JPH0997265A - Simple Internet information retrieval system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] An object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive Internet information search system for users in an Internet system for transmitting and searching information through a network. [Configuration] Viewer program 10 for searching information on the information server side, display program 11 for creating display data
Is operated, the resulting display data on the VRAM (video memory) 12 is converted into a video signal by the D / A converter 20 and transmitted to the user's terminal, and the terminal displays the video signal from the information server. , Only input data is sent to the information server.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a simple internet information retrieval system for utilizing the internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various forms of computer networks have come into use. Among them, a network called the Internet connects computers all over the world, and the number of users is said to exceed 30 million. Various services such as e-mail, file transfer, and net news can be used on this Internet. Among them, the WWW (World Wide Web) service that provides information including public relations has been attracting attention in recent years. .

This WWW service is capable of providing voice data, image data such as still images and moving images in addition to text-based data. Also, since users of WWW services can obtain various information from these WWW servers without having to perform troublesome keyboard input by using application software having a graphical user interface, WWW services can be used for online shopping, etc. Attention is paid to commercial use. A WWW server that provides a conventional WWW service and a user terminal device will be described below.

FIG. 5A shows a block diagram of a conventional WWW server. In FIG. 5 (a), 1 is text data, image data, voice data (hereinafter referred to as service data) provided by the server as a service, 2 is a communication interface device for connecting to a data communication network for transmitting and receiving data, and 3 is A communication program 4 for reading / writing data from / to the communication interface device 2 processes a request from the user read from the communication program 3 to select desired data from the service data 1 by the user, and to use the communication program 3 to store the data. A server program to be transmitted, 5 is an operating system for controlling the communication program 3 and the server program 4, 6 is a CPU for executing the program, 7 is these programs and service data 1
Is a memory device for temporarily storing the above, and 8 is a disk device for storing these programs and service data 1.

FIG. 5 (b) is a block diagram showing a conventional simple Internet terminal for a user. In FIG. 5B, the same elements as those of the WWW server are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. 10 stores a service data 1 transmission request to the aforementioned WWW server, stores the received data in the memory device 7 and the disk device 8, and uses the display program 11 to display C depending on the type of service data 1.
The data is displayed on the RT 14, the keyboard 16,
Reference numeral 11 is a viewer program that analyzes input data from the mouse 17 and requests the WWW server to send new service data. Reference numeral 11 is a display program that expands a display request from the viewer program 10 into a video memory 12 (hereinafter referred to as VRAM). Reference numeral 13 is a display control device for reading display data expanded in the VRAM 12 and displaying it on the CRT 14 by CRT, 16 is a keyboard for inputting characters, 17 is a mouse for pointing an arbitrary place on the CRT 14, 15 Is an input control device for controlling the inputs of the keyboard 16 and the mouse 17. The viewer program 10 uses a general purpose window system 18 for its graphical user interface.

[0006]

A personal computer or a workstation is used as a terminal device for a user to receive a WWW service. A general-purpose window system in which the viewer program 10 operates in the configuration of FIG. 18 is a lot of memory devices 7, high-speed CP
In addition to requiring U6, multimedia data, such as images and voices, which is the most important feature of WWW services, has a very large amount of data compared to text, so a high-speed communication interface device 2, a faster CPU 6, and more Memory device 7, VRAM 12 device, high-speed display control device 1
3 is required. Therefore, there is a problem that the computer system as the user's terminal device becomes very expensive.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive simple Internet information search system for users in a system on the Internet for transmitting and searching information via a network.

[0008]

To this end, the simple Internet information retrieval system of the present invention is provided with text data,
A video memory that stores image data as a display image, a display program that expands text data and image data in this video memory, a server program that searches for service data consisting of text data and image data, and a search for this server program A viewer program for making a request and expanding the retrieved results in the video memory by the display program, a D / A converter for analog-converting the image data expanded on the video memory into a video signal, and the converted video An information server including a communication program for communicating with a terminal device to which a signal is connected and a communication interface is provided.

A simple Internet having a communication program connected to an information server via a network, requesting the information server for data transmission, receiving a video signal transmitted by the information server, and outputting the signal to a video terminal. Equipped with a terminal.

Further, the information server and the internet terminal are provided, and the information server side performs information retrieval and conversion of a signal for display on a television, and the internet terminal simply displays a video signal sent from the information server. I decided to do it.

Further, in the Internet terminal, a communication interface device, a controller having means for inputting position information on a screen of a television and character data, an input from the controller is controlled, and data is transmitted to the information server. The data input from the controller is transmitted to the information server, and a new condition search is performed based on the received data.

[0012]

With the above structure, the Internet terminal operates the viewer program and the display program, which are the application programs of the computer, on the WWW server side, and the user side is the image terminal of the server.
The configuration of the user's terminal can be simplified.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A is a configuration diagram of a WWW server of a simple Internet information search system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following, the same elements as those in the conventional example are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 1A, reference numeral 20 is a D / A converter for converting the display data expanded on the VRAM 12 by the display program 11 into a video signal by analog conversion.

FIG. 1 (b) is a block diagram of a simple internet terminal of a simple internet information retrieval system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 21 is a ROM that stores a connection program for the simple Internet terminal to connect to the WWW server first. Reference numeral 22 denotes a controller that enables input of characters and selection on the TV screen by a simple button operation, such as a remote controller of a television. The input control device 15 receives a signal from the controller 22, The data input via the communication interface device 2 is transmitted to the WWW server. Less than,
According to the communication program 3, transmitting / receiving data via the communication interface device 2 is simply referred to as transmitting / receiving.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of information retrieval on the WWW server of the simple internet information retrieval system of one embodiment of the present invention. Next, referring to FIG. 2, information is retrieved from the WWW server by the simple internet information retrieval system. The flow of processing up to obtaining will be described. First, when the simple internet terminal is powered on, the connection program is read from the ROM 21 into the CPU 6, and the connection program transmits a connection request to the WWW server (201).

The WWW server receives the connection request (20
2) and the viewer program 10 request the service data 1 from the server program 4 (203). The server program 4 receives the request for the service data 1 (20
4), the service data 1 is read in the same manner as in the past (205) and transmitted to the viewer program 10 (20).
6). When the viewer program 10 receives the service data 1 (207), it displays the image data that can be displayed on the VRAM 12 using the display program 11 for each type (text, image) of the received data (20).
8). The D / A converter 20 samples the data on the VRAM 12 at regular intervals, converts the data into an analog TV video signal (209), modulates the data with the communication interface device 2, and transmits the data to a simple Internet terminal ( 210). The simple internet terminal receiving the video signal demodulates the video signal and displays it on the TV (21
1).

Next, a mechanism for inputting character data in order to select display data and for instructing the address of the displayed coordinate system will be described. FIG. 3 is an example of a controller of a TV screen of a simple Internet terminal of a simple Internet information search system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a TV screen of a simple Internet terminal of a simple Internet information search system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an example diagram of a virtual keyboard of the controller of FIG. Controller 22 for simple internet terminal
Is connected, and the cursor 32 on the display indicated by the controller 22 is converted into a television signal by the D / A converter 20, and is merged with the video signal sent from the WWW server to be displayed on the television screen. . The user can move the cursor 32 on the TV screen by operating the cursor movement button 30 attached to the controller 22,
By pushing the selection button 31 on desired data, the display address on the television screen is taken out, and the same function as the mouse 17 provided in the personal computer can be obtained. When inputting character data, the same function as keyboard input can be obtained by displaying the virtual keyboard 33 on the television screen and selecting the key of the virtual keyboard 33 with the cursor 32. The determination by the selection button 31 is transmitted to the WWW server of the present invention, and the viewer program 10 of the WWW server is sent.
Converts to the display coordinate system and character code, and processes.

[0019]

As described above, in the simple Internet information retrieval system of the present invention, the WWW server side is provided with the viewer program, the display program, the video memory, and the D / A converter to simplify the configuration of the terminal. Therefore, the user can be provided with a low-priced simple Internet information search system.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a configuration diagram of a WWW server of a simple Internet information search system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a configuration diagram of a simple Internet terminal of a simple Internet information search system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of information retrieval on a WWW server of a simple internet information retrieval system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a controller of a television screen of a simple internet terminal of a simple internet information search system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a virtual keyboard of a controller of a television screen of a simple internet terminal of a simple internet information search system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5A is a block diagram of a conventional WWW server, and FIG. 5B is a block diagram of a simple Internet terminal of a conventional user.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Service Data 2 Communication Interface Device 3 Communication Program 4 Server Program 5 Operating System 6 CPU 7 Memory Device 8 Disk Device 10 Viewer Program 11 Display Program 12 VRAM 13 Display Control Device 14 CRT 15 Input Control Device 16 Keyboard 17 Mouse 18 General-purpose Window System 20 D / A converter 21 ROM 22 Controller 30 Cursor movement button 31 Selection button 32 Cursor

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A video memory for storing text data and image data as a display image, a display program for expanding text data and image data in the video memory, and a server program for searching service data composed of text data and image data. And a viewer program for making a search request to the server program and expanding the searched result in the video memory by the display program, and a D / which converts the image data expanded in the video memory into a video signal in analog form. A
A simple Internet information retrieval system comprising a converter, a communication program for communicating with a terminal device connecting the converted video signal, and an information server including a communication interface. 2. A communication program which is connected to the information server via a network, requests the information server for data transmission, receives a video signal transmitted by the information server, and outputs the signal to a video terminal. The simple internet information retrieval system according to claim 1, further comprising a simple internet terminal. 3. The information server and the Internet terminal are provided, and the information server side performs information retrieval and conversion of a signal for display on a television, and the Internet terminal simply receives a video signal sent from the information server. The simplified Internet information retrieval system according to claim 2, wherein the system is displayed. 4. In the internet terminal, a communication interface device, a controller having means for inputting position information on a screen of a television and character data, an input from this controller is controlled, and data is sent to the information server. 3. The simplified Internet information retrieval system according to claim 2, further comprising an input control device for transmitting the data, transmitting the data input from the controller to the information server, and performing a new condition search based on the received data.