Electronic device, search system, control program, recording medium, and method for controlling electronic device

Abstract

To provide an electronic device having a character conversion function, such as kana-kanji conversion, and a retrieval function configured to enable smooth retrieval through simpler operation, a retrieval system, a control program, a recording medium, and a control method of the electronic device.SOLUTION: An electronic device 1 includes: an operation unit 30 for receiving user input; a conversion candidate acquisition unit 14 for acquiring conversion candidates which are candidates of fixed phrase to be obtained by performing character conversion on an input phrase input from the operation unit 30; a retrieval unit 12 which performs retrieval based on a search phrase designated from the operation unit 30; and a display control unit 13 which causes the display unit 40 to display a result retrieved by the retrieval unit 12. The retrieval unit 12 performs retrieval using the input phrase as a search phrase. The display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display a result retrieved with the input phrase as a search phrase. The retrieval unit 12 performs retrieval using a fixed phrase selected from the conversion candidates based on the input phrase, as a search phrase. The display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display a result retrieved with the fixed phrase as a search phrase.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device having a character conversion function such as kana-kanji conversion and a search function, a search system, a control program, a recording medium, and a control method for an electronic device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electronic dictionaries that perform searches using input hiragana characters are known. For example, when searching for the character "yaku" in such an electronic dictionary, the hiragana "yaku" is input to search. In this case, as a result, entry words containing many unnecessary characters such as "yaku", "yaku" and "yaku" are also displayed at the same time, and the entry word that is actually being searched for is buried.

[0003] To solve the above problems, there are electronic dictionaries equipped with a kana-kanji conversion mode, as described in Patent Document 1, for example. In this electronic dictionary, it is possible to convert input hiragana into kanji by switching from a normal kana search mode to the kana-kanji conversion mode. This allows searches to be performed using the converted kanji. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2015-60513 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the electronic dictionary described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to switch the mode in advance by operating a setting change key, etc. Also, when the above-mentioned electronic dictionary is in the kana-kanji conversion mode, in order to perform a search based on kana characters, an operation such as pressing a search decision key once must be performed to cancel the kana-kanji conversion mode, which is troublesome for the user when performing a search using the electronic dictionary.

[0006] An object of one aspect of the present invention is to enable smoother searches with simpler operations in an electronic device equipped with a character conversion function, such as kana-kanji conversion, and a search function. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, an electronic device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an operation unit that receives an input from a user, and a function that receives the input from the operation unit. It is a kana character The present invention is provided with a conversion candidate acquisition unit that acquires conversion candidates that are candidates for a confirmed phrase obtained by character conversion of an input phrase, a search unit that searches based on a search phrase specified by the operation unit, and a display control unit that displays a result of the search by the search unit on a display unit, wherein the search unit: Each time the input phrase is entered, the The input word is used as the search word to perform a search, and the display control unit displays a result of the search using the input word as the search word. a screen including a list of head words corresponding to the input phrase and at least a part of information indicating the meaning of one of the head words included in the list as a search result; of Each time a search is performed by the search unit The display unit displays the determined phrase selected from the conversion candidates based on the input phrase, and the search unit searches for the determined phrase as the search phrase, and the display control unit Selected The display unit displays the results of a search using the determined phrase as the search phrase.

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, a control method for an electronic device according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method for an electronic device that performs a search based on a search term specified by a user input and displays the search results on a display unit, It is a kana character Input phrase Each time you enter a word, the previously entered word is A first search step of searching using the input word as the search word; and a search result using the input word as the search word. a screen including a list of head words corresponding to the input phrase and at least a part of information indicating the meaning of one of the head words included in the list as a search result; of Each time a search is performed in the first search step, a first display step of displaying on the display unit; and a second search step of searching for a confirmed phrase selected by a user from conversion candidates of character conversion based on the input phrase as the search phrase; Selected and a second display step of displaying on the display unit a search result in which the determined phrase is used as the search phrase. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, character conversion and search can be performed smoothly with simpler operations. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an external appearance of an electronic device. [Diagram 3] 13 is an example of a search screen displayed on a display unit. [Figure 4] 13 is an example of an entry word screen displayed on a display unit. [Diagram 5] 4 is an example of an item screen displayed on a display unit. [Figure 6] 4 is an example of a screen displayed on a display unit. [Figure 7] 4 is an example of a screen displayed on a display unit. [Figure 8] 4 is an example of a screen displayed on a display unit. [Figure 9] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a search method using kana characters in an electronic device. [Figure 10] 11 is a flowchart for explaining a search method using kana-kanji processing in an electronic device. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart for explaining a search method using kana-kanji processing in an electronic device according to a modified example. [Figure 12] 4 is an example of a screen displayed on a display unit. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a search system according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] [Embodiment 1] [Overview of Electronic Device 1] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, an electronic device 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described as an application example of an electronic device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a main configuration of the electronic device 1. Specific examples of the electronic device 1 include, but are not limited to, an electronic dictionary, a smartphone, a tablet electronic device, a feature phone, and a personal computer.

[0012] The electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of contents and can activate them. The contents are data and a display application integrated together, but the display application may be included in the contents or may be linked to an external application.

[0013] For example, when the electronic device 1 receives information (input information, for example, a character string) input by a user, the electronic device 1 may search for data corresponding to the information from a plurality of content data stored therein and display the data. In this case, the content data may be, for example, dictionary data, text data, document data, image data, schedule data, etc., but is not limited to these examples. For example, the electronic device 1 may be capable of starting an application for viewing document data or text data (for example, an electronic book) and searching for a character string in the viewed data. In other words, the electronic device 1 may function as a search electronic device for general-purpose content. The electronic device 1 may also have content for purposes other than viewing data. For example, the electronic device 1 may have an application such as a game application or a memo pad as content, and may be capable of executing the game application.

[0014] [Main configuration of electronic device 1] Hereinafter, the main configuration of the electronic device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic device 1. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the external appearance of the electronic device 1. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the electronic device 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 20, an operation unit 30, and a display unit 40.

[0015] The operation unit 30 is a physical key that accepts operations for the electronic device 1, and includes, for example, character keys 31, a decision key 32, and a cursor key 33. The operation unit 30 accepts operations from a user and outputs a signal corresponding to the operation to the input accepting unit 11.

[0016] The display unit 40 is a display that displays various information according to the control of the display control unit 13. For example, the display unit 40 displays a search screen, an entry word screen, and an item screen. Details of these screens will be described later. The display unit 40 may be realized by any device that is capable of displaying information, and specific examples include a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, and a plasma display. The display unit 40 may also include a touch panel and accept operations for the electronic device 1 by contact with or approach to the display unit 40.

[0017] The operation unit 30 and / or the display unit 40 may be integrated with the electronic device 1, or may be an external device capable of communicating with the electronic device 1. The operation unit 30 and the display unit 40 may be provided in a device integrated with each other. In the following embodiment, a typical example of information input by a user is pressing a physical key provided in the electronic device 1, but it may also be a touch operation on a software keyboard displayed on a touch panel that is the operation unit 30 integrated with a display that is the display unit 40. In addition, the above input may utilize a handwritten character recognition function or a voice recognition function. The above input may also utilize an image recognition function of an image captured by a camera.

[0018] The control unit 10 executes various processes in the electronic device 1. As shown in FIG.

[0019] When the input accepting unit 11 acquires a signal corresponding to a user's operation from the operation unit 30, it outputs an instruction corresponding to the signal to the search unit 12. For example, when the input accepting unit 11 accepts an instruction to display a search screen (input screen) for executing a search process, it outputs a search start instruction indicating that to the search unit 12 and the display control unit 13. Furthermore, when the input accepting unit 11 accepts character input on the search screen via the operation unit 30, it outputs information indicating the character to the search unit 12.

[0020] The search unit 12 executes a search process based on a search term specified by operating the operation unit 30. When the search unit 12 acquires information indicating the input characters (input term), the search unit 12 sets the characters as a search term to be searched for, and searches the dictionary database 21 for information corresponding to the search term. The search unit 12 also notifies the display control unit 13 of result information indicating the results of the search. As an example, the search unit 12 refers to the dictionary database 21 and searches for items that include the search term as an entry word. The search unit 12 outputs to the display control unit 13 the entry word that includes the search term acquired by the search and the items associated with the entry word.

[0021] Each time the search unit 12 receives character input via the input reception unit 11, it performs a search using the input term input at that time as a search term. For example, when information indicating that the character "ya" has been input via the input reception unit 11 is first received, the search unit 12 searches for items including the character "ya" as an entry word and outputs the result information to the display control unit 13. Next, when information indicating that the character "ku" has been input via the operation unit 30 is received, the search unit 12 searches for items including the character "yaku" as an entry word and outputs the result information to the display control unit 13.

[0022] Fig. 3 is an example of a search screen displayed on the display unit 40. Fig. 4 is an example of an entry word screen displayed on the display unit 40. Fig. 5 is an example of an item screen displayed on the display unit 40.

[0023] When the display control unit 13 receives a search start instruction from the input receiving unit 11, it causes the display unit 40 to display a search screen as shown in Fig. 3. The search screen is a screen that receives character input to be searched for and displays a search window 41 that displays the input characters. Furthermore, when the display control unit 13 receives result information from the search unit 12, it causes the display unit 40 to display an entry word screen. The entry word screen is a screen that shows a list 42 of entry words obtained as a result of the search. As shown in Fig. 4, the display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display, as the entry word screen, a list 42 of entry words corresponding to the search term input in the search window 41 ("yaku" in the example shown in Fig. 4).

[0024] Furthermore, the display control unit 13 may highlight a selected entry word from among the entry words included in the entry word list 42, as shown by reference numeral 43 in Fig. 4. Furthermore, the display control unit 13 may cause the display unit 40 to display a screen 44 showing some of the items corresponding to the highlighted (selected) entry word, as shown in Fig. 4. When the user presses a cursor key on the operation unit 30, the display control unit 13 may change the entry word to be highlighted in accordance with the direction of the pressed cursor key, and may also change the items to be displayed accordingly.

[0025] When the headword screen is displayed on the display unit 40 and selection of the headword for which items should be displayed is completed by input to the operation unit 30, the display control unit 13 causes the item screen corresponding to the selected headword to be displayed on the entire display unit 40, as shown in Fig. 5. The item screen is a screen that displays all of the items corresponding to the headword. The input is, for example, pressing the enter key 32 on the operation unit 30 when one of the headwords is selected.

[0026] Furthermore, when the display control unit 13 receives an instruction to return the operation from the input receiving unit 11, the display control unit 13 may return the screen displayed on the display unit 40 to the previous state. For example, when a button such as a back key of the operation unit 30 is pressed, the input receiving unit 11 outputs information indicating an instruction to return the operation to the display control unit 13. Here, for example, when an item screen is displayed on the display unit 40, the display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display the previous screen, i.e., the headword screen.

[0027] 3, the display control unit 13 may display other information on the display unit 40. For example, the display control unit 13 may display information A indicating the content currently being used, information B indicating the remaining battery level of the electronic device 1, and a toolbar C displaying various tools that can be used in the electronic device 1. From the viewpoint of convenience, it is preferable that these screens are displayed so as not to be covered by the search screen, the entry word screen, the item screen, etc.

[0028] The storage unit 20 stores information, and is composed of non-volatile devices such as flash memory and ROM (Read Only Memory) and volatile devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory). Contents stored in the non-volatile devices include various programs, various operation setting values, and various data. Contents stored in the volatile devices include working files and temporary files. In this embodiment, the storage unit 20 includes a dictionary database 21.

[0029] The dictionary database 21 is a database that is composed of data in which a plurality of entry words are associated with a plurality of items related to each entry word. For example, the entry word "approximately" is associated with information on the explanation and meaning of the kanji character "approximately" as an item.

[0030] [Kana-Kanji Conversion Function of Electronic Device 1] In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, the electronic device 1 has a character conversion function. For example, the electronic device 1 has a kana-kanji conversion function that converts input kana characters into kanji characters and performs a search based on the converted kanji characters. The kanji conversion function of the electronic device 1 will be described below with reference to Figs. 6 to 8 in addition to Figs. 1 to 5. Figs. 6 to 8 show examples of screens displayed on the display unit 40.

[0031] 1, in addition to the above-mentioned configuration, electronic device 1 further includes a conversion candidate acquisition unit 14. Furthermore, storage unit 20 includes a kana-kanji conversion database 22. Furthermore, operation unit 30 includes a conversion key .

[0032] When a search screen is displayed on the display unit 40 and character input in kana characters is being accepted, upon detecting that the conversion key 34 has been pressed, the input accepting unit 11 outputs conversion instruction information to the conversion candidate acquiring unit 14. The conversion instruction information is information that instructs the start of kana-kanji conversion to convert the currently input characters into kanji.

[0033] The conversion candidate acquisition unit 14 acquires conversion candidates that are candidates for a phrase (confirmed phrase) obtained by character conversion of an input phrase input from the operation unit 30. Specifically, when the conversion candidate acquisition unit 14 acquires conversion instruction information, it acquires the input phrase that is input at that time. In addition, the conversion candidate acquisition unit 14 refers to the kana-kanji conversion database 22 based on the input phrase, and acquires a list 47 of candidates for kanji conversion (conversion candidates) that correspond to the search phrase. As an example, when the conversion key 34 is pressed with the character "yaku" displayed on the search screen, the conversion candidate acquisition unit 14 uses "yaku" as the input phrase, and acquires, for example, "yaku", "yaku", "yaku" or "yaku" as kanji candidates that correspond to the character "yaku". The conversion candidate acquisition unit 14 outputs information including the list 47 of conversion candidates that are acquired kanji conversion candidates to the display control unit 13.

[0034] When the display control unit 13 acquires information including the list 47 of conversion candidates, the display control unit 13 displays the list 47 of conversion candidates superimposed on the search screen displayed on the display unit 40, as shown in Fig. 6. Also, the display control unit 13 may display the kana characters displayed in the search window 41 in a different display form, as shown in Fig. 6. For example, the display control unit 13 may highlight the kana characters by inverting the black and white of the characters, for example.

[0035] With the list 47 of conversion candidates displayed on the display unit 40, the user can select a conversion candidate via the operation unit 30. The selection method is, for example, pressing the cursor key, pressing the conversion key 34 (shown in FIG. 2) again, touching the displayed conversion candidate, or the like. When the input receiving unit 11 receives an input indicating that a conversion candidate has been selected, it outputs candidate selection information indicating that the input has been made to the display control unit 13. As shown in FIG. 7, when the display control unit 13 acquires the candidate selection information, it highlights the selected conversion candidate 48 on the display unit 40.

[0036] When a conversion candidate is selected and the decision key 32 (shown in FIG. 2) is pressed, the input receiving unit 11 outputs information indicating that the conversion candidate to be searched has been confirmed to the search unit 12. Upon acquiring the information, the search unit 12 performs a search based on the confirmed word (confirmed word) among the conversion candidates, and outputs result information indicating the result of the search to the display control unit 13.

[0037] When the display control unit 13 acquires the result information from the search unit 12, it cancels the display of the list 47 of conversion candidates, and causes the display unit 40 to display an entry word screen for the confirmed conversion candidate, instead of the entry word screen for the conversion candidates and the kana characters (input phrase). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display a list 42A of confirmed entry words and a screen 44A showing at least a part of the items selected in the list 42A. The display control unit 13 also changes the characters displayed in the search window 41 to the confirmed search phrase. In other words, the display control unit 13 keeps the results of the search based on the input kana characters displayed on the display unit 40 until the conversion candidate to be displayed as a result of the search by the search unit 12 is confirmed.

[0038] [Search process flow in electronic device 1] 9 is a flowchart for explaining the search method in the electronic device 1. An example of the flow of the search method in the electronic device 1 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0039] First, when an input to perform a search is made to the operation unit 30, the input receiving unit 11 outputs a search start instruction to the search unit 12 and the display control unit 13. When the display control unit 13 acquires the search start instruction, it displays a search screen including a search window 41 (S1).

[0040] When kana characters are input via operation of the operation unit 30 while the search screen is displayed on the display unit 40 (YES in S2: input step), the search unit 12 refers to the dictionary database 21 with the input kana characters (input term) as a search term. The search unit 12 also acquires items including the search term and entry words corresponding to the items (S3: first search step). The search unit 12 outputs information including items including the acquired search term and entry words corresponding to the items to the display control unit 13. When the display control unit 13 acquires the information, it causes the display unit 40 to display an entry word screen including the information (S4: first display step).

[0041] Thereafter, when an input instructing the start of kana-kanji conversion is received (YES in S5), the input receiving unit 11 outputs conversion instruction information to the conversion candidate acquisition unit 14. This starts the kana-kanji conversion process in the electronic device 1. The flow of the kana-kanji conversion process will be described in detail later.

[0042] On the other hand, if no input instructing the start of kana-kanji conversion is accepted (NO in S5), and the headword for which the item should be displayed is confirmed by the user's input (YES in S6), the display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display the item screen corresponding to the confirmed headword (S7).

[0043] If the entry word for which the item should be displayed is not determined (NO in S6), the process returns to S2, whereby the second and subsequent kana characters can be input.

[0044] [Flow of Kana-Kanji conversion process in electronic device 1] 10 is a flowchart for explaining a search method using kana-kanji processing in the electronic device 1. Hereinafter, an example of the flow of a search method using kana-kanji conversion processing in the electronic device 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0045] 9, when an input is made to instruct the start of kana-kanji conversion, for example, when the conversion key 34 is pressed (YES in S5), the input acceptance unit 11 accepts the input and starts the kana-kanji conversion process. At this time, the input acceptance unit 11 outputs conversion instruction information to the conversion candidate acquisition unit 14 (S11).

[0046] When the conversion candidate acquisition unit 14 acquires the conversion instruction information, it acquires the kana characters (input phrase) input at that time, and further refers to the kana-kanji conversion database 22 of the storage unit 20 to acquire a list 47 of conversion candidates for the kana characters (S12: conversion candidate acquisition step). The conversion candidate acquisition unit 14 outputs information including the acquired list 47 of conversion candidates to the display control unit 13.

[0047] When the display control unit 13 acquires the information including the list 47 of conversion candidates, the display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display the list 47 of conversion candidates (S13). In addition, as shown in Fig. 6, when the display control unit 13 causes the list 47 of conversion candidates to be displayed, the display control unit 13 may cause one of the conversion candidates to be displayed in a selected state.

[0048] In a state where the list 47 of conversion candidates is displayed, the user can select and confirm a conversion candidate via the operation unit 30. The display control unit 13 highlights the selected conversion candidate and displays it on the display unit 40. When the input reception unit 11 receives an input to change the conversion candidate, for example, when the cursor key 33 of the operation unit is pressed (YES in S14), the input reception unit 11 outputs information indicating that the input has been made to the display control unit 13. When the display control unit 13 acquires the information, it changes the selected conversion candidate and displays it on the display unit 40 (S17). Specifically, when a screen such as that shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display unit 40 and the key indicating the down direction among the cursor keys 33 is pressed, the display control unit 13 changes the selected (highlighted) conversion candidate from "approximate" to "medicine" and displays it.

[0049] On the other hand, if the selected conversion candidate is not changed (NO in S14) and the conversion candidate to be searched is confirmed by an operation on the operation unit 30, for example, when the decision key 32 on the operation unit 30 is pressed (YES in S15), the search unit 12 sets the conversion candidate selected at that time as the search term. Furthermore, the search unit 12 refers to the dictionary database 21 and performs a search based on the search term (S16: second search step). Specifically, the search unit 12 acquires an item including the search term and an entry word corresponding to the item. Furthermore, the display control unit 13 displays the confirmed search term in the search window 41 in place of the kana characters that were initially input and displayed in the search window 41.

[0050] After the process of S16, the search unit 12 outputs information indicating the search results to the display control unit 13. For example, the search unit 12 outputs a list of items including the search term and entry words corresponding to the items to the display control unit 13. When the display control unit 13 obtains the information indicating the search results, it causes the display unit 40 to display the information as an entry word screen (S18: second display step).

[0051] Thereafter, when the headword for which the search results should be displayed is confirmed by input on the operation unit 30 (YES in S19), the display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display an item screen showing the items corresponding to the confirmed headword (S20).

[0052] [Effects of Electronic Device 1] As described above, the electronic device 1 according to this embodiment includes an operation unit 30 that accepts user input, a conversion candidate acquisition unit 14 that acquires conversion candidates that are candidates for a confirmed phrase obtained by character conversion of an input phrase input from the operation unit 30, a search unit 12 that performs a search based on a search term specified from the operation unit 30, and a display control unit 13 that displays the results of the search by the search unit 12 on the display unit 40.

[0053] Furthermore, the search unit 12 searches for the input term as a search term, and the display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display the search results using the input term as the search term. Furthermore, the search unit 12 searches for a determined phrase selected from conversion candidates based on the input term as the search term, and the display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display the search results using the determined phrase as the search term.

[0054] According to this configuration, a search using a phrase containing only kana characters and a search using a phrase containing kanji characters can be performed as a series of operations. Conventional electronic devices such as electronic dictionaries equipped with a search function require an operation to perform kana-kanji conversion in advance. On the other hand, the electronic device 1 according to this embodiment reduces the effort required for the operation, and allows a search to be performed smoothly with a simpler operation than conventional electronic devices, improving usability.

[0055] In addition, in the electronic device 1, when the conversion candidate to be output as a result of the search by the search unit 12 is confirmed, that is, after the selection of the confirmed phrase from the conversion candidates is completed, the search unit 12 searches the dictionary database 21 based on the confirmed conversion candidate. This allows a search based on the conversion candidate to be performed only after the conversion candidate is confirmed. Therefore, the possibility that unnecessary items are searched for in the electronic device 1 is reduced.

[0056] Furthermore, while a conversion candidate is being selected, the display control unit 13 may change the display form of the entered kana characters in the search window 41, for example by displaying them in reverse video. This makes the word being searched for stand out and makes it clear that a conversion candidate is being selected, improving the user's work efficiency.

[0057] Furthermore, in the electronic device 1, each time a kana character is input, the search unit 12 searches the character string input at that time. Furthermore, the display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display the search results. This allows the user, when performing a search by inputting kana characters, to check the entry word corresponding to the input kana character without having to press the enter key 32 or the like to confirm the search term each time.

[0058] Furthermore, in the above configuration, kana characters are maintained displayed in search window 41 until the conversion candidate for which the results are to be displayed is finalized. This configuration can prevent the user from forgetting the word (reading) they are searching for. Furthermore, in electronic device 1, when the conversion candidate is finalized, the characters displayed in search window 41 are changed from the entered kana characters to the finalized search term. This makes it clear which conversion candidate the user has selected, improving usability.

[0059] [Modifications] In the above-described embodiment, the search unit 12 performs a search based on the conversion candidate only after the conversion candidate to be searched is determined. However, the search unit 12 may perform a search in advance for the conversion candidate when the conversion candidate is selected.

[0060] Fig. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the kana-kanji conversion process performed in the electronic device 1 according to the modified example. As shown in Fig. 11, in the electronic device 1, the processes of S21 to S24 are first performed. The processes of S21 to S23 are similar to the processes of S11 to S13. After S23, the input receiving unit 11 outputs candidate selection information to the search unit 12 at the same time as to the display control unit 13. When the search unit 12 acquires the candidate selection information, it refers to the dictionary database 21 and performs a search based on the selected conversion candidate (S24).

[0061] Thereafter, if the conversion candidates are not changed (NO in S25) and the conversion candidates to be searched are confirmed (YES in S26), the search unit 12 outputs result information indicating the results of the search at that time to the display control unit 13, and the display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display the headword screen based on the result information (S27).

[0062] On the other hand, if the conversion candidates have been changed (YES in S25), the display control unit 13 changes the conversion candidates (S28), and the search unit 12 performs a search based on the changed conversion candidates (S24).

[0063] The processes of S29 and S30 after S26 are similar to the processes of S19 and S20 shown in FIG.

[0064] As described above, in the electronic device 1, the search unit 12 may search for a conversion candidate (selected conversion candidate) as a search term. After the selection of a confirmed term from the conversion candidates is completed, the display control unit 13 may display the results of a search for the conversion candidate selected as the confirmed term on the display unit 40. According to this configuration, a search is performed for the conversion candidates selected in advance before the conversion candidates are confirmed, so that the results can be displayed smoothly when the search candidates are confirmed.

[0065] FIG. 12 is an example of a display on the display unit 40. In the electronic device 1, when the search unit 12 performs a search during the selection of a conversion candidate, the display control unit 13 may change the entry word screen displayed during the selection of the conversion candidate. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the display control unit 13 may obtain the result of a search based on the selected conversion candidate from the search unit 12 and cause the display unit 40 to display an entry word screen showing the result of the search for the conversion candidate. That is, following S24 in the process shown in FIG. 11, a process in which the display control unit 13 displays an entry word screen for the conversion candidate may be added. Also, instead of the process of S28, the display control unit 13 may perform a process of canceling the display of the list 47 of conversion candidates.

[0066] In this case, an entry word screen showing the results of a search based on the changed conversion candidates is displayed every time the conversion candidate selected by input to the operation unit 30 is changed. In this configuration, when the conversion candidate to be searched is confirmed, no change occurs on the screen except for the cancellation of the display of the list of conversion candidates 47.

[0067] As described above, in a configuration in which the search unit 12 searches for conversion candidates using the search term, the display control unit 13 may display the results of the search using the conversion candidates as the search term on the display unit 40 before the selection of a confirmed term from the conversion candidates is completed. With this configuration, the user can check the headword screen of headwords based on the conversion candidates without confirming the conversion candidates. This allows the user to easily know the conversion candidates that are more preferable to him / her with a small amount of operation.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the search unit 12 performed a search based on the conversion candidate when the conversion candidate to be searched was confirmed. Here, the search unit 12 may perform a search based on the conversion candidate corresponding to a certain input kana character at once for the input kana character. Specifically, when the conversion key 34 is pressed and the conversion candidate acquisition unit 14 acquires the list 47 of conversion candidates corresponding to the input kana character, the search unit 12 acquires the list 47 of conversion candidates from the conversion candidate acquisition unit 14. The search unit 12 then searches all the acquired conversion candidates. After that, when the conversion candidate to be searched is confirmed by the user, the display control unit 13 acquires the inspection result information only for the conversion candidate from the search unit 12 and displays it on the display unit 40.

[0069] According to this configuration, a search is performed for all conversion candidates when the conversion key 34 is pressed, so that the conversion candidates are displayed more smoothly when they are confirmed.

[0070] Furthermore, the electronic device 1 according to the present invention may have a predictive conversion function. For example, when a kana character is input, the search unit 12 may search for a character or phrase following the input kana character in addition to conversion candidates, and output the character or phrase as a predictive conversion candidate to the display control unit 13. The display control unit 13 may display the predictive conversion candidates in addition to the conversion candidates.

[0071] Specifically, when the character "tsuki" is input and the conversion key 34 is pressed, in addition to words such as "tsuki," "tsuki," and "tsuki," words such as "tsukimono (attached to something)," "tsukiakari (moonlight)," and "tsukinami (ordinary)" may be displayed as conversion candidates. With this configuration, more conversion candidates can be presented to the user.

[0072] In the above configuration, when the kanji to be converted from the input kana characters is confirmed, predictive conversion candidates related to the kanji may be displayed in the electronic device 1. According to this configuration, only predictive conversion candidates for the kanji that the user wants to search for are displayed, so that the annoyance caused by the display of unnecessary predictive conversion candidates can be reduced.

[0073] In the above-described embodiment, the configuration was described in which inputted kana characters are converted to kanji characters and a search is performed based on the converted kanji characters. Here, in the electronic device 1, the inputted characters do not have to be kana characters, and the converted words do not have to be kanji characters. For example, the inputted characters and the conversion candidates may include words and words that are a mixture of kana and kanji characters, numbers, or alphabets. As an example, in the electronic device 1, when the characters "1erudeike" are inputted in the search window 41 and the conversion key 34 is pressed, the search unit 12 may search for items that include "wanerudeike" as the reading kana. Also, the display control unit 13 may display "1LDK" as a conversion candidate.

[0074] [Embodiment 2] Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals are given to members having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0075] Fig. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a search system 100A according to a second embodiment. As an example, as shown in Fig. 13, the search system 100A includes an electronic device 1A, a dictionary server (search server) 2 communicably connected to the electronic device 1A, and a kana-kanji conversion server (character conversion server) 3 communicably connected to the electronic device 1A. The electronic device 1A differs from the electronic device 1 in that it includes a control unit 10A and a communication unit 50. The dictionary server 2 stores a dictionary database 21, and the kana-kanji conversion server 3 stores a kana-kanji conversion database 22.

[0076] In search system 100, a search based on a search term is performed by communication between electronic device 1A and dictionary server 2. Specifically, in control unit 10A of electronic device 1A, search unit 12A transmits the input search term to dictionary server 2 via communication unit 50, receives search results based on the term from dictionary server 2, and outputs them to display control unit 13.

[0077] In addition, in the search system 100, the kana-kanji conversion process is also performed using communication between the electronic device 1A and the kana-kanji conversion server 3. Specifically, in the electronic device 1A, when the conversion candidate acquisition unit 14A acquires the conversion instruction information, it transmits the word input at that time to the kana-kanji conversion server 3 and receives a list of conversion candidates for the word from the kana-kanji conversion server 3. In addition, the conversion candidate acquisition unit 14A outputs information including the list acquired from the kana-kanji conversion server 3 to the display control unit 13.

[0078] In the search system 100 according to this embodiment, searches and kana-kanji conversion are performed by communication between the electronic device 1A, the dictionary server 2, and the kana-kanji conversion server 3. This allows the electronic device 1A to convert a word or phrase input to the electronic device 1A into kanji and to perform a search for the word or phrase, even if the electronic device 1A does not have a dictionary database 21 and a kana-kanji conversion database 22. In other words, the electronic device 1A can present the user with information equivalent to that of the electronic device 1, with a configuration simpler than that of the electronic device 1.

[0079] In addition, the dictionary server 2 and the kana-kanji conversion server 3 that exist outside the electronic device 1A can store more information than the memory unit 20 provided in the electronic device 1, so the electronic device 1A can provide the user with more information than the electronic device 1.

[0080] The search system 100 may be configured to include only one of the dictionary server 2 and the kana-kanji conversion server 3. For example, when the search system 100 stores only the dictionary database 21, the electronic device 1A includes a storage unit 20 that stores the kana-kanji conversion database 22. In this case, the electronic device 1A performs a kana-kanji conversion process by referring to the storage unit 20, and communicates with the dictionary server 2 to perform a search based on the search term.

[0081] The search system 100 may be configured as a cloud system. That is, the search system 100 includes a cloud server capable of communicating with the electronic device 1A as the dictionary server 2 and / or the kana-kanji conversion server 3, and the electronic device 1A may obtain information indicating the search result and / or the list of conversion candidates 47 via the cloud server.

[0082] [Software implementation example] The control blocks of the electronic device 1 and 1A (particularly the input receiving unit 11, the search unit 12, the display control unit 13, and the conversion candidate acquisition unit 14) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

[0083] In the latter case, the electronic devices 1 and 1A are provided with a computer that executes instructions of a program, which is software that realizes each function. The computer includes, for example, at least one processor (control device) and at least one computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. The object of the present invention is achieved by the processor reading the program from the recording medium and executing it in the computer. The processor may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The recording medium may be a "non-transient tangible medium," such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, programmable logic circuit, or the like. The electronic device may further include a RAM (Random Access Memory) that expands the program. The program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or broadcast waves) that can transmit the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0084] 〔summary〕 The electronic device 1 according to aspect 1 of the present invention comprises an operation unit 30 that accepts user input, a conversion candidate acquisition unit 14 that acquires conversion candidates which are candidates for a confirmed phrase obtained by character conversion of an input term inputted from the operation unit 30, a search unit 12 that performs a search based on a search term specified from the operation unit 30, and a display control unit 13 that causes a display unit 40 to display the search results of the search unit 12, wherein the search unit 12 searches for the input term as a search term, and the display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display the search results using the input term as the search term, and the search unit 12 searches for a confirmed phrase selected from the conversion candidates based on the input term as the search term, and the display control unit 13 causes the display unit 40 to display the search results using the confirmed phrase as the search term.

[0085] According to the above configuration, a search using a phrase containing only an input term (e.g., kana characters) and a search using a confirmed term selected from conversion candidates (e.g., a phrase containing kanji) can be performed as a series of operations. Conventional electronic devices such as electronic dictionaries equipped with search functions require operations such as setting a mode in advance to perform kana-kanji conversion. On the other hand, the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment does not require such operations, and searches can be performed smoothly with simpler operations than conventional electronic devices, improving usability.

[0086] Furthermore, in the electronic device 1 according to aspect 2 of the present invention, in aspect 1 above, the search unit 12 may search for the determined phrase as a search phrase after completing selection of the determined phrase from the conversion candidates.

[0087] According to the above configuration, a search based on a conversion candidate is performed only after the conversion candidate is determined, thereby reducing the possibility that an unnecessary item is searched for in the electronic device 1.

[0088] In addition, in the electronic device 1 according to aspect 3 of the present invention, in the above aspect 1, the search unit 12 may search for conversion candidates as search terms, and after the selection of a confirmed word from the conversion candidates is completed, the display control unit 13 may display on the display unit 40 the results of a search using the conversion candidate selected as the confirmed word as the search term.

[0089] According to the above configuration, while a conversion candidate is being selected in the electronic device 1, a search based on the conversion candidate is performed. This allows the search results to be displayed smoothly when the conversion candidate is confirmed. Note that, according to this configuration, it is possible to maintain the state in which the input word (e.g., kana characters) is displayed in the search window 41 until the conversion candidate for which the results should be displayed is confirmed. This prevents the user from forgetting what word (e.g., pronunciation) they are searching for.

[0090] In addition, in the electronic device 1 of aspect 4 of the present invention, in the above-mentioned aspect 1, the search unit 12 may search for conversion candidates as search terms, and the display control unit 13 may display the results of the search using the conversion candidates as search terms on the display unit 40 before the selection of a confirmed term from the conversion candidates is completed.

[0091] According to the above configuration, the user can check the entry word screen based on the conversion candidates without confirming the conversion candidates. This allows the user to easily know the conversion candidates that are more preferable to him / her with a small amount of operation.

[0092] In addition, a search system 100 according to aspect 5 of the present invention may include an electronic device 1A according to any one of aspects 1 to 4 above, and at least one of a kana-kanji conversion server (character conversion server) 3 from which a conversion candidate acquisition unit 14 acquires conversion candidates, and a dictionary server (search server) 2 from which a search unit 12 acquires search results, both of which are communicatively connected to the electronic device 1A.

[0093] According to the above configuration, even if the electronic device 1 does not include the storage unit 20, it is possible to perform character conversion processing and / or search processing based on an input word or phrase.

[0094] Furthermore, a control method according to aspect 6 of the present invention is a control method for an electronic device 1 that performs a search based on a search term specified by a user's input and displays the search results on a display unit 40, and includes a first search step of searching for an input term entered by the user as a search term, a first display step of displaying the search results using the input term as the search term on the display unit 40, a second search step of searching for a confirmed term selected by the user from conversion candidates for character conversion based on the input term as the search term, and a second display step of displaying the search results using the confirmed term as the search term on the display unit 40.

[0095] According to the above configuration, the same effects as those of the first aspect are achieved.

[0096] The electronic device 1 according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the control program for the electronic device 1 that causes the computer to operate as each unit (software element) of the electronic device 1 to realize the electronic device 1 on the computer, and the computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded, also fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0097] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The technical scope of the present invention also includes embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in the respective embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 1, 1A electronic equipment 2 Dictionary server (search server) 3 Kana-Kanji Conversion Server (Character Conversion Server) 11 Input reception section 12, 12A Search Section 13 Display control section 14, 14A Conversion candidate acquisition section 20 Memory section 21 Dictionary Database 22 Kana-Kanji Conversion Database 30 Control section 50 Communications Department 100 Search System

Claims

1. an operation unit for accepting user input; a conversion candidate acquisition unit that acquires conversion candidates that are candidates for a confirmed phrase obtained by character conversion of an input phrase that is kana characters input from the operation unit; a search unit that searches based on a search term specified through the operation unit; a display control unit that causes a result of the search by the search unit to be displayed on a display unit; the search unit searches for the input term as the search term each time the input term is input, the display control unit causes the display unit to display, as a result of a search using the input term as the search term, a screen including a list of entry words corresponding to the input term and at least a portion of information indicating a meaning of one of the entry words included in the list, every time a search is performed by the search unit; Furthermore, the search unit searches for the determined phrase selected from the conversion candidates based on the input phrase as the search phrase; The display control unit displays on the display unit a search result in which the selected final phrase is used as the search phrase.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the search unit searches for the determined phrase as the search phrase after selection of the determined phrase from the conversion candidates is completed.

3. The search unit searches the conversion candidates as the search phrase, The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein, after selection of the confirmed phrase from the conversion candidates is completed, the display control unit causes a search result for the conversion candidate selected as the confirmed phrase to be displayed on the display unit as the search phrase.

4. The search unit searches the conversion candidates as the search phrase, The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit causes the display unit to display a result of a search performed using the conversion candidates as the search term before selection of the confirmed term from the conversion candidates is completed.

5. An electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; A search system comprising at least one of a character conversion server connected to the electronic device in a communicable manner and from which the conversion candidate acquisition unit acquires the conversion candidates, and a search server from which the search unit acquires the search results.

6. A control program for causing a computer to function as the electronic device according to claim 1 , the control program causing a computer to function as the search unit, the conversion candidate acquisition unit, and the display control unit.

7. A computer-readable recording medium having the control program according to claim 6 recorded thereon.

8. A method for controlling an electronic device that performs a search based on a search term specified by a user and displays the search results on a display unit, comprising: a first search step of searching for an input phrase, which is kana characters input by a user, as the search phrase each time the input phrase is input; a first display step of displaying, on the display unit, a screen including a list of entry words corresponding to the input word and at least a portion of information indicating the meaning of one of the entry words included in the list as a result of a search using the input word as the search word every time a search is performed in the first search step; a second search step of searching for a determined phrase selected by a user from conversion candidates of character conversion based on the input phrase as the search phrase; and a second display step of displaying on the display unit the results of a search using the selected determined phrase as the search phrase.

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