Information processing device, information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To improve the convenience of searching for electronic sticky notes. [Solution] When the CPU 21 of the terminal device (information processing device) 20 displays the searched sticky note (electronic sticky note) as a thumbnail of the sticky note, the search result can be extended to other sticky notes (e.g., sticky note 101f to sticky note 101i) linked to the searched sticky note (e.g., sticky note 101e). If two or more other sticky notes are found when the search result is extended to other sticky notes linked to the searched sticky note, the CPU 21 displays each of the thumbnails of those two or more other sticky notes (e.g., thumbnails 111f to thumbnails 111i; see Figure 11) as a search result image in an order based on a different reason than the order in which they are linked.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an electronic sticky note conference terminal that arranges one or more electronic sticky notes on a virtual board to share information among a plurality of terminals has been disclosed (Patent Document 1 below). In this electronic sticky note conference terminal, when displaying a part of the above board, a shortcut object to the position of an electronic sticky note cluster to which an electronic sticky note not arranged in the displayed area belongs is displayed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the electronic sticky note conference terminal disclosed in Patent Document 1 above does not have a function of searching for a desired electronic sticky note. Therefore, there is a problem that it is troublesome for the user to visually search for the desired electronic sticky note while using the above shortcut object.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to improve the convenience regarding the search for electronic sticky notes.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, the information processing device according to the present invention includes a control means that, when displaying a searched electronic sticky note as a thumbnail of the electronic sticky note, can extend the search result to other electronic sticky notes linked to the searched electronic sticky note, and when the search result is extended to other electronic sticky notes linked to the searched electronic sticky note and two or more other electronic sticky notes are searched, the control means displays each of the thumbnails of the two or more other electronic sticky notes in a predetermined order as a search result image, wherein the predetermined order is based on a different basis than the order related to the linking. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the convenience of searching for electronic sticky notes can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing a learning support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a notebook area. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of terminal devices. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart showing the notebook processing. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of a notebook area and display screen. [Figure 7] The sticky note search process is shown in the flowchart. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the sticky note search screen. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the sticky note search screen. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of the sticky note search screen. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of the sticky note search screen. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of a panel screen. [Figure 13] Figures (A) to (C) show examples of panel screens. [Figure 14] This figure shows an example of a notebook area and display screen. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. While the embodiments described below are subject to various technically preferred limitations for carrying out the present invention, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples. First, the general configuration of the learning support system 1 (information processing system) of this embodiment will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the learning support system 1 comprises a server 10 and a terminal device 20. The server 10 and the terminal device 20 are connected via a communication network 30. The communication network 30 is a network that relays communication between the server 10 and the terminal device 20, and is, for example, the Internet, but may also include a LAN (Local Area Network), a dedicated line, etc.

[0010] Learning support system 1 has an administrator support function that provides administrators of educational institutions with management support for teacher and student account information, class information, lesson information, etc. Learning support system 1 also has a teacher support function that provides teachers of educational institutions with lesson support such as creating and distributing assignments to students and conducting lessons. Learning support system 1 also has a learning support function that provides students of educational institutions with lesson support such as creating notebooks for lessons, online dictionaries, mathematical tools, and completing and submitting assignments from teachers. In this embodiment, the learning support function among the functions of learning support system 1 will be described. The learning support function is provided to users whose account information (ID and password) has been registered in advance on server 10.

[0011] Server 10 is a web server device located on the cloud of the communication network 30, and provides the above-mentioned learning support functions to terminal device 20. Terminal device 20 is an information processing device used by the user, such as a notebook PC. However, terminal device 20 is not limited to a notebook PC, and may be other information processing devices such as a desktop PC, tablet PC, or smartphone. Also, terminal device 20 in Figure 1 represents one device that represents multiple terminal devices 20 used by multiple users.

[0012] Next, the functional configuration of the server 10 will be described. As shown in Figure 2, the server 10 comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, an operation unit 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a display unit 14, a storage unit 15, and a communication unit 16. Each part of the server 10 is connected via a bus 17. The CPU 11 controls each part of the server 10. The CPU 11 reads a specified program from among the various programs stored in the storage unit 15, expands it into the RAM 13, and executes various processes in cooperation with the expanded program. The CPU 11 also includes a timing circuit (not shown) and acquires date and time information measured by this timing circuit. The operation unit 12 has a keyboard with various keys and a pointing device such as a mouse that accepts position input, and accepts key input and position input operation input from the user and outputs the operation information to the CPU 11. The RAM 13 is a volatile semiconductor memory that can read and write information, provides the CPU 11 with a work area for operation, and temporarily stores data and programs. The display unit 14 has a display panel such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, and displays various display information input from the CPU 11 and the like on the display panel.

[0013] The storage unit 15 is composed of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc., and is a storage unit capable of reading and writing information, storing various data and various programs. The storage unit 15 stores a learning support program P1 for executing the learning support providing process described later and a learning support program P2 for executing the learning support process described later. The learning support program P2 includes a notebook program P21 for executing the notebook process described later. The learning support providing program P1 is a program executed by the CPU 11. The learning support program P2 and the notebook program P21 are programs for execution on the browser of the terminal device 20. The browser is software that connects to a web server, receives and displays web page data.

[0014] Also, the storage unit 15 stores notebook management information for managing information related to notebooks created by the user in the learning support function. The storage unit 15 stores notebook management information for each user. The user can create an object and place the object in the notebook in the learning support function. The object includes a sticky note (electronic sticky note) and a drawing object. Here, the notebook area indicating the area of the notebook will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, in the notebook area R1, sticky notes 101a to 101i are arranged. The notebook is a display element displayed on the display unit 24 (see FIG. 4) of the terminal device 20, and is a notebook-type web component (digital component) capable of expanding the notebook area R1 to infinity. The sticky note is a web component for recording learning items in various expressions. Here, an example where the shape of the sticky note is substantially rectangular will be described, but it is not limited thereto. Sticky notes can be connected by a directed connection line.

[0015] In the example shown in FIG. 3, the sticky notes 101c and 101d are displayed in a state directly connected by a connecting line 102a with the sticky note 101c as the connection source (starting end) and the sticky note 101d as the connection destination (ending end). Also, the sticky notes 101e and 101f are displayed in a state directly connected by a connecting line 102b with the sticky note 101e as the connection source (starting end) and the sticky note 101f as the connection destination. Similarly, the sticky notes 101f and 101g are displayed in a state directly connected by a connecting line 102c with the sticky note 101f as the connection source and the sticky note 101g as the connection destination. Also, the sticky notes 101g and 101h are displayed in a state directly connected by a connecting line 102d with the sticky note 101g as the connection source and the sticky note 101h as the connection destination. Also, the sticky notes 101h and 101i are displayed in a state directly connected by a connecting line 102e with the sticky note 101h as the connection source and the sticky note 101i as the connection destination (ending end). That is, each of the sticky notes 101e to 101i is displayed in a state serially connected with the sticky note 101c as the starting end and the sticky note 101i as the ending end. Here, among the sticky notes 101e to 101i serially connected, sticky notes that are not directly connected to each other (for example, the sticky notes 101e and 101g) can be expressed as being indirectly connected.

[0016] Note that although each of the connecting lines 102a to 102e is an arrow, it is not limited to an arrow as long as it is a line including direction information. Although not shown in the example shown in FIG. 3, the drawing object is a Web component generated by handwritten input by a user via, for example, a mouse, which is the operation unit 22 (see FIG. 4) of the terminal device 20. Assume that the shapes and sizes of the sticky notes and the drawing object can be arranged in the notebook area R1. The user can move the sticky notes and the drawing object arranged in the notebook area R1 to an arbitrary position within the notebook area R1 via the operation unit 22. The notebook management information has, in association with each other, identification information of the target notebook, identification information of the objects arranged in the notebook area R1, coordinate information of the objects in the notebook area R1, identification information of the sticky notes as the connection source / destination of the sticky notes, and the like.

[0017] Furthermore, the memory unit 15 stores object management information that manages information related to objects created by the user in the learning support function. The object management information includes identification information of the target object, information on whether the object is a sticky note or a drawing object, and information on the date and time the user operated on the object. If the target object is a sticky note, the object management information includes information such as the type of sticky note and the content of the sticky note. The type of sticky note is information that indicates the type of sticky note corresponding to text sticky notes, camera sticky notes, link sticky notes, file sticky notes, dictionary sticky notes, tool sticky notes, etc. Each type of sticky note will be described in detail later. The content of the sticky note indicates the content of the sticky note and is information that clearly indicates strings of text, images, videos, etc. The content of the sticky note also includes information on display settings such as the display size and background color of the sticky note. If the target object is a drawing object, the object management information includes information such as the shape and size of the drawing object.

[0018] Returning to Figure 2, the communication unit 16 is a communication unit such as a network card connected to the communication network 30. The communication unit 16 sends and receives information with external devices such as terminal devices 20 on the communication network 30 according to the instructions of the CPU 11. The communication unit 16 is a wired communication unit connected to the communication network 30 by a wire, but is not limited to this, and may be a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication and is connected to the communication network 30 via a base station or access point.

[0019] Next, the functional configuration of the terminal device 20 will be described. As shown in Figure 4, the terminal device 20 comprises a CPU 21, an operation unit 22, a RAM 23, a display unit 24, a storage unit 25, a communication unit 26, and an imaging unit 27. Each part of the terminal device 20 is connected via a bus 28. The CPU 21 controls each part of the terminal device 20. The CPU (control means) 21 reads a specified program from among the various programs stored in the storage unit 25, expands it into the RAM 23, and executes various processes in cooperation with the expanded program. The CPU 21 also includes a timing circuit (not shown) and acquires date and time information measured by this timing circuit. The operation unit 22 has a keyboard with various keys and a pointing device that accepts position input, and accepts key input and position input operation input from the user and outputs the operation information to the CPU 21. Here, the operation unit 22 is assumed to have a mouse as the pointing device. Furthermore, the operation unit 22 may include a touch panel integrally formed on the display panel of the display unit 24, and may be configured to accept touch input from the user. The RAM 23 is a volatile semiconductor memory that can read and write information, provides a work area for the CPU 21, and temporarily stores data and programs. The display unit 24 has a display panel such as an LCD or EL display, and displays various display information input from the CPU 21 and the like on the display panel.

[0020] The storage unit 25 is composed of an HDD, SSD, or the like, and is a storage unit capable of reading and writing information, storing various data and various programs. The storage unit 25 stores the browser program P3 for running the browser mentioned above. The communication unit 26 is a communication unit such as a network card connected to the communication network 30. The communication unit 26 sends and receives information with external devices such as the server 10 on the communication network 30 according to the instructions of the CPU 21. The communication unit 26 is a wired communication unit connected to the communication network 30 by a wire, but is not limited to this, and may be a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication and is configured to be connected to the communication network 30 via a base station or access point. The imaging unit 27 is a digital camera unit having an optical system and an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and captures images of subjects, generates still images and video image data, and outputs them to the CPU 21.

[0021] Next, the operation of the learning support system 1 will be explained. Specifically, the case in the learning support system 1 where a student user uses the learning support function on terminal device 20 and uses the notebook function within it will be explained. First, in terminal device 20, triggered by the user inputting a browser execution command via the operation unit 22, the CPU 21 executes the browser according to the browser program P3. Then, in terminal device 20 while the browser is running, triggered by the user inputting the URL of the web page providing the learning support function on server 10 via the operation unit 22, the CPU 21 uses the input URL to send a user login request to server 10 via the communication unit 26.

[0022] In server 10, when CPU 11 receives a login request from terminal device 20 via communication unit 16, it executes learning support provision processing according to the learning support provision program P1 stored in memory unit 15. First, CPU 11 generates login screen data and sends it to the requesting terminal device 20. Then, in terminal device 20, CPU 21 receives the login screen data from server 10 via communication unit 26 and displays it on display unit 24. Next, CPU 21 accepts the input of an ID and password from the user via operation unit 22 and sends the input ID and password to server 10 via communication unit 26.

[0023] In server 10, CPU 11 receives an ID and password from terminal device 20 via communication unit 16 and performs user login authentication using the received ID and password. If user login authentication is successful, CPU 11 reads the learning support program P2 from storage unit 15 and sends the learning support program P2 to the authenticated terminal device 20 via communication unit 16. In terminal device 20, CPU 21 receives the learning support program P2 from server 10 via communication unit 26 and executes the learning support program P2 on the browser to perform learning support processing. In this way, terminal device 20 implements learning support processing on the browser.

[0024] In the learning support process, the CPU 21 receives operation information from the user via the operation unit 22 and, according to the input operation information, performs the notebook processing described later and provides functions such as classroom support. In addition, the CPU 21 sends and receives various information necessary for the learning support process to the server 10 via the communication unit 26 as appropriate during the learning support process. Hereinafter, the CPU 21 is the main entity executing the learning support process. When the CPU 21 reads information stored in the storage unit 15 of the server 10, it sends an information request to the server 10 via the communication unit 26. When the CPU 11 of the server 10 receives an information request from the terminal device 20 via the communication unit 26, it reads the information from the storage unit 15 and sends it back to the terminal device 20. This series of processes will be simply described as "the CPU 21 obtains the information stored in the storage unit 15."

[0025] In terminal device 20 executing learning support processing, triggered by a request from the user to execute notebook processing via the operation unit 22, the CPU 21 executes notebook processing according to the notebook program P21 in the learning support program P2 received from server 10. Thus, the CPU 21 is the main entity responsible for notebook processing. As shown in Figure 5, when notebook processing begins, the CPU 21 first acquires the notebook management information and object management information of the logged-in user stored in the storage unit 15 of server 10 (step S1). Next, based on the notebook management information and object management information acquired in step S1, the CPU 21 displays a display screen on the display unit 24 that shows at least a portion of the notebook area R1 (step S2).

[0026] As shown in Figure 6, the size of the notebook area R1 is larger than the size that can be displayed on the display screen 100. Therefore, the CPU 21 displays a portion of the notebook area R1 in area R2, which is displayed on the display screen 100. Sticky notes 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d are placed inside area R2 in the notebook area R1. Furthermore, sticky notes 101e, 101f, 101g, 101h, and 101i are placed outside area R2 in the notebook area R1. In this case, the CPU 21 displays a portion of the objects placed in the notebook area R1 in area R2. Note that if the display screen 100 of a new notebook is displayed in step S2, sticky notes and drawing objects will not be displayed in area R2, which is displayed on the display screen 100. The display screen 100 also has a save icon 103, a group of buttons 104, a sticky note icon 105, and an exit button 106. When CPU21 receives a drag-and-drop operation from the user in an area of ​​the display screen 100 where various icons, buttons, objects, etc. are not displayed, it changes the area R2 of the notebook area R1 that is displayed on the display screen 100 based on that operation.

[0027] The save icon 103 is an icon for saving a sticky note to a predetermined folder when the user drags a sticky note placed on the display screen 100 onto the save icon 103. The button group 104 is a set of buttons that accept start commands, etc., for transitioning to the process of creating a sticky note or drawing object to be placed in the area R2 displayed on the display screen 100. The button group 104 includes a handwriting button 104a, a text button 104b, a camera button 104c, a link button 104d, a file button 104e, a dictionary button 104f, and a tool button 104g. The handwriting button 104a is a button for instructing the display of a drawing object entered by hand via the operation unit 22 (e.g., a mouse) in the area R2 displayed on the display screen 100. The text button 104b is a button for instructing the creation of a text sticky note displaying text entered via the operation unit 22 (e.g., a keyboard). The camera button 104c is a button that instructs the creation of a camera sticky note displaying the image captured by the camera unit 27. The link button 104d is a button that instructs the creation of a link sticky note with a web link URL (Uniform Resource Locator). The file button 104e is a button that instructs the creation of a file sticky note displaying the image of a file such as an image file, video file, or PDF file. The dictionary button 104f is a button that instructs the creation of a dictionary sticky note displaying the content (words, phrases, example sentences, etc.) looked up using the dictionary tool. The tool button 104g is a button that instructs the creation of a tool sticky note displaying information contained in various tools. The sticky note icon 105 is an icon that instructs the display of the sticky note search screen (described later), which displays a list of sticky note thumbnails placed in the notebook area R1. The exit button 106 is a button that instructs the end of notebook processing.

[0028] Returning to Figure 5, the CPU 21 determines whether the sticky note icon 105 has been clicked by the user via the operation unit 22 (step S3). If it is determined in step S3 that the sticky note icon 105 has been clicked by the user (step S3; YES), the CPU 21 executes the sticky note search process (step S4).

[0029] As shown in Figure 7, when the sticky note search process starts, the CPU 21 first displays the sticky note search screen on the display screen 100 (step S11). Here, the sticky note search screen is displayed superimposed on the area R2 displayed on the display screen 100 (for example, as a pop-up), but it may also be displayed as a separate screen. As shown in Figure 8, the CPU 21 displays a list of sticky note thumbnails placed in the notebook area R1 on the sticky note search screen 111, assigning numbers to each thumbnail. For example, the CPU 21 creates sticky note thumbnails by capturing the sticky note image data as a captured image. Then, the CPU 21 displays the sticky note thumbnails on the sticky note search screen 111 arranged vertically (first direction), for example, in descending order of the user's inactivity period for the sticky note (in descending order of the above numbers). In the example shown in Figure 8, the CPU 21 assigns the number "1" to the thumbnail 111a of sticky note 101a, the number "2" to the thumbnail 111b of sticky note 101b, the number "3" to the thumbnail 111c of sticky note 101c, the number "4" to the thumbnail 111d of sticky note 101d, the number "5" to the thumbnail 111f of sticky note 101f, the number "6" to the thumbnail 111h of sticky note 101h, the number "7" to the thumbnail 111e of sticky note 101e, the number "8" to the thumbnail 111i of sticky note 101i, and the number "9" to the thumbnail 111g of sticky note 101g.

[0030] Here, the sticky note search screen 111 has a sticky note type specification field 111j, a background color specification field 111k, a linked status specification field 111l, and a string search field 111m for specifying the search conditions for sticky notes. The sticky note type specification field 111j is a field for specifying the type of sticky note corresponding to the thumbnail displayed on the sticky note search screen 111. For example, in the sticky note type specification field 111j, the user can specify the sticky note type from text sticky notes, camera sticky notes, link sticky notes, file sticky notes, dictionary sticky notes, or tool sticky notes. In the example shown in Figures 9 to 12, a text icon TI is displayed indicating that a text sticky note has been specified, that is, that filtering to text sticky notes has been specified. Here, the text icon TI is displayed, for example, when the sticky note type specification field 111j is clicked, and a text sticky note is selected from a pull-down menu (not shown) that allows selection of text sticky notes, camera sticky notes, link sticky notes, file sticky notes, dictionary sticky notes, or tool sticky notes. The background color specification field 111k is for specifying the background color of the sticky note corresponding to the thumbnail displayed on the sticky note search screen 111. The linking status specification field 111l is for specifying the linking status of the sticky note corresponding to the thumbnail displayed on the sticky note search screen 111. If the user specifies the linking status of the sticky note as "Yes" in the linking status specification field 111l, they check the checkbox CB (see Figure 11). If the user specifies the linking status of the sticky note as "No" in the linking status specification field 111l, they do not check the checkbox CB (see Figures 9 and 10). Here, for example, if the linking status specification field 111l is clicked while the checkbox CB is hidden, it will start to be displayed in a checked state. Also, if the checked checkbox CB is clicked, an unchecked checkbox CB will be temporarily displayed, and then the checkbox CB itself will also be hidden. The string search field 111m is for specifying the string displayed on the sticky note corresponding to the thumbnail displayed on the sticky note search screen 111. The user enters the desired string into the string search field 111m.The CPU 21 narrows down the sticky note thumbnails to those containing the string entered in the string search field 111m and displays them on the sticky note search screen 111.

[0031] Returning to Figure 7, CPU 11 determines whether a search condition for sticky notes placed in notebook area R1 has been entered in the sticky note type specification field 111j, background color specification field 111k, linking status specification field 111l, or string search field 111m (step S12). If it is determined in step S12 that no search condition has been entered (step S12; NO), CPU 21 proceeds to step S18. If it is determined in step S12 that a search condition has been entered (step S12; YES), CPU 21 determines whether an input has been made in the linking status specification field 111l to specify the linking status of the sticky note as "Yes", that is, whether the checkbox has been checked (step S13).

[0032] In step S13, if it is determined that no input has been made to specify the sticky note linking status as "Yes" (step S13; NO), the CPU 21 displays the thumbnails of the sticky notes narrowed down based on the input search conditions on the sticky note search screen 111 (step S14). Specifically, as shown in Figure 9, if the sticky note type is specified as text sticky note in the sticky note type specification field 111j, the thumbnails 111a, 101c, 101d, 101e, 101f, 101g, 101h, 101i, which are text sticky notes, are displayed vertically in order of the longest period of inactivity by the user for each sticky note. Then, the CPU 21 proceeds to step S18. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, if the sticky note type is specified as "text sticky note" in the sticky note type specification field 111j, and the string "ABC" is specified in the string search field 111m, then the thumbnail 111e of sticky note 101e, which is a text sticky note containing the string "ABC", is displayed. Then, the CPU 21 proceeds to step S18.

[0033] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S13 that input has been made to specify the sticky note linking status as "Yes" (step S13; YES), the CPU 21 displays the sticky notes narrowed down based on the input search conditions and the thumbnails of the sticky notes linked to those sticky notes on the sticky note search screen 111 in order of the longest period of inactivity by the user on the sticky notes (step S15). Specifically, as shown in Figure 11, if the sticky note type is specified as text sticky note in the sticky note type specification field 111j, the string "ABC" is specified in the string search field 111m, and the sticky note linkage status is specified as "Yes" in the linkage status specification field 111l, then the thumbnails 111e, 111f, 111g, 111h, and 111i of sticky notes 101f, 101g, 101h, and 101i, which are text sticky notes containing the string "ABC", are displayed in the vertical direction (first direction) in descending order of the user's inactivity period for the sticky notes. Then, the CPU 21 proceeds to step S16. Although not shown in the diagram, if no string is specified in the string search field 111m, the sticky note type is specified as a text sticky note in the sticky note type specification field 111j, and the sticky note's linked state is specified as "Yes" in the linked state specification field 111l, then the thumbnails 111a, 101c, 101d, 101e, 101f, 101g, 101h, and 101i of the sticky notes will be displayed vertically in order of the longest period of inactivity by the user towards the sticky note. In other words, if there are thumbnails that match both the sticky note type and linked state filters, the settings are configured so that the thumbnails that match both filters are not displayed redundantly. For example, in the above example, sticky note 101d corresponds to filtering by sticky note type, and also corresponds to the linked state of sticky note 101c, which also corresponds to filtering by sticky note type. However, the thumbnail 111d of sticky note 101d is set to display only once.

[0034] Next, the CPU 21 determines whether the thumbnail displayed in step S15 was long-pressed by the user via the operation unit 22 (step S16). If it is determined in step S16 that the thumbnail was not long-pressed (step S16; NO), the CPU 21 proceeds to step S18. If it is determined in step S16 that the thumbnail was long-pressed (step S16; YES), the CPU 21 displays the thumbnails of each sticky note, including the destination and source of the sticky note corresponding to the long-pressed thumbnail, on a panel screen 112 separate from the sticky note search screen 111 (step S17).

[0035] Specifically, in the sticky note search screen 111 shown in Figure 11, if the thumbnail 111e corresponding to sticky note 101e is long-pressed by the user via the operation unit 22, the CPU 21 overlays a panel screen 112 on the sticky note search screen 111, as shown in Figure 12, in which thumbnails 112a and 112b corresponding to the sticky note 101e corresponding to the long-pressed thumbnail 111e and the sticky note 101f to which the sticky note 101e is linked are arranged horizontally. Here, since the sticky note 101e corresponding to the long-pressed thumbnail 111e does not have a linked sticky note, the panel screen 112 does not display a thumbnail corresponding to the linked sticky note. However, if there is a linked sticky note, three thumbnails corresponding to the sticky note corresponding to the long-pressed thumbnail, the linked sticky note, and the linked sticky note are displayed horizontally. Note that the content displayed in thumbnail 112a is the same as that of thumbnail 111e, but for the sake of explanation, different symbols are used. Similarly, the content displayed in thumbnail 112b is the same as that of thumbnail 111f, but for the sake of explanation, different symbols are used.

[0036] Furthermore, cursor buttons 112x and 112y are provided at both ends of the panel screen 112. When the user clicks the cursor button 112x via the operation unit 22, each thumbnail displayed on the panel screen 112 is shifted one frame closer to the beginning of the sequence. For example, as shown in Figure 13(A), when thumbnails 112b, 112c, and 112d corresponding to sticky notes 101f, 101g, and 101h (see Figure 6) are displayed on the panel screen 112, clicking the cursor button 112x causes each thumbnail 112b, 112c, and 112d displayed on the panel screen 112 to shift one frame closer to the beginning of the sequence, and as shown in Figure 13(B), thumbnails 112a, 112b, and 112c are displayed on the panel screen 112. Furthermore, for example, as shown in Figure 13(C), when thumbnails 112c, 112d, and 112e are displayed on the panel screen 112, if the cursor button 112x is pressed and held, the thumbnails 112a, 112b, and 112c of the first three frames of the link will be displayed on the panel screen 112, as shown in Figure 13(B). On the other hand, if the cursor button 112y is clicked by the user via the operation unit 22, each thumbnail displayed on the panel screen 112 will be shifted one frame towards the end of the link and displayed accordingly. For example, as shown in Figure 13(A), when thumbnails 112b, 112c, and 112d corresponding to sticky notes 101f, 101g, and 101h (see Figure 6) are displayed on the panel screen 112, and the cursor button 112y is clicked, each of the thumbnails 112b, 112c, and 112d displayed on the panel screen 112 shifts one frame towards the end of the chain, and as shown in Figure 13(C), thumbnails 112c, 112d, and 112e are displayed on the panel screen 112. Also, for example, as shown in Figure 13(B), when thumbnails 112a, 112b, and 112c are displayed on the panel screen 112, and the cursor button 112y is long-pressed, the last three thumbnails 112c, 112d, and 112e of the chain are displayed on the panel screen 112, as shown in Figure 13(C). Note that the content displayed in thumbnail 112c is the same as that of thumbnail 111g (see Figure 11), but for the sake of explanation, different symbols are used.Similarly, the content displayed in thumbnail 112d is the same as that of thumbnail 111h (see Figure 11), but for the sake of explanation, they are indicated with different symbols. Also, the content displayed in thumbnail 112e is the same as that of thumbnail 111i (see Figure 11), but for the sake of explanation, they are indicated with different symbols. Furthermore, in Figures 13(A) to 13(C), the sticky note search screen 111 is not shown, and only the panel screen 112 that is overlaid on the sticky note search screen 111 is shown.

[0037] Returning to Figure 7, the CPU 21 determines whether or not a termination command has been issued by the user via the operation unit 22 to end the display of the sticky note search screen 111 (step S18). If it is determined in step S18 that no termination command has been issued (step S18; NO), the CPU 21 returns to step S12 and repeats the subsequent processing. If it is determined in step S18 that a termination command has been issued (step S18; YES), the CPU 21 terminates the display of the sticky note search screen 111 (step S19) and returns to notebook processing. Here, the termination command to end the display of the sticky note search screen 111 includes the operation of short-pressing a thumbnail displayed on the sticky note search screen 111. If the user performs the operation of short-pressing a thumbnail displayed on the sticky note search screen 111 via the operation unit 22, the CPU 21 determines whether or not a thumbnail of a sticky note located outside the area R2 displayed on the display screen 100 has been selected. Then, when a thumbnail of a sticky note located outside of area R2 is short-pressed, the CPU 21 modifies area R2 so that the sticky note corresponding to the short-pressed thumbnail is displayed inside area R2. The CPU 21 then selects the sticky note corresponding to the short-pressed thumbnail. Specifically, in the sticky note search screen 111 (see Figure 11), when the thumbnail 111e of sticky note 101e (see Figure 6), located outside of area R2, is short-pressed, the CPU 21 modifies area R2 so that the entire sticky note 101e is displayed inside area R2, as shown in Figure 14. The CPU 21 then displays a focus frame F on the sticky note 101e corresponding to the short-pressed thumbnail 111e. On the other hand, when a thumbnail of a sticky note that is not located outside of area R2, i.e., located inside area R2, is short-pressed, the CPU 21 selects the sticky note corresponding to the short-pressed thumbnail. Here, a short press refers to, for example, an operation in which the selection of a thumbnail to be selected is canceled within 1 second of starting the selection of that thumbnail. On the other hand, the long press (predetermined selection mode) performed when displaying the panel screen 112 as described above refers to the operation of deselecting a thumbnail after more than one second has passed since the start of specifying the thumbnail to be selected.

[0038] Returning to Figure 5, the CPU 21 determines whether the user has clicked the exit button 106 via the operation unit 22 (step S5). If it is determined in step S5 that the exit button 106 has not been clicked (step S5; NO), the CPU 21 returns to step S3 and repeats the subsequent processing. If it is determined in step S5 that the exit button 106 has been clicked (step S5; YES), the CPU 21 terminates the notebook processing.

[0039] As explained above, when the CPU 21 of the terminal device (information processing device) 20 displays the searched sticky note (electronic sticky note) as a thumbnail of the sticky note, the search result can be extended to other sticky notes (e.g., sticky notes 101f to 101i) linked to the searched sticky note (e.g., sticky note 101e). If two or more other sticky notes are found when the search result is extended to other sticky notes linked to the searched sticky note, the CPU 21 displays each of the thumbnails of those two or more other sticky notes (e.g., thumbnails 111f to 111i; see Figure 11) as a search result image in an order based on a different reason than the order in which they are linked. Therefore, with terminal device 20, the search results for sticky notes can be extended to other sticky notes linked to the searched sticky note, thereby improving the convenience of searching for sticky notes. For example, even if the target sticky note does not contain a string and it is difficult to find the target sticky note directly by filtering by string, if the string is contained in a sticky note linked to the target sticky note, the target sticky note can be found by following this sticky note. Furthermore, when the search results are extended to other sticky notes linked to the searched sticky note and two or more other sticky notes are found, the thumbnails of these two or more other sticky notes are displayed as search result images in an order based on a different reasoning than the order in which they are linked, making it easier to search for sticky notes from a different perspective than the order in which they are linked. Note that, as shown in Figure 11, when displaying the thumbnails of two or more other sticky notes as search result images in an order based on a different reasoning than the order in which they are linked, the thumbnail of the searched sticky note (e.g., sticky note 101e) (e.g., thumbnail 111e) may also be included in the display.

[0040] Furthermore, if the search results are extended to other electronic sticky notes linked to the searched sticky note, and two or more other electronic sticky notes are found, the CPU 21 of the terminal device 20 displays the thumbnails of those two or more other electronic sticky notes (for example, thumbnails 111f to 111i; see Figure 11) as search result images, arranged in order based on the length of the period of inactivity for those other electronic sticky notes. Therefore, the terminal device 20 makes it easier to find sticky notes that are not used frequently and whose location has been forgotten, thus improving the convenience of searching for sticky notes.

[0041] Furthermore, when any of the search result images displayed in a predetermined order are selected by the user in a predetermined selection manner, the CPU 21 of the terminal device 20 displays the thumbnail (e.g., thumbnail 112b; see Figure 12) of the sticky note (e.g., sticky note 101f) that is directly linked to the sticky note (e.g., sticky note 101i) corresponding to the selected search result image (e.g., thumbnail 111e) in a second direction (horizontal direction) different from the first direction (vertical direction) in which the search result images are displayed in a predetermined order. Therefore, users can understand on the sticky note search screen which sticky notes are directly linked to the sticky notes corresponding to the selected search result image as described above. As a result, users can consider on the sticky note search screen whether it is necessary to add new sticky notes between directly linked sticky notes, or whether it is necessary to add yet another sticky note to the last sticky note, before changing region R2. In addition, the thumbnails of sticky notes that are directly linked to the search result image are displayed in a second direction (horizontal direction) different from the first direction (vertical direction) in which the search result image is displayed in a predetermined order. This prevents users from confusing the order related to the link with an order based on different reasoning.

[0042] The above description discloses an example in which storage units 15 and 25 (HDD, SSD) are used as computer-readable media for the program according to the present invention, but the invention is not limited to this example. Other computer-readable media that can be used include flash memory and portable recording media such as CD-ROMs. Furthermore, carrier waves can also be used in the present invention as a medium for providing the program data according to the present invention via a communication line.

[0043] The above-described embodiments are merely examples of the information processing apparatus, information processing system, information processing method, and program according to the present invention, and are not limited thereto. For example, in the above embodiment, the order of thumbnails (search result images) displayed on the sticky note search screen 111 is not limited to being based on the length of time the sticky notes have been inactive. The order of thumbnails displayed on the sticky note search screen 111 may be based on a different basis than the order in which the sticky notes are linked, for example, the number of times the sticky notes have been operated on. In the above embodiment, when the order was based on the length of the inactive period, the thumbnails were displayed in order from longest to shortest inactive period, but they may also be displayed in order from shortest to longest inactive period.

[0044] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the sticky note search screen 111 (see Figure 8) is provided with fields for specifying the search conditions for sticky notes: a sticky note type specification field 111j, a background color specification field 111k, a linked status specification field 111l, and a string search field 111m. In addition, a voice search field (not shown) may also be provided. This makes it possible, for example, to narrow down the search to file sticky notes that contain a desired voice.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, even if the sticky note's linked state is not specified as "Yes" in the linked state specification field 111l of the sticky note search screen 111, that is, even if the sticky note search result is not extended to other sticky notes linked to the searched sticky note, if a thumbnail corresponding to a linked sticky note displayed on the sticky note search screen 111 is long-pressed, the CPU 21 may display the thumbnails of each sticky note, including the linked destination and linked source of the sticky note corresponding to the long-pressed thumbnail, on the panel screen 112 described above. In such a case, it is preferable to display the thumbnails displayed on the sticky note search screen 111 in a manner that allows identification of whether or not they are thumbnails corresponding to linked sticky notes.

[0046] Furthermore, while the above embodiment illustrates a case where the CPU 21 of the terminal device 20 is the primary execution unit for notebook processing, it is not limited to this. For example, the CPU 11 of the server 10 may execute the notebook processing. In this case, the CPU 11 of the server 10 corresponds to the "control means," and the server 10 corresponds to the "information processing device." Also, with respect to notebook processing, the CPU 11 of the server 10 may execute some of the processing, and the CPU 21 of the terminal device 20 may execute the remaining processing.

[0047] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but includes the scope of the invention as described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 20 Terminal device (information processing device), 21 CPU (control means), 101a~101i Sticky notes (electronic sticky notes), 111a~111i Thumbnails

Claims

1. When displaying the searched electronic sticky note as a thumbnail of the electronic sticky note, the system includes control means that can extend the search results to other electronic sticky notes linked to the searched electronic sticky note. When the search result is extended to other electronic sticky notes linked to the searched electronic sticky note, and two or more other electronic sticky notes are found, the control means displays the thumbnails of each of the two or more other electronic sticky notes in a predetermined order as the search result image. The predetermined order is based on a different basis than the order relating to the connection. An information processing device characterized by the following:

2. The aforementioned predetermined basis is the length of the period of inactivity for the other electronic sticky notes. The information processing apparatus according to feature 1.

3. The control means, when any of the search result images displayed in a predetermined order are selected by the user in a predetermined selection manner, causes the thumbnails of the electronic sticky notes directly linked to the electronic sticky note corresponding to the selected search result image to be displayed in a second direction different from the first direction in which the search result images are displayed in a predetermined order. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A server that manages information related to the aforementioned electronic sticky notes, Equipped with, The control means searches for an electronic sticky note that satisfies predetermined conditions based on the information about the electronic sticky note obtained from the server. An information processing system characterized by the following:

5. An information processing method performed by an information processing device, When displaying the searched electronic sticky note as a thumbnail of the electronic sticky note, the search results include a control step that can be extended to other electronic sticky notes linked to the searched electronic sticky note. In the control step described above, if the search result is extended to other electronic sticky notes linked to the searched electronic sticky note, and two or more other electronic sticky notes are found, then the thumbnails of the two or more other electronic sticky notes are displayed in a predetermined order as search result images. The predetermined order is based on a different basis than the order relating to the connection. An information processing method characterized by the following:

6. The computer of the information processing device, When displaying the searched electronic sticky note as a thumbnail of the electronic sticky note, the search result is made to function as a control means that can be extended to other electronic sticky notes linked to the searched electronic sticky note. When the search result is extended to other electronic sticky notes linked to the searched electronic sticky note, and two or more other electronic sticky notes are found, the control means displays the thumbnails of each of the two or more other electronic sticky notes in a predetermined order as the search result image. The predetermined order is based on a different basis than the order relating to the connection. A program characterized by the following features.

Images