, as described later. Then, an infinite loop is entered in step s11-002. In the loop, an event is waited in step s11-003.
If is the reception of the discussion space related information, step s11-
Branch to 005. This event occurs when the discussion space relation generating means 30 receives the discussion space related information from the discussion space relation linking means 16 of each discussion view client 10.

In step s11-005, the received discussion space related information r is obtained, and in step s11-006, the discussion space related state is recalculated based on the information. The discussion space related information is a set of a set of related discussion spaces as shown in FIG. The discussion space relation generating means 30 has a table for totalizing the discussion space related information generated from each discussion view client 10, and this table in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. Each time, it holds what the current discussion space related information looks like.

In step s11-006, after the discussion space related information r is reflected in this table, the number of identical sets appearing in each of the related discussion space ID sets is calculated from the entire table, and a predetermined number or more is calculated. The appearing sets are extracted as discussion space related information. That is, a set of discussion space sets determined to be “related” by many discussion view clients 10 is extracted. This result is assigned to a variable s1. In step s11-007, it is checked whether or not the variable s1 after the recalculation is different from the variable s storing the previous related discussion space information. If different, the process branches to step s11-008. In step s11-008, this new related discussion space information s1 is transmitted to each connected discussion view client 10, and in step s11-009, the previous related discussion space information s is updated to s1.

"Operation Example of Third Embodiment" FIG. 38 shows an operation example of the third embodiment. In the figure, three users A, B and C are using the apparatus. From the viewpoint of the interests of the user B and the user C, the “discussion space 1” and the “discussion space 2” have high relevance. The discussion space relation generating means 30 tallies up the results and feeds back the result of the tallies to the user A as well. From the viewpoint of the interest of the user A, "discussion space 1" and "discussion space 2" are not related, but as shown in the figure, the relevance to "discussion space 2" is newly shown. Thereby, the user A
At present, many of the interests of other users are found to be in "something" common between "discussion space 1" and "discussion space 2", and a new and unexpected "discussion space 2" Participation will be encouraged. In this operation example,
For the sake of illustration, it is expressed that “discussion space 1” and “discussion space 2” are determined to be related to each other based on a slight match between the interests of the two users B and C. Needless to say, you need more users.

[0115]

As described above, the present invention has a basic function of a structure-preserving extraction function of a suitable discussion part by introducing a partial discussion space, and furthermore, by introducing a distributed information search technology, can be used in a wide-area distributed environment. It is possible to provide the user with a function of grasping the current situation and tracking the transition of the entire scattered discussion space. As a result, users can grasp the state of the entire discussion space scattered in a wide-area distributed environment and track the transition, and in particular, grasp the current state of the discussion in the place where opinions were given and the history so far Providing a search result structure and a user interface that allows the user to do so will allow the user to more easily and accurately grasp the current status of the discussion and track the transition.

Further, the present invention provides a new “feeding space for all interests” that transcends individual interests by providing feedback on the user's overall movements. It is also possible to provide the user with a function for grasping the current state from the viewpoint. As a result, the discussion space in which the individual user is interested is associated with the discussion space in which many users are interested, so that the user can grasp the current situation of the discussion and track the transition from the viewpoint of the overall trend. You can do it from a global perspective.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic discussion support device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a logical structure of a discussion space according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a service provided by the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a discussion space.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a discussion space.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a discussion space.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a discussion space.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the meaning of a logical operation “*”.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the meaning of a logical operation “+”.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the meaning of a logical operation “#”.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a discussion space search request.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a discussion space search request.

FIG. 13 shows P representing the operation of the discussion space search control means.
It is an AD diagram.

FIG. 14 is a PAD diagram expressing processing contents of a discussion space search control thread.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a search status storage unit.

FIG. 16 is a PAD expressing the operation of the discussion space retrieval means.
FIG.

FIG. 17 is a PAD diagram expressing the operation of the search cooperation means.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a user interface screen according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a user interface screen according to the embodiment of the first embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a PAD diagram expressing the operation of a discussion perspective view related UI means.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a PA expressing the operation of a discussion perspective diagram composing unit.
FIG.

FIG. 22 is a PAD expressing the operation of the search request generation means.
FIG.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an operation example of the first embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an operation example of the first embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an operation example of the first embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a conceptual diagram of a service provided by the second embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a user interface screen according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a discussion perspective view related U in the second embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a PAD diagram expressing the operation of the I means.

FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an operation example of the second embodiment.

FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating an operation example of the second embodiment.

FIG. 31 is a conceptual diagram of a service provided by the third embodiment.

FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic discussion support device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a PAD diagram expressing the operation of the discussion perspective view related UI means.

FIG. 34 is a diagram showing a P representing the operation of the discussion space-related cooperation means.
It is an AD diagram.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing a data structure of discussion space related information.

FIG. 36 is a diagram showing a P representing the operation of the discussion space relation generating means.
It is an AD diagram.

FIG. 37 is a diagram showing a data structure of a discussion space related situation.

FIG. 38 is a diagram illustrating an operation example of the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... WWW server, 2, 4 ... Electronic document storage means, 3 ... DBMS, 5 ... Network, 6 ...
・ ・ DBMS gateway, 10 ・ ・ ・ Discussion view client, 11 ・ ・ ・ WWW browser, 12 ・ ・ ・
Discussion execution means, 13 ... Discussion perspective view related UI means,
14 ... perspective view construction means, 15 ... discussion space search request generation means, 16 ... discussion space related linking means, 20
... Discussion view server, 21 ... Discussion space search control means, 22 ... Search status storage means, 23 ... Discussion space search means, 24 ... Search cooperation means, 30 ...
・ Discussion space related generation means,

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An electronic discussion support device connected to a network having one or more electronic document storage means for allowing a plurality of users to discuss by exchanging and browsing electronic documents. In addition to the electronic document associated with at least the attribute information of the opinion and the related information to other opinions, the discussion management data including at least the attribute information of the discussion and the entity or reference of the electronic document expressing the opinion related to the discussion is provided. The electronic document extraction function unit manages each discussion and performs a search process according to a search formula for the electronic document and the discussion management data. The electronic document extraction function unit conforms to the search formula. A plurality of entities or references of the electronic document to be searched, and these search results are divided and extracted for each of the discussion management data, and at least the extracted entity of the electronic document is extracted. Generating search result management data including the logical position information of the discussion management data from which the body or reference was extracted and the extracted entities or references of the plurality of electronic documents, and generating the plurality of search result management data An electronic discussion support device, wherein the search result is a search result based on the search formula. 2. The electronic discussion support device according to claim 1, wherein an input of the search expression by a user is received, and the search expression is passed to the electronic document extraction function unit. An electronic discussion support device comprising a user interface unit for receiving the extracted search result and displaying the search result. 3. The electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the user interface unit is provided in a client device operated by a user, and the electronic document extraction function unit is connected to the client device via a network. An electronic discussion support device provided in a server device provided. 4. The electronic discussion support device according to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of electronic document extraction function units, wherein each of the electronic document extraction function units is connected to another electronic document extraction function unit. An electronic discussion support apparatus, comprising: a search linking unit that transmits and receives the search formula in (1), wherein the user interface unit displays the search results received from a plurality of electronic document extraction function units. 5. The electronic discussion support device according to claim 2, further comprising a search formula storage unit for storing the search formula, wherein the electronic document extraction function unit is stored in the search formula storage unit. Electronic discussion support, wherein the user interface means repeatedly updates the display every time a search result is extracted by the electronic document extraction function unit. apparatus. 6. The electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the user interface unit receives an input of an evaluation function for evaluating a search result by a user, and receives the input evaluation function. An electronic discussion support device for evaluating and displaying the search result received from the electronic document extraction function unit. 7. The electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a set of discussion management data having a high degree of similarity among the discussion management data included in the search results for a plurality of users. When a set of discussion management data having high similarity is extracted and commonly extracted from search results for a large number of users, the set of discussion management data having high similarity is used as a determination result, and Electronic discussion means for providing a discussion-related generation means for notifying a result to a user interface means, wherein the user interface means performs a display indicating relevance based on the judgment result notified by the discussion-related generation means. Discussion support device. 8. The electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the user interface unit converts the character string or graphic representing each of the plurality of search result management data constituting the search result into the character string or graphic. An electronic discussion support device characterized by displaying in order of the value of an evaluation function. 9. The electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the user interface means includes a plurality of the plurality of search results constituting the search result in a graph of an arbitrary dimension centered on the value of the evaluation function. An electronic discussion support apparatus, wherein the search result is displayed by positioning a character string or graphic representing each of the search result management data. 10. The electronic discussion support device according to claim 8, wherein the user interface unit displays a character string or a graphic representing the search result management data,
Accepting an operation instruction for the display by the user and displaying a character string or a graphic representing the entity of the electronic document held by the search result management data corresponding to the indicated display or the electronic document of the reference destination; Characteristic electronic discussion support device. 11. The electronic discussion support device according to claim 8, wherein the user interface unit displays a character string or a graphic representing the search result management data, and displays the character string or graphic by the user. Receiving the operation instruction to the electronic document, associates a character string or a graphic representing the entity of the electronic document or the electronic document of the reference destination held by the search result management data corresponding to the instructed display with the relation between the electronic documents. A character string or graphic corresponding to the entity of the electronic document or the electronic document of the reference destination stored in the search result management data is displayed as the entity of the electronic document or the electronic document of the reference destination. An electronic discussion support apparatus, wherein a character string not to be displayed or a figure different from the figure is displayed. 12. The electronic discussion support apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said user interface means corresponds to a character string or a graphic representing an entity of said electronic document or a reference electronic document. An electronic discussion support apparatus for displaying the contents of an electronic document.