Information Retrieval Device, Information Retrieval Method, and Program

Abstract

To further increase retrieval efficiency by effectively using retrieval information of other people existing in the vicinity.SOLUTION: Another information retrieval device communication-connected to a dictionary storage unit 22b associating and storing headwords and their explanation information includes: a shared retrieval history storage unit 22d that receives and stores information on a headword whose explanation information is referred to by a user operation; and a control unit 21 that, when at least one character is input as a key for retrieving a headword from the dictionary storage unit 22b, extracts a headword also from the shared retrieval history storage unit 22d together with the dictionary storage unit 22b based on the at least one character, causes a retrieval candidate display unit 42 to display the headword extracted from the dictionary storage unit 22b, and causes a touch panel display unit 17 to display the headword extracted from the shared retrieval history unit 22d as a shared retrieval candidate 42A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information retrieval device, an information retrieval method, and a program suitable for an electronic dictionary or the like.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques related to an electronic dictionary having a dictionary function capable of more widely and effectively performing word learning have been proposed. (For example, Patent Document 1)

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When performing a search string search in an electronic dictionary, including the technique described in Patent Document 1, in addition to the normal search that narrows down search candidates each time a character string is input one character at a time as the search string, search methods such as predicting search candidates by referring to past search histories have been put into practical use.

[0005] Among these, in the search method for predicting search candidates, the past search history of the electronic dictionary itself is referred to, and the search results in electronic dictionaries or the like owned by others are not reflected.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an information retrieval device, an information retrieval method, and a program that can effectively utilize the search information of others existing in the surroundings and improve the search efficiency.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is In another information retrieval device connected for communication,A shared search history storage unit that receives and stores information on headwords for which explanatory information has been referenced by a user operation; as a key for searching for a heading word When at least one character is input, based on the at least one character, from the dictionary storage unit and the shared search history storage unit A headword extraction unit that extracts headwords, and a first display control unit that causes the headwords extracted from the dictionary storage unit by the headword extraction unit to be displayed in a first display area and causes the headwords extracted from the shared search history storage unit to be displayed in a second display area.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to more effectively utilize the search information of others existing in the surroundings and improve the search efficiency.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment in the case where the present invention is applied to an electronic dictionary will be described with reference to the drawings. [Configuration] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the external configuration of an electronic dictionary 10 according to the same embodiment. Note that this embodiment is not only configured as the electronic dictionary 10 described below, but can also be configured as a tablet-type PC (Personal Computer) having a dictionary function, a smartphone, an e-book, a portable game machine, a server on a communication network, and the like.

[0011] The electronic dictionary 10 is configured with a foldable case in which the main body case 11 and the cover case 12 can be opened / closed via a hinge section 13. On the surface of the main body case 11 when the foldable case is opened, there are provided a key input section 14 (hardware keys) including a [HOME] key 14a, a function designation key 14b, a character input key 14c, a [ENTER] key 14d, a [BACK] key 14e, a [BOX] key 14f, a cursor movement key 14g, a [SHIFT] key 14h, etc., an audio output section (including a speaker) 15, an audio input section (including a microphone) 16, etc.

[0012] A touch panel display unit 17 is provided on the surface of the cover case 12. The touch panel display unit 17 has a structure in which a touch position detection device that detects a position touched by a user of the electronic dictionary 10 with a pen or a finger and a display device are integrated together, and is configured by laminating a transparent touch panel on a backlit liquid crystal screen.

[0013] The [Home] key 14a of the key input unit 14 is a key for displaying a home screen on the key input unit 14. Although not specifically shown, a plurality of icons registered according to the initial settings of the electronic dictionary 10 or user operations are displayed. Each icon is a drawing or symbol for realizing a function corresponding to the notation of the icon. For example, it includes an application icon for directly starting a function (application) that uses dictionary content or learning content, and a group icon for displaying a list screen of icons of a plurality of functions belonging to one category.

[0014] The function specification keys 14b of the key input unit 14 are used to directly specify the dictionary content (such as [Daijirin]) displayed on each key, the category of dictionary content (such as [Japanese language], [Classical Japanese], [Chinese-Chinese], [English-English-Japanese]), [Content list], or one of the tool categories [Study notebook].

[0015] In addition, when a key on the key input unit 14 is operated continuously after the [Shift] key 14h is operated, it functions as a key with a frame around it, rather than a key shown without a frame on its key top. For example, when the [Delete] key is operated after the [Shift] key 14h is operated, it functions as the [Settings] key instead of the [Delete] key.

[0016] In FIG. 1, [English-Japanese Dictionary] is selected, and as an example, a state is shown in which two characters [te], which are the first characters of the headword, are input to the search character input unit 41 located above the touch panel display unit 17. On the lower left side of the search character input unit 41, a certain number of English words corresponding to the character string [te] are displayed as the search candidate display unit 42, and the English word [Te] is in a temporarily selected state by the attached notation of the cursor C at its leading position. In the box display unit 43 on the lower right side of the search character input unit 41, a state is shown in which a part of the explanatory information based on the English-Japanese dictionary content is displayed corresponding to the English word [Te] that is in the selected state at that time.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the electronic circuit of the electronic dictionary 10. The electronic circuit of the electronic dictionary 10 includes a control unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 21 that is a computer. The control unit 21 controls the operations of each part of the circuit according to a control program stored in advance in a storage unit 22 such as a flash ROM. The number of processors such as the CPU may be one or two or more.

[0018] Note that at least one of the control program and the dictionary data described later may be read from an external recording medium 23 such as a memory card by a recording medium reading unit 24 and stored in the storage unit 22, or may be stored in the storage unit 22 as something downloaded from a web server or the like on an external network (not shown) via the communication unit 25.

[0019] The control unit 21 is connected to the storage unit 22, the recording medium reading unit 24, and the communication unit 25 via a data bus and a control bus, and is also connected to the key input unit 14, the voice output unit 15, the voice input unit 16, and the touch panel display unit 17.

[0020] The storage unit 22 stores a system program that controls the overall operation of the electronic dictionary 10, a communication program for establishing a communication connection with an external device via the communication unit 25, and a storage area for a search processing program storage area 22a, dictionary data storage area 22b, search history storage area 22c, common search history database 22d, work data storage area 22e, etc., for storing programs and data for executing various functions by the electronic dictionary 10.

[0021] The search processing program storage area 22a is an area for storing a control program for searching and displaying explanatory information such as a translation word, semantic meaning, usage example, and explanation associated with a user-desired headword based on various dictionary contents (English-English-Japanese dictionary / English-Japanese dictionary / Japanese-English dictionary / English-English dictionary / Japanese dictionary / encyclopedia / ...) stored as dictionary data in the dictionary data storage area 22b. The dictionary data storage area 22b stores various dictionary contents, with the headword and its explanatory information stored in association. That is, the dictionary data storage area 22b functions as a dictionary storage unit that stores the headword and its explanatory information in association.

[0022] In the search history storage area 22c, when the electronic dictionary 10 operates independently and in response to a search according to a user operation, when the headword and its explanatory information are displayed as search results, the headword targeted for search is stored as a search history together with information on the number of times of that search.

[0023] The common search history database 22d functions as a shared search history storage unit that, when sharing the selection of a headword and the display of its explanatory information among users of this electronic dictionary 10 and external similar electronic dictionaries 10, stores the headwords to be searched, along with the information on the number of searches, as a search history in a database according to the operations described below. That is, the common search history database 22d receives and stores information on headwords whose explanatory information has been referenced by user operations in other information search devices connected via communication, functioning as a shared search history storage unit. When at least one character is input as a key for searching for a headword from the dictionary storage area, the search processing program storage area 22a functions as a headword extraction unit that extracts headwords from both the dictionary storage area and the shared search history storage area based on the at least one character.

[0024] In the work data storage area 22e, various data such as data input in response to user operations and data acquired or generated by the control unit 21 are temporarily stored (held) as needed in accordance with the control of the operations of each circuit part according to the control program by the control unit 21.

[0025] The communication unit 25 wirelessly connects to information search devices such as similar electronic dictionaries existing in the vicinity based on, for example, the BLE (Bluetooth (Registered Trademark) Low Energy) standard, which is one of the wireless PAN (Personal Area Network) technologies. The communication unit 25 receives information on headwords whose explanatory information has been referenced by user operations in other information search devices connected via communication. Furthermore, the communication unit 25 functions as a transmitting unit that transmits information on the headwords for which the explanatory information has been displayed to other information search devices connected via communication. Also, the communication unit 25 wirelessly connects to a web server or the like on an external network (not shown) via a wireless router or the like to download a control program or the like.

[0026] [Operation] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In this operation, it is assumed that in one classroom within a school, a user who uses the electronic dictionary 10 shares the search history with classmates to improve the search efficiency when performing dictionary searches during class.

[0027] In this embodiment, when performing a dictionary search with the electronic dictionary 10, it is possible to select a mode for sharing or not sharing the search status with other surrounding people. On the touch panel display unit 17 in FIG. 1, as shown by "Communication with Peripheral Devices / Waiting for Permission" on the upper right side of the screen, it shows the operation in the mode where the search history is not shared with other surrounding people. In this mode, for example, in response to the operation of the [Determine] key 14d when a partial character string "te" from the beginning of the heading word is input, a certain number of search candidates are displayed in alphabetical order.

[0028] Also, in this mode, when a setting to use the search history in the electronic dictionary 10 is further selected, based on the content stored in the search history storage area 22c, a certain number of search candidates for the heading words corresponding to the input of the search character string are displayed.

[0029] When the user touches the string part of "Waiting for Permission" on the touch panel display unit 17, the display of the string part switches to "Permission Granted", and the mode shifts to the mode of sharing the search history with other surrounding people.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing content of the dictionary search executed by the control unit 21 with the function of the communication unit 25 turned on under the mode setting of sharing the search history with other surrounding people.

[0031] The control unit 21 starts operating as a basic observer (receiving device) through broadcast communication conforming to the BLE (registered trademark) standard by the communication unit 25 (step S101).

[0032] During the operation as an observer, the control unit 21 continuously receives the pre-determined electronic dictionary beacon indicating that it is operating as an electronic dictionary by the communication unit 25.

[0033] Next, the control unit 21 determines whether the reliability of the information stored in the common search history database 22d can be ensured based on whether the number of received electronic dictionary beacons from other terminals existing in the vicinity at that time point is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value. For example, if the number of students in one class is 35, it is determined whether it is 10 or more (step S102).

[0034] When receiving this electronic dictionary beacon, since it is considered that the radio wave intensity decreases when the beacon passes through the wall surface existing between adjacent classrooms, by limiting it to those that can obtain an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) equal to or higher than an appropriate threshold value in advance, only the terminals of classmates existing in the same classroom can be selected and counted.

[0035] In step S102, if it is determined that the number of received electronic dictionary beacons is less than the preset threshold value (NO in step S102), it is considered that the reliability of the information stored in the common search history database 22d cannot be ensured. After resetting the content of the common search history database 22d (step S111), the process returns to the process from step S102.

[0036] Also, in step S102, if it is determined that the number of received electronic dictionary beacons is equal to or greater than the preset threshold value (YES in step S102), assuming that the reliability of the information stored in the common search history database 22d can be ensured, next, the control unit 21 determines whether the [Enter] key 14d of the key input unit 14 that issues a search command based on the search character string input to the search character string input unit 41 by the electronic dictionary 10 has been operated (step S103).

[0037] If it is determined that the [Enter] key 14d has not been operated (NO in step S103), next, the control unit 21 determines whether at least one of the received electronic dictionary beacons contains information on the search word, and whether the heading word has been selected by other terminals in the vicinity and displayed and referred to in the explanatory information box display unit 43 for the heading word (step S109).

[0038] When it is determined that there is no reception of the electronic dictionary beacon containing the search word information (NO in step S109), assuming that no heading word has been selected on other surrounding terminals, the control unit 21 returns to the process from step S102 again.

[0039] In this way, in an operating environment where the number of received electronic dictionary beacons is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value, by repeatedly executing the processes of steps S102, S103, and S109 by the control unit 21, the control unit waits for a search instruction to be issued by the electronic dictionary 10 or for reception of an electronic dictionary beacon containing the search word information.

[0040] In step S109, when it is determined that at least one of the received electronic dictionary beacons contains the search word information, a heading word has been selected on other surrounding terminals, and the explanatory information for the heading word has been displayed and referred to (YES in step S109), the control unit 21 updates and stores the contained search word information in the common search history database 22d for storage (step S110). At this time, if the search word information to be stored has already been stored in the common search history database 22d, the reception count information corresponding to the search word is updated and set to “+1”.

[0041] After finishing the update storage of the common search history database 22d in step S110, the control unit 21 returns to the process from step S102 again.

[0042] Also in step S103, when it is determined that the [Determine] key 14d for instructing a search based on the search character string input to the search character string input unit 41 has been operated (YES in step S103), the control unit 21 searches for a heading word by referring to the dictionary data storage area 22b and the common search history database 22d based on the input search character string, and displays a list of the searched heading words as a result (step S104).

[0043] Figure 4 shows, as an example, the display state when the [English-Japanese dictionary] is selected and the first two characters [te] of the headword are input into the search character input section 41 located at the upper part of the screen of the touch panel display section 17 and the [Determine] key 14d is operated. On the upper right side of the same screen, it is displayed that the mode of sharing the search history with other surrounding people is selected as indicated by "Communication with peripheral devices / Permitted". When this sharing mode is selected, even on other surrounding terminals, although the input state of the search character string is different for each terminal, it is assumed that a screen similar to Figure 4 is displayed.

[0044] On the lower left side of the search character input section 41, as English words corresponding to the input character string [te] in the search candidate display section 42, based on the content of the common search history database 22d, the two English words [tender] [temporary] are displayed in the common search candidate display section 42A in descending order of the most frequent number of duplicates in the shared search history information.

[0045] In the common search candidate display section 42A, a cursor C is added to indicate that the upper English word [tender], which has a higher number of duplicates, is in a selected state. Corresponding to the position of this cursor C, in the box display section 43 on the right side, a detailed explanation based on the actual dictionary content regarding the meaning of the English word [tender] is also displayed. In this figure, in order to avoid making the drawing complicated, the text in the box display section 43 is deliberately expressed in a significantly abbreviated form ([※~Meaning of tender~]). That is, the control unit 21 functions as a first display control unit that causes the headword extracted from the dictionary storage unit by the headword extraction unit to be displayed in the first display area and the headword extracted from the shared search history storage unit to be displayed in the second display area.

[0046] Also, in the search candidate display section 42 at the lower part of the common search candidate display section 42A, based on the input search string [te], six English words, for example, [team], [teem], [telegram], [term(1)], [term(2)], and [terrorism], are displayed as the headwords retrieved using the English-Japanese dictionary content stored in the dictionary data storage area 22b.

[0047] In this way, under the setting of the mode for sharing the search history with other surrounding terminals, in response to character input from the beginning of the headword, the ones with a larger number of searches among the headwords already searched on the surrounding terminals are preferentially displayed. Therefore, during a class or the like, the search results obtained by those with faster search operations on other surrounding terminals existing in the same classroom can be quickly shared as the history and utilized for the search operation on one's own electronic dictionary 10.

[0048] In the control unit 21, for the list display of the search results of the headwords, key operations for selecting and determining a headword are accepted by the cursor movement key 14g and the [Enter] key 14d, and detailed explanation information corresponding to the selected headword is displayed in the box display section 43 (step S105). That is, the control unit 21 functions as a second display control unit that reads out the explanation information from the dictionary storage unit corresponding to one selected from among the plurality of headwords displayed by the first display control unit and displays it in the third display area.

[0049] The control unit 21 executes update storage of the common search history database 22d to reflect the information of the headword selected on the electronic dictionary 10 (step S106).

[0050] In addition, the operation of the observer (receiving device) in the broadcast communication is temporarily stopped and switched to the broadcaster (transmitting device) operation, and an electronic dictionary beacon including the information of the heading word selected in step S105 is transmitted to the surrounding terminals (step S107). In the surrounding terminals, by receiving this electronic dictionary beacon, the update and storage of the respective common search history databases 22d are executed using the information of the heading words included therein.

[0051] Regarding this transmission operation, instead of sequentially transmitting the electronic dictionary beacon including the information of the heading words, it may be such that when a predetermined number of search histories retrieved by the electronic dictionary 10 are accumulated in the search history storage area 22c, the dictionary beacon including the information of the heading words is transmitted.

[0052] Thereafter, the control unit 21 stops the temporary broadcaster operation in the broadcast communication, switches back to the observer (receiving device) operation (step S108), and then returns to the processing from step S102 again.

[0053] [Effects of the Embodiment] As described in detail above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to effectively utilize the search information of others existing around and improve the search efficiency.

[0054] Also, in this embodiment, not only the search results are received from the terminals of others around and stored as a history, but also the information results of the heading words selected from the searches performed by the own electronic dictionary 10 are transmitted to the terminals of others, so that the search histories can be shared with each other.

[0055] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the search results received from the terminals of others around are stored in the common search history database 22d only when the number of communicable electronic dictionary beacons is equal to or more than a preset threshold value, the reliability of the information of the shared search history can be ensured.

[0056] In addition, in this embodiment, since the terminals of other people around that satisfy a predetermined received radio wave intensity are made valid, it is easy to distinguish from other areas and easy to control the operation, especially when limiting within a spatially separated area such as a school classroom.

[0057] Although not shown in this embodiment, for example, identification information given each time in a class or the like is attached to the header part of the electronic dictionary beacon transmitted by the electronic dictionary 10, and only the reception of the electronic dictionary beacon having the same identification information is determined to be valid and operated. In this way, the information exchanged within the same space does not become complicated, and it is possible to group and use individual types of information.

[0058] Furthermore, regarding the information stored in the common search history database 22d, for example, it is also conceivable to perform time limit control so that it is automatically cleared when a time corresponding to one hour of a class elapses. By clearing the stored content of the common search history database 22d in such a relatively short time, it is possible to realize an appropriate search for headwords each time in response to the transition of the class.

[0059] On the contrary, for example, the information stored in the common search history database 22d may be retained while being accumulated for a relatively long period, for example, about one year. In this case, if the stored content of the common search history database 22d can be transferred to the terminals of other people, the information of the search history accumulated in other classes or grades can be inherited, and it becomes possible to improve the search efficiency more.

[0060] In this embodiment, it has been described that candidates for the corresponding headwords are displayed when at least one character of the headword is input. However, even before the input of the search string, from the information of the search words stored in the common search history database 22d, it may be possible to display a certain number of candidates in order from the one with the highest corresponding reception count value as candidates. In the case of such an operation, there is a possibility that the desired headword appears in the candidates even in a state where no character is input, and the search efficiency can be further improved.

[0061] In addition, the invention of the present application is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist thereof at the implementation stage. Also, each embodiment may be implemented in appropriate combination as much as possible, and in that case, the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above embodiments include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriate combinations of a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiments, if the problems described in the section of the problems to be solved by the invention can be solved and the effects described in the section of the effects of the invention can be obtained, the configuration from which these constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention.

[0062] The invention described in the original claims of the present application at the time of filing is appended below. [Claim 1] A dictionary storage unit that stores by associating a heading word and its explanatory information, A shared search history storage unit that receives and stores information on a heading word whose explanatory information has been referred to by a user operation in another information retrieval device connected by communication, When at least one character is input as a key for searching for a heading word from the dictionary storage unit, a heading word extraction unit that extracts a heading word from the dictionary storage unit and the shared search history storage unit based on the at least one character, A first display control unit that displays the heading word extracted from the dictionary storage unit by the heading word extraction unit in a first display area and displays the heading word extracted from the shared search history storage unit in a second display area, An information retrieval device comprising: [Claim 2] A second display control unit that reads out explanatory information from the dictionary storage unit corresponding to one selected from among a plurality of heading words displayed by the first display control unit and displays it in a third display area, A transmission unit that transmits information on the heading word for which the explanatory information is displayed by the second display control unit to the other information retrieval device connected by communication, The information retrieval device according to claim 1, further comprising: [Claim 3] The information retrieval apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shared search history storage unit stores the information of the received heading words when it is communicably connected to a number of the other information retrieval apparatuses equal to or greater than a preset threshold value. [Claim 4] The information retrieval apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the shared search history storage unit stores the information of the heading words obtained by receiving from the other information retrieval apparatuses satisfying a predetermined received radio wave intensity. [Claim 5] The information retrieval apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shared search history storage unit stores the information of the search strings from the other information retrieval apparatuses including predetermined identification information. [Claim 6] The information retrieval apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the shared search history storage unit clears the stored content according to a preset time condition. [Claim 7] An information retrieval method in an apparatus including a dictionary storage unit that stores a heading word and its explanatory information in association with each other, a shared search history storage step of receiving and storing, in a communicably connected other information retrieval apparatus, the information of the heading words whose explanatory information has been referred to by a user operation; a heading word extraction step of extracting a heading word from the stored content in the shared search history storage step together with the dictionary storage unit based on at least one character when at least one character is input as a key for searching for a heading word from the dictionary storage unit; a first display control step of displaying the heading words extracted from the dictionary storage unit in the heading word extraction step in a first display area and displaying the heading words extracted from the stored content in the shared search history storage step in a second display area; An information retrieval method having: [Claim 8] A program executed by a computer incorporated in an apparatus including a dictionary storage unit that stores a search string and its explanatory information in association with each other, the computer being a shared search history storage unit that receives and stores the information of the heading words whose explanatory information has been referred to by a user operation in a communicably connected other information retrieval apparatus, When at least one character is input as a key for searching for a keyword from the dictionary storage unit, a keyword extraction unit that extracts a keyword from the shared search history storage unit together with the dictionary storage unit based on the at least one character; A first display control unit that causes the keyword extracted from the dictionary storage unit by the keyword extraction unit to be displayed in a first display area, and the keyword extracted from the shared search history storage unit to be displayed in a second display area; A program that causes it to function.

Explanation of Signs

[0063] 10…Electronic dictionary 11…Main body case 12…Cover case 13…Hinge part 14…Key input unit 14a…[Home] key 14b…Function designation key 14c…Character input key 14d…[Enter] key 14e…[Back] key 14f…[BOX] key 14g…Cursor movement key 14h…[Shift] key 15…Voice output unit 16…Voice input unit 17…Touch panel display unit 21…Control unit (CPU) 22…Storage unit 22a…Search processing program storage area 22b…Dictionary data storage area 22c…Search history storage area 22d…Common search history database 22e…Work data storage area 23…External recording medium 24…Recording medium reading unit 25…Communication unit 41…Search character input unit 42…Search candidate display unit 42A…Shared search candidate 43…Box display unit C… Cursor

Claims

1. In another information retrieval device connected by communication, a shared search history storage unit that receives and stores information on headwords for which explanatory information has been referred to by a user operation; A headword extraction unit that extracts headwords from a dictionary storage unit and the shared search history storage unit based on at least one character when at least one character is input as a key for searching for a headword; A first display control unit that displays the headwords extracted from the dictionary storage unit by the headword extraction unit in a first display area and displays the headwords extracted from the shared search history storage unit in a second display area; An information retrieval device comprising:

2. A second display control unit that reads explanatory information from the dictionary storage unit corresponding to one selected from among a plurality of headwords displayed by the first display control unit and displays the explanatory information in a third display area; A transmission unit that transmits information on the headword for which the explanatory information has been displayed by the second display control unit to the other information retrieval device connected by communication; The information retrieval device according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. The shared search history storage unit stores the received information on the headwords when it is possible to communicate with a number of the other information retrieval devices equal to or greater than a preset threshold value. The information retrieval device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The shared search history storage unit stores information on headwords obtained by receiving from the other information retrieval device that satisfies a predetermined received radio wave intensity. The information retrieval device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The shared search history storage unit stores information on a search string from the other information retrieval device including predetermined identification information. The information retrieval device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The shared search history storage unit clears the stored content according to a preset time condition. The information retrieval device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. An information retrieval method for an information retrieval device, comprising: A shared search history storage step of receiving and storing information on headwords for which explanatory information has been referred to by a user operation in another information retrieval device connected by communication; A headword extraction step of extracting headwords from the stored content of the dictionary storage unit and the stored content in the shared search history storage step based on at least one character when at least one character is input as a key for searching for a headword; A first display control step of displaying the heading words extracted from the dictionary storage unit in the heading word extraction step in a first display area and displaying the heading words extracted from the stored content in the shared search history storage step in a second display area; An information retrieval method having the above. **Claim 8**: A program executed by a computer, which causes the computer to In another information retrieval device connected by communication, a shared search history storage unit that receives and stores information on heading words for which explanatory information has been referred to by a user operation; When at least one character is input as a key for searching for a heading word, a heading word extraction unit that extracts heading words from a dictionary storage unit and the shared search history storage unit based on the at least one character; A first display control unit that displays the heading words extracted from the dictionary storage unit by the heading word extraction unit in a first display area and displays the heading words extracted from the shared search history storage unit in a second display area; A program that causes the computer to function as described above.

Images