JP2012123603A - Retrieval support device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to efficiently support a search operation by dividing a search history or a search result based on a candidate character string into a title and a summary without partially changing a screen and partially displaying the result according to a user operation. .
When a search history display request or character input is received from an input field, a search history is acquired based on the means for acquiring search history information or input auxiliary information, and the acquired search history information or input auxiliary information. Based on the acquired search results, means for displaying a list or input candidate list side by side in the input field, means for acquiring a search result for an item selected from the search history list or the input candidate list, and Script that realizes at a client terminal means for displaying a search result list side by side in the search history list or the input candidate list and means for displaying a summary of items selected from the search result list side by side in the search result list Means for providing embedded page data.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for supporting a search operation on the Internet or the like.

  In the Internet search, a user searches using various keywords. The keywords are often changed by trial and error until the desired search results are obtained, and searches are often performed. In addition, interest may shift to various keywords from the topics browsed based on the search result (for example, when “XX is English as an official language” is searched for “XX” or “English” as a keyword, “ If we don't use English as an official language, we will find a page with a news article with the heading □□□ President, and search for “□□□” as a keyword. , Etc.).

  There is often a demand to view past search results again after browsing various pages. To achieve this, the same keyword must be entered, which is cumbersome and the same keyword is accurate. Sometimes you can't remember. In addition, it is necessary to perform a search using the entered keyword and display a search result screen, and it is necessary to transition from the page of the site that is being viewed.

  Therefore, a service for storing a search history is provided. However, when a keyword searched in the past is selected, it is necessary to shift to a search result screen for the keyword.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a user interface that displays a search result list in another area.

WO 2009/150730 A1

  As described above, conventionally, when performing a search, the search keyword input screen and the search result screen have to be moved back and forth, and the waiting time for the screen transition has not become foolish. Also, you want to perform a search using the page as the axis foot while the specified page is displayed, but the axis foot is not fixed due to the screen transition (the search result screen has a large area even if you search in another window) Often obscured the original window), thoughts were disturbed, and people often did not know what they were trying to find.

  A similar problem exists when using an input assist function (a function that displays a candidate character string starting from a character string when a part of the character string is input).

  The present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described conventional problems, and the object of the present invention is to divide a search history or search result based on a candidate character string into a title and a summary without performing screen transition, An object of the present invention is to provide a search support apparatus that can efficiently support a search operation by partially displaying it according to a user operation.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, in the present invention, as described in claim 1, when a search history display request or character input is received from an input field, search history information or input auxiliary information is acquired. Means for displaying the search history list or the input candidate list side by side in the input field based on the acquired search history information or the input auxiliary information, and selected from the search history list or the input candidate list A means for acquiring a search result for an item, a means for displaying a search result list in line with the search history list or the input candidate list based on the acquired search result, and an item selected from the search result list That realizes a means for arranging and displaying summaries of images in the search result list on a client terminal It is summarized as search support device comprising means for providing page data embedded.

  Further, as described in claim 2, in the search support apparatus according to claim 1, the item selected from the search history list or the input candidate list or the item selected from the search result list is related. Means for acquiring advertisement information and means for displaying an advertisement based on the acquired advertisement information can be realized by the script.

  In addition, as described in claim 3, when the computer constituting the client terminal receives a search history display request or character input from the input field, means for acquiring search history information or input auxiliary information has been acquired. Based on the search history information or the input auxiliary information, means for displaying a search history list or an input candidate list side by side in the input field, and obtaining a search result for an item selected from the search history list or the input candidate list Means for displaying a search result list arranged in the search history list or the input candidate list based on the acquired search result, and summarizing items selected from the search result list in the search result list Configure as a search support control program that functions as a display means It is possible.

  Further, as described in claim 4, in the search support control program according to claim 3, the search support control program may be a toolbar that is incorporated in a browser and used.

  In the search support device of the present invention, the search history or candidate character string search results are divided into titles and summaries, etc. without screen transition, and partially displayed according to the user's operation, The search operation can be efficiently supported.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the system concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of a search history database. It is a figure which shows the data structure example of a search index database. It is a figure which shows the data structure example of an advertisement information database. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of a client terminal, a portal server, a search server, an advertisement server, and a general Web server. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process example of 1st Embodiment. It is FIG. (1) which shows an example of a screen. It is FIG. (2) which shows an example of a screen. It is FIG. (3) which shows an example of a screen. It is FIG. (4) which shows an example of a screen. It is FIG. (5) which shows an example of a screen. It is FIG. (6) which shows an example of a screen. It is FIG. (7) which shows an example of a screen. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the system concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a data structure of an input auxiliary information database. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process example of 2nd Embodiment. It is FIG. (1) which shows the example of a screen of keyword input assistance. It is FIG. (2) which shows the example of a screen of keyword input assistance. It is FIG. (3) which shows the example of a screen of keyword input assistance. It is FIG. (4) which shows the example of a screen of keyword input assistance. It is FIG. (5) which shows the example of a screen of keyword input assistance. It is FIG. (6) which shows the example of a screen of keyword input assistance. It is FIG. (7) which shows the example of a screen of keyword input assistance.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described.

<First Embodiment>
The first embodiment is an example applied to display of a search history.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a client terminal 2, a portal server 3, a search server 4, an advertisement server 5, and a general Web server 6 are connected to a network 1 such as the Internet.

  The client terminal 2 is provided with a general browser (Web browser) 21 and an input / output device 22 such as a monitor, a mouse, a keyboard, and a touch panel. The browser 21 performs request / acquisition / display of page data described in a language such as HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), transmission of form data, and the like according to HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) which is a standard protocol of the Internet. It has a function.

  The browser 21 also includes a page data acquisition / display unit 211, a search history information management unit 212, a search history list display unit 213, a search result information acquisition unit 214, a search result list display unit 215, a summary display unit 216, and an advertisement information acquisition. A unit 217 and an advertisement display unit 218.

  The page data acquisition / display unit 211 acquires page data described in HTML including a script (program) such as JavaScript from the page data providing unit 31 of the portal server 3 by the basic function of the browser 21, and the page Display the screen according to the data. The functions of the search history information management unit 212, the search history list display unit 213, the search result information acquisition unit 214, the search result list display unit 215, the summary display unit 216, the advertisement information acquisition unit 217, and the advertisement display unit 218 Is realized by using the basic functions of the browser 21. Instead of the script included in the page data, it may be realized by a program such as a plug-in installed on the client terminal 2.

  The search history information management unit 212 internally stores the search history information of the user of the client terminal 2 (data in which keywords used for the search are stored in order close to each other in time) or the search server 4 searches The history information management unit 41 has a function of acquiring from the search history database 401. That is, when the search history information management unit 212 detects that the user has pressed the pull-down button of the search keyword input column or the cursor has moved to the keyword input column, the search history information management unit 212 internally or the search history information management unit of the search server 4 41 has a function of acquiring user search history information from 41. The search history information management unit 212 internally holds the keyword as search history information when a keyword is entered by the user in the search keyword input field, or the search server 4 searches It has a function of transmitting to the history information management unit 41 and registering it in the search history database 401. The keyword input field includes not only on the browser (in the page) but also those provided in the widget and in the application.

  The search history list display unit 213 has a function of displaying the search history list as a pull-down menu below the keyword input field so that items can be selected based on the search history information acquired by the search history information management unit 212. .

  The search result information acquisition unit 214 detects the selection of an item from the search history list by the user, requests the search to the search unit 42 of the search server 4 using the selected item as a search query, and retrieves the search result information (search result). URL (Uniform Resource Locator) URL-linked title information and summary text (including snippet and abstract of search target page including text extracted from search target page) is doing.

  The search result list display unit 215 has a function of displaying items of the search result list so as to be selectable, for example, next to the search history list based on the search result information acquired by the search result information acquisition unit 214.

  The summary display unit 216 has a function of detecting selection of an item from the search result list by the user, acquiring summary information corresponding to the selected item from the search result information, and displaying the summary next to the search result list, for example. Have.

  The advertisement information acquisition unit 217 has a function of acquiring advertisement information corresponding to an item selected by the user from the search history list or the search result list from the advertisement information providing unit 51 of the advertisement server 5. In place of or in parallel with the item selected from the search result list by the user, the words included in the corresponding summary are analyzed by a language processing technique such as morphological analysis, and the advertisement server 5 Advertisement information may be acquired from the advertisement information providing unit 51.

  The advertisement display unit 218 has a function of displaying an advertisement, for example, below the search history list, the search result list, or the summary based on the advertisement information acquired by the advertisement information acquisition unit 217.

  The portal server 3 includes a page data providing unit 31 that returns page data including a script in response to a request from the page data acquisition / display unit 211 of the browser 21.

  The search server 4 includes a search history information management unit 41 that returns search history information stored in the search history database 401 in response to a request from the search history information management unit 212 of the browser 21, and a search result information acquisition unit of the browser 21. A search unit 42 that searches the search index database 402 in response to a request from 214 and returns search result information is provided.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the search history database 401, in which search history keywords are stored in association with user IDs or cookie information for specifying users.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the search index database 402, in which a search result title (including a URL link) and a summary are stored in association with the search keyword.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the advertisement server 5 includes an advertisement information providing unit 51 that searches the advertisement information database 501 in response to a request from the advertisement information acquisition unit 217 of the browser 21 and returns the advertisement information.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the advertisement information database 501, and holds advertisement information in association with keywords.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the general Web server 6 is a server of a site browsed from search results.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the client terminal 2, the portal server 3, the search server 4, the advertisement server 5, and the general Web server 6.

  In FIG. 5, each device (client terminal 2, portal server 3, search server 4, advertisement server 5, general Web server 6) includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 92, ROM (Read Only Memory) connected to a system bus 91. ) 93, RAM (Random Access Memory) 94, NVRAM (Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) 95, I / F (Interface) 96, and a keyboard, mouse, monitor, CD / DVD (Compact) connected to the I / F 96 An input / output device (I / O) 97 such as a disk / digital versatile disk (HDD) drive, a hard disk drive (HDD) 98, and a network interface card (NIC) 99 are provided. M is a medium (recording medium) such as a CD / DVD in which a program or data is stored. Each device does not need to be configured as a single computer device, and may be a composite device including a plurality of computer devices.

  The operation of the above embodiment will be described below.

  FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating a processing example of the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 6, the user of the client terminal 2 operates the input / output device 22 and inputs a URL of the portal server 3 to make a page request from the page data acquisition / display unit 211 to the portal server 3. (Step S101).

  In response to this, the page data providing unit 31 of the portal server 3 returns page data including a script (step S102).

  The page data acquisition / display unit 211 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 displays a page based on the acquired page data (step S103). In parallel with the display of the page data, the script included in the page data becomes executable. FIG. 7 shows a screen example of a page to be displayed, which includes a keyword input field I1, a pull-down button I2, and a search button I3.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the user of the client terminal 2 makes a search history display request by operating the input / output device 22 (step S104). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, a search history display request is made by placing the cursor C on the pull-down button I2 and clicking. The search history display request may be made by moving the cursor to the keyword input field I1.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the search history information management unit 212 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 passes the search history information to the search history list display unit 213 when the search history information is held inside.

  When the search history information is not held inside, the search history information management unit 212 makes a search history information request with a user ID for identifying a user to the search server 4 (step S105). The search history information management unit 41 of the search server 4 searches the search history database 401 to acquire search history information of the corresponding user (step S106), and returns it to the client terminal 2 (step S107). The search history information management unit 212 that has acquired the search history information from the search server 4 passes the search history information to the search history list display unit 213.

  The search history list display unit 213 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 displays the search history list based on the search history information delivered from the search history information management unit 212 (step S108). FIG. 9 shows a state where the search history list I4 is continuously displayed below the keyword input field I1.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the user of the client terminal 2 operates the input / output device 22 to select a search history item from the search history list (step S109). FIG. 10 shows a state where the item I5 is selected by placing the cursor C on the search history list I4.

  Returning to FIG. 6, when the search history item selection by the user is performed, the search result information acquisition unit 214 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 searches the search server 4 with the keyword of the item selected by the user. A request is made (step S110). The search unit 42 of the search server 4 searches the search index database 402 to acquire search result information (step S111), and returns it to the client terminal 2 (step S112). The search result information acquisition unit 214 that has acquired the search result information from the search server 4 passes the search result information to the search result list display unit 215.

  The advertisement information acquisition unit 217 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 makes an advertisement search request with the keyword of the item selected by the user to the advertisement server 5 (step S113). The advertisement information providing unit 51 of the advertisement server 5 searches the advertisement information database 501 to acquire advertisement information (step S114), and returns it to the client terminal 2 (step S115). The advertisement information acquisition unit 217 that acquired the advertisement information from the advertisement server 5 delivers the advertisement information to the advertisement display unit 218. Note that it is not necessary to acquire advertisement information at this stage.

  The search result list display unit 215 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 displays the search result list based on the search result information delivered from the search result information acquisition unit 214 (step S116), and the advertisement display unit 218 displays the advertisement information. An advertisement is displayed based on the advertisement information delivered from the acquisition unit 217 (step S117). FIG. 11 shows a state in which a search result list I6 is displayed next to the search history list I4, and an advertisement I7 is displayed below the search history list I4 and the search result list I6.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the user of the client terminal 2 operates the input / output device 22 to select a search result item from the search result list (step S118). FIG. 12 shows a state where the item I8 is selected by placing the cursor C on the search result list I6. In addition, in the state where the search result list I6 is displayed (FIG. 11), it is possible to immediately shift to the state of FIG. 12 by setting the first item as the default (specified value).

  Returning to FIG. 6, when the user selects the search result item, the advertisement information acquisition unit 217 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 searches the advertisement server 5 with the keyword of the item selected by the user. A request is made (step S119). The advertisement information providing unit 51 of the advertisement server 5 searches the advertisement information database 501 to acquire advertisement information (step S120), and returns it to the client terminal 2 (step S121). The advertisement information acquisition unit 217 that acquired the advertisement information from the advertisement server 5 delivers the advertisement information to the advertisement display unit 218. Note that it is not necessary to acquire advertisement information at this stage.

  The summary display unit 216 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 includes the summary information corresponding to the items of the search result list selected by the user among the summary information included in the search result information already delivered from the search result list display unit 215. A summary is displayed based on (step S122). The advertisement display unit 218 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 displays an advertisement based on the advertisement information delivered from the advertisement information acquisition unit 217 (step S123). FIG. 13 shows a state in which the summary I9 is displayed alongside the search result list I6. In this example, it is assumed that no new advertisement is displayed. When both the first advertisement display (step S117) and the second advertisement display (step S123) are performed, for example, the advertisement may be replaced with the first advertisement or displayed in addition to the first advertisement. May be.

  Returning to FIG. 6, when the user of the client terminal 2 confirms the selection of the search result item by clicking the item from the search result list by operating the input / output device 22 (step S124), The basic function of the browser 21 makes a page request to the corresponding general Web server 6 based on the URL link attached to the item of the search result list (step S125), and the page data is transferred from the general Web server 6 to the client terminal 2. By returning (step S126), the page is displayed on the client terminal 2 (step S127).

<Second Embodiment>
The second embodiment is an example applied to input assistance.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 14, a client terminal 2, a portal server 3, a search server 4, an advertisement server 5, and a general Web server 6 are connected to a network 1 such as the Internet.

  The client terminal 2 is provided with a general browser 21 and an input / output device 22 such as a monitor, a mouse, a keyboard, and a touch panel. The browser 21 has a function of requesting / acquiring / displaying page data described in a language such as HTML, transmitting form data, and the like in accordance with HTTP, which is a standard protocol of the Internet.

  The browser 21 also includes a page data acquisition / display unit 211, an auxiliary input information management unit 212 ′, an input candidate list display unit 213 ′, a search result information acquisition unit 214, a search result list display unit 215, a summary display unit 216, and an advertisement. An information acquisition unit 217 and an advertisement display unit 218 are provided.

  The page data acquisition / display unit 211 acquires page data described in HTML including a script (program) such as JavaScript from the page data providing unit 31 of the portal server 3 by the basic function of the browser 21, and the page Display the screen according to the data. The functions of the input auxiliary information management unit 212 ′, the input candidate list display unit 213 ′, the search result information acquisition unit 214, the search result list display unit 215, the summary display unit 216, the advertisement information acquisition unit 217, and the advertisement display unit 218 are as described above. This script is realized by using the basic function of the browser 21. Instead of the script included in the page data, it may be realized by a program such as a plug-in installed on the client terminal 2.

  The input auxiliary information management unit 212 ′ uses the input auxiliary information management unit 41 ′ of the search server 4 to input input auxiliary information including a candidate character string corresponding to a character string that is about to be input by the user of the client terminal 2 to the input auxiliary information database 401. It has a function to get from. That is, the input auxiliary information management unit 212 ′ has a function of acquiring input auxiliary information from the input auxiliary information management unit 41 ′ of the search server 4 when a character string is input in the search keyword input field. The keyword input field includes not only on the browser (in the page) but also those provided in the widget and in the application.

  The input candidate list display unit 213 ′ has a function of displaying an input candidate list as a pull-down menu below the keyword input field so that an item can be selected based on the input auxiliary information acquired by the input auxiliary information management unit 212 ′. ing.

  The search result information acquisition unit 214 detects the selection of an item from the input candidate list by the user, requests the search to the search unit 42 of the search server 4 using the selected item as a search query, and retrieves the search result information (search result) It has a function to acquire title information with URL links and summary sentences.

  The search result list display unit 215 has a function of displaying items of the search result list so as to be selectable, for example, next to the input candidate list based on the search result information acquired by the search result information acquisition unit 214.

  The summary display unit 216 has a function of detecting selection of an item from the search result list by the user, acquiring summary information corresponding to the selected item from the search result information, and displaying the summary next to the search result list, for example. Have.

  The advertisement information acquisition unit 217 has a function of acquiring the advertisement information corresponding to the item selected by the user from the input candidate list or the search result list from the advertisement information providing unit 51 of the advertisement server 5. In place of or in parallel with the item selected from the search result list by the user, the words included in the corresponding summary are analyzed by a language processing technique such as morphological analysis, and the advertisement server 5 Advertisement information may be acquired from the advertisement information providing unit 51.

  The advertisement display unit 218 has a function of displaying an advertisement below, for example, the input candidate list, the search result list, or the summary based on the advertisement information acquired by the advertisement information acquisition unit 217.

  The portal server 3 includes a page data providing unit 31 that returns page data including a script in response to a request from the page data acquisition / display unit 211 of the browser 21.

  The search server 4 includes an input auxiliary information management unit 41 ′ that returns input auxiliary information stored in the input auxiliary information database 401 ′ in response to a request from the input auxiliary information management unit 212 ′ of the browser 21. A search unit 42 that searches the search index database 402 in response to a request from the result information acquisition unit 214 and returns search result information is provided.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the auxiliary input information database 401 ′, in which candidate character strings are stored in association with input character strings. The search index database 402 is the same as that shown in FIG.

  Returning to FIG. 14, the advertisement server 5 includes an advertisement information providing unit 51 that searches the advertisement information database 501 in response to a request from the advertisement information acquisition unit 217 of the browser 21 and returns the advertisement information. The advertisement information database 501 is the same as that shown in FIG.

  Returning to FIG. 14, the general Web server 6 is a server of a site browsed from the search result.

  FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating a processing example of the second embodiment.

  In FIG. 16, the user of the client terminal 2 operates the input / output device 22 to input a URL of the portal server 3 and the like, thereby making a page request from the page data acquisition / display unit 211 to the portal server 3. (Step S201).

  In response to this, the page data providing unit 31 of the portal server 3 returns page data including a script (step S202).

  The page data acquisition / display unit 211 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 displays a page based on the acquired page data (step S203). In parallel with the display of the page data, the script included in the page data becomes executable. FIG. 17 shows a screen example of a page to be displayed, which includes a keyword input field I11 and a search button I13.

  Returning to FIG. 16, the user of the client terminal 2 inputs characters by operating the input / output device 22 (step S204). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 18, for example, a character “A” is input in the keyword input field I11.

  Returning to FIG. 16, the input auxiliary information management unit 212 ′ of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 makes an input auxiliary information request with an input character string to the search server 4 (step S205). The input auxiliary information management unit 41 ′ of the search server 4 searches the input auxiliary information database 401 ′ to acquire input auxiliary information corresponding to the input character string (step S206), and returns it to the client terminal 2 (step S207). . The input auxiliary information management unit 212 ′ that has acquired the input auxiliary information from the search server 4 passes the input auxiliary information to the input candidate list display unit 213 ′.

  The input candidate list display unit 213 ′ of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 displays the input candidate list based on the input auxiliary information delivered from the input auxiliary information management unit 212 ′ (step S208). FIG. 19 shows a state in which the input candidate list I14 is continuously displayed below the keyword input field I11.

  Returning to FIG. 16, the user of the client terminal 2 operates the input / output device 22 to select input candidate items from the input candidate list (step S209). FIG. 20 shows a state in which the item I15 is selected by placing the cursor C on the input candidate list I14.

  Returning to FIG. 16, when the input candidate item selection by the user is performed, the search result information acquisition unit 214 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 searches the search server 4 with the keyword of the item selected by the user. A request is made (step S210). The search unit 42 of the search server 4 searches the search index database 402 to acquire search result information (step S211), and returns it to the client terminal 2 (step S212). The search result information acquisition unit 214 that has acquired the search result information from the search server 4 passes the search result information to the search result list display unit 215.

  The advertisement information acquisition unit 217 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 makes an advertisement search request with the keyword of the item selected by the user to the advertisement server 5 (step S213). The advertisement information providing unit 51 of the advertisement server 5 searches the advertisement information database 501 to acquire advertisement information (step S214), and returns it to the client terminal 2 (step S215). The advertisement information acquisition unit 217 that acquired the advertisement information from the advertisement server 5 delivers the advertisement information to the advertisement display unit 218. Note that it is not necessary to acquire advertisement information at this stage.

  The search result list display unit 215 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 displays the search result list based on the search result information delivered from the search result information acquisition unit 214 (step S216), and the advertisement display unit 218 displays the advertisement information. An advertisement is displayed based on the advertisement information delivered from the acquisition unit 217 (step S217). FIG. 21 shows a state in which a search result list I16 is displayed next to the input candidate list I14, and an advertisement I17 is displayed below the input candidate list I14 and the search result list I16.

  Returning to FIG. 16, the user of the client terminal 2 operates the input / output device 22 to select a search result item from the search result list (step S218). FIG. 22 shows a state where the item I18 is selected by placing the cursor C on the search result list I16. Note that, by setting the first item as a default in the state where the search result list I16 is displayed (FIG. 21), it is possible to immediately shift to the state shown in FIG.

  Returning to FIG. 16, when the user selects the search result item, the advertisement information acquisition unit 217 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 searches the advertisement server 5 with the keyword of the item selected by the user. A request is made (step S219). The advertisement information providing unit 51 of the advertisement server 5 searches the advertisement information database 501 to acquire advertisement information (step S220), and returns it to the client terminal 2 (step S221). The advertisement information acquisition unit 217 that acquired the advertisement information from the advertisement server 5 delivers the advertisement information to the advertisement display unit 218. Note that it is not necessary to acquire advertisement information at this stage.

  The summary display unit 216 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 includes the summary information corresponding to the items of the search result list selected by the user among the summary information included in the search result information already delivered from the search result list display unit 215. A summary is displayed based on (step S222). The advertisement display unit 218 of the browser 21 of the client terminal 2 displays an advertisement based on the advertisement information delivered from the advertisement information acquisition unit 217 (step S223). FIG. 23 shows a state in which the summary I19 is displayed next to the search result list I16. In this example, it is assumed that no new advertisement is displayed. When both the first advertisement display (step S217) and the second advertisement display (step S223) are performed, for example, the advertisement may be replaced with the first advertisement or displayed in addition to the first advertisement. May be.

  Returning to FIG. 16, when the user of the client terminal 2 confirms the selection of the search result item by clicking the item from the search result list by operating the input / output device 22 (step S224), The basic function of the browser 21 makes a page request to the corresponding general Web server 6 based on the URL link attached to the item of the search result list (step S225), and the page data is transferred from the general Web server 6 to the client terminal 2. The page is displayed on the client terminal 2 by returning (step S226) (step S227).

<Summary>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, search results based on search history or candidate character strings are divided into titles and summaries, etc., without screen transition, and partially displayed according to user operations. Thus, the search operation can be efficiently supported.

  Also, by incorporating the above functions into the browser toolbar (an input field including a keyword input field, a pull-down button, a search button, etc. is placed in the tool bar), for example, in a page where there is no search keyword input field. Even if it is desired to search for a keyword that becomes, the search can be performed while the page is displayed, and the screen can be used efficiently.

  The present invention has been described above by the preferred embodiments of the present invention. While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, various modifications and changes may be made to the embodiments without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Obviously you can. In other words, the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the details of the specific examples and the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Network 2 Client terminal 21 Browser 211 Page data acquisition and display part 212 Search history information management part 212 'Input auxiliary information management part 213 Search history list display part 213' Input candidate list display part 214 Search result information acquisition part 215 Search result list Display unit 216 Summary display unit 217 Advertisement information acquisition unit 218 Advertisement display unit 22 Input / output device 3 Portal server 31 Page data providing unit 4 Search server 41 Search history information management unit 41 ′ Input auxiliary information management unit 42 Search unit 401 Search history database 401 'input auxiliary information database 402 search index database 5 advertisement server 51 advertisement information providing unit 501 advertisement information database 6 general Web server

Claims (4)

Means for acquiring search history information or input auxiliary information when a search history display request or character input is received from the input field;
Means for displaying a search history list or an input candidate list side by side in the input field based on the acquired search history information or the input auxiliary information;
Means for obtaining a search result for an item selected from the search history list or the input candidate list;
Based on the acquired search results, means for displaying the search result list side by side in the search history list or the input candidate list;
A search support apparatus, comprising: means for providing page data embedded with a script that realizes, on a client terminal, a means for arranging and displaying a summary of items selected from the search result list in the search result list. . The search support device according to claim 1,
Means for acquiring advertisement information related to an item selected from the search history list or the input candidate list or an item selected from the search result list;
Means for displaying an advertisement based on the acquired advertisement information is realized by the script. The computers that make up the client terminal
Means for obtaining search history information or input auxiliary information when a search history display request or character input is received from the input field;
Means for arranging and displaying a search history list or an input candidate list in the input field based on the acquired search history information or the input auxiliary information;
Means for obtaining a search result for an item selected from the search history list or the input candidate list;
Means for displaying a search result list arranged in the search history list or the input candidate list based on the acquired search result;
A search support control program that functions as means for displaying a summary of items selected from the search result list side by side in the search result list. In the search support control program according to claim 3,
The search support control program is a toolbar used by being incorporated in a browser.

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