Retrieval device, retrieval method and program

Abstract

To provide a retrieval device, a retrieval method and a program, capable of reviewing information displayed in previous retrieval upon re-retrieval.SOLUTION: A retrieval device 100 includes: a retrieval unit 140 that executes conditional retrieval for retrieving a target matched with a retrieval condition to generate a list including the target; an output unit 180 that allows a user terminal 200 to display the target included in the generated list on a display screen thereof; and an acquisition unit that acquires drawn information indicating the target drawn on the display screen of the targets included in the list. The retrieval unit 140, when a new list generated by newly executing the conditional retrieval according to the retrieval condition includes no acquired drawn target, adds the drawn target to the new list.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a search device, a search method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a technique for searching for information stored in a database based on a search condition (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-259447 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In such technology, the same search results may not be obtained even when a search is performed under the same search conditions as before, due to updates to the database, changes to the search algorithm, etc. For example, on an electronic commerce site, if a user searches for a product, glances at the displayed search results, and plans to view detailed information later, the product may not be displayed when searching again, and the user may not be able to look at it again.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned situation, and aims to provide a search device, a search method, and a program that allow information displayed in a previous search to be reviewed again when searching again. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a search device according to the present invention comprises: a search unit that performs a conditional search to search for objects that match a search condition and generates a list that includes the objects; an output unit that displays the target included in the list generated by the search unit on a display screen of a user terminal; an acquisition unit that acquires rendered information indicating the object rendered on the display screen from among the objects included in the list; Equipped with If the drawn object acquired by the acquisition unit is not included in a new list generated by newly executing the conditional search using the search conditions, the search unit adds the drawn object to the new list. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a search device, a search method, and a program that enable information displayed in a previous search to be reviewed again when performing a new search. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing cooperation between the search device and other devices. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of My List displayed on a user terminal. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for saving search conditions displayed on a user terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a functional configuration of a search device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a search condition table generated by a search condition generating unit; [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of index information stored in a product database. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a search result list generated by a search unit. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a displayed product table generated by a displayed product table generating unit; FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a physical configuration of a search device. [Figure 10]13 is a flowchart of a search condition saving process performed by the search device and the user terminal. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart of a saved condition search process performed by the search device and the user terminal. [Figure 12] 1A is a diagram showing another example of a search result list generated by a search unit, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of a search result list updated by a change unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A search device, a search method, and a program according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals. Note that the present embodiment is for the purpose of explanation and does not limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, a person skilled in the art can adopt an embodiment in which each or all of these elements are replaced with an equivalent, and these embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0010] (Overall composition) Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing cooperation between a search device 100 and other devices. The following description will be given with reference to this diagram. As shown in Fig. 1, the search device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is communicably connected to a user terminal 200 via a computer communication network 300 such as the Internet.

[0011] The search device 100 is composed of one or more server computers. The search device 100 is operated by a business operator providing electronic commerce services such as an online mall, an online shopping site, an auction site, or a flea market site. The search device 100 executes a stored condition search process that outputs search results according to stored search conditions to a user terminal 200 for products traded in the electronic commerce service. The search device 100 may search for services such as travel, restaurants, and beauty salons on a reservation site, or for transaction targets on a financial product providing site, or may search web pages on the Internet.

[0012] Specifically, the search device 100 displays a My List on the user terminal 200, which displays search results according to the saved search conditions (search keywords). Here, an example of the My List is shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the My List includes a section of "Saved Search Conditions" that displays search results based on the saved search conditions. The My List includes a section of "Saved Search Conditions" that is a section about the search conditions, along with the search results based on the saved search conditions. In the example shown, the search keywords "Bag" and "Tops Autumn / Winter", which are saved search conditions, are displayed below the section name "Saved Search Conditions". In addition, below each search keyword, an icon 230 of a product, which is summary information of the search results that match each search keyword, is displayed in a scrollable manner on the right side of the display screen 210 of the user terminal 200. When the user performs an operation of scrolling the display screen 210 to the right in the area of ​​the display screen 210 where the icon 230 is arranged, the icon 230 of another product included in the search results is displayed on the display screen 210. When the user selects any of the icons 230 of a product, the page transitions to a page displaying detailed information of the product corresponding to the selected icon 230. A black heart mark included in the icon 230 (for example, a heart mark included in the icon 230 of product X or product G) indicates that the product corresponding to this icon 230 is registered in the favorites, and a white heart mark (for example, a heart mark included in the icon 230 of product A or product B) indicates that the product is not registered in the favorites. When the user selects the heart mark, a process of registering the product in the favorites or a process of removing the product from the favorites are executed. A search box 220 for inputting a search keyword is arranged at the top of the display screen 210, and an icon 240a for transitioning to a home screen, an icon 240b for transitioning to a screen for searching for a product, and an icon 240c for transitioning to a My List are arranged at the bottom of the display screen 210.

[0013] The search device 100 executes a search process based on the saved search conditions, and generates a search result list showing a list of products matching the search conditions. The search device 100 refers to a displayed product table showing products that were previously searched for using the same search conditions and that correspond to the icons 230 that were actually displayed on the display screen 210 of the user terminal 200, and identifies products that are not included in the generated search result list among the products included in the displayed product table. Note that, hereinafter, the actual display of the scrollably displayed icons 230 on the display screen 210, i.e., the visually recognizable display, is also referred to as being drawn, and the displayed icons 230 that are actually displayed on the display screen 210 are also referred to as drawn icons 230 or drawn icons 230.

[0014] The search device 100 adds the identified products to the search result list, and displays icons 230 of the products included in the updated search result list on the display screen 210 of the user terminal 200. As illustrated in Fig. 2, My List may include other sections such as "Following" which displays search results of products offered by stores or sellers that the user has registered as favorites, products that have been registered as favorites by other users that the user has registered as favorites, and "Likes" which displays icons 230 of products that the user has registered as favorites. In addition, My List may further include any section such as "Recently Viewed" which displays icons 230 of products that the user has selected and viewed detailed information about.

[0015] Returning to FIG. 1, the user terminal 200 is an information terminal (so-called computer) such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC (Personal Computer) owned by a user, and can communicate with the search device 100 via a computer communication network 300. The user installs an e-commerce application in the user terminal 200, starts the e-commerce application, and uses the e-commerce service provided by the search device 100. The user terminal 200 sets search conditions for products based on information input by the user, and displays search results searched by the search device 100. Here, an example of a display screen 210 of the user terminal 200 for setting search conditions is shown in FIG. 3. As shown in the figure, when the user inputs "kitchen storage" into a search box 220 in which a search keyword is input, and presses a save button 250 for saving the search conditions, the user terminal 200 causes the search device 100 to save the search conditions with the search keyword "kitchen storage". The search device 100 generates and saves a search condition table that stores search conditions for each user. When a search keyword is entered in the search box 220, the user terminal 200 transmits a search query including the search keyword to the search device 100, and icons 230 of products that match the search keyword are displayed on the display screen 210.

[0016] Furthermore, the user terminal 200 transmits to the search device 100 an icon ID for identifying the drawn icon 230 actually displayed on the display screen 210 and the time of drawing. The search device 100 generates a displayed product table showing a list of products corresponding to the icon 230 drawn on the display screen 210 for each saved search condition based on the received information.

[0017] (Functional configuration of search device) Next, a functional configuration of the search device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The search device 100 includes a search condition acquisition unit 110, a search condition table generation unit 120, a product database 130, a search unit 140, a displayed information acquisition unit 150, a displayed product table generation unit 160, a change unit 170, and an output unit 180.

[0018] The search condition acquisition unit 110 acquires search conditions from the user terminal 200. Specifically, when a search keyword is input by a user's input operation, the user terminal 200 transmits the input search keyword to the search device 100. When the search condition acquisition unit 110 receives the search keyword, it transmits the received search keyword and the user ID of the user terminal 200 that transmitted the search keyword to the search condition table generation unit 120. Note that the input of the search conditions is not limited to the input of a search keyword, and an image may be input, or attribute information such as a product category, size, color, and manufacturer may be input by selecting it from predetermined options.

[0019] The search condition table generating unit 120 generates a search condition table indicating the search conditions for each user based on the search conditions acquired by the search condition acquiring unit 110. Here, FIG. 5 shows an example of the search condition table. The search condition table includes items of "user ID" for uniquely identifying a user, "search ID" for identifying the search conditions, and "search condition (keyword)" indicating a search keyword that is a search condition. In the illustrated example, the search conditions for only user "A001" are stored, but the search conditions for other users may be stored in the same manner. In addition, the information included in the search condition table is not limited to this, and may be an image input as a search condition, or attribute information selected from predetermined options.

[0020] Returning to FIG. 4, the product database 130 is a database that stores information about products traded in the electronic commerce service. The product database 130 includes index information to be compared with the saved search criteria. An example of the index information is shown in FIG. 6. The index information includes information such as a "product ID" that uniquely identifies a product, a "store ID" that uniquely identifies a store that sells the product, a "product name" that indicates the name of the product, a "category name" that indicates the category of the product, a "price" that indicates the price of the product, and an "icon ID" that identifies the icon 230 of the product displayed on the user terminal 200. Although the index information in FIG. 6 is simplified, the actual index information includes information about all products in all stores. The information included in the index information is not limited to these, and may include any information such as the color and size of the product, the manufacturer of the product, and the address of the store. The product database 130 further stores information such as link information of a Web page that displays detailed information about each product, and image data that is the basis of the icon 230 displayed on the user terminal 200.

[0021] Returning to FIG. 4, the search unit 140 executes a product search based on the saved or input search conditions, and generates a search result list that is a list of search results that match the search conditions. The search unit 140 may set an upper limit on the number of items to be included in the search result list. Specifically, the search unit 140 executes a conditional search based on the search conditions when the user launches an e-commerce application and accesses a My List page, or at a preset timing such as every day or every week. The search unit 140 searches index information stored in the product database 130 based on keywords included in the search condition table generated by the search condition table generation unit 120, and generates a search result list that includes products that match the search conditions. An example of the search result list is shown in FIG. 7. The search result list includes information on a "user ID" for uniquely identifying a user, a "search ID" for uniquely identifying search conditions for each user, and a "search result" that indicates the product name of a product that matches the search condition. In the illustrated example, the products matching the search criteria where the user ID is "A001" and the search ID is "X1" are product A, product B, product C, product D, and product E. The search result list may include product IDs instead of product names, or may include both product names and product IDs. The search result list may also include information indicating the time of the search.

[0022] Returning to Fig. 4, the displayed information acquisition unit 150 acquires information on the drawn icon 230 visibly displayed on the display screen 210 from the user terminal 200. Specifically, the user terminal 200 transmits to the search device 100 the icon ID and the drawn time of the icon 230 actually displayed on the display screen 210, that is, the icon ID and the drawn time of the icon 230 drawn on the display screen 210, among the icons 230, Product A, Product B, Product C, ..., and Product X, Product Y, Product Z, ..., which are scrollably arranged in the "Saved Search Condition" section of the My List illustrated in Fig. 2. Note that the displayed information acquisition unit 150 is an example of an acquisition unit, and the icon ID and the drawn time are examples of drawn information.

[0023] The displayed product table generating unit 160 generates a displayed product table showing products corresponding to the icons 230 drawn on the display screen 210 for each user and for each saved search condition based on the icon ID and the drawing time acquired by the displayed information acquiring unit 150. An example of the displayed product table is shown in FIG. 8. The displayed product table shown in the figure is a displayed product table generated when icons 230 of products A, B, and C and icons 230 of products X, Y, and Z are actually displayed as search results for the search keywords "bag" and "tops autumn / winter" in the "saved search conditions" section of the display screen 210 illustrated in FIG. 2. The displayed product table includes information on a "user ID" for uniquely identifying a user, a "search ID" for uniquely identifying search conditions for each user, a "product name" indicating the name of a product corresponding to the icon 230 drawn on the display screen 210, and a "last displayed date and time" which is the date and time when each icon 230 was last displayed. The displayed product table may include a product ID instead of the product name, or may include both the product name and the product ID. In the illustrated example, the displayed products of only the user "A001" are stored, but the displayed products of other users are stored in the same manner.

[0024] Returning to FIG. 4, the change unit 170 changes the search result list generated by the search unit 140. Specifically, the change unit 170 compares the search result list generated by the search unit 140 with the displayed product table generated by the displayed product table generation unit 160, and identifies products that are not included in the search result list among products corresponding to icons 230 drawn on the display screen 210 by a previous search process executed under the same conditions as the current search conditions. The change unit 170 adds the identified products to the end of the search result list generated by the search unit 140, and changes the search result list. Details of the process by the change unit 170 will be described later.

[0025] The output unit 180 displays icons 230 of products included in the search result list in a scrollable manner on the display screen 210 of the user terminal 200 based on the search result list changed by the change unit 170. When an icon 230 displayed on the display screen 210 is selected, the output unit 180 obtains link information of a Web page displaying detailed information of the product corresponding to the selected icon 230 from the product database 130, transmits the link information to the user terminal 200, and displays the link information on the display screen 210.

[0026] (Physical configuration of search device) 9, the search device 100 having the functional configuration described above physically comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 that executes processing according to a program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 which is a volatile memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13 which is a non-volatile memory, a storage unit 14 that stores data, an input unit 15 that accepts input of information, a display unit 16 that visualizes and displays information, and a communication unit 17 that transmits and receives information, all of which are connected via an internal bus 99. The user terminal 200 may have the hardware configuration shown in FIG.

[0027] The CPU 11 executes various processes by reading out the programs stored in the storage unit 14 into the RAM 12 and executing them. As main functions provided by the programs, the CPU 11 executes each process by the search condition table generating unit 120, the search unit 140, the displayed product table generating unit 160, the change unit 170, and the output unit 180. The CPU 11 may also execute each process by the search condition acquiring unit 110 and the displayed information acquiring unit 150.

[0028] The RAM 12 is used as a work area for the CPU 11. The ROM 13 stores a control program executed by the CPU 11 for the basic operation of the search device 100, a BIOS (Basic Input Output System), and the like.

[0029] The storage unit 14 includes a hard disk drive, and stores the programs executed by the CPU 11 and various data used when the programs are executed. The storage unit 14 functions as a product database 130.

[0030] The input unit 15 is a user interface including a keyboard, a mouse, a communication device, etc. The display unit 16 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display that visualizes and displays information.

[0031] The communication unit 17 is a network termination device or a wireless communication device that connects to the network, and a serial interface or a LAN (Local Area Network) interface that connects to them. The communication unit 17 functions as a search condition acquisition unit 110, a displayed information acquisition unit 150, and an output unit 180.

[0032] (Search condition saving process) Next, the operations of the search device 100 and the user terminal 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 10 and Fig. 11. First, the search condition saving process for saving search conditions based on input of a search keyword will be described with reference to Fig. 10. When a user operates the user terminal 200 to start an e-commerce application pre-installed in the user terminal 200 and access a search page for searching for products, the search device 100 starts the search condition saving process.

[0033] The user terminal 200 determines whether or not a search condition has been input (step S151). Specifically, the user terminal 200 determines whether or not a search keyword has been input into the search box 220 that accepts the input of a search keyword.

[0034] When the user terminal 200 determines that a search condition has been input in the search box 220 (step S151; Yes), it transmits a search query including the input search condition to the search device 100 (step S152). For example, when a search keyword "kitchen storage" is input in the search box 220, the user terminal 200 transmits a search query with "kitchen storage" as a search condition to the search device 100. On the other hand, when the user terminal 200 determines that a search keyword has not been input in the search box 220 (step S151; No), it waits for the input of a search keyword. Note that, in step S151, the case where the process proceeds to step S152 on the condition that a search keyword has been input in the search box 220 has been described, but when a search keyword has been input in the search box 220 and an operation indicating a search instruction has been performed, the process may proceed to step S152.

[0035] Next, the search condition acquisition unit 110 of the search device 100 acquires search conditions from the search query transmitted in step S152 (step S101). The search condition acquisition unit 110 transmits the acquired search conditions to the search unit 140.

[0036] Next, the search unit 140 generates a search result list showing a list of products matching the search conditions transmitted from the search condition acquisition unit 110 (step S102). Specifically, the search unit 140 searches the index information exemplified in FIG. 6 stored in the product database 130 based on the search keyword, and generates a search result list including products matching the search condition. For example, when the search keyword is "kitchen storage", the search unit 140 extracts products including the character string "kitchen storage" from the index information to generate a search result list. Note that the method of extracting products corresponding to the search keyword is not limited to this, and any method may be used as long as the product can be specified, such as extracting products including a character string similar to the search keyword. In addition, the search result list may be a list in which the extracted products are ranked based on any information such as price, registration date and time, and number of favorite registrations. The search unit 140 generates a search result list with a set upper limit of the number of products, such as 20, 50, or 100, and stores it in the storage unit 14.

[0037] Next, the output unit 180 transmits the icon IDs of the icons 230 of the products included in the search result list generated by the search unit 140 in the order of the list (step S103). Specifically, the output unit 180 obtains the icon IDs of the products included in the search result list from the product database 130, and transmits them to the user terminal 200 in the order determined in the search result list.

[0038] Next, the user terminal 200 displays the search results by displaying on the display screen 210 the icon 230 corresponding to the icon ID transmitted from the search device 100 (step S153). Specifically, the user terminal 200 acquires from the search device 100 the icon 230 corresponding to the icon ID stored in the product database 130. Next, the user terminal 200 displays the acquired icon 230 on the display screen 210 in a manner that allows scrolling downward, as illustrated in FIG.

[0039] Next, the user terminal 200 stores in a memory provided in the user terminal 200 that the icons 230 of products AA to II have been displayed, based on the icons 230 of products AA to II being drawn on the display screen 210. Specifically, the user terminal 200 stores in the memory the icon IDs of the icons 230 of products AA to II and the time when each icon 230 was drawn (step S154).

[0040] Next, the user terminal 200 determines whether or not a new icon 230 has been drawn on the display screen 210 displayed in step S153 by the user scrolling the display screen 210 (step S155). Specifically, when the user scrolls the display screen 210 downward so that icons 230 of products after product II are drawn on the display screen 210, the user terminal 200 determines that a new icon 230 has been drawn (step S155; Yes). Next, the user terminal 200 stores in memory the icon ID of the newly drawn icon 230 and the time when the icon 230 was drawn (step S156).

[0041] On the other hand, if a scroll operation is not performed, the user terminal 200 determines that a new icon 230 has not been drawn (step S155; No).

[0042] Next, the user terminal 200 determines whether or not to save the search conditions input in step S151 (step S157). Specifically, when the user terminal 200 determines that the save button 250 arranged on the display screen 210 illustrated in Fig. 3 has been selected, it determines that the search conditions are to be saved (step S157; Yes) and transmits a request to save the search conditions to the search device 100 (step S158). On the other hand, when the search keyword input in step S151 is deleted from the search box 220 or a different search keyword is input, it determines that the search conditions are not to be saved (step S157; No) and returns to step S151.

[0043] When the search condition table generating unit 120 receives the request to save the search conditions transmitted in step S158, it registers the search conditions included in the search query transmitted in step S152 in the search condition table (step S104). Specifically, the search condition table generating unit 120 assigns a search ID to the search keyword "kitchen storage" transmitted in step S152 and adds it to the latest search condition table, thereby updating the search condition table as illustrated in Fig. 5. The illustrated example shows that the search condition table has been updated by adding a new search condition for the search keyword "kitchen storage" to the search condition table in which the search conditions with search IDs "X1" and "X2" are saved.

[0044] Next, the user terminal 200 transmits to the search device 100 the icon IDs of the already-displayed icons 230 stored in the memory and the times at which each icon 230 was drawn on the display screen 210 (step S159). If a new icon 230 is drawn between steps S158 and S159, the user terminal 200 transmits to the search device 100 the icon ID and the time at which the newly drawn icon 230 was drawn together with the icon ID. After step S159, the user terminal 200 may wait for a scroll operation by the user until the search keyword input in step S151 is deleted from the search box 220 or another search keyword is input, and may transmit the icon ID and the time at which the newly drawn icon 230 was drawn to the user terminal 200 as needed.

[0045] Next, the displayed product table generating unit 160 registers the icon ID and the drawing time transmitted in step S159 in a displayed product table showing a list of displayed products for each user and for each search condition (step S105). Specifically, the displayed product table generating unit 160 refers to the product database 130 to acquire the product name corresponding to the received icon ID, associates the acquired product name with the user ID, the search ID, and the drawing time of the icon 230, and adds them to the displayed product table, thereby updating the displayed product table, and stores them in the storage unit 14.

[0046] (Saved condition search processing) Next, a description will be given of a saved condition search process in which the search device 100 executes a product search based on saved search conditions, with reference to Fig. 11. Note that since the process includes steps common to the flowchart illustrated in Fig. 10, differences will be mainly described.

[0047] When a user starts an e-commerce application and accesses My List, the user terminal 200 instructs the search device 100 to execute a saved condition search process (step S251). When instructing the search device 100 to execute a saved condition search process, the user terminal 200 transmits search conditions to the search device 100.

[0048] Next, upon receiving an instruction to execute a saved condition search process from the user terminal 200, the search condition acquisition unit 110 acquires, in step S101, a search condition table of the user to be processed from the storage unit 14 (step S101) and transmits it to the search unit 140. Next, the search unit 140 searches for products that match the search conditions received in step S101 by a process similar to that of step S102 in Fig. 10, and generates a search result list (step S102).

[0049] Next, the change unit 170 acquires from the storage unit 14 a displayed product table showing products corresponding to the icons 230 drawn on the display screen 210 in a previous search, as exemplified in FIG. 8 (step S201).

[0050] Next, the change unit 170 extracts products that are not included in the search result list generated in step S102 from among the products included in the displayed product table (step S202). Specifically, the change unit 170 compares the search result list with the displayed product table to extract products that are not included in the search result list from among the products included in the displayed product table. Here, an example of a search result list for a search condition with a search ID of "X1" generated in step S102 is shown in FIG. 12(a). The change unit 170 compares the displayed product table for the search condition with the search ID "X1" illustrated in FIG. 8 with the search result list illustrated in FIG. 12(a) to extract a product C that is not included in the search result list. When the change unit 170 determines that there is an extracted product (step S203; Yes), it adds the extracted product to the search result list and updates the search result list (step S204). Specifically, the change unit 170 adds the product C to the end of the search result list illustrated in FIG. 12(a). An example of the search result list updated by the change unit 170 is shown in Fig. 12(b). The change unit 170 stores the updated search result list in the storage unit 14. Note that, if there are multiple products that have not been included in the search result list but have been glanced at before, the change unit 170 adds all of these products to the end of the search result list. Also, the addition to the search result list is not limited to the end, and may be added to the beginning or any other position.

[0051] In addition, in step S203, if the change unit 170 determines that no product has been extracted (step S203; No), it decides not to update the search result list generated in step S102, and proceeds to step S103.

[0052] Next, the output unit 180 transmits the icon IDs of the product icons 230 included in the search result list to the user terminal 200 in the order determined in the search result list, in the same manner as in step S103 in FIG. 10 (step S103).

[0053] Next, the user terminal 200 displays the search results on the display screen 210 by the same process as in step S153 in Fig. 10 (step S153). Next, the user terminal 200 transmits to the search device 100 the icon ID of the icon 230 that was first drawn on the display screen 210 and the time of drawing (step S252).

[0054] Next, the displayed product table generating unit 160 of the search device 100 updates the displayed product table based on the icon ID and the drawing time transmitted in step S252 (step S205). Specifically, for example, if the icon ID of a new product not included in the latest displayed product table is included, the displayed product table generating unit 160 adds the new product to the displayed product table. Also, for example, if the icon ID of a product included in the latest displayed product table is included, the displayed product table generating unit 160 updates the last display date and time of the displayed product table to the drawing time transmitted in step S252. Note that the displayed product table may store only information within a set period, and the displayed product table generating unit 160 may compare the current date and time with the last display date and time of each product and delete products outside the set period from the displayed product table. For example, products that have been last displayed for one week may be deleted from the displayed product table.

[0055] Next, the user terminal 200 accepts a user operation (step S253) and identifies the type of the user operation (step S254). When the user terminal 200 identifies that the user operation is an operation to scroll the display screen 210 rightward in the area where the icon 230 is displayed, the user terminal 200 draws a new product icon 230 on the display screen 210 in response to the scroll operation (step S255). Next, the user terminal 200 transmits the icon ID of the newly drawn icon 230 and the drawing time to the search device 100 (step S256), and returns to step S253.

[0056] Next, when the displayed product table generating unit 160 of the search device 100 receives the icon ID of the newly drawn icon 230 and the drawing time in step S256, it updates the displayed product table by the same process as in step S205 (step S206).

[0057] Meanwhile, returning to step S254, when the user terminal 200 determines that the user operation is an operation of selecting the icon 230 drawn on the display screen 210, it obtains link information of the product corresponding to the selected icon 230 from the product database 130, and displays a Web page showing detailed information about the product on the display screen 210 (step S257), and returns to step S253.

[0058] Furthermore, when the user terminal 200 determines in step S254 that the user's operation is an operation other than a scroll operation and an operation of selecting an icon 230, it executes a process corresponding to the user's operation (step S258). For example, when the user clicks on a white heart mark included in the icon 230 of a product that is not registered as a favorite, the user terminal 200 executes a process of changing the white heart mark to a black heart mark. In addition, when the user selects the icon 240a for transitioning to a home screen or the icon 240b for transitioning to a screen for searching products, the user terminal 200 transitions to the corresponding page and temporarily ends the saved condition search process. Then, when the icon 240c for transitioning to My List is selected on the home screen or the product search screen, the saved condition search process is executed again.

[0059] As described above, when the search device 100 executes a search process based on the saved search conditions, it determines whether or not the product actually displayed on the display screen 210 of the user terminal 200 by the previous search process is included in the current search result. When the search device 100 determines that the product displayed by the previous search process is not included in the current search result, it adds the product to the search result, updates the search result, and displays the updated search result on the user terminal 200. Therefore, the user can review the information displayed in the previous search again when re-searching. For example, when the search device 100 executes a search process with a certain search condition at the beginning, and then product information is added, if the number of items to be searched is limited, the search result may be different when searching again with the search condition. In this case, the search device 100 adds the information displayed on the user terminal 200 at the time of the first search to the search result at the time of the re-search, so that the user can review the information displayed in the previous search.

[0060] (Modification) In the above embodiment, the search condition is a search keyword input by the user, but is not limited to this. For example, the search condition may be a search for a store registered as a favorite by the user, a product or service newly listed by a seller, or a product or service registered as a favorite by another user registered as a favorite by the user. Then, each time the user accesses My List, the search result may be displayed in the "Follow" section as illustrated in FIG. 2. In this case, the search device 100 may store the date and time when the product was listed, the date and time when the user registered the product or service as a favorite in a database, and when performing a search process, obtain this information from the database and search for a product that was newly listed between the previous search process and the current search process, or a product that the favorite user newly registered as a favorite. Then, the search device 100 may determine whether or not a product corresponding to the icon 230 drawn in the previous search process is included in the search result list by the same process as steps S201 to S203 in FIG. 11, and add a product determined not to be included to the search result list and display it on the user terminal 200.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the user terminal 200 instructs execution of a saved condition search process when the user accesses My List, but this is not limited thereto, and the user terminal 200 may instruct execution of a saved condition search process in the background at a set timing such as once a day or once a week. In this case, the search device 100 executes the processes from step S101 to step S204 in Fig. 11 to generate a search result list. Then, when the user accesses My List, the search device 100 executes the process of step S103 based on the generated search result list, and causes the user terminal 200 to display the search results.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the search device 100 includes the search condition table generating unit 120 and the displayed product table generating unit 160. However, the user terminal 200 may generate the search condition table and the displayed product table. In that case, the search device 100 does not need to include the search condition table generating unit 120 and the displayed product table generating unit 160. Specifically, in step S158 of the search condition saving process shown in FIG. 10, the user terminal 200 generates or updates the search condition table illustrated in FIG. 4 based on the search condition input in step S151 and saves it in memory. In addition, in the processes of steps S154 and S156 of FIG. 10 and steps S252 and S257 of FIG. 11, the user terminal 200 may obtain the product name corresponding to the icon 230 drawn on the display screen 210 from the product database 130 using the icon ID as a key, generate or update the displayed product table illustrated in FIG. 8, and save it in memory. Then, in step S251 of the saved condition search process shown in FIG. 11, the user terminal 200 transmits a search query including the search condition table and the displayed product table to the search device 100 to execute the saved condition search process.

[0063] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the search condition table in FIG. 5 stores only the search conditions of the user with user ID "A001", but the search conditions of other users are similarly saved in this table, and when performing a saved condition search for a certain user, search conditions are extracted from the search condition table using the user's user ID, a search is performed for each of the extracted search conditions, and the search results are displayed on the user terminal 200 of that user.

[0064] The search device 100 according to the above embodiment can be realized by using a normal computer, not a dedicated device. For example, the search device 100 that executes the above processes may be configured by installing a program for executing any of the above processes on a computer from a recording medium storing the program. The search device 100 may also be configured by multiple computers operating in cooperation with each other.

[0065] Furthermore, when the above-mentioned functions are realized by sharing the functions between an OS (Operating System) and an application, or by cooperation between the OS and the application, only the parts other than the OS may be stored on the medium.

[0066] It is also possible to superimpose the program on a carrier wave and distribute it via a communication network. For example, the program may be distributed through an application store (App Store) for smartphones, or posted on a bulletin board (BBS, Bulletin Board System) on a communication network and distributed via the network. These programs may then be started and executed under the control of an operating system in the same way as other application programs, thereby enabling the above-mentioned processing to be performed.

[0067] Furthermore, the information stored in the storage unit 14 may be collectively managed by a cloud server present on the network, and the search device 100 may access the cloud server as necessary to read and write information. In this case, the search device 100 may not include the product database 130. Furthermore, the search condition saving process and the saved condition search process by the search device 100 may be executed on the cloud using information stored in the cloud server.

[0068] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0069] (Appendix 1) a search unit that performs a conditional search to search for objects that match a search condition and generates a list that includes the objects; an output unit that displays the target included in the list generated by the search unit on a display screen of a user terminal; an acquisition unit that acquires rendered information indicating the object rendered on the display screen from among the objects included in the list; Equipped with when the drawn object acquired by the acquisition unit is not included in a new list generated by newly executing the conditional search based on the search condition, the search unit adds the drawn object to the new list. Search device.

[0070] (Appendix 2) when all of the objects included in the list cannot be drawn on the display screen at once, the output unit draws all of the objects on the display screen by scrolling the display screen. 2. A search device as described in appendix 1.

[0071] (Appendix 3) the acquisition unit acquires the drawn information including the object drawn on an initial screen that initially displays the object searched for by executing the conditional search, and the object drawn on the display screen by scrolling the display screen. 3. A search device as described in appendix 2.

[0072] (Appendix 4) The object is a product or service that is the subject of electronic commerce, The search conditions include conditions for extracting products or services that have been registered as favorites by the user or that have been registered as favorites by other users. 4. A search device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

[0073] (Appendix 5) The object is a product or service that is the subject of electronic commerce, The search conditions include conditions for extracting stores registered in the user's favorites, or products or services being offered by sellers, 4. A search device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

[0074] (Appendix 6) When the object drawn on the display screen is selected, the output unit displays detailed information of the selected object on the display screen. 6. A search device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

[0075] (Appendix 7) The computer performing a conditional search to search for objects matching a search condition and generating a list including said objects; displaying the objects included in the generated list on a display screen of a user terminal; obtaining rendered information indicating the objects rendered on the display screen from among the objects included in the list; Run In the step of generating the list, if the acquired already-drawn object is not included in a new list generated by newly executing the conditional search based on the search condition, the already-drawn object is added to the new list. How to search.

[0076] (Appendix 8) On the computer, performing a conditional search to search for objects that match a search condition and generating a list that includes the objects; A process of displaying the objects included in the generated list on a display screen of a user terminal; A process of acquiring drawn information indicating the objects drawn on the display screen from among the objects included in the list; Run the command, The process of generating the list includes, when the acquired already-drawn object is not included in a new list generated by newly executing the conditional search based on the search condition, adding the already-drawn object to the new list. program.

[0077] Various embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure are possible without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The above-described embodiments are for explaining the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the scope of the disclosure equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0078] The present invention can be suitably adopted in a search device, a search method, and a program for re-displaying information displayed in a previous search when searching again. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 100 Search device, 200 User terminal, 300 Computer communication network, 110 Search condition acquisition unit, 120 Search condition table generation unit, 130 Product database, 140 Search unit, 150 Displayed information acquisition unit, 160 Displayed product table generation unit, 170 Change unit, 180 Output unit, 210 Display screen, 220 Search box, 230, 240a, 240b, 240c Icon, 250 Save button, 11 CPU, 12 RAM, 13 ROM, 14 Storage unit, 15 Input unit, 16 Display unit, 17 Communication unit, 99 Internal bus

Claims

1. a search unit that performs a conditional search to search for objects that match a search condition and generates a list that includes the objects; an output unit that displays the target included in the list generated by the search unit on a display screen of a user terminal; an acquisition unit that acquires rendered information indicating the object rendered on the display screen from among the objects included in the list; Equipped with when the drawn object acquired by the acquisition unit is not included in a new list generated by newly executing the conditional search based on the search condition, the search unit adds the drawn object to the new list. Search device.

2. when all of the objects included in the list cannot be drawn on the display screen at once, the output unit draws all of the objects on the display screen by scrolling the display screen. The search device according to claim 1 .

3. the acquisition unit acquires the drawn information including the object drawn on an initial screen that initially displays the object searched for by executing the conditional search, and the object drawn on the display screen by scrolling the display screen. The search device according to claim 2.

4. The object is a product or service that is the subject of electronic commerce, The search conditions include conditions for extracting products or services that have been registered as favorites by the user or that have been registered as favorites by other users. The search device according to claim 1 .

5. The object is a product or service that is the subject of electronic commerce, The search conditions include conditions for extracting stores registered in the user's favorites, or products or services being offered by sellers, The search device according to claim 1 .

6. When the object drawn on the display screen is selected, the output unit displays detailed information of the selected object on the display screen. The search device according to claim 1 .

7. The computer performing a conditional search to search for objects matching a search condition and generating a list including said objects; displaying the objects included in the generated list on a display screen of a user terminal; obtaining rendered information indicating the objects rendered on the display screen from among the objects included in the list; Run In the step of generating the list, if the acquired already-drawn object is not included in a new list generated by newly executing the conditional search based on the search condition, the already-drawn object is added to the new list. How to search.

8. On the computer, performing a conditional search to search for objects that match a search condition and generating a list that includes the objects; A process of displaying the objects included in the generated list on a display screen of a user terminal; A process of acquiring drawn information indicating the objects drawn on the display screen from among the objects included in the list; Run the command, The process of generating the list includes, when the acquired already-drawn object is not included in a new list generated by newly executing the conditional search based on the search condition, adding the already-drawn object to the new list. program.

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