DEVICE, SERVER, RELATED INFORMATION ACQUISITION SYSTEM, RELATED INFORMATION ACQUISITION METHOD, AND PROGRAM

Abstract

To provide an apparatus that can acquire appropriate information according to the state of the apparatus.SOLUTION: An apparatus includes a search key generation unit that acquires apparatus information on multiple items and generates a search key that includes the apparatus information on multiple items, and a communication unit that sends the search key to a server that extracts related information related to the search key and receives the related information from the server that holds the related information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, a server, a related information acquisition system, a related information acquisition method, and a program. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-089314 filed on June 1, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a technology that displays keywords for narrowing down manual information, accepts a keyword selected by the user from the displayed keywords, and obtains manual information corresponding to the accepted keyword and version information from a server. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-130966 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, if a user makes a mistake in selecting a keyword, the user may not be able to obtain the manual information required by the user. Therefore, an object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a device, a server, a related information obtaining system, a related information obtaining method, and a program that can obtain appropriate information according to the state of the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a search key generation unit that acquires multiple items of apparatus information and generates a search key including the multiple items of apparatus information, and a communication unit that transmits the search key to a server that extracts related information related to the search key, and receives the related information from the server that holds the related information.

[0006] A server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a search key acquisition unit that acquires a search key including multiple items of device information acquired by an device, and a related information extraction unit that extracts related information associated with combinations of matching items of device information included in the search key from a database in which related information is associated with combinations of device information.

[0007] A related information acquisition system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the device and the server.

[0008] A related information acquisition method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the steps of acquiring multiple items of device information, generating a search key including the multiple items of device information, transmitting the search key to a server that extracts related information related to the search key, and receiving the related information from a server that holds the related information.

[0009] A program according to one embodiment of the present disclosure causes a computer to perform the following functions: acquire multiple items of device information; generate a search key including the multiple items of device information; transmit the search key to a server that extracts related information related to the search key; and receive the related information from a server that holds the related information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of a related information acquisition system. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3A] 1A is a diagram showing an example of multiple items of device information and tags attached to each item when the operating status of the device according to the first embodiment is a normal operating status; FIG. [Figure 3B] 1A is a diagram showing an example of multiple items of device information and tags attached to each item when the operational status of the device according to the first embodiment is an error status; FIG. [Figure 3C]11A to 11C are diagrams showing an example of multiple items of device information and tags attached to each item when the operating state of the device according to the first embodiment is in a setting change state. [Figure 4A] 3B is a diagram showing an example of a search key including multiple items of device information shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. [Figure 4B] 3C is a diagram showing an example of a search key including multiple items of device information shown in FIG. 3B. FIG. [Figure 4C] 3D is a diagram showing an example of a search key including multiple items of device information shown in FIG. 3C. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a server. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of the related information acquisition system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7A] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a related information database including reference information indicating a file name. [Figure 7B] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a related information database including reference destination information indicating a URL. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of presentation information indicating related information. [Figure 9] 13A to 13C are diagrams showing an example of multiple items of device information and tags attached to each item when a device according to the second embodiment has multiple external connection methods. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a search key including a plurality of items of device information shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of extracting and presenting a plurality of pieces of related information in the related information acquisition system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] 11 is a diagram showing an example in which a plurality of pieces of presentation information indicating a plurality of pieces of related information relating to an external connection method are presented in sequence. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which a plurality of pieces of presented information are selected based on presented information showing a table of contents. [Figure 14] 13 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a device according to a third embodiment including an external device type discrimination unit. FIG. [Figure 15]13 is a diagram showing an example of multiple items of device information including the type of device, and tags attached to each item, in a device according to the third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 16] 16 is a diagram showing an example of a search key including a plurality of items of device information shown in FIG. 15. FIG. [Figure 17] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of pieces of presented information indicating related information for each external connection method; FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a device according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a server according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a device according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] First embodiment A first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted (the same applies below).

[0012] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a related information acquisition system 100. The related information acquisition system 100 includes a device 101 and a server 102. The device 101 and the server 102 communicate with each other via a network 103.

[0013] The device 101 is an information processing device equipped with a communication means. For example, the device 101 is an electronic device such as a display device such as a television, or a home electronic device. The device 101 acquires multiple items of device information indicating the state of the device 101, generates a search key 111 including the acquired multiple items of device information, and transmits the search key 111 to the server 102 via the network 103. Then, the device 101 acquires related information 112 related to the search key 111 from the server 102. The related information 112 includes information corresponding to at least one state selected from the group consisting of a setting state of the device 101, an operating state of the device 101, and an external connection state of the device 101. For example, the related information 112 indicates information of an instruction manual regarding the functions, operation settings, maintenance, and responses to errors of the device 101.

[0014] The server 102 is an information processing device that extracts related information 112 related to a search key 111 .

[0015] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the device 101. The device 101 includes a storage unit 201, an operation receiving unit 202, a communication unit 203, an external device connection unit 204, a display unit 205, a control unit 206, and the like.

[0016] The storage unit 201 is a recording medium capable of recording various data, programs, etc., and is a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive, a flash memory, etc. A plurality of items of device information and a device control program are stored in the storage unit 201. The device information stored in the storage unit 201 is stored and updated each time the state of the device 101 changes.

[0017] The operation receiving unit 202 receives an operation of a user requesting the related information 112. For example, the operation receiving unit 202 receives an operation of a user requesting the related information 112 by using an operation button (not shown) provided on the device 101 or a remote control.

[0018] The communication unit 203 is an interface for connecting to and communicating with the network 103. Specifically, the communication unit 203 transmits the search key 111 to the server 102 and receives the related information 112 from the server 102.

[0019] The external device connection unit 204 is an interface for connecting to an external device. For example, the external device connection unit 204 is an interface for connecting to a wired connection device connected via a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), a Universal Serial Bus (USB), a Local Area Network (LAN), or the like, and to a wireless connection device via a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0020] The display unit 205 displays various information including the related information 112. For example, the display unit 205 is a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro-luminescence) panel.

[0021] The control unit 206 executes various processes in accordance with the device control programs and data stored in the storage unit 201. For example, the control unit 206 is realized using a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0022] The control unit 206 includes a search key generation unit 211, a related information acquisition unit 212, a presentation unit 213, and the like.

[0023] The search key generating unit 211 acquires multiple items of device information and generates a search key 111 including the multiple items of device information. Specifically, the search key generating unit 211 acquires multiple items of device information from the storage unit 201, triggered by a user operation requesting the related information 112, and generates a search key 111 including the acquired multiple items of device information. The multiple items include at least one item selected from the group consisting of items related to the setting state of the device 101, items related to the operating state of the device 101, and items related to the external connection state of the device 101. The items related to the external connection state include items related to an external connection method.

[0024] The related information acquisition unit 212 acquires the related information 112 received by the communication unit 203 .

[0025] The presentation unit 213 presents the related information 112 to the user.

[0026] 3A is a diagram showing an example of multiple items of device information 301 and tags attached to each item when the operating status of the device 101 is normal. The multiple items of device information 301 indicate the model name, language setting, firmware version, operating status, device details, and external connection method.

[0027] The multiple items of device information 301 indicate that the model name is S001, the language setting is Japanese, the firmware version is V100, and the operating state is normal. Furthermore, the device information indicating device details is linked to the operating state of the device 101, and indicates the input of the display that is operating normally when the operating state of the device 101 is normal. For example, when the device 101 is receiving a TV broadcast, it indicates terrestrial digital (DTV), BS, and CS, and the example of FIG. 3A indicates that an HDMI input signal is being displayed. Furthermore, when the device 101 has multiple HDMI terminals, the device information indicating device details is suffixed with a number such as HDMI_1, HDMI_2 so that it is possible to identify which HDMI terminal the device 101 is connected to. Such identification is necessary because the supported functions differ for each HDMI terminal and the related information may also differ.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3A, the items of model name, language setting, firmware version, operating status, device details, and external connection method are tagged with the following tags: model, language, version, status, detail, and connection.

[0029] 3B is a diagram showing an example of multiple items of device information 302 and tags attached to each item when the operating state of the device 101 is an error state. Each item and tag illustrated in FIG. 3B is the same as each item and tag illustrated in FIG. 3A, so detailed description will be omitted (same below).

[0030] The device information indicating device details is linked to the operating state of the device 101, and indicates that an error assigned with an error code (such as E001) has occurred when the device 101 is in an error state. Specifically, a case where an error has occurred while displaying an HDMI input signal as shown in Fig. 3A is illustrated. At this time, the operating state switches from NORMAL to ERROR, and the device details switch from HDMI_1 to an error code (E001). The device information indicating the external connection method remains HDMI_1.

[0031] 3C is a diagram showing an example of multiple items of device information 303 and tags attached to each item when the operating state of the device 101 is in a setting change state. Multiple items of device information 303 indicate that the operating state is a setting change state, device details indicate that brightness is being adjusted in picture quality (Picture) of the setting menu (Tools), and that there is no external connection.

[0032] Fig. 4A is a diagram showing an example of a search key 111a including multiple items of device information 301 shown in Fig. 3A. The search key 111a shown in Fig. 4A shows device information 301 in XML format, with each item being tagged with a tag shown in Fig. 3A. Specifically, in the case of the XML format, device information for each item is described between the start tag and end tag of each tag shown in Fig. 3A. Note that Fig. 4A shows the search key 111a in XML format, but the search key 111a may be in another format as long as all necessary device information in multiple items of device information 301 is included.

[0033] As exemplified in Fig. 4A, search key 111a indicates the model name, language setting, firmware version, operating status, device details, and external connection method indicated by multiple items of device information 301 exemplified in Fig. 3A. Furthermore, as exemplified in Fig. 4A, when device information 301 of the items related to the operating status of device 101 indicates a normal operating status, search key 111a is linked to the operating status of device 101, and device information tagged with detail indicates HDMI_1. Device information indicating HDMI_1 indicates that device 101 is in a state where it is inputting or outputting a signal via HDMI.

[0034] Fig. 4B is a diagram showing an example of a search key 111b including multiple items of device information 302 shown in Fig. 3B. The search key 111b shown in Fig. 4B shows device information 302 in XML format with tags shown in Fig. 3B attached to each item.

[0035] 4B, when device information 302 in an item related to the operation status of the device 101 indicates an error status, the search key 111b includes device information 302 indicating an error code. In other words, device information indicating device details is linked to the operation status of the device 101, and when the operation status indicates an error status, in the search key 111b, the device information tagged with "detail" indicates an error code (e.g., E001).

[0036] Fig. 4C is a diagram showing an example of a search key 111c including a plurality of items of device information 303 shown in Fig. 3C. The search key 111c shown in Fig. 4C shows device information 303 in XML format, with tags shown in Fig. 3C attached to each item.

[0037] 4C, when device information 303 of the item related to the operating state of the device 101 indicates a setting change state, in the search key 111c, the device information tagged with "detail" indicates Tools / Picture / Brightness. This device information indicates that the device 101 is in a state where brightness is being adjusted in the setting menu. Here, the device information for the external connection method is blank, which means that there is no external connection, and the external connection method of the device information is indicated by a null element.

[0038] 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server 102. The server 102 includes a storage unit 501, a communication unit 502, and a control unit 503.

[0039] The storage unit 501 is a recording medium capable of recording various data, programs, etc., and is a storage device such as a RAM, a hard disk drive, or a flash memory. The storage unit 501 stores a related information database 511 and a server control program. The related information database 511 associates and stores information for referencing the related information 112 in a subdivided state according to a combination of all device information corresponding to a search key. In the following description, the device information registered in the related information database 511 is referred to as index information. Note that information for referencing the related information 122, which is stored in the related information database 511, is referred to as reference information. For example, if the related information 112 is data of an instruction manual for the device 101, the reference information indicates a storage destination of the data of the instruction manual.

[0040] The communication unit 502 is an interface for connecting to and communicating with the network 103. Specifically, the communication unit 502 receives the search key 111 from the device 101, and transmits the related information 112 extracted by the related information extraction unit 513 to the device 101. The search key 111 received by the communication unit 502 includes multiple items of device information acquired by the device 101.

[0041] The control unit 503 executes various processes in accordance with the server control program and data stored in the storage unit 501. For example, the control unit 503 is realized using a processor such as a CPU.

[0042] The control unit 503 includes a search key acquisition unit 512, a related information extraction unit 513, and the like.

[0043] The search key acquisition unit 512 acquires the search key 111 received by the communication unit 502 , and sends it to the related information extraction unit 513 .

[0044] The related information extraction unit 513 extracts, from the related information database 511, related information 112 associated with a combination that matches the device information included in the search key 111. Here, it is preferable that the device information includes device information related to the operating state of the device.

[0045] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the related information acquisition system 100 according to this embodiment. It is assumed that the device 101 is in a state in which it can communicate with the server 102 when the device 101 starts the process of step S601 illustrated in FIG.

[0046] In step S601, the search key generation unit 211 determines whether or not the operation reception unit 202 has received a user operation for requesting the related information 112. For example, when a user uses a button or a remote control provided on the device 101 to perform an operation for requesting the related information 112, the operation reception unit 202 determines that the user operation for requesting the related information 112 has been received.

[0047] If the operation receiving unit 202 does not receive a user operation requesting related information 112 in step S601, the control unit 206 returns the process to step S601. On the other hand, if the operation receiving unit 202 receives a user operation requesting related information 112 in step S601, the search key generation unit 211 acquires from the storage unit 201 multiple items of device information according to the device status at that time in step S602.

[0048] In step S603, the search key generation unit 211 generates the search key 111 based on the multiple items of device information acquired in step S602. This makes it possible to generate the search key 111 without missing any of the multiple items of device information acquired. Furthermore, by acquiring multiple items of device information according to the device status and generating the search key 111, it is possible to prevent the search key 111 that is unrelated to the status of the device 101 from being generated.

[0049] In step S 604 , the communication unit 203 transmits the search key 111 to the server 102 .

[0050] When communication unit 502 receives search key 111 in step S 605 , search key acquisition unit 512 acquires the received search key 111 and sends it to related information extraction unit 513 .

[0051] In step S 606 , the related information extraction unit 513 identifies a combination of index information that matches the device information included in the search key 111 from the related information database 511 .

[0052] In step S607, the related information extraction unit 513 extracts the related information 112 by referring to the reference destination information associated with the combination of index information identified in step S606.

[0053] Here, the related information 112 may be stored not only in the related information database 511 but also in a server (not shown) other than the server 102. For example, when the reference information indicates a URL for accessing data of an instruction manual, the related information extraction unit 513 connects to the URL from the communication unit 502 via the network 103 and acquires the data of the instruction manual indicated by the URL as the related information 112. By indicating the URL of a server other than the server 102 as the reference information, it is not necessary to store all the data of the instruction manual in the related information database 511. For example, it is assumed that the server 102 is installed in country A, and the related information database 511 includes index information on the device 101 used in country B and index information on the device 101 used in country C. In this case, the related information database 511 indicates the URL of the server installed in country B as the reference information on the device 101 used in country B, and indicates the URL of the server installed in country C as the reference information on the device 101 used in country C. Then, instruction manual data for the device 101 used in country B is stored in the memory of a server installed in country B, and instruction manual data for the device 101 used in country C is stored in the memory of a server installed in country C. This makes it possible to store the related information 112 in a plurality of servers in a distributed manner rather than storing all the data for the instruction manual in the related information database 511 of the server 102, thereby improving the maintainability of the data for the instruction manual.

[0054] Therefore, the related information extraction unit 513 executes the processes of steps S606 to S607 to extract related information 112 associated with a combination that matches the device information included in the search key 111. Since the search key 111 includes multiple items of device information that indicate the status of the device 101, the related information extraction unit 513 can extract related information 112 according to the status of the device 101.

[0055] In step S608, the communication unit 502 transmits the related information 112 extracted in step S607 to the device 101. Since the related information 112 is stored in the server 102, the device 101 does not need to hold the related information 112. This eliminates the need for a memory for holding the related information 112 for each device 101, and memory costs for the device 101 can be reduced.

[0056] When the communication unit 203 receives the related information 112 from the server 102 in step S609 , the related information acquisition unit 212 acquires the received related information 112 and sends it to the presentation unit 213 .

[0057] In step S610, the presentation unit 213 presents the related information 112 to the user. Specifically, the presentation unit 213 converts the related information 112 to match the form in which it is presented. In the following description, the information converted to match the form in which the related information 112 is presented is referred to as presentation information. For example, when the presentation unit 213 displays the related information 112 on the display unit 205, the presentation unit 213 converts the related information 112 into presentation information. In this case, the presentation information is information including characters and images displayed on the display unit 205. Alternatively, the presentation unit 213 may transmit the related information 112 to a terminal different from the device 101. The terminal different from the device 101 is, for example, a smartphone. Alternatively, when the device 101 includes a speaker (not shown), the presentation unit 213 may convert the related information so that a sound indicating the related information 112 is output from the speaker. In this case, the presentation information is an audio signal for outputting a sound indicating the related information 112 from the speaker.

[0058] Fig. 7A is a diagram showing an example of the related information database 511 including reference information indicating file names, Fig. 7A shows index information and reference information in XML format.

[0059] In area 701, the index information indicated by model, which is a tag relating to the model name, is S001. Furthermore, the index information indicated by language, which is a tag relating to the language setting, is JAPANESE. Furthermore, the index information indicated by version, which is a tag relating to the firmware version, is V100. Furthermore, area 701 describes in a hierarchical structure index information and reference destination information relating to device details in each of the operating states of ERROR, NORMAL, and SETTING. Specifically, <error> and< / error> The index information written within the range between indicates index information related to the case where the operational state is an error state. <normal> and< / normal> The index information written within the range between indicates the index information related to the normal operating state. <setting> and< / setting> The index information described within the range between indicates index information related to the case where the operation state is a setting change state. Furthermore, in the area 701, reference destination information related to the operation state and device details is <manual> and< / manual> It is shown as a string enclosed in quotation marks.

[0060] In the following description, when the operating state is an error state, a process of extracting reference information by sequentially identifying areas in the related information database 511 that match at least one piece of device information included in the search key 111b in a hierarchical order will be described. For convenience of explanation, the following description will be given by way of example of areas 702 and 703 included in area 701. In area 702 in area 701, index information indicated by status, which is a tag related to the operating state, is ERROR. Area 702 includes index information related to the case where the error code is E001 and index information related to the case where the error code is E002.

[0061] For example, assume that the search key acquisition unit 512 acquires the search key 111b illustrated in FIG. 4B. In this case, the related information extraction unit 513 extracts the area 701 that matches the model name, language setting, and firmware version indicated by the device information included in the search key 111b from the related information database 511. Then, the related information extraction unit 513 extracts the area 702 in which the index information indicated by the tag "status" relating to the operating status is "ERROR" from the area 701. Then, the related information extraction unit 513 extracts the area 703 in which the index information indicated by the tag "detail" relating to the device details is "E001" from the area 702. Then, the related information extraction unit 513 extracts the reference information indicated by the tag "manual" immediately after the area 703.

[0062] For example, the reference information indicating "C:\data / S001_JAPANESE_V100_E001.html" indicates the file name of the instruction manual for the device 101 regarding the error to which the error code E001 is assigned, with respect to the model name, language setting, and firmware version indicated by the multiple items of device information included in the search key 111b. If the data for the instruction manual for the device 101 is stored in the server 102, the data for the instruction manual regarding the error code E001 described in this file is extracted as the related information 112.

[0063] Fig. 7B is a diagram showing an example of related information database 511 including referral information indicating a URL. Explanation of the same parts as in Fig. 7A will be omitted. The only difference from Fig. 7A is the method of specifying the referral information.

[0064] When the data of the instruction manual of the device 101 is stored in a server different from the server 102, the URL of the instruction manual of the device 101 is used as the reference information, as illustrated in FIG. 7B. For example, the reference information indicating "https: / / ···· / S001 / JAPANESE / V100 / E001.html" indicates the URL of the instruction manual of the device 101 regarding an error assigned with the error code E001 with respect to the model name, language setting, and firmware version indicated by the multiple items of device information included in the search key 111b. In this case, the related information extraction unit 513 refers to the URL to extract, as the related information 112, the data of the instruction manual regarding an error assigned with the error code E001 with respect to the model name, language setting, and firmware version indicated by the multiple items of device information included in the search key 111b. In the above description, an example in which the related information database 511 is configured in XML format has been described, but other formats may be used as long as the index information and the reference information are registered without omission.

[0065] The search key 111b includes device information tagged with "connection" indicating an external connection method. However, when the operation state of the device 101 is an error state, it is preferable for the user to obtain related information 112 related to device information indicating an error code in order to resolve the error, rather than obtaining related information 112 related to an external explanation method. Therefore, when the operation state of the device 101 is an error state, the server 102 obtains only related information 112 related to device information indicating an error code. This makes it possible to present, with priority, related information 112 that has a relatively high priority for the user, according to the operation state of the device 101.

[0066] 8 is a diagram showing an example of presented information 801 indicating related information 112 related to error code E001. For example, the explanation of error code E001 indicated in presented information 801 indicates symptoms of the error, countermeasures, and information useful for the user regarding the error to which error code E001 is assigned.

[0067] As described above, in the related information acquisition system 100 according to this embodiment, the device 101 acquires device information indicating the device status and generates the search key 111 without the user having to specify a keyword, so that appropriate information can be acquired according to the device status.

[0068] Second Embodiment 9 to 13, a second embodiment in which the device 101 is in a normal operating state and has multiple external connections will be described. Configurations and processes having substantially the same functions as those in the other embodiments will be referred to by the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted (the same applies below).

[0069] The presentation unit 213 according to this embodiment presents a plurality of pieces of related information 112 related to device information of at least one item among the plurality of items.

[0070] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of multiple items of device information 901 and tags attached to each item when the device 101 has multiple external connection methods.

[0071] Among the multiple items of device information 901, the device information indicating the external connection method indicates that the device 101 is connected via multiple external connection methods, namely Bluetooth, USB, LAN, and HDMI_1.

[0072] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a search key 111d including a plurality of items of device information 901 shown in Fig. 9. The search key 111d shown in Fig. 10 shows a plurality of items of device information 901 in XML format, with the tags shown in Fig. 9 attached to each item.

[0073] In search key 111d, the tag "connection" is added to a plurality of pieces of device information. Specifically, the tag "connection" is added to the device information indicating BLUETOOTH, the device information indicating USB, the device information indicating LAN, and the device information indicating HDMI_1.

[0074] The configuration of the server 102 according to this embodiment is as shown in Fig. 5. The related information extraction unit 513 according to this embodiment extracts, from the related information database 511, a plurality of pieces of related information 112 associated with combinations in which device information included in the search key 111 matches.

[0075] The communication unit 502 according to this embodiment transmits the multiple pieces of related information 112 extracted by the related information extraction unit 513 to the device 101 .

[0076] Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation of extracting and presenting multiple pieces of related information in the related information acquisition system 100 according to this embodiment. The processing from step S1101 to step S1105 shown in Fig. 11 is similar to the processing from step S601 to step S605 shown in Fig. 6, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0077] If the search key acquisition unit 512 acquires the search key 111 in step S1105, the related information extraction unit 513 in step S1106 identifies from the related information database 511 multiple index information that matches multiple device information included in the combination of device information indicated by the search key.

[0078] In step S1107, the related information extraction unit 513 refers to the multiple pieces of reference destination information associated with each piece of index information of the multiple pieces of index information identified in step S1106, and extracts the multiple pieces of related information 112, etc. from the related information database 511. That is, unlike the related information extraction unit 513 according to the first embodiment, the related information extraction unit 513 according to the present embodiment can extract the multiple pieces of related information 112 depending on the operating state of the device 101, the external connection state, etc.

[0079] In step S1108, the communication unit 502 transmits to the device 101 the multiple pieces of related information 112 extracted in step S1107.

[0080] When the communication unit 203 receives a plurality of pieces of related information 112 from the server 102 in step S1109 , the related information acquisition unit 212 acquires the received plurality of pieces of related information 112 and sends them to the presentation unit 213 .

[0081] In step S1110, the presentation unit 213 presents to the user the selected related information 112 from the acquired plurality of pieces of related information 112. For example, when the operation reception unit 202 receives an operation to select the related information 112 to be presented to the user, the presentation unit 213 presents the selected related information 112 to the user.

[0082] 12 is a diagram showing an example of a case where presentation information 1201 to 1204 indicating a plurality of pieces of related information relating to external connection methods are presented in sequence. The presentation information 1201 to 1204 indicate related information 112 associated with device information tagged with “connection” as shown in FIGS.

[0083] The presentation unit 213 sequentially displays the presentation information 1201 to 1204 on the display unit 205. In this case, the presentation unit 213 may switch the presentation information 1201 to 1204 by a user operation and display them on the display unit 205. In this way, the presentation unit 213 can present to the user the related information 112 requested by the user from among the multiple related information 112 according to the state of the device 101.

[0084] 13 is a diagram showing an example in which a plurality of pieces of presented information 1301 to 1304 indicating a plurality of pieces of related information 112 relating to external connection methods are selected by presented information 1305 indicating a table of contents. The presented information 1301 to 1304 indicate a plurality of pieces of related information 112 related to a plurality of items of device information included in the search key 111d illustrated in FIG.

[0085] Presentation information 1305 shows a table of contents screen relating to the presentation information 1301 to the presentation information 1304. The items HDMI, BLUETOOTH, USB, and LAN shown in the presentation information 1305 are tables of contents for presenting the presentation information 1301 to the presentation information 1304, respectively.

[0086] For example, when the operation receiving unit 202 receives a user operation to select an HDMI item, a BLUETOOTH item, a USB item, or a LAN item while the presentation unit 213 is displaying the presentation information 1305 on the display unit 205, the presentation unit 213 displays the presentation information selected from the presentation information 1301 to 1304 on the display unit 205 according to the selected item.

[0087] As described above, the presentation unit 213 can present the presentation information 1301 to 1304 related to the item selected by the user to the user, thereby improving user convenience. Furthermore, the presentation unit 213 can display the presentation information 1301 to 1304 on the display unit 205 more quickly than when the presentation information 1301 to 1304 are displayed on the display unit 205 in order.

[0088] As described above, in the related information acquisition system 100 according to this embodiment, the device 101 can appropriately present a plurality of pieces of related information 112 according to the state of the device 101 to the user.

[0089] Third embodiment 14 to 17, a third embodiment will be described in which the type of an external device, such as the model name of an external device connected to the device 101, is determined and related information according to the determined type is presented.

[0090] Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the device 101 according to this embodiment. The difference between the configuration of the device 101 shown in Fig. 14 and the configuration of the device 101 shown in Fig. 2 is that the device 101 shown in Fig. 14 includes an external device type discrimination unit 1401, and the presentation unit 213 presents related information 112 according to the type of the external device to which the device 101 is connected.

[0091] The external device type discrimination unit 1401 discriminates the type of the external device connected to the device 101. The type of the external device includes not only a classification type but also more detailed information such as a model name.

[0092] The search key generation unit 211 according to this embodiment generates a search key 111 including device information indicating the type of the external device identified by the external device type identification unit 1401. Then, the search key generation unit 211 transmits the generated search key 111 to the server 102 via the network 103.

[0093] The configuration of the server 102 according to this embodiment is as shown in FIG.

[0094] When the search key 111 according to this embodiment includes device information indicating the model name of an external device to which the device 101 is connected, the related information extraction unit 513 acquires related information 112 related to the external device having the model name indicated by the device information from an information processing device other than the server 102, such as an information processing device managed by the manufacturer of the external device. Specifically, the related information extraction unit 513 searches for a URL indicating an instruction manual for the external device having the model name indicated by the device information via the Internet, and acquires data of the instruction manual for the external device indicated by the searched URL as the related information 112.

[0095] 15 is a diagram showing an example of multiple items of device information 1501 including the device type, and tags attached to each item, for the device 101. The multiple items of device information 1501 include the model name, language setting, firmware version, operating status, device details, type of connected device, external connection method, and type of external device.

[0096] Among the multiple items of device information 1501, the device information indicating device details and the device information indicating the type of connected device indicate that the device 101 is playing a BD player connected via HDMI. Furthermore, the device information indicating the external connection method indicates that the device 101 is externally connected via BLUETOOTH and HDMI_1. Furthermore, the device information indicating the type of external device indicates that the device 101 is externally connected to an external speaker via BLUETOOTH, which is the first listed method of external connection, BLUETOOTH and HDMI_1.

[0097] As illustrated in FIG. 15 , each item, namely, model name, language setting, firmware version, operating status, device details, type of connected device, external connection method, and type of external device, is assigned the tags model, language, version, status, detail, detail1, connection, and connection1.

[0098] Fig. 16 shows an example of a search key 111e indicating multiple items of device information 1501 shown in Fig. 15. The search key 111e shown in Fig. 16 indicates multiple items of device information 1501 in XML format, with the tags shown in Fig. 15 attached to each item.

[0099] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of presented information 1701 to presented information 1702 for each external connection method.

[0100] The presentation information 1701 indicates the related information 112 related to connecting to a BD player via HDMI. For example, the HDMI explanation indicated in the presentation information 1701 indicates an explanation on how the device 101 connects to a BD player via HDMI. The presentation information 1701 may also indicate an explanation written in the instruction manual for the BD player, which the related information extraction unit 513 acquires by searching for a URL indicating the instruction manual for the BD player.

[0101] The presentation information 1702 indicates the related information 112 related to connecting to an external speaker via Bluetooth. For example, the BLUETOOTH explanation indicated in the presentation information 1702 indicates an explanation on a method of connecting to an external speaker via Bluetooth. The presentation information 1702 may also indicate an explanation described in an instruction manual for the external speaker, which the related information extraction unit 513 acquires by searching a URL indicating an instruction manual for the external speaker.

[0102] As described above, in the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment, the related information 112 according to the type including the model of the external device to which the device 101 is connected is acquired. In the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment, when the device 101 is connected to the external device, the related information 112 according to the type including the model of the connected external device can be presented to the user together with the related information 112 according to the operation state of the device 101. Here, the server 102 acquires data of an instruction manual corresponding to the model of the external device as the related information 112 via the Internet and transmits it to the device 101, so that the related information according to the model of the external device can be presented to the user even if the manufacturer providing the device 101 and the manufacturer providing the external device are different. Therefore, in the related information acquisition system 100 according to the present embodiment, the information required by the user can be presented in more detail than in other embodiments according to the operation state and external connection state of the device 101.

[0103] Fourth embodiment A fourth embodiment in which the server 102 generates the search key 111 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0104] Fig. 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the device 101 according to this embodiment. The difference between the configuration of the device 101 shown in Fig. 18 and the configuration of the device 101 shown in Fig. 2 is that the device 101 shown in Fig. 18 includes a device information transmission unit 1801 instead of the search key generation unit 211.

[0105] The device information acquisition unit 1801 acquires multiple items of device information and transmits the acquired multiple items of device information to the server 102. For example, when the operation acceptance unit 202 accepts a user operation requesting related information 112, the device information transmission unit 1801 acquires multiple items of device information according to the device status at that time from the storage unit 201 and transmits the acquired multiple items of device information to the server 102.

[0106] Fig. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server 102 according to this embodiment. The difference between the configuration of the server 102 shown in Fig. 19 and the configuration of the server 102 shown in Fig. 5 is that the server 102 shown in Fig. 19 includes a search key generation unit 1901 instead of the search key acquisition unit 512.

[0107] The search key generation unit 1901 acquires multiple items of device information and generates a search key 111 including the multiple items of device information. The search key generation unit 1901 then sends the generated search key 111 to the related information extraction unit 513.

[0108] By the server 102 generating the search key 111, the device 101 can acquire related information without performing a process of generating the search key 111. In this way, the related information acquisition system 100 according to this embodiment can reduce the processing load on the device 101.

[0109] Fifth embodiment A fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 20, in which the device 101 acquires device information indicating the operation state of the external device and presents related information according to the operation state of the external device.

[0110] Fig. 20 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the device 101 according to this embodiment. The difference between the configuration of the device 101 shown in Fig. 20 and the configuration of the device 101 shown in Fig. 14 is that the device 101 shown in Fig. 20 includes an external device information acquisition unit 2001, the device 101 acquires device information including items related to the operation state of the external device, and the presentation unit 213 presents related information 112 according to the operation state of the external device.

[0111] The external device information acquisition unit 2001 acquires external device information indicating the operation state of the external device. For example, the external device information indicates information regarding an error that has occurred in the external device. For example, when the external device information indicates information regarding an error that has occurred in the external device, the external device information indicates an error code or the like. The external device information is indicated in a format according to a connection method between the device 101 and the external device.

[0112] The external device information acquisition unit 2001 acquires the external device information by receiving the external device information from the external device. Alternatively, the external device information acquisition unit 2001 may transmit a predetermined signal to the external device and acquire a response to the predetermined signal as the external device information. Alternatively, the external device information acquisition unit 2001 may determine the operation state of the external device according to the communication state between the device 101 and the external device, and generate external device information indicating the operation state of the external device. For example, when the external device information acquisition unit 2001 does not receive a predetermined signal from the external device, it may generate external device information indicating that the external device is in an error state.

[0113] When the external device information acquisition unit 2001 acquires external device information, the device information includes items related to the operating state of the external device indicated by the external device information.

[0114] When the external device information acquisition unit 2001 acquires external device information, the search key generation unit 211 according to this embodiment generates a search key 111 including items related to the operation state of the external device indicated by the external device information. Then, the search key generation unit 211 transmits the generated search key 111 to the server 102 via the network 103.

[0115] When the search key 111 in this embodiment includes device information indicating the model name of the external device to which the device 101 is connected and external device information, the related information extraction unit 513 acquires related information 112 regarding the external device information from an information processing device other than the server 102, such as an information processing device managed by the manufacturer of the external device.

[0116] For example, when the external device information indicates that the external device is in an error state, the related information 112 indicates a method of dealing with the error in the external device. Then, the presentation unit 213 presents the related information indicating the method of dealing with the error in the external device to the user, so that the user can deal with the error that has occurred in the external device.

[0117] As described above, the related information acquisition system 100 according to this embodiment acquires related information 112 according to the operation state of the external device. Then, the related information acquisition system 100 according to this embodiment can present to the user related information 112 according to the operation state of the connected external device, in addition to related information 112 according to the operation state of the device 101. Therefore, the related information acquisition system 100 according to this embodiment can present information required by the user in more detail than in other embodiments according to the operation state of the external device.

[0118] (Modification) A modified example will be described in which the device 101 transmits device information including items related to the operating status of the external device to the server 102, and the server 102 receives the device information and generates a search key including items related to the operating status of the external device.

[0119] As a modified example of the related information acquisition system 100 according to the fifth embodiment, the device 101 may be provided with a device information transmission unit 1801 instead of the search key generation unit 211, as illustrated in FIG. 18, and the server 102 may be provided with a search key generation unit 1901 instead of the search key acquisition unit 512, as illustrated in FIG. 19.

[0120] In the device 101 according to this modification, when the external device information acquisition unit 2001 acquires external device information, the device information transmission unit 1801 transmits a plurality of items of device information including the acquired external device information to the server 102. Then, the search key generation unit 1901 acquires the device information by receiving the device information including items related to the operation status of the external device from the device 101, and generates a search key 111 including the acquired device information. As a result, in the related information acquisition system 100 according to this modification, the server 102 can generate a search key 111 including items related to the operation status of the external device.

[0121] The present disclosure 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]

[0122] 100 Related information acquisition system, 101 Device, 102 Server, 103 Network, 111 Search key, 111a to 111e Search key, 112 Related information, 201 Storage unit, 202 Operation reception unit, 203 Communication unit, 204 External device connection unit, 205 Display unit, 206 Control unit, 211 Search key generation unit, 212 Related information acquisition unit, 213 Presentation unit, 301 Device information, 302 Device information, 303 Device information, 501 Storage unit, 502 Communication unit, 503 Control unit, 511 Related information database, 512 Search key acquisition unit, 513 Related information extraction unit, 701 Area, 702 Area, 703 Area, 801 Presentation information, 901 Device information, 1201 Presentation information, 1202 Presentation information, 1203 Presentation information, 1204 Presentation information, 1301 presentation information, 1302 presentation information, 1303 presentation information, 1304 presentation information, 1305 presentation information, 1401 external device type discrimination unit, 1501 device information, 1701 presentation information, 1702 presentation information, 1801 device information transmission unit, 1901 search key generation unit, 2001 external device information acquisition unit

Claims

1. a search key generation unit that acquires a plurality of items of device information and generates a search key including the plurality of items of device information; a communication unit that transmits the search key to a server that extracts related information related to the search key and receives the related information from a server that holds the related information; a presentation unit that presents the related information to a user; Equipped with The presentation unit generates items indicating a plurality of pieces of related information, generates a table of contents indicated by the items, displays the table of contents, and displays related information according to a selection of the table of contents. device.

2. The plurality of items include at least two items selected from the group consisting of an item related to a setting state of the device, an item related to an operating state of the device, and an item related to an external connection state of the device.

10. The device of claim 1.

3. The plurality of items include at least two items selected from the group consisting of an item related to a setting state of the device, an item related to an operation state of the device, an item related to an external connection state of the device, and an item related to an operation state of an external device connected to the device.

10. The device of claim 1.

4. The item related to the external connection state includes one item selected from the group consisting of a type of an external device connected to the device and an external connection method.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 3.

5. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the associated information includes information corresponding to at least one state selected from the group consisting of the setting state, an operating state of the device, and the external connection state.

6. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the related information includes information corresponding to at least one state selected from the group consisting of the setting state, an operation state of the device, the external connection state, and an operation state of the external device.

7. When the device information of the item related to the operation status of the device indicates an error status, the search key includes device information indicating an error code, and the related information includes information related to the error to which the error code is assigned.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 3.

8. The search key generating unit acquires the plurality of items of device information in response to a user operation that requests the related information. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

9. The presentation unit presents a plurality of pieces of related information when the communication unit receives a plurality of pieces of related information related to device information of at least one of the plurality of items.

8. The device of claim 7.

10. a search key acquisition unit that acquires a search key including multiple items of device information acquired by the device; a related information extraction unit that extracts related information associated with a combination of device information that matches the search key from a database in which related information is associated with a combination of device information; Equipped with the related information extraction unit acquires related information about an external device connected to the device from an information processing device different from the server itself; the device is a display device including a television, the external device is at least one of a BD player and an external speaker, The related information includes at least one of information on a connection state in which the display device is connected to the BD player via an HDMI and information on a connection state in which the display device is connected to the external speaker via Bluetooth. server.

11. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A server according to claim 10; A related information acquisition system including:

12. a device information transmission unit that acquires a plurality of items of device information and transmits the plurality of items of device information to a server that extracts related information; a communication unit that receives related information related to a search key including the plurality of items of device information from a server that holds the related information; a presentation unit that presents the related information to a user; Equipped with The presentation unit generates items indicating a plurality of pieces of related information, generates a table of contents indicated by the items, displays the table of contents, and displays related information according to a selection of the table of contents. device.

13. The plurality of items include at least two items selected from the group consisting of an item related to a setting state of the device, an item related to an operation state of the device, an item related to an external connection state of the device, and an item related to an operation state of an external device connected to the device.

13. The device of claim 12.

14. The device according to claim 13 , wherein the related information includes information corresponding to at least one state selected from the group consisting of the setting state, an operation state of the device, the external connection state, and an operation state of the external device.

15. a search key generating unit that generates a search key including multiple items of device information acquired by the device; a related information extraction unit that extracts related information associated with a combination of device information that matches the search key from a database in which related information is associated with a combination of device information; Equipped with the related information extraction unit acquires related information about an external device connected to the device from an information processing device different from the server itself; the device is a display device including a television, the external device is at least one of a BD player and an external speaker, The related information includes at least one of information on a connection state in which the display device is connected to the BD player via an HDMI and information on a connection state in which the display device is connected to the external speaker via Bluetooth. server.

16. An apparatus according to claim 12; A server according to claim 15; A related information acquisition system including:

17. On the computer, The function to obtain multiple items of device information, A function of generating a search key including the plurality of items of device information; sending the search key to a server that extracts relevant information related to the search key; A function of receiving the related information from a server that holds the related information; A function of presenting the related information to a user; Run the command, In the function of presenting, a table of contents is generated based on a plurality of items indicating related information, the table of contents is displayed, and related information corresponding to a selection of the table of contents is displayed. program.

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