Information processing apparatus and information processing method

Abstract

In a case where input of a first designation instruction is accepted through an operation by the user, the control section (11) reads, from the storage section (50), a character string including the same character string portion as the remaining character string portion other than the character string portion of the portion designated by the first designation instruction in the input character string displayed on the display section (30), acquires the character string as a candidate for the setting character string for the setting of the use character string, and causes the acquired candidate for the setting character string for the setting of the use character string to be displayed on the display section (30), the first designation instruction designating a character string portion of a portion of the input character string displayed on the display section (30). In a case where input of a second designation instruction is accepted through an operation by the user, the control section (11) sets the setting character string for the setting designated by the second designation instruction as the use character string, the second designation instruction designating the setting character string for the setting of the use character string from among the candidates for the setting character string displayed on the display section (30).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method that perform predetermined processing based on a string input by a user. Background Technology

[0002] As an information processing device that performs predetermined processing based on a user-input string, there exists, for example, the information processing device disclosed in Patent Document 1. In this information processing device, when a user searches for a desired webpage from multiple webpages provided on the Internet, the information processing device accesses a predetermined search site based on the user's operation and displays the search screen of that search site on a display unit. When the user manually enters a string consisting of multiple characters in the search bar provided on the search screen and operates the "search" button, the information processing device sends the search instruction and the string manually entered by the user to the search site. The server that operates the search site uses a predetermined search engine to search for webpages corresponding to the sent string from a database and sends the search results to the accessing information processing device.

[0003] Patent documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-004681 Summary of the Invention However, when a part of the string a user wants to investigate is ambiguous, there is a risk of not obtaining the expected search results when the user enters the string into the search bar with that part of the string remaining ambiguous. This can also occur in processes other than the search itself, where the user's ambiguous input of the string leads to unsatisfactory results.

[0004] The present invention was made in view of this situation, and its object is to enable users to obtain the desired result through predetermined processing even if a portion of a string consisting of multiple characters is ambiguous.

[0005] An information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a display unit; an operation unit for receiving instructions from a user; a control unit for displaying the input string on the display unit when, through an operation performed by the user, the operation unit receives an input string specifying an input string consisting of multiple characters, and sets a usage string for a predetermined process based on the input string; a storage unit for storing multiple strings set by the control unit for the usage string; and an instruction unit for instructing an external device to perform the predetermined process using the usage string set by the control unit, wherein the control unit is further configured to, upon receiving an input string specified by the user and displayed on the display unit, set a usage string for the predetermined process. In the case of inputting a first specified instruction for a portion of the string, a string including the same string portion as the input string displayed on the display unit that is identical to the string portion other than the portion specified by the first specified instruction is read from the storage unit and obtained as a candidate for setting the usage string. The obtained candidate for setting the usage string is displayed on the display unit. If, through an operation performed by the user, input is received of a second specified instruction for setting the usage string from the candidate for setting the usage string displayed on the display unit, the setting string specified by the second specified instruction is set as the usage string.

[0006] One aspect of the data search method of the present invention includes: a control step, wherein, upon receiving input in an operation unit specifying an input string consisting of multiple characters via an operation performed by a user, the input string is displayed on a display unit, and a usage string for a predetermined process is set based on the input string; and an instruction step, wherein an instruction is given to an external device to perform the predetermined process using the usage string set in the control step, wherein, in the control step, upon receiving input via an operation performed by a user specifying a first instruction for a portion of the input string displayed on the display unit, a string portion of the input string displayed on the display unit is read from a storage unit including the string portion of the input string displayed on the display unit. The string that is identical to the string portion of the input string except for the portion specified by the first specification instruction is obtained as a candidate setting string for setting the usage string. The storage unit stores a plurality of strings for setting the usage string in the control step, and displays the obtained candidates for setting the usage string on the display unit. When the user receives input of a second specification instruction specifying the setting string for setting the usage string from the candidates for setting the usage string displayed on the display unit through an operation, the setting string specified by the second specification instruction is set as the usage string.

[0007] Invention Effects According to the present invention, even if a portion of an input string consisting of multiple characters is left undefined when the user inputs the input string, a string containing the same portion as the rest of the input string (excluding the portion specified by the user) is read from the storage unit and displayed on the display unit as a candidate for setting strings. Since the user can specify the string to be used for a predetermined process from the candidates for setting strings, the expected result can be obtained in the predetermined process. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the electrical structure of an information processing apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 2 This is an example of a settings screen for setting strings.

[0010] Figure 3 This is an example of a settings screen showing the status of a string entered in the text field.

[0011] Figure 4 This is an example of a settings screen showing the state of a specified portion of the input string.

[0012] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a dictionary.

[0013] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a dialog box.

[0014] Figure 7 This is an example of a dialog box showing the status of a specified string.

[0015] Figure 8 This is an example of a settings screen that displays a user-specified string in a text bar.

[0016] Figure 9 This is an example of a search screen that displays a search site with a user-specified string.

[0017] Figure 10 It shows through Figure 1 A flowchart of the information processing flow of the information processing device. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the information processing apparatus and information processing method involved in the present invention will be described.

[0019] First, refer to Figure 1 The information processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the electrical structure of an information processing device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The information processing device 1 is, for example, a personal computer. The information processing device 1 includes a control unit 10, an operation unit 20, a display unit 30, a communication unit 40, and a storage unit 50. These components are configured to transmit and receive data or signals to each other via a communication bus.

[0020] The operation unit 20 includes a keyboard, mouse, etc., and accepts input based on user instructions via user operation. The display unit 30 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), etc., and its operation is controlled by the control unit 11 within the control unit 10.

[0021] The communication unit 40 is a communication interface for sending and receiving various data with external devices such as image forming apparatuses and servers within a local area network or on the Internet.

[0022] Storage unit 50 is a high-capacity storage device such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive), storing various computer programs, including control programs, for implementing the operation of information processing device 1. Information processing program 51 is installed in storage unit 50 as one of the control programs.

[0023] The control unit 10 comprises a processor, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), and dedicated hardware circuitry. The processor may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The control unit 10 includes a control section 11 and an indicator section 12.

[0024] The control unit 10 functions as the control unit 11 and the instruction unit 12 through operations performed by the processor according to the information processing program 51 stored in the storage unit 50. However, the control unit 11 and the like can also be constructed by hardware circuits instead of through operations performed by the control unit 10 according to the control program and data search program. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the same applies to each embodiment.

[0025] The control unit 11 manages the overall operation control of the information processing device 1. The control unit 11 is connected to the operation unit 20, the display unit 30, the communication unit 40, and the storage unit 50 to perform drive control and other functions for these components.

[0026] When the operation unit 20 receives an input instruction specifying an input string consisting of multiple characters through user operation, the control unit 11 displays the input string on the display unit 30 and sets a usage string for a predetermined process based on the input string. The storage unit 50 stores multiple strings used by the control unit 11 to set the usage string. The instruction unit 12 instructs an external device to perform a predetermined process using the usage string set by the control unit 11.

[0027] When the operation unit 20 receives input of a first specified instruction through user operation, the control unit 11 reads a string from the storage unit 50 that includes the same string portion as the input string displayed on the display unit 30, excluding the string portion specified by the first specified instruction, and acquires it as a candidate setting string for setting the string to be used. The acquired candidate setting string is then displayed on the display unit 30, where the first specified instruction specifies the string portion of the input string displayed on the display unit 30. When the operation unit 20 receives input of a second specified instruction through user operation, the control unit 11 sets the setting string specified by the second specified instruction as the usage string. This second specified instruction selects the setting string for setting the string to be used from the candidates for setting the string to be used displayed on the display unit 30.

[0028] Next, use Figures 2 to 9 A specific example of information processing via information processing device 1 will be explained.

[0029] In the storage unit 50, there is storage for... Figure 2 The diagram shows an example of settings screen information for displaying a settings screen. This settings screen is used to set the string searched in the search site (the string used for search processing: the search string). The control unit 11 uses the settings screen information stored in the storage unit 50 to... Figure 2 The setup screen shown in the figure is displayed on the display unit 30. In the setup screen, under the display control of the control unit 11, the display unit 30 displays a text field 101 for the user to input strings using the keyboard of the operation unit 20, a "candidate" button 102, and a "setup" button 103.

[0030] When a user operates the keyboard of the operation unit 20 to input a string consisting of multiple characters (hereinafter appropriately referred to as "input string") "〇〇〇△△□□◇" into the text field 101, the operation unit 20 receives an input specifying the input string "〇〇△△□□◇", and outputs the specified instruction to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 displays the input string "〇〇〇△△□□◇" specified by the specified instruction on the text field 101 in the display unit 30, thereby enabling... Figure 3 The setup screen shown in the example is displayed on the display unit 30. In this embodiment, the input string entered by the user into the text field 101 includes a portion that the user considers inaccurate and a portion that the user considers accurate.

[0031] The user believes that the display is... Figure 3In the input string "〇〇〇△△□□◇" in text field 101, the "〇〇〇" part includes inaccurate characters, such as... Figure 4 As shown in one example, when a user operates the mouse of the operation unit 20 to specify the string portion "〇〇〇" of the input string "〇〇〇△△□□◇" in the text field 101, the operation unit 20 receives the input indicating the specification of the string portion "〇〇〇" of the string "〇〇〇△△□□◇", and outputs the specification instruction to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 determines the string portion "〇〇〇" of the input string "〇〇〇△△□□◇" specified by the specification instruction as the string portion specified by the user (hereinafter appropriately referred to as "specified string portion"). Furthermore, the specification of the string portion "〇〇〇" of the user's input string "〇〇〇△△□□◇" can be achieved using known mechanisms such as cursor specification or marker specification.

[0032] After the user specifies the string part "〇〇〇" in the input string "〇〇〇△△□□◇" (after specifying the string part "〇〇〇"), when... Figure 4 In one example shown in the screen, when the mouse of the operation unit 20 is used and the "candidate" button 102 is left-clicked, the operation unit 20 receives the input of the search instruction for the candidate with the set string, and the operation unit 20 outputs the search instruction to the control unit 11.

[0033] Storage Unit 50 has storage in Figure 5 The dictionary 110 is shown as an example. Figure 5 In one example, dictionary 110 stores strings such as “〇〇×△△□□◇”, “〇××△△□□◇”, and “×××△△□□◇”.

[0034] According to the search instructions for candidate settings strings input from the operation unit 20, the control unit 11 uses the string portion "△△□□◇" that is identical to the input string "〇〇〇△△□□◇" except for the string portion "〇〇〇" determined by the user (specified string portion) as the search criteria, and selects from the input string "〇〇〇△△□□◇". Figure 5 The example shown searches for strings in a dictionary that contain the same string portion as the rest of the input string "△△□□◇", and extracts strings that contain the same string portion as "△△□□◇" such as "〇〇×△△□□◇", "〇××△△□□◇", and "×××△△□□◇", as candidates for setting strings used in the search string.

[0035] Control unit 11 uses the extracted strings “〇〇×△△□□◇”, “〇××△△□□◇”, and “×××△△□□◇” as candidates for setting strings, and makes the candidates for setting strings as options. Figure 6 A dialog box 120, as shown in the example, is displayed on the display unit 30. In the dialog box 120, under the display control of the control unit 11, the display unit 30 displays the candidate strings "〇〇×△△□□◇", "〇××△△□□◇", and "×××△△□□◇" as options in the string specification field 121, and displays the "OK" button 122.

[0036] In the user Figure 6 In the case where the string "〇××△△□□◇" is used as the setting string to search for the setting string in the string specification field 121 of dialog box 120, ... Figure 7 As shown in one example, when a user operates the mouse of the operation unit 20 and specifies the setting string "〇××△△□□◇" from the candidates for setting strings, the operation unit 20 receives the input of the specified setting string "〇××△△□□◇" and outputs the specified instruction to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 selects the setting string "〇××△△□□◇" specified by the specified instruction input from the operation unit 20 from the candidates for setting strings as the setting string for the search string.

[0037] After the user specifies the string "〇××△△□□◇" as the setting string, when... Figure 7 In the dialog box 120 shown as an example, when the mouse of the operation unit 20 is used and the "OK" button 122 is left-clicked, the operation unit 20 receives the input of a string change instruction. The string change instruction will change "〇××△△□□◇" displayed in the text bar 101 to the setting string "〇××△△□□◇" specified by the user as the setting string for searching the string. The operation unit 20 outputs the string change instruction to the control unit 11.

[0038] The control unit 11, by following the change instruction of the string input from the operation unit 20, causes the text field 101 to display the setting string "〇××△△□□◇", which is the setting string determined for the setting used for searching the string, thereby enabling the control unit 11 to display the setting string "〇××△△□□◇" as the setting string for the setting. Figure 8 An example of the setup screen is displayed on the display unit 30.

[0039] When the user Figure 8In one example of the settings screen shown, when the mouse of the operation unit 20 is used and the "Settings" button 103 is left-clicked, the operation unit 20 receives the input of a setting instruction for a search string. The setting instruction for the search string will set the setting string "〇××△△□□◇" displayed in the text bar 101 as the search string, and the operation unit 20 will output the setting instruction for the search string to the control unit 11.

[0040] When a setting instruction for a search string is input from the operation unit 20, the control unit 11 causes the communication unit 40 to access the search site, obtain search screen information for displaying the search screen of that search site on the display unit 30, and, based on that search screen information, causes... Figure 9 The search screen of a search site, including a text bar 201 and a "Search" button 202, shown as an example, is displayed on the display unit 30. At this time, the control unit 11, through the display unit 30, will... Figure 8 The setting string "〇××△△□□◇" (the setting string "〇××△△□□◇" specified by the user as a search string from the candidates of setting strings) displayed in the text bar 101 of the settings screen is displayed in the text bar 201, thereby displaying the settings. Figure 8 The settings screen displays the string "〇××△△□□◇" as the search string in the text bar 101.

[0041] When the user Figure 9 In the search screen of a search site shown in the example, when the mouse of the operation unit 20 is used and the "Search" button 202 is left-clicked, the operation unit 20 receives a search instruction for the search site and outputs the search instruction for that search site to the instruction unit 12. When a search instruction is input from the operation unit 20, the instruction unit 12 causes the communication unit 40 to send the search instruction to the search site as the destination. The search instruction instructs the search site to execute a search process, which searches the database owned by the search site for the search string "〇××△△□□◇" displayed in the text field 201. The search site refers to its database, searches for the search string "〇××△△□□◇", and sends the search result to the information processing device 1 as the destination. In the information processing device 1, the communication unit 40 receives the search result and outputs the received search result to the control unit 11, which then displays the search result on the display unit 30.

[0042] Next, use Figure 10 The information processing via information processing device 1 and the information processing method are explained. Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating the information processing flow through the information processing device 1.

[0043] The control unit 11, based on the setting screen information stored in the storage unit 50 for displaying the setting search string, enables the setting screen (refer to...) Figure 2 (etc.) are displayed on the display unit 30 (step S1).

[0044] When a user operates the keyboard of the operation unit 20 to input a string consisting of multiple characters (input string) in the text field 101 of the settings screen, the operation unit 20 receives input of a specified instruction specifying the input string and outputs the specified instruction to the control unit 11.

[0045] Based on the input signal received from the operation unit 20, the control unit 11 determines whether a specified instruction for a specified input string has been input from the operation unit 20, that is, whether the user has input a string in the text field 101 (step S2). If the control unit 11 determines that no specified instruction for a specified input string has been input from the operation unit 20, that is, the user has not input a string in the text field 101 (S2: No), the control unit 11 returns to the processing in step S2. On the other hand, if the control unit 11 determines that a specified instruction for a specified input string has been input from the operation unit 20, that is, the user has input a string in the text field 101 (S2: Yes), the control unit 11 displays the string (input string) entered by the user in the text field 101 on the display unit 30 (step S3).

[0046] When the user operates the mouse of the operation unit 20 in the settings screen and left-clicks the "Settings" button 103, the operation unit 20 receives the input of a setting instruction for the search string. The setting instruction for the search string is set as the setting string displayed in the text bar 101, and the operation unit 20 outputs the setting instruction for the search string to the control unit 11.

[0047] Based on the signal input from the operation unit 20, the control unit 11 determines whether a setting instruction for a search string has been input from the operation unit 20, that is, whether the user has performed an operation on the "Settings" button 103 (step S4).

[0048] When a user operates the mouse of the operation unit 20 in the text bar 101 of the settings screen to specify a part of the input string in the text bar 101, the operation unit 20 receives the input of the specified instruction, which specifies a part of the input string, and the operation unit 20 outputs the specified instruction to the control unit 11.

[0049] If the control unit 11 determines that no setting instruction for the search string has been input from the operation unit 20, i.e., the user has not performed an operation on the "Settings" button 103 (S4: No), the control unit 11 determines, based on the input signal input from the operation unit 20, whether a specification instruction for a portion of the specified input string has been input from the operation unit 20, i.e., whether the user has specified a portion of the input string (step S5). If the control unit 11 determines that no specification instruction for a portion of the specified input string has been input from the operation unit 20, i.e., it determines that the user has not specified a portion of the input string (S5: No), the control unit 11 returns to the processing in step S5.

[0050] When a user operates the mouse of the operation unit 20 in the settings screen and left-clicks the "Candidate" button 102, the operation unit 20 receives the input of the candidate search instruction for the setting string, and the operation unit 20 outputs the search instruction to the control unit 11.

[0051] If the control unit 11 determines that a specified instruction for a portion of the specified input string has been input from the operation unit 20, i.e., the user has specified a portion of the input string (S5: Yes), the control unit 11 identifies the portion of the input string specified by the specified instruction as the user-specified portion of the string (specified string portion), and determines, based on the signal input from the operation unit 20, whether a search instruction for a candidate string for setting has been input from the operation unit 20, i.e., whether the user has performed an operation on the "candidate" button 102 (step S6). If the control unit 11 determines that no search instruction for a candidate string for setting has been input from the operation unit 20, i.e., the user has not performed an operation on the "candidate" button 102 (S6: No), the control unit 11 returns to the processing in step S5.

[0052] When the control unit 11 determines that a search instruction for a candidate string for setting has been input from the operation unit 20, that is, the user has operated the "candidate" button 102 (S6: Yes), the control unit 11 uses the string portion that is the same as the rest of the input string portion displayed in the text field 101 except for the string portion determined by the user (specified string portion) as the search condition, searches for strings that include the same string portion as the rest of the input string portion from the strings stored in the dictionary 110, and extracts the strings that include the same string portion as the rest of the input string portion as candidates for setting strings (step S7).

[0053] The control unit 11 uses the extracted string as a candidate for the setting string, and displays the string specification field 121 (which specifies the setting string as an option) and the dialog box 120 (which includes an "OK" button 122) as options. Figure 6 (etc.) are displayed on the display unit 30 (step S8).

[0054] When a user operates the mouse of the operation unit 20 to specify the setting string for the setting from the candidates of the setting string in the string specification field 121 of the dialog box 120, the operation unit 20 receives the input of the specification instruction, which specifies the setting string for the setting of the setting to be searched, and the operation unit 20 outputs the specification instruction to the control unit 11.

[0055] Based on the input signal received from the operation unit 20, the control unit 11 determines whether a setting string for setting the search string has been specified by the operation unit 20; that is, it determines whether the user has specified a setting string for setting the search string from the candidates for setting strings (step S9). If the control unit 11 determines that no setting string for setting the search string has been specified by the operation unit 20, that is, if it determines that the user has not specified a setting string for setting the search string from the candidates for setting strings (S9: No), the control unit 11 returns to the processing of step S9.

[0056] When the user operates the mouse of the operation unit 20 in the dialog box 120 and left-clicks the "OK" button 122, the operation unit 20 receives the input of a string change instruction. The string change instruction will change the string displayed in the text bar 101 to the setting string specified by the user, and the operation unit 20 will output the string change instruction to the control unit 11.

[0057] If the control unit 11 determines that the operation unit 20 has input a setting instruction specifying a setting for the search string, i.e., it determines that the user has specified a setting string for the search string from the candidates for setting strings (S9: Yes), the control unit 11 selects the setting string specified by the above-mentioned instruction from the candidates for setting strings as the setting string for the search string setting, and determines whether a string change instruction has been input from the operation unit 20 based on the signal input from the operation unit 20, i.e., whether the user has performed an operation on the "OK" button 122 (step S10). If the control unit 11 determines that no string change instruction has been input from the operation unit 20, i.e., it determines that the user has not performed an operation on the "OK" button 122 (S10: No), the control unit 11 returns to the processing of step S9.

[0058] If the control unit 11 determines that a change instruction for a string has been input from the operation unit 20, that is, if it determines that the user has operated the "OK" button 122 (S10: Yes), the control unit 11 displays a settings screen on the display unit 30 (step S11). This settings screen displays the settings string determined as the settings string for the search string in the text field 101, and the control unit 11 returns to the processing in step S4. The control unit 11 determines whether a setting instruction for a search string has been input from the operation unit 20 based on the signal input from the operation unit 20, that is, whether the user has operated the "Settings" button 103 (step S4).

[0059] When the control unit 11 determines that a setting instruction for a search string has been input from the operation unit 20, that is, when it determines that the user has performed an operation on the "Settings" button 103 (S4: Yes), the control unit 11 causes the communication unit 40 to access the search site, obtain search screen information for displaying the search screen of that search site on the display unit 30, and based on the search screen information, displays the search screen of the search site, including the text bar 201 and the "Search" button 202, on the display unit 30. At this time, the control unit 11 sets the setting string (the setting string specified by the user as a search string from the candidates of setting strings) displayed in the text bar 101 of the setting screen as the search string (step S12) by displaying the setting string (the setting string specified by the user as a search string from the candidates of setting strings) displayed in the text bar 101 of the setting screen in the text bar 201 of the setting screen.

[0060] When a user operates the mouse of the operation unit 20 and left-clicks the "Search" button 202 in the search screen of the search site, the operation unit 20 receives the input of the search instruction for the search site, and the operation unit 20 outputs the search instruction for the search site to the instruction unit 12.

[0061] The instruction unit 12 determines whether a search instruction for a search site has been input from the operation unit 20 based on the signal input from the operation unit 20, that is, whether the user has operated the "search" button 202 (step S13). If the instruction unit 12 determines that no search instruction for a search site has been input from the operation unit 20, that is, if the user has not operated the "search" button 202 (S13: No), the instruction unit 12 returns to the processing of step S13. On the other hand, when the instruction unit 12 determines that a search instruction for a search site has been input from the operation unit 20, that is, when it determines that the user has performed an operation on the "search" button 202 (S13: Yes), the instruction unit 12 causes the communication unit 40 to send a search instruction to the search site as the destination. The search instruction instructs the search site to perform a search process, which searches the database owned by the search site for the search string displayed in the text bar 201. The communication unit 40 receives the search results of the search process performed at the search site and outputs the received search results to the control unit 11. The control unit 11 then displays the search results on the display unit 30 (step S14).

[0062] According to the above embodiment, even if the user vaguely inputs a portion of an input string consisting of multiple characters, by specifying a portion of that input string, including the portion identical to the rest of the input string excluding the portion specified by the user, the string is read from the storage unit 50 and displayed on the display unit 30 as a candidate setting string. Since the user can specify a setting string for setting the search string from the candidate setting strings, the desired results can be obtained in the search process of the search site.

[0063] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the structures of the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways.

[0064] For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the external device is a search site, the predetermined process is a search process for a search string, the used string is a search string, and the instruction unit 12 instructs the search site to execute the search process for the search string is a case, has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0065] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when obtaining a candidate setting string from the dictionary 110 stored in the storage unit 50, the control unit 11 reads a string from the dictionary 110 stored in the storage unit 50 and obtains it as a candidate setting string for searching the string. This string includes the same string portion as the input string displayed in the text field 101 of the display unit 30, except for the string portion specified by the operation of the operation unit 20 performed by the user. However, it is not limited to this. For example, it can be implemented as follows. For example, it can be configured such that when retrieving a candidate setting string from the dictionary 110 stored in the storage unit 50, the control unit 11 reads a string from the dictionary 110 stored in the storage unit 50 and retrieves it as a candidate setting string for searching the string. This string includes the same string portion as the input string displayed in the text field 101 of the display unit 30, except for the string portion specified by the operation of the operation unit 20 performed by the user. The string has the same number of characters as the input string and is arranged at the same position as the remaining string portion in the input string. For example, dictionary 110 stores “〇〇×△△□□◇”, “〇〇××△△□□◇”, and “△△□□◇〇〇×”. When a user inputs the string “〇〇〇△△□□◇” into text field 101, and the user specifies “〇〇〇” in the input string “〇〇〇△△□□◇”, control unit 11 extracts “〇〇×△△□□◇” from dictionary 110 as a candidate string for setting. Furthermore, “〇〇××△△□□◇” includes the same string part “△△□□◇” as the rest of the string, but because the number of characters is different from the input string, control unit 11 does not extract “〇〇××△△□□◇” from dictionary 110 as a candidate string for setting. Furthermore, "△△□□◇〇〇×" includes the same string part "△△□□◇" as the rest of the string. However, since the same string part "△△□□◇" is arranged in a different position than the rest of the string in the input string, the control unit 11 does not extract "△△□□◇〇〇×" from the dictionary 110 as a candidate for the setting string. When this is configured, the number of setting strings listed by the control unit 11 as candidates for the setting string is reduced, so the user only needs to specify the setting string for the setting of the search string from the reduced number of setting string candidates, thus improving the efficiency of the setting string specification operation performed by the user.

[0066] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, it is described as follows: the string (input string) input by the user using the operation unit 20 contains a portion of the input string that is specified by the user (specified string portion), and the remaining input string portion excluding the specified string portion. However, this is not limited to this; for example, it can be implemented as follows: The string (input string) input by the user using the operation unit 20 contains a portion of the input string that is specified by the user (specified string portion), and the remaining input string portion excluding the specified string portion. Within the specified string portion, there is a portion of the specified string portion that is separately specified by the user (hereinafter appropriately referred to as "a portion of the specified string portion"), and the remaining portion of the specified string portion excluding the portion of the specified string portion (hereinafter appropriately referred to as "the remaining portion of the specified string portion").

[0067] In this case, for example, it can be configured as follows. Using the same method as in the above embodiment, a portion of the input string displayed in the text field 101 is specified (the specified string portion). The user specifies a portion of the specified string portion through mouse operations on the operation unit 20. When a portion of the specified string portion is specified through mouse operations on the operation unit 20 performed by the user, the operation unit 20 receives a specification instruction input, which specifies a portion of the specified string portion, and outputs the specification instruction to the control unit 11. The control unit 11, according to the specification instruction input from the operation unit 20, determines a portion of the specified string portion from the input string displayed in the text field 101. Furthermore, the user can specify the remaining portion of the specified character portion, as well as specify a portion of the specified character portion.

[0068] The control unit 11 uses string portions that are identical to the remaining string portions of the input string displayed in the text field 101 of the display unit 30, excluding the specified string portion, and string portions similar to a portion of the specified string portion as search criteria. It searches the strings stored in the dictionary for strings that include both the identical portion of the input string and the portion similar to a portion of the specified string portion, and extracts these strings as candidates for setting the search string. Furthermore, the determination of whether a string stored in the dictionary includes a portion similar to a portion of the specified string portion can be made, for example, by defining a portion of the specified string portion as similar to a portion of the specified string portion if it differs from that portion by only one character, and the determination is made based on whether it includes a portion of the specified string portion that differs from that portion by only one character. Moreover, the search for similar portions can utilize known mechanisms such as spelling variations. When configured in this way, since the list of configuration strings listed by the control unit 11 as candidates for configuration strings is narrowed down, the user only needs to specify the configuration string for the setting used for searching the string from the narrowed list of configuration string candidates, thereby improving the efficiency of the configuration string specification operation performed by the user.

[0069] Furthermore, in the above variant, it can be configured such that when retrieving a candidate setting string from the dictionary 110 stored in the storage unit 50, the control unit 11 reads a string from the dictionary 110 stored in the storage unit 50 and retrieves it as a candidate setting string for searching the string. This string includes the same string portion as the input string displayed in the text field 101 of the display unit 30, except for the string portion specified by the operation unit 20 performed by the user, and includes a string portion similar to a portion of the specified string portion specified by the operation unit 20 performed by the user. This string has the same number of characters as the input string, the same string portion is arranged at the same arrangement position as the remaining string portions in the input string, and a similar string portion is arranged at the same arrangement position as a portion of the specified string portion in the input string.

[0070] In addition, using Figures 1 to 10 The structures and processes shown in the above embodiments, as well as the structures and processes shown in the above variations, are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention to these structures and processes.

Claims

1. An information processing device, characterized in that, include: Display section; The operation unit is used to receive instructions from the user; The control unit is configured to, when the operation unit receives an input indicating that the input string consists of multiple characters through an operation performed by the user, display the input string on the display unit, and set a usage string for predetermined processing based on the input string. A storage unit is used to store multiple strings used by the control unit for setting the strings used in the application; as well as The instruction unit is used to instruct an external device to perform the predetermined process using the usage string set by the control unit. The control unit is also used for, In the case where, through an operation performed by the user, input is received that specifies a portion of the string to be displayed on the display, specifically a part of the input string. A string comprising the same string portion as the input string displayed on the display unit, except for the string portion specified by the first designation indicator, is read from the storage unit and obtained as a candidate setting string for the settings of the used string. The obtained settings are displayed on the display section as candidate strings. When, through user operation, an input is received indicating a second specification of the setting string from among the candidates for the setting string displayed on the display unit, specifying the setting for the string to be used, The setting string specified by the second designation instruction is set as the usage string.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit is further configured to, when obtaining a candidate for the setting string from the storage unit, read the string from the storage unit and obtain it as a candidate for the setting string, the string including a string portion that is the same as the remaining string portion, the string having the same number of characters as the input string, and the same string portion being arranged at the same arrangement position as the remaining string portion in the input string.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit is also used for, In the case where, through an operation performed by the user, input is received that specifies a portion of a string part of the input string displayed on the display unit, the input is a portion of the string part ... A string is read from the storage unit and obtained as a candidate for the setting string, the string including a string portion that is the same as the remaining string portion, and including a string portion that is similar to the portion of the string portion specified by the third designation indication.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit is also used for, In the case where, through an operation performed by the user, input is received that specifies a portion of the character portion of the input string displayed on the display unit, the input is a third specified instruction. A string is read from the storage unit and obtained as a candidate for the setting string. The string includes a string portion that is the same as the remaining string portion and a string portion that is similar to the portion specified by the third designation instruction. The string has the same number of characters as the input string. The same string portion is arranged at the same arrangement position as the remaining string portion in the input string, and the similar string is arranged at the same arrangement position as the portion in the input string.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The external device is a search station. The predetermined process is the search process for the search string. The string used is the search string. The instruction unit instructs the search site to execute the search process for the search string.

6. An information processing method, characterized in that, include: The control step involves, when the operation unit receives an input instruction specifying an input string consisting of multiple characters through user operation, displaying the input string on the display unit, and setting a usage string for predetermined processing based on the input string. as well as The instruction step instructs an external device to perform the predetermined process using the usage string set in the control step. In the control step, In the case where, through an operation performed by the user, input is received that specifies a portion of the string to be displayed on the display, specifically a part of the input string. A string comprising the same string portion as the input string displayed on the display unit, except for the string portion specified by the first designation indicator, is read from the storage unit and obtained as a candidate setting string for the setting of the usage string. The storage unit stores multiple strings for the setting of the usage string in the control step. The obtained settings are displayed on the display section as candidate strings. When, through user operation, an input is received indicating a second specification of the setting string from among the candidates for the setting string displayed on the display unit, specifying the setting for the string to be used, The setting string specified by the second designation instruction is set as the usage string.

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