Information providing device, information providing method, information providing program, and program storage medium

Abstract

To provide an information provision device capable of outputting provision information reflecting a user's desire even if the user searches for information on the basis of a query based on an unspecific desire.SOLUTION: An information provision device 1 is configured from a computer system and outputs provision information 31 in response to input of a query 41, and comprises: storage means (2,3) for storing a configuration of the query and the provision information; evaluation means for evaluating the provision information on the basis of an attribute 42 configuring the query; and output means for outputting the provision information evaluated by the evaluation means in response to the inputted query.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing device that is configured by a computer system, processes an input query, and outputs information to be provided as a result of the processing. [Background technology]

[0002] Advances in information and communication networks, such as the Internet, and mobile information processing devices, such as smartphones, have enabled a wide range of users, regardless of age, gender, or level of knowledge or experience in information and communication technology (IT), to access vast amounts of information. Information provision services, which work in conjunction with web servers to extract the information users desire from vast amounts of information and output that information to users' information processing devices (hereinafter referred to as "user devices") equipped with browsers, are now available. Examples of information provision services include well-known search engines and online stores (or online shopping malls, hereinafter referred to as "e-stores"). Search engines enable comprehensive searches of a wide variety of information, while online stores display a list of products that reflect the user's needs from a vast selection of products, ultimately directing the user to a web page where the user can complete the purchase process for a selected product. Databases and search engines are key components (hardware and software) of the computer systems (hereinafter referred to as "information provision devices") that provide information provision services to users.

[0003] As is well known, a database is equipped with a large-scale storage device and manages the vast amount of information stored in that storage device so that it can be easily searched and stored. Information providing devices store and manage the vast amount of information, including the content and location of the information that users ultimately want to obtain, or information that serves as a clue to accessing the final information, such as the location of that information (hereinafter referred to as provided information).

[0004] A search engine queries a database based on a search query received from a user's device, and returns a list of information related to the query as a web page. If a user finds information they want in the list of information presented as search results, the information service prompts the user to specify a hyperlink (hereafter referred to as a link) to that information in their browser, allowing them to view the information in their device's browser.

[0005] By the way, in addition to improving the performance of the hardware itself, today's search engines have also improved search algorithms and devised data storage structures in databases, so that the same information can be found even with ambiguous search keywords or synonyms (such as "digital camera" or "digital camera").They can also interpret the context of the natural language entered to extract search keywords on a word-by-word basis, analyze how close multiple search keywords are to each other in the text of a web page, and determine the order in which search results are presented based on the frequency with which the keywords appear.

[0006] Furthermore, in relation to the above-mentioned information provision service, the inventor has considered the problem that even when searching for information based on the same search keywords, the search objectives of a wide variety of users vary. In other words, the information searched by search engines ranges from everyday life information to specialized information such as academic papers. Therefore, even if different users provide the same search keywords to the search engine, this does not mean that each user is looking for the same information. In light of this problem, the inventor has invented and obtained a patent for an information retrieval support device that can accurately present the information a user is looking for from among the wide variety of information searched for using very common search keywords (see Patent Document 1). Furthermore, technologies related to this invention are described in the following Patent Documents 2 and 3. The technologies described in these patent documents enable the user to understand the relationship between the information presented based on a query and the query by the order in which the information is presented, or by attaching characteristics of the information to the information presented, thereby enabling the user to recognize the characteristics of the information presented. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3501799 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5561842 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 5835754 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, the existence of an environment in which various users can access a vast amount of information does not necessarily mean that all users can equally use their user terminals to obtain the desired information from the vast amount of information. The technology described in the above patent document certainly provides useful information, such as presenting a route to the desired information, creating and providing characteristics of the provided information in response to a query, and evaluating and presenting the provided information based on its characteristics. However, as mentioned above, in today's extremely diverse information technology (IT) user environment, some users are unable to understand the meaning of the various pieces of information presented in the process of arriving at the information, are unable to follow the steps taken to arrive at the information, or are unable to understand the relationship between their query and the presentation order or characteristics of the provided information.

[0009] For example, when purchasing a digital camera from an online store, a user may have a vague desire to "take beautiful photos," but may be completely ignorant of the various technologies involved in taking beautiful photos (e.g., "image stabilization method," "image sensor type," "pixel count," "data compression method," etc.). Such a user may perform an information search by entering a query such as "beautiful images with a digital camera" in natural language or by entering keywords such as "high image quality and digital camera." Even if the next query presented includes information such as "image stabilization" and a selection screen for its methods, the user may not understand the differences between various image stabilization methods, or even why "image stabilization" itself is related to "beautiful images." In other words, not all users necessarily have the knowledge to understand the content of the information provided. Therefore, even with conventional information search technologies, users with limited understanding of the information provided (e.g., product knowledge) will be unable to present useful information to them. In other words, users with limited understanding of the information provided will be unable to determine its usefulness.

[0010] Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide an information providing device that can output information that reflects the user's latent desires, even if the user searches for information based on a query that is based on a vague desire. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is to Based on queries entered by users An information providing device that outputs provided information, A query configuration including correspondences between provided information and configurations queried in the provided information. a storage means for storing the The query The correspondence between the configurations Based on Inquire about the provided information and evaluation means for evaluating the provided information; an output means for outputting information to be provided based on the evaluation by the evaluation means; The information providing device is characterized by comprising:

[0012] Another aspect of the present invention is Based on queries entered by users An information providing device that outputs provided information, A query configuration including correspondences between provided information and configurations queried in the provided information. a storage means for storing the The query The correspondence between the configurations Based on Inquire about the provided information and an extraction means for extracting provided information; an output means for outputting the provided information extracted by the extraction means; The information providing device is provided with the above.

[0013] Compilation It is composed of a computer system, Based on queries entered by users An information providing device that outputs provided information, A query configuration including correspondences between provided information and configurations queried in the provided information. a storage means for storing the extraction means for extracting information to be provided based on a query; The aforementioned Query The correspondence between the configurations Based on Inquire about the provided information and evaluation means for evaluating the provided information; an output means for outputting the provided information extracted by the extraction means based on the evaluation by the evaluation means; The information providing device may also include the above.

[0014] An information providing device configured by a computer system, which outputs information to be provided based on a query input by a user, a storage means for storing provided information and query configurations including correspondences between configurations queried in the provided information; evaluation means for comparing the query configuration with the provided information based on the correspondence between the configurations and evaluating the provided information; an output means for outputting provided information including the evaluation by the evaluation means; Equipped with It can also be used as an information providing device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the information providing device of the present invention, even if a user searches for information based on a query based on a vague desire, it is possible to output provided information that reflects the user's desire. Other effects will be made clear in the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a network configuration including an information providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of a product purchase page output by the information providing device to a user terminal. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a provided information database included in the information providing device. [Figure 3B] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a provided information database included in the information providing device. [Figure 4A] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a query database included in the information providing device. [Figure 4B] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a query database included in the information providing device. [Figure 4C] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a query database included in the information providing device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific example of the relationship between queries and query attributes managed by the query database. [Figure 6A] 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of the relationship between the provided information and the provided information attributes managed by the provided information database. FIG. [Figure 6B]10 is a diagram showing a specific example of the relationship between the provided information and the provided information attributes managed by the provided information database. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a product search page output by the information providing device to a user terminal. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of information search processing in the information providing device. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of a search result page that the information providing device outputs to a user terminal. [Figure 10A] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an extraction algorithm for information to be provided in the information search process in the information providing device. FIG. [Figure 10B] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an extraction algorithm for information to be provided in the information search process in the information providing device. FIG. [Figure 10C] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an extraction algorithm for information to be provided in the information search process in the information providing device. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a diagram showing an example of an algorithm for determining the priority order of information to be extracted in the information search process in the information providing device. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a diagram showing another example of an algorithm for determining the priority order of information to be extracted in the information search process in the information providing device. FIG. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating other structures of the provided information database and the query database. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hierarchical structure of the query database. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the hierarchical structure of the query database. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the search result page. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the search result page. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the search result page. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the search result page. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the search result page. [Figure 21] 1 is a diagram illustrating an operation concept of an information providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22A] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for constructing the query database. [Figure 22B] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for constructing the query database. [Figure 22C] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for constructing the query database. [Figure 22D] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for constructing the query database. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the search result page. [Figure 24] 1 is a diagram illustrating an operation concept of an information providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 25] 1 is a diagram illustrating an operation concept of an information providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] ===Technical Concept of the Invention=== Information provision services are provided based on queries entered by users via their own user terminals. A query is input information that a user intentionally indicates or selects, and information provision services provided by conventional information provision devices are premised on the assumption that the user understands the relationship between the query and the information provided based on that query. In other words, it is implicitly assumed that when a user is presented with several pieces of information based on their query, they will be able to determine for themselves the usefulness of each piece of information provided. However, in today's world where there are a wide variety of users of information provision services, it is necessary to anticipate that the user may find it difficult to indicate or select a query that accurately expresses their needs, or may be unable to determine whether the presented information is useful to them.

[0018] On the other hand, however, people with specialized knowledge, experience, or the creators of the provided information (hereinafter referred to as experts) understand (experience) what kind of query should be presented, or what instructions or selections should be made, to obtain the desired provided information, such as the user's needs (queries) and the characteristics of the provided information, and understand what attributes will satisfy the user's needs (queries) based on the effects of the user's needs (queries) and the attributes of the provided information. Therefore, if the knowledge of these people can be incorporated into the information search procedures of users who do not understand the relationship between queries and provided information, there is a high possibility that the provided information presented as a result of the information search will contain content that satisfies the user's potential needs, even if the user does not have knowledge or understanding of the provided information.

[0019] Therefore, rather than performing a database search based on a user's query received from a user terminal, the inventors conceived of linking the user's objectives and desires, contained in the query received from the user, to provided information using the above-mentioned expert knowledge as a medium. In summary, the inventors envisioned that if the underlying objectives and needs of a query were prepared as knowledge-aggregated information called "attributes," and the attributes (hereinafter also referred to as query attributes) were queried in place of the query in a database, provided information reflecting the user's requirements could be output and presented to the user, even if the user does not understand the content of the provided information. The present invention is the result of extensive research into the correspondence between queries and the above-mentioned query attributes, methods for searching (extracting) and evaluating provided information based on query attributes, and methods for outputting, presenting, and presenting queries and attributes (query attributes, provided information attributes), or provided information.

[0020] Below, we will explain the basic configuration and information processing procedures of an information providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and then we will explain the database structure, information processing procedures, and method of presenting provided information for implementing more advanced information providing services.

[0021] ===Example=== An information providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured as a computer system connected to the Internet and having functions such as a search engine, a WWW server, and a database. This system configuration is similar to that of information providing devices operated by conventional search sites and online stores. Here, an information providing device that makes an online store available on the Internet using a WWW server function is used as an example. Below, we will explain the data management structure and operation of the database in the information providing device, as well as the flow of an information search process that returns a web page (hereinafter referred to as a search result page) that lists information about each product based on a query received from a user terminal.

[0022] ===Network Configuration=== FIG. 1 shows an outline of a network configuration including an information providing device according to this embodiment. A user terminal 10 and an information providing device 1 are connected to the Internet I. The information providing device 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a database (provided information database) 2 that manages information (provided information) relating to various products handled by online stores, including storage, evaluation, extraction, updating, and new creation. It also includes a database (query database) 3 that manages various information used in information processing when specifying provided information to be evaluated or extracted from the provided information database 2 based on a query. The information providing device 1 according to this embodiment is characterized by the data management method used by the query database 3 and the information processing procedure used when searching for provided information using that data.

[0023] ===Database=== <Provision information database>

[0024] The information providing device, through its own WWW server function, publishes an online store, which ultimately sends a product sales page containing various information about each product sold by the store and a function for accepting product purchases to the user's terminal via HTTP communication with the user's terminal. Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a product sales page 20. The page contains product-related information (such as manufacturer, model number, price, and installed features) 21, product images 22, a field 23 for entering the quantity of the product to be purchased via the user's terminal, and a button 24 for accepting purchase instructions. The provided information database attached to the information providing device stores HTML documents and image data that are the source of the product sales page 20. It also manages the details of each product listed on the product sales page 20 as provided information. Furthermore, the provided information database not only stores the product-related information listed on the product sales page, but also manages various information (hereinafter, "product attributes") referenced during query-based information search processing, associating them with the provided information. The product attributes may be included in the provided information itself and may constitute part of the provided information, or the provided information and the product attributes may be stored as separate data, and the provided information database may manage the correspondence between the provided information and the product attributes.

[0025] 3A and 3B show the correspondence between provided information and product attributes. In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the content of a product identified by an identification number, model, or the like is provided as provided information 31, and product attributes 32 are associated with the provided information 31. As for the correspondence between provided information 31 and product attributes 32, one or more product attributes 32 may be associated with provided information 31 for each product, as in the example shown in FIG. 3A, or one or more provided information 31 for a product may be associated with a specific product attribute 32, as in the example shown in FIG. 3B. In either case, the database manages the correspondence between provided information for a specific product and product attributes. Of course, product attributes may be part of the provided information. Naturally, when product attributes are part of the provided information, the provided information database manages the correspondence between provided information and product attributes so that it is possible to identify which part of each provided information is the product attribute of that provided information.

[0026] <Query Database> The provided information database manages the provided information that is ultimately output to a user terminal upon input of a query from the user terminal, as well as the product attributes referenced by a search engine (information providing device) when extracting the provided information. Meanwhile, the query database manages the correspondence between various queries input from the user terminal and attribute information (hereinafter, "query attributes"). The query attributes are, so to speak, information that reflects the user's request contained in the query received from the user terminal, and one or more query attributes are configured for each query. In this embodiment, the information providing device queries the provided information database for query attributes instead of queries. In other words, the query attributes are information that is fundamentally different from dictionary data of synonyms for search keywords. When the information providing device receives from the user terminal a number of keywords that can be accepted as search queries, or keywords derived by synonymous deduction of those keywords, it identifies query attributes for the keywords and uses the query attributes to evaluate and extract provided information from the provided information database.

[0027] In the information providing device of this embodiment, the information to be provided is ultimately output to the user terminal in response to a query input from the user terminal. The following describes the details of information processing in the information providing device, mainly taking an example in which the information providing device extracts the information to be provided that is ultimately output in response to a query input from the user terminal. As described above, in the information providing device of this embodiment, receiving a query is the starting point for extracting or evaluating the information to be provided, but the received query itself is not queried in the information to be provided database. A query is a character code corresponding to characters input by a user or form data sent over a network when the user specifies or instructs via a front end, but it is not data directly used to extract the information to be provided. Essentially, a query is information that reflects (or expresses) a user's question, inquiry, request, etc.

[0028] 4A and 4B show the correspondence relationship between queries and query attributes. As shown in FIG. 4A, one or more query attributes 42 may be associated with each query 41 sent from a user terminal, or as shown in FIG. 4B, one or more queries 41 may be associated with a specific query attribute 42. Of course, as shown in FIG. 4C, the same query attribute (query attribute B in FIG. 4C) 42 may be associated with multiple different queries 41. Note that in the query database, part of the query may be managed as a query attribute, or the query and the query attribute may be managed as separate data. In either case, it is sufficient that the correspondence relationship between the query and the query attribute is managed so that the query attribute can be identified based on the query. Of course, the provided information database and the query database may be managed as an integrated database based on the correspondence relationship between the query, the attribute, and the provided information. In this case, too, the attribute corresponding to the query can be set as the query attribute, and the attribute corresponding to the provided information can be set as the product attribute.

[0029] ===Information retrieval process=== The following describes the search process for provided information in an information providing device, taking as an example a case where a user purchases a digital camera at an online store using his or her user terminal. Figure 5 shows an example of the data management structure in the query database in this example. Figures 6A and 6B also show examples of the data management structure in the provided information database.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 5 , in the illustrated query database, query attributes 42 such as “image stabilization,” “RAW shooting,” and “CMOS image sensor” are associated with query 41a, which is a keyword expected to be entered for a digital camera. In this example, regardless of the keyword, a form is embedded in the location of character strings such as “function” and “performance” on the web page for transmitting those character strings to the information providing device as query 41b. For natural language keywords such as “beautiful image” accepted as query 41a, the keyword text may be associated with query attribute 42 in advance, or a well-known morphological analysis may be used to convert a query entered in natural language into a keyword for identifying the query attribute. For example, an ambiguous phrase such as “beautiful” may be accepted as the query “high image quality,” and predetermined query attributes (e.g., “image stabilization,” “image sensor,” and “number of pixels”) may be associated with the query “high image quality.” Of course, “beautiful image” may also be placed on the web page as query 41b, similar to the above-mentioned “function” and “performance.”

[0031] In the provided information database, various product attributes are associated with provided information about a specific product. Figures 6A and 6B show the correspondence between provided information about a product and its product attributes. As shown in Figure 6A, various product attributes such as "image stabilization," "video: 1080 / 60P," and "55,000 yen" are associated with a certain product A. In the provided information database, the attributes such as "image stabilization," "video: 1080 / 60P," and "55,000 yen" associated with product A are managed so that it can be recognized that product A has the functions of "image stabilization" and "video recording," and that the "video recording" function has the performance of "1080 / 60P" in terms of resolution and frame rate, and that the price is 55,000 yen.

[0032] Of course, as shown in Figure 6B, each product attribute may be associated with its presence or absence and its content. For example, all products may be associated with attribute types related to functions such as "image stabilization" and "continuous shooting," and if product A shown in the figure has such a function, a code or information indicating "presence" may be added as an attribute. For example, for "video," in addition to the presence or absence of the function, the performance "1080 / 60P" may be added as an attribute. If the price is 55,000 yen, the attribute "55,000 yen" may be added to the attribute type "price."

[0033] Next, we will list the steps from when a user accesses an online store published on the Internet by an information providing device using their user terminal to when provided information about a desired product is displayed on the user terminal, and explain the flow of information search processing in the information providing device through these steps. Note that online stores handle products in various categories, not just digital cameras, but here we will assume that a Web page (product search page) for searching for products in the digital camera category at the online store has already been displayed on the user terminal through HTTP communication between the user terminal and the information providing device, i.e., data communication via a Web page, and that the user terminal and the information providing device will perform further HTTP communication starting from this product search page, ultimately displaying the product sales page shown in Figure 2.

[0034] FIG. 7 shows an overview of a product search page 50 for digital cameras. As shown in FIG. 7, the product search page 50 includes a text box 51 for entering a query in natural language or keywords, a query input field 54 that allows the user to select a pre-defined query and includes a character string 52 configured to transmit the selected query to an information providing device each time a user inputs a query from the user terminal, a button 53 for sending the text query, and a list 57 of provided information 56 that includes images of digital cameras and product descriptions available at the online store. In this example, queries that can be selected by selecting a character string 52 in the query input field 54 are also marked with query attributes 55 associated with each character string. This also serves to help users understand, to the greatest extent possible, the type of expert knowledge associated with each selectable query. While it is true that users may not initially understand the query attributes themselves, their understanding may naturally improve as they search for information more frequently. Of course, the information search page 50 may also be designed without marking selectable queries with query attributes.

[0035] In the example shown in FIG. 7 , the character string of query attribute 55 is also underlined to indicate a link, allowing the character string indicated by query attribute 55 to be selected as a separate query. For example, "image stabilization" is one query attribute for the query "function." However, the query database may contain a query called "image stabilization," and a query attribute may also be associated with the query called "image stabilization." That is, if the character string "image stabilization" is entered in text box 51, a query attribute is associated with the query called "image stabilization." For example, the query called "image stabilization" may be associated with query attributes such as "electronic" or "optical" as image stabilization methods. Furthermore, on the screens of each web page shown below, including FIG. 7 , a check box 100 is attached to the character string of the query attribute; the function and usage of this check box 100 will be described later.

[0036] In the provided information list 57 on the product search page 50, the listing columns 58 for each piece of provided information 56 are presented in a predetermined order. The presentation order may be, for example, sales history, the number of accesses to the product purchase page for the corresponding digital camera, manufacturer, name, or price. The rules for the presentation order can be set as appropriate. The information providing device of this embodiment is characterized by its information processing, based on a query entered on the product search page 50 using a user terminal, in which provided information 56 for products that meet the user's requirements implicit in the query is evaluated or extracted and displayed as a list 57. Note that the query input means and method are not limited to the text box 51 for entering keywords, the character string 52 with a function for transmitting the query to the information providing device, or the check box 100. Any input means or method, such as a voice input means or method, may be used as long as the information providing device can accept the query.

[0037] 8 shows an outline of the communication procedure between the user terminal 10 and the information providing device 1. In order to make it easier to understand the flow of information processing and the input and output directions of various data, the information providing device 1 is shown as a control unit 101, which is made up of hardware and software that handles the processing related to data communication with the user terminal 10, such as the front end, WWW server, and search engine, the processing for generating web pages to be output to the user terminal 10, and the processing for querying the associated databases (2, 3) for appropriate data and obtaining the query results.

[0038] In the illustrated configuration, assume that a user retrieves a product search page from the information providing device 1 using the user terminal 10 (s1) and inputs a query into a text box on the product search page (s2). Here, assume that the natural sentence "beautiful image" is input as the query. The query is then transmitted to the information providing device 1 (s3). Upon receiving the query "beautiful image" from the user terminal 10, the control unit 101 of the information providing device 1 queries the query database 3 for the query (s4). The query database 3 identifies query attributes corresponding to the query and outputs the query attributes to the control unit 101 (s5). Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the query "beautiful image" is associated with attributes such as "image stabilization," "RAW shooting," and "CMOS image sensor," and therefore these query attributes are output. The control unit 101 then queries the provided information database 2 for the query attributes (s6).

[0039] As described above, each piece of provided information in the provided information database 2 is associated with a product attribute. For example, in the examples shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B , if the attributes “image stabilization,” “continuous shooting function,” and “RAW shooting” are associated as product attributes of provided information for a certain product A, the provided information database 2 extracts provided information associated with product attributes that match the query attributes received from the control unit 101 and returns the extracted provided information to the control unit 101 (s7). The control unit 101 then creates a search result page that lists the provided information received from the provided information database 2 (s8) and transmits the search result page to the user terminal 10 (s9). The user terminal 10 displays the received search result page (s10). If the user finds provided information about a product that the user wishes to purchase or that appears to be a candidate for purchase in the displayed list of provided information, the user can issue an instruction to specify the provided information via the user terminal 10 (s11). In response to this instruction, the control unit 101 has the product sales page of the corresponding additional information transferred to the additional information database 2 (s13, s14), and sends the product sales page to the user terminal (s15). As a result, the product sales page 20 shown in Fig. 2 is displayed on the user terminal 10 (s16).

[0040] FIG. 9 shows an example of a search result page 60a displaying a list of provided information extracted based on a query. This example has a layout similar to the product search page 50 shown in FIG. 7 and includes a query input field 54 for inputting an additional query and a list 57 of provided information 56. However, the list 57 of provided information 56 displays only the provided information 56 extracted when the information providing device 1 receives a query. When a user browses each piece of provided information 56 on the search result page 60a and finds provided information 56 related to a desired product, the user can select a listing field 58 for that provided information 56. Following the hyperlink set in the listing field 58, the user terminal 10 displays a product sales page 20, as shown in FIG. 2, for carrying out a product purchase procedure. The user can then review the details of the provided information for the product displayed on the product sales page 20, and if they like the product, proceed to the subsequent product purchase procedure.

[0041] In this way, in the information providing device of this embodiment, provided information including the query "beautiful image" or "high image quality" as its content is not presented to the user, but the provided information is evaluated based on the query attributes associated with the query, and the provided information to be extracted is identified as a result of the evaluation. In the example shown here, the provided information to be extracted is identified based on a comparison between the query attributes associated with the query and the product attributes in order to evaluate the providing method. In this way, in the information providing device of this embodiment, the vague user request contained in the query is reflected in the provided information to be presented, and even if the user does not have a sufficient understanding of the content of the provided information, the user can obtain provided information that satisfies his or her latent request.

[0042] <Algorithm for extracting provided information> In the above embodiment, provided information including product attributes that match query attributes corresponding to a query is extracted and presented. The extraction criteria, i.e., rules for identifying provided information to be extracted based on the query attributes (provided information extraction algorithm), can be set as appropriate. Examples of provided information extraction algorithms are shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B, and 10C. As an example of a provided information extraction algorithm, as shown in FIG. 10A, it is conceivable to identify provided information 31 associated with product attributes 32a that match a portion 42a of query attributes 42 corresponding to a received query 41. In this case, provided information 31 associated with product attributes 32 that match at least one query attribute 42 may be identified as an extraction target, or provided information 31 associated with product attributes 32 that match a predetermined number or more (e.g., more than half) of the multiple query attributes 42 may be identified. Alternatively, it is conceivable to extract only provided information 31 associated with product attributes 32b that match all of the query attributes 42, as shown in FIG. 10B. 10C, it is also possible to employ an algorithm that excludes from the extraction target provided information 31 that has no product attributes 32 that match the query attributes 42. In other words, it is also possible to specify provided information 31 that should not be extracted.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 10A , if the extraction criteria for provided information are that some of the query attributes 42 match the product attributes 32, a large amount of provided information may be extracted. Alternatively, if an abstract query 52 having multiple query attributes 55, such as “function,” “performance,” “price,” and “design,” is selected as shown in FIG. 9 , most or all of the provided information 56 may be extracted without narrowing down the products. Therefore, the information providing device may perform a process of evaluating provided information as information processing starting from the query input, thereby reliably extracting provided information associated with product attributes that match a larger number of query attributes and presenting it at the top of the list. That is, instead of selecting the provided information to be output, it may prioritize all provided information based on the evaluation results. This allows provided information that meets the potential needs of the user who entered the query or is useful to that user to be presented at the top. Of course, it is also possible to extract a predetermined number of provided information based on the evaluation results.

[0044] FIG. 11 shows an outline of information processing for setting the priority of provided information (31a, 31b). In the example shown in FIG. 11, the provided information (31a, 31b) for products A and B is both associated with product attributes 32a that match the query attribute 42. However, the provided information (31a, 31b) for products A and B differs in the number of matches. Comparing the product attributes 32 associated with the provided information 31a for product A and the product attributes 32 associated with the provided information 31b for product B, the provided information 31a for product A has a greater number of product attributes 32a that match the query attribute 42a. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the provided information 31a for product A has a higher priority than the provided information 31b for product B. If the provided information (31a, 31b) for products A and B are both extracted based on the query 41, the provided information for product A will be presented higher in the list of provided information on the search result page shown in FIG. 9 than the provided information for product B. Of course, if an upper limit is set on the amount of provided information to be listed, there may be cases where only the provided information 31a for product A is extracted and the provided information 31b for product B is not listed in the search result page.

[0045] In addition, product attributes of multiple pieces of provided information may be equally associated with the same query attribute, resulting in multiple pieces of provided information with the same presentation order. Of course, if product attributes of multiple pieces of provided information are equally associated with the same query attribute, then those multiple pieces of provided information will be extracted. Therefore, information for evaluating the priority of the provided information when extracting or presenting it (hereinafter, "rating information") may be associated with the query attribute. The rating information may be a numerical value or an order indicating superiority or inferiority. This rating information may also be used to control the presentation order when listing provided information. Figure 12 shows an outline of a method for extracting provided information 31 based on rating information 43 of a query attribute 42. A query 41, "beautiful image," is associated with multiple query attributes 42, and the provided information (31a, 31b) for product A and product B have the same number of matching combinations of query attributes 42 and product attributes 32a. However, each query attribute 42 is assigned one of the following values as evaluation information 43: "+", "±0", or "-". When adding or subtracting the evaluation information 43 of the query attribute 42 that matches the product attribute 32 for the provided information (31a, 31b) of product A and product B, the provided information 31a of product A has a higher priority.

[0046] 12, the above-described evaluation information 43 may be associated with each query attribute 42, and evaluation information 33 may also be associated with each of the product attributes 32 constituting the provided information 31. Then, based on the evaluation information (43, 33) corresponding to the query attribute 42 and the product attribute 32 that match each other, an evaluation value 34 of the product attribute 32 may be created for each correspondence between the query attribute 42 and the product attribute 32 that match each other, and then an evaluation value 35 of the provided information 31 corresponding to the query 41 may be created.

[0047] For example, when the product attribute 32 constituting the provided information 31a of product A matches the query attribute 42 constituting the query 41, "beautiful images," and the rating information 33 of "100" is associated with each of the product attributes 32a, "image stabilization," "RAW photography," and "CMOS image sensor," the rating information 43 of "image stabilization," which is the query attribute 42 of the query 41, "beautiful images," is "±0." Therefore, although the rating information 33 of "100" is associated with "image stabilization" in the product attribute 32a, the rating value 34 created for the correspondence with "image stabilization" in the query attribute 42 is "0." Since the rating information 43 of the query attribute 42 of "RAW photography" is "+," the rating value 34 created for "RAW photography" is "100." Similarly, since the rating information 43 of the query attribute 42, "CMOS image sensor," is "+," the rating value 34 created for "CMOS image sensor," which is also the corresponding product attribute 32a, is also "100." By adding or subtracting the evaluation value 34 of the product attribute 32a created for each correspondence between these query attributes 42 and product attributes 32a, the evaluation value 35 of the provided information A31a of the product A in response to the query 41 of "beautiful image" becomes "200." Note that the evaluation information 43 is not limited to "+," "±0," or "-." It is possible to appropriately set weighting of the query attribute to obtain, for example, a "beautiful image," or a formula or ratio / proportion that references the attribute or the attribute content (for example, value) used in the evaluation.

[0048] ===About the database structure=== The above-described embodiment is intended to explain the basic concepts of the database configuration, data management structure in the database, and information processing procedure in the information providing device. Therefore, the database configuration, data management structure, and information search process in the information providing device can be modified as appropriate as long as they conform to the above-described basic concepts. For example, in the query database and the provided information database, attribute information may be hierarchically associated with the query and the provided information.

[0049] 13 shows an example of the data management state of a hierarchically structured query database and a provided information database. For example, in the query database, a query 41, "clear image," is associated with query attributes 142, such as "image sensor," "image stabilization," and "manufacturer," as components, and each component is associated with a separate component. For example, a query attribute (hereinafter referred to as upper-layer query attribute 142) closer to the query, "image stabilization," is associated with components, such as "optical" and "electronic," as lower-layer query attributes (hereinafter referred to as lower-layer query attribute 242).

[0050] Meanwhile, in the provided information database, product attributes (132, 232) may be managed in a hierarchical structure with respect to provided information 31, as in the query database. For example, provided information 31 about product A is associated with product attributes 132 (hereinafter referred to as upper-level product attributes) such as "imaging device," "image stabilization," and "manufacturer." Each upper-level product attribute 132 is further associated with a lower-level product attribute 232 (hereinafter referred to as lower-level product attribute). For example, the upper-level product attribute 132, "imaging device," is associated with the lower-level product attribute 232, "CMOS." When the information providing device receives a query, it identifies the upper-level query attributes that make up the query in the query database and the lower-level query attributes that correspond to those upper-level query attributes, and compares them with provided information from the upper or lower levels according to the structure of the query attributes. In other words, it evaluates the query attributes and product attributes according to their structure. Then, provided information 31 may be extracted in which a combination of upper-layer and lower-layer product attributes matches a combination of upper-layer and lower-layer query attributes. Alternatively, provided information 31 in which an upper-layer query attribute 142 matches an upper-layer product attribute 132 may be extracted even if a lower-layer product attribute 232 is unknown and does not match. Furthermore, even if the provided information 31 does not have a hierarchical structure and an upper-layer product attribute 132 such as "imaging element" does not exist, if the product attribute 232 such as "CMOS" matches a lower-layer query attribute 242, provided information may be extracted with the upper-layer query attribute 142 set to "imaging element." Evaluation information may also be added to each attribute (upper layer, lower layer). Evaluation information may be added to any of the upper or lower layers, or evaluation information may be added to all layers and added together, or weighted for each layer and evaluated based on the weighting. The hierarchical structure of query attributes enables drill-down evaluation of provided information.

[0051] In the example shown in Figure 13, the query attributes have a two-layer structure. Of course, the number of layers in the hierarchical structure is not limited. Figure 14 shows an example of a query database with a four-layer structure of query attributes. This includes query attributes that carry rating information. In this figure, for all query attributes that make up a query, the component closest to the query is the first layer, followed by the second, third, and so on. The query attribute "manufacturer" is found in the first layer and also in the third layer, which is located further down the query attribute structure that traces from the top to the bottom, starting with "image stabilization" and "optical type." The query attribute 142 for "manufacturer" in the first layer includes, for example, optical equipment manufacturers and older film manufacturers, such as "Company A" and "Company D," among digital camera manufacturers. On the other hand, the query attributes in the fourth layer include, as components, manufacturers that use optical image stabilization technology in digital cameras or manufacturers that have a reputation for optical image stabilization technology. For example, it is possible that this may include electronic device manufacturers that have better sensor technology than older film manufacturers, and it may include, for example, "Company A" and "Company B."

[0052] For example, tracing the query attributes for a query "beautiful images" from top to bottom yields a combination of "image stabilization," "optical," "manufacturer," and "Company A." This combination is, so to speak, one structure of the query attribute "image stabilization" in the first layer that constitutes the query. By comparing this structure with provided information, for example, it is possible to present a search result for a digital camera that uses Company A's optical image stabilization. Furthermore, "Company D" 242 is associated with "manufacturer" 142 in the first layer of the query attributes, but "Company D" is not associated with "manufacturer" 342 in the third layer. In this case, for the query "beautiful images," provided information by "Company D" as the "manufacturer" is subject to extraction or evaluation, but information by "Company D" as the "manufacturer" for "optical" image stabilization is not subject to extraction or evaluation. Conversely, "Company B" 242 is not associated with "manufacturer" 142 in the first layer of the query attributes, but "Company B" is associated with "manufacturer" 342 in the third layer. In this case, for the query "beautiful images," information provided by "Company B" as the "manufacturer" is not subject to extraction or evaluation, but information provided by "Company B" as the "manufacturer" for "optical" image stabilization is subject to extraction or evaluation. In this way, query attributes (hereinafter referred to as "upper-level query attributes") 142 may also be associated with query attributes (hereinafter referred to as "lower-level query attributes") 242, and query attributes (142, 242) may be hierarchically associated and managed with query 41. In this way, the query database centrally manages multiple query attributes.

[0053] The "manufacturer" in the first layer of the query attribute and the "manufacturer" in the third layer may be compared (hereinafter referred to as "comparison / evaluation") with the attribute "manufacturer" in the provided information. If the attribute of the provided information is managed as "manufacturer" related to "image stabilization," the attribute may be compared / evaluated with that attribute. Furthermore, the information source (location information such as a URL) of the provided information to be compared / evaluated based on the query attribute may be specified for each query attribute. For example, for "image stabilization" 132 of "product A" 31 shown in FIG. 13, up to "optical" 232 can be obtained from an information source provided by the manufacturer of product A. However, if information (442) related to "manufacturer" 342 of "optical" 242 of "image stabilization" 142 shown in FIG. 14 cannot be obtained, another information source (e.g., the website of a manufacturer or expert that provides optical image stabilization) may be specified. Specifically, information related to the information source may be associated with "manufacturer" 342 in the third layer of the query attribute. When comparing / evaluating and extracting the provided information based on the query attribute, the information source specified in the query attribute can be queried using information (for example, product A) related to the provided information 31.

[0054] Note that the extraction criteria for the provided information of product A are set separately, as previously shown in Fig. 10. That is, the provided information of product A may be extracted when one of the combinations of upper- and lower-layer product attributes of product A matches a combination of upper- and lower-layer query attributes, or the provided information of product A may be extracted when a predetermined number or more of the combinations of upper- and lower-layer product attributes match combinations of upper- and lower-layer query attributes. Alternatively, the provided information may be extracted when all of the combinations of upper- and lower-layer product attributes exist as combinations of upper- and lower-layer query attributes. That is, in the structure of the query attribute tracing from the upper layer to the lower layer, it is possible to appropriately set which layer is to be adopted as the extraction criterion for the provided information.

[0055] Furthermore, even when query attributes are managed in a hierarchical structure as described above, it is also possible to associate evaluation information with each component of a query attribute. For example, in the example shown in Fig. 13, for the query "clear image," if the query attribute 242 for "optical" below the query attribute 142 for image stabilization is superior to the "electronic" type of image stabilization, then the query attribute 242 for "optical" is assigned higher evaluation information than the "electronic" type.

[0056] 14, evaluation information is not added to the query attribute 242 for the "image stabilization" method in the second layer, but evaluation information is associated with each individual query attribute 442 corresponding to each manufacturer that constitutes the query attribute 342 called "manufacturer" located in the layer below the query attribute 242 for each method. For example, for a manufacturer (e.g., Company A) that is well-known for its optical image stabilization technology, in the query attribute structure of "image stabilization," "optical," and "manufacturer," the evaluation information attached to the query attribute 442 for "Company A" that constitutes the query attribute 342 for "manufacturer" is set higher than the evaluation information for the query attributes 442 of other manufacturers. As a result, when multiple pieces of information on digital cameras from manufacturers that use optical image stabilization are searched for in response to the query 41 "beautiful images," the information provided by Company A will be rated higher, and, for example, the information provided by Company A's products can be presented higher in the search result list than those of other manufacturers. In other words, when it comes to the information provided about digital cameras that use optical image stabilization included in the list of search results, Company A's products will be presented at the top, and the order in which the information provided in the list will reflect the query "beautiful images."

[0057] FIG. 15 shows an example that better illustrates the effect of adding evaluation information to query attributes in a hierarchical query database. As shown in FIG. 15, in the query attribute structure that traces from the top layer to "image sensor" 142 and "size" 242, query attribute 342 in the third layer corresponds as a component to query attribute 342 that specifies each size of image sensor. Query attribute 342 for "full size" in the third layer corresponds to query attribute 442 for "price" in the fourth layer. Finally, query attribute 542 corresponding to specific price ranges is located in the fifth layer, and evaluation information 43 is attached to each price range. Therefore, the provided information extracted for the query "beautiful image" with the query attributes structure of "image sensor," "size," "full size," and "price" evaluates digital cameras with full-size image sensors and set prices by their prices. Digital cameras with full-frame image sensors in the ¥70,000–¥100,000 price range are highly rated (+), offering excellent value for money and a "good deal." Digital cameras in the ¥100,001–¥200,000 price range are rated ±0, meaning they are "worth the price." On the other hand, cameras priced above ¥200,000 are considered high-end or overpriced, and are not suitable for users searching for "beautiful images." In other words, users seeking digital cameras in this ¥200,000+ price range are likely to be knowledgeable about digital cameras and have searched for products based on other queries. Also, if a digital camera with a full-frame image sensor is priced under ¥70,000, it's best to suspect that the product has some kind of problem (such as a repaired item or an unknown manufacturer) and is therefore "damaged." In this way, by associating the query attribute of "price," which is an evaluation that has a different origin from the query attribute of "image sensor" of a digital camera, and attaching evaluation information to a specific price range, for example, when multiple pieces of information related to digital cameras with full-size image sensors are extracted as provided information, the order in which they are presented can be evaluated or extracted by price.

[0058] From the user's perspective, the information provided about a product is composed of multiple attributes, such as what is gained (function, performance, service, or effect) and what is spent (cost, time), that is, information based on each attribute. What is spent (e.g., price) is a structure that aggregates what is gained (e.g., function, performance), and what is gained and what is spent are in a trade-off relationship, resulting in a complex composition, structure, and relationship. For example, pursuing multiple functions and high performance leads to a high price.

[0059] On the other hand, queries reflect user needs, and requests (hereinafter also referred to as "requests") input to an information providing device as queries are generally composed of multiple attributes, such as what is gained (e.g., functionality and performance) and what is spent (e.g., price), similar to provided information about products, except for some unified requests such as "I want the product with the highest resolution (number of pixels)" or "I want the cheapest product (price)." In this way, what is spent is an aggregate of what is gained, and what is gained and what is spent are in a trade-off relationship. According to the information providing device of this embodiment, it is possible to evaluate or extract provided information in a unified manner based on the query attributes that make up the query, as shown in FIG. 15, for user requests (queries) with such diverse and complex configurations, structures, and relationships. This makes it possible to evaluate or extract objective provided information based on attributes (query attributes or product attributes) in response to the user's abstract query.

[0060] ==== Presenting query and product attributes === The above-described embodiment is intended to make the essence of the present invention easier to understand. However, in this embodiment, although the user achieves the primary objective of obtaining provided information that satisfies his or her own purpose and desire, it is difficult for the user to understand the relationship between the query that the user inputs on the product search page 50 shown in FIG. 7 and the provided information 56 presented on the search result page 60a shown in FIG. 9. Therefore, it is also possible to make the user understand the relationship between the provided information by appropriately outputting information used until the provided information to be finally presented is extracted in response to the input of the query. For example,

[0061] If the search result page includes the query attributes and product attributes from which the provided information was extracted, the user can understand the relationship between the query and the provided information extracted based on the query.

[0062] 16, 17, and 18 show modified examples of the search result page. The search result page 60b shown in FIG. 16 includes a query input field 54 and a list 57 of provided information 56, similar to those of the search result page 60a shown in FIG. 9, as well as a field 63 showing the relationship between a query 61 entered using keywords or the like and the query attributes 62 from which the provided information 56 was extracted. By checking the content of this field 63, the user can understand the query attributes 62 from which the user's query 61 was searched for information. When there are multiple queries, the relationship between the query and the query attributes may be shown for each query, or the query attributes for multiple queries may be displayed together. Furthermore, the relationship between the query 61 and the query attributes 62 may be the query attributes that make up the query, or may be the query attributes that influenced the evaluation or extraction of the provided information 56 from among the query attributes that make up the query. The query attributes may be ranked according to their influence. All or a predetermined number of relevant query attributes may be displayed. Alternatively, only query attributes that satisfy predetermined conditions may be displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 17 , the listing column 58 for each piece of provided information 56 on the search result page 60c includes product attributes 64 associated with the piece of provided information 56 instead of a product description. The product attributes 64 may be product attributes corresponding to the provided information, query attributes used to evaluate the provided information, or product attributes evaluated based on query attributes constituting the query. Specifically, the product attributes corresponding to the provided information may be product attributes 32 shown in FIG. 10A , query attributes used to evaluate the provided information may be attributes 42a shown in FIG. 10A , or product attributes evaluated based on query attributes constituting the query may be attributes 32a shown in FIG. 10A . This allows the user to understand the product attributes 64 used to extract or evaluate the provided information 56 based on their query. The search result page 60d shown in FIG. 18 includes a column 63 indicating the relationship between the query 61 shown in FIG. 16 and the query attributes 62 from which the provided information 56 was extracted. The listing column 58 for each piece of provided information 56 lists the product attributes 64 from which the provided information 56 was extracted.This allows the user to recognize which query attribute 62, among the query attributes 62 corresponding to his / her query 61, matches (influences) which product attribute 64 of which provided information 56.

[0063] Displaying query attributes and product attributes on the search results page in this way allows users to understand the relationship between the query and the provided information. This also eliminates the awkwardness of the abrupt presentation of provided information 56, as in the search results page 60a shown in FIG. 9. Furthermore, presenting the relationship between the query and the provided information also helps users understand the information search process. For example, the relationship between a user's request for "clear images" and the specific content (functions, performance, etc.) of an actual product can be understood. Specifically, by presenting the information search process in which the user's request (query) of "clear images" 61 is obtained by the attribute "image stabilization" 62, and the provided information, i.e., product 56, has the attribute "image stabilization" 64, or, because the attribute "image stabilization" 64 is excellent, the user's request (query) of "clear images" 61 can be obtained by the provided information, i.e., product 56, can understand the relationship between the query and the provided information. As opportunities for information search increase, users will have a deeper understanding of the relationship between queries and provided information, and through product search opportunities, users will gradually accumulate knowledge about the provided information, such as product knowledge.As users accumulate knowledge about the provided information, they will be able to select more accurate queries, which will increase the likelihood that users will find products that meet their needs.

[0064] Naturally, the layout of the search result page and the information related to the attributes (query attributes, product attributes) presented on the search result page are not limited to the examples shown in Figures 9, 16, 17, and 18. In other words, any appropriate user interface configuration can be adopted. In any case, the search result page includes a query input field for accepting additional query input and a list of provided information. The query attributes and product attributes may be included in the query input field or in individual provided information columns in the list of provided information, or the query attributes and product attributes may be presented in separate columns. Figure 19 shows another example of how query attributes and product attributes are presented on a search result page. This figure shows a search result page 60e when multiple queries 61 are entered. In addition to a query input field 54 for entering additional queries 61 and a list of provided information 57 that is the search result based on the queries 61, it also includes a column 63 that includes the queries 61 entered by the user and the query attributes 62 corresponding to the entered queries 61, as shown in Figure 14.

[0065] Furthermore, a column 66 listing related queries 65 and a column 68 listing related attributes 67 are arranged side by side on the search result page 60e. The related queries 65 may be queries 65 related to the query 61 selected by the user, for example, queries 65 that are frequently selected together with the query 61 selected by the user, or more detailed queries associated with the query 61, for example, queries associated at a lower level. Alternatively, queries 65 related to the provided information 56 presented in the provided information list 57, which is the search result, may be presented. Furthermore, queries 65 related to the attributes 62 related to the query 61, or the attributes 64 or related attributes 67 related to the provided information 56 presented in the provided information list 57, which is the search result, may be presented. The related attributes 67 may be related attributes 67 that summarize the attributes 64 related to the provided information 56 presented in the provided information list 57, which is the search result. Furthermore, the related attributes 67 may be related attributes 67 that summarize the attributes 62 related to the query 61 selected by the user. Alternatively, the attributes 67 related to the related queries 65 may be presented. As a result, the relationship between the query 61 selected by the user and the search results is expressed not only by the provided information 56 presented in the provided information list 57, but also by the related queries 65 and related attributes 67, and the user can obtain the relationship between the selected query 61 and the search results from the provided information 56, related queries 65 and related attributes 67 presented in the provided information list 57.

[0066] In the search result page 60f shown in Figure 20, in order to indicate what kind of query is used to extract the provided information 56 presented as a search result, each of the provided information listing columns 58 includes in the same column the provided information 56 and a query 69 that may be the source for extracting or evaluating the provided information 56, or a query 69 related to the provided information 56. That is, a query 69 related to the provided information 56 may be presented. Alternatively, a query 69 based on a product attribute (attribute of the provided information) related to the provided information 56 may be presented. Alternatively, as will be described later, the provided information 56 may be input as a query, and the query 69 may be presented as the provided information. All relevant queries may be presented as queries 69, or a predetermined number of queries may be presented. Furthermore, the queries may be presented in an order based on the evaluation when extracting and evaluating the provided information 56, or the queries may be presented based on predetermined conditions. Of course, evaluation criteria for the queries presented as queries 69 may be separately determined, and the presentation order and presentation conditions may be evaluated. It is also conceivable that presenting queries may be easier for users who have difficulty understanding attributes to understand. Specifically, for example, provided information 56 presented as a search result based on a user's request (query) of "function" 61 satisfies predetermined conditions for the query 69 of "function" based on attributes 62 (image stabilization, 3D photography, etc.) that constitute the query 61 of "function," or since the query 69 of "function" is superior to other queries, the user's request (query) 61 of "function" can be obtained by the provided information 56, or, for example, the provided information 56 is superior to other queries in addition to the query 61 requested by the user in terms of queries 69 of "performance" and "design," and the information search process can be summarized and presented in terms of the query that is the user's request.

[0067] As described above, the query, query attributes, product attributes, and provided information may be presented in any manner on a search result page. However, such presentation is only possible if a database structure exists in which the query, the provided information, and the attributes (query attributes, product attributes) that link them are multidimensionally related. FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the configuration and operation of an information providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 21 illustrates the basic concepts of the database structure in the information providing device, the information search procedure based on that structure, and the operation of presenting the information search results. As shown in FIG. 21, attributes 102 related to a query 101 entered by a user include query attributes and product attributes compared with the query attributes (or evaluated by the query attributes). Provided information 103 is extracted as a result of this comparison / evaluation, and the query 101 and the provided information 103 are associated with each other. In other words, a variety of information cannot be displayed on a search result page unless a database structure in which the information is related to each other is assumed. By having this information presented to users each time they search for information, users can understand the relationship between their own query and the provided information.

[0068] ===About creating query attributes=== The configuration and structure of query attributes starting from a query are constructed and prepared in advance. In the above embodiment, for example, a query such as "beautiful image" is initially associated with a predetermined query attribute. However, the requirements contained in a query such as "beautiful image" from one user may differ from those contained in a query such as "beautiful image" from another user. Therefore, for example, multiple people with extensive product knowledge may subjectively set the relationships between queries and query attributes to prepare multiple correspondence relationships between predetermined queries and query attributes. The final relationship between predetermined queries and query attributes, i.e., the correspondence relationship between a query actually sent from a user terminal and a query attribute to be queried in the provided information database, may be determined from these multiple correspondence relationships. In other words, a single query database may be constructed from multiple query databases.

[0069] 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D illustrate examples of methods for constructing a single query database to be ultimately used from multiple query databases. For example, as shown in FIG. 22A, if there are two types of correspondence between query 141, "beautiful images," and query attributes (142a, 142b), the final correspondence between query 141 and query attribute 142 may employ all query attributes 142d in the two types of correspondence, as shown in FIG. 22C. In this case, more query attributes are associated with one query, which is expected to prevent useful information from being omitted from the list. In the case of employing only query attributes 142c that match each other, as shown in FIG. 22B, the most appropriate query attribute is associated with a given query, which is expected to prevent an excessive amount of information from being extracted. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 22D, query attribute 142e, which is not mutually matched, may be employed as the final query attribute. 22D has the drawback that it ignores commonly considered relationships between queries and query attributes and associates rare query attributes with each query, resulting in an extremely small number of pieces of extracted information and a reduced user choice. However, because rare query attributes are also highly distinctive, it may be possible to pinpoint and present information to be provided that matches the user's request contained in the query. When adding evaluation information to the final query attributes, the evaluation information may be added separately to the final query attributes, or evaluation information may be associated in advance with query attributes in multiple query databases, and the evaluation information may be set appropriately, for example, by using an average value of the evaluation information for matching query attributes in each query database for the final query attribute and using the initial evaluation information for mismatching query attributes.

[0070] ===Combining "rating" and "refining" query-based advertisements=== In the information presentation device according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, by linking a query and provided information via a medium called an attribute, it is possible to evaluate or identify provided information that includes the user's purpose or request implicitly contained in the query, even for a user who does not understand the relationship between the query and the provided information, and present the evaluated or identified provided information. Alternatively, it is possible to evaluate provided information that includes the user's purpose or request implicitly contained in the query, identify provided information based on the evaluation results, and present the provided information. Furthermore, by centrally evaluating provided information based on a multi-dimensional query, it is possible to present provided information based on the query in order of evaluation, regardless of whether it has been narrowed down. On the other hand, it is also possible for a user's request to start with a vague, abstract request, and then become more specific, resulting in a mixture of specific and abstract requests, leading to the user's arrival at specific provided information and the decision on the request.

[0071] Incidentally, a request input as a query to an information providing device was previously referred to as a "request (query)." Here, information about products that satisfy the request (query) is referred to as provided information. Therefore, hereinafter, if the provided information output by the information providing device is referred to as "provided information (products)," when a user's request is vague and abstract, provided information (products) that do not match the abstract request (query) will be subject to comparison / evaluation. However, when the request becomes even partially specific, provided information (products) that do not match the specific request (query) will become noise and will not be subject to comparison / evaluation. For example, there can be queries that narrow down the provided information (products) and queries that do not narrow down the provided information (products).

[0072] Furthermore, when narrowing down provided information (products) based on a query, it is possible that the narrowed down provided information (products) will not be subject to evaluation because there is no difference in the evaluation of the query. Specifically, if the evaluation of the "image stabilization" function of provided information (products) is "yes" or "no," and the query is "yes" for the "image stabilization" function, and the provided information (products) is narrowed down, all of the narrowed down provided information (products) will have the "image stabilization" function, and there is no difference in the query between the provided information (products) and they will not be subject to evaluation. In this case, if the user's requirements are clear and specific, the query may be a necessary condition for the user and not subject to evaluation. Furthermore, if the user's requirements (query) are abstract, all provided information (products) will be subject to search or extraction, and the query may not be narrowed down.

[0073] Specifically, when searching or extracting provided information (products) using an abstract query such as "function," it may not be possible to narrow down the results because all provided information (products) have the "function." Furthermore, it is conceivable that user requests (queries) will be complex, with a mixture of abstract and concrete requests. Therefore, it is conceivable to respond to queries that mix abstract and concrete queries by separating the "narrowing" and "rating" of provided information (products) and setting queries that narrow down or do not narrow down the provided information (products), and queries that evaluate or do not evaluate the provided information (products). In other words, four variations, "α" to "δ," as shown in Table 1 below, can be set. [Table 1]

[0074] For "α", no processing based on the query is performed, and for "δ", the information to be provided is narrowed down based on the query and evaluated based on the query, and processing is performed using technology similar to that of conventional search engines, etc. In this embodiment, the case where the request (query) is abstract is designated as "β", and the case where the request (query) is specific is designated as "γ", and "δ" is realized by providing a user interface in which abstract requests (queries) and specific requests (queries) are mixed.

[0075] Specifically, for an abstract request (query), "β" is an "evaluation query" that evaluates the provided information (products) without narrowing down the provided information (products) based on the query. For a specific request (query), "γ" is an "evaluation query" that narrows down the provided information (products) based on the query and does not evaluate the provided information (products). By providing a user interface that allows users to set a combination of "evaluation queries" and "narrowing queries," "evaluation queries" and "narrowing queries" are accepted as queries, and the provided information (products) are narrowed down based on the "narrowing queries." The provided information (products) are evaluated based on the "evaluation queries." This realizes "δ," which narrows down the provided information based on the query and evaluates the provided information based on the query. Of course, for a specific request (query), one query may be accepted as both a "narrowing query" and an "evaluation query," with "δ" narrowing down the provided information (products) based on the query and evaluating the provided information (products).

[0076] In this way, the information providing device may be capable of accepting both a query corresponding to a vague request from a user, i.e., an "evaluation query" for evaluating the provided information, and a query that reflects a clear intention of the user, such as a narrowing query, i.e., an "extraction query" for identifying the provided information to be extracted. Note that the extraction query is not limited to a narrowing query, and may be, for example, information specifying the number of provided information to be output from among the provided information evaluated based on the evaluation query.

[0077] Next, a specific example of a user interface when the information providing device outputs provided information based on an evaluation query and an extraction query, in which the above-mentioned refinement query is used as the extraction query, is shown below. As shown in Figures 7, 9, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, etc., underlined query 52 and character strings of query attributes 55 that can also be selected as queries are arranged as "evaluation queries" on the information search page 50 and search result pages (60a to 60f), and check boxes 100 are attached to the character strings of query attributes 55 as "refining queries." For example, when the underlined character string "function" of query 52 is selected, the provided information is evaluated based on the query attributes 55 "image stabilization," "3D photography," "video," and "waterproofing" that constitute the "function" of query 52 as an "evaluation query," without narrowing down the provided information, and the provided information is presented in order of evaluation. For example, when the check box 100 associated with the character string "waterproof" in the query attribute 55 of the character string "performance" in the query 52 is selected, the provided information (products) that have "waterproof" as a product attribute or content of the provided information are narrowed down as a "narrowed query," and the provided information is presented in the provided information list. Note that the check boxes may be checked when narrowing down the information, or all check boxes may be checked in advance and the check boxes to be excluded may be unchecked.

[0078] The provided information may not be evaluated for the "waterproof" attribute specified in the "narrowing query," or the provided information may be evaluated for the "narrowing query." For example, if "waterproof" is used as a "narrowing query" and provided information for products with "waterproof" as a product attribute is extracted, conventional technology would not evaluate "waterproof" because there was no difference between the provided information. However, in this embodiment, the query attributes constituting the query can be used to evaluate each provided information in more detail, such as "waterproof for everyday use" or "waterproof to 100m," or to unify multiple elements (attributes) such as "waterproof" and "price" and evaluate each provided information. Evaluations of each provided information may then be presented based on the "presentation order" of the provided information, the "query attribute," or the "query." Note that, as in the search result page 60g shown in FIG. 23 , in addition to a column 63 displaying a history of evaluation queries (61, 62) entered or selected by the user, i.e., a so-called "breadcrumb list," a column 163 displaying the refined queries (161, 162) selected or specified by the user using numerical values may be provided. This allows the user to confirm their vague requests and their clear intentions through the evaluation queries and extraction queries they input.

[0079] As described above, the information providing device of this embodiment allows users to set the evaluation and narrowing of provided information based on a query using an interface that separates the "narrowing (checkboxes)" and "ratings (underlining)" of provided information. This allows users to quickly find information that is useful to them during the information search process, regardless of whether their goals or requirements are abstract, specific, or a mixture of abstract and specific requirements. In other words, the information providing device of this embodiment initially evaluates and presents provided information that includes the user's potential goals and requirements based on a vague query. Therefore, without the user having to evaluate or compare and evaluate the content of each piece of provided information and evaluation presented each time they search for information, the user can understand what information is included in the provided information that should be narrowed down. As a result, the target of narrowing down the provided information, i.e., the user's own requirements, can be clarified. The interface for "narrowing" and "rating" the provided information is not limited to "checkboxes" and "underlines (links)," but can be anything that can distinguish between different inputs, such as a "single click" and a "double click," or a "left button" and a "right button" with a mouse, or different operations on a touch panel of a smartphone or the like (for example, the type of gesture, the number of fingers touching simultaneously).

[0080] ===Other Examples=== In the above embodiment, an example of an information processing procedure for outputting provided information based on a query is shown, in which a list of provided information is output to a user terminal in response to a query received from the user terminal. However, the essence of the technical concept of the present invention lies in the database structure and information processing procedure for determining the correspondence between a query and provided information. For example, before receiving a query from a user terminal, a correspondence between a query and provided information (index database) may be prepared in advance. That is, query attributes in the query database are compared with product attributes in the provided information database, and data describing the correspondence between the query and provided information based on the comparison results is prepared in advance. This data may then be updated as needed in response to the correspondence between queries and attributes or the creation, deletion, or modification of provided information. Furthermore, once the correspondence between a query and provided information is established via query attributes or product attributes, location information (such as a URL) of the provided information may be associated with the query attributes or product attributes. Alternatively, the location may be associated with the query as one of the query attributes. Of course, it is also possible to prepare in advance as an index database not only the correspondence relationship between queries and provided information, but also the correspondence relationships between queries, provided information, query attributes, or attributes of provided information, the correspondence relationships between queries, provided information, and related queries, and the correspondence relationships between queries, provided information, query attributes, or attributes of provided information, and related queries.

[0081] Furthermore, establishing a correspondence relationship between a query and information to be provided means that the query can be input to the information providing device without being input by a user. That is, in the information providing device according to the embodiment of the present invention, queries that are expected to be input by a user from a user terminal via a communication network such as the Internet are stored in a query database, and therefore it is also possible to create a correspondence relationship between a query and information to be provided in advance for each of the queries stored in the database based on query attributes and product attributes.

[0082] Naturally, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned product search in an online store, but can also be applied to general information searches. Furthermore, user input is not limited to information that the user consciously enters. For example, a membership-based website can use the user's personal information (gender, age, occupation) or product ID as a query to present various pieces of information, such as advertisements and referrals for products and services (insurance, job changes, restaurants, etc.). Furthermore, a mobile device that outputs location information can also use the current location as a query. Naturally, the hardware that constitutes the information providing device is standalone, meaning it does not necessarily need to be connected to a network.

[0083] As described above, in the information providing device according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 and other figures, a character string indicating a query attribute (e.g., "image stabilization") 55 constituting a query (e.g., "function") 52 selectable by a user is underlined, allowing the user to input the character string of the query attribute 55 as a query. To realize such a function, for example, a query such as "waterproof" may be prepared alongside "clear image," "function," and "performance" in the query database structure shown in FIG. 5. However, for example, in a query database having the hierarchical structure shown in FIG. 14, query attributes are scattered across different layers. Therefore, if the character string "image stabilization" is specified as a query, the query attribute 142 in the first layer, "image stabilization," may be used as a query to query the provided information database for query attributes (242, 342, 442) in the layers below. In other words, when a query attribute is specified as a query, the structure of the query attribute in the lower layer may be directly adopted as information to be queried in the provided information database.

[0084] ===About queries, attributes and provided information=== In the above embodiment, the query, attributes, and provided information are described as examples in which a query related to a product and attributes related to the product (query attribute, product attribute) are used, with the aim of outputting product information as provided information. However, the information desired by a user is not limited to product information. Taking a product as an example, let's say that information related to a product is "product information," a request related to the product is "product query," and an attribute related to the product is "product attribute." Assuming this, the information desired by the user includes "product information," "product query," and "product attribute," and depending on the provided information to be output, either "product information," "product query," or "product attribute" will be the attribute or query. For another example, if a "product query" is output as provided information as information desired by the user, the "product information" may be the query and the "product attribute" may be the attribute. Alternatively, the "product attribute" may be the query and the "product information" may be the attribute.

[0085] When a "product query" is the provided information, "product information" is the query, and "product attributes" are the attributes, the correspondence between the "product query" and the "product attributes" becomes the provided information database, and the correspondence between the "product information" and the "product attributes" becomes the query database. Then, for example, one or more pieces of "product information" are used as the query, and the "product attributes" corresponding to the "product information" are used as the query attributes, and the "product attributes" are compared with the "product attributes" corresponding to the "product query," thereby evaluating or extracting the "product query," and outputting the "product query" as provided information; for example, the query, attributes, and provided information are not specific to product requests, product attributes, or product information.

[0086] Here, if a product query is considered as an effect, such as a user's request or benefit, that the user obtains as a result of information processing by the information providing device, when the effect the user expects, for example, a keyword such as "beautiful image," is input as query 101b, the information providing device outputs product information 103b based on the evaluation of attribute 102b related to that effect, as shown in Fig. 24. The concept of information processing in the information providing device shown in Fig. 24 is the same as the concept shown in Fig. 21.

[0087] Also, for example, when a certain product information is presented based on a query initially input by a user, the user may input that product information as the next query. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 25, when product information 101c is input as the starting point of information processing, an effect (e.g., "clear image") brought about by an attribute 102c (e.g., "image stabilization") attached to or associated with the product information is output as provided information 103c. Regarding the query 69 presented in the provided information listing section 58 of provided information 56 presented as a search result on the search result page 60f shown in FIG. 20, the query 69 (provided information 103c in FIG. 25) may be the query 69 using the provided information 56 (product information 101c in FIG. 25) as the query. In other words, the query, attribute, and provided information do not specify the specific content of the information. Input information is a query, and output information is provided information. An attribute is information that is associated with the input information or the output information and is compared with the input information or the output information to mediate between the input information and the output information. The provided information database and query database do not specify the specific content of the information, and the databases to which queries and provided information are referred may be set as appropriate. Note that the provided information database, query database, or index database may have any configuration, such as multiple databases or a single database, as long as the correspondence between queries and attributes (query attributes) and between provided information and attributes, or between queries and provided information, can be specified. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1 Information providing device, 2 Provided information database, 3 Query database, 10 User terminal, 20 Product sales page, 31, 31a, 31b Provided information, 32,32a,32b Product attributes, 41,41a,41b Queries, 42,142a~142e,242,342,442,542 query attributes, 50 Product Search Page, 60a~60f Search Results Page

Claims

1. An information providing device configured by a computer system, which outputs information to be provided based on a query input by a user, a storage means for storing provided information and query configurations including correspondences between configurations queried in the provided information; evaluation means for comparing the query configuration with the provided information based on the correspondence between the configurations and evaluating the provided information; an output means for outputting information to be provided based on the evaluation by the evaluation means; An information providing device comprising:

2. An information providing device configured by a computer system, which outputs information to be provided based on a query input by a user, a storage means for storing provided information and query configurations including correspondences between configurations queried in the provided information; an extraction means for querying provided information based on the correspondence between the query configurations and extracting the provided information; an output means for outputting the provided information extracted by the extraction means; An information providing device comprising:

3. An information providing device configured by a computer system, which outputs information to be provided based on a query input by a user, a storage means for storing provided information and query configurations including correspondences between configurations queried in the provided information; extraction means for extracting information to be provided based on a query; evaluation means for comparing the query configuration with the provided information based on the correspondence between the configurations and evaluating the provided information; an output means for outputting the provided information extracted by the extraction means based on the evaluation by the evaluation means; An information providing device comprising:

4. An information providing device configured by a computer system, which outputs information to be provided based on a query input by a user, a storage means for storing provided information and query configurations including correspondences between configurations queried in the provided information; evaluation means for comparing the query configuration with the provided information based on the correspondence between the configurations and evaluating the provided information; an output means for outputting provided information including the evaluation by the evaluation means; An information providing device comprising:

5. An information providing device configured by a computer system, which outputs information to be provided based on a query input by a user, a storage means for storing provided information, a query configuration including a plurality of configurations referred to in the provided information, and evaluation information corresponding to the configurations referred to in the provided information; evaluation means for inquiring the provided information about a configuration of the query and evaluating the provided information based on the evaluation information corresponding to the configuration inquired about the provided information; an output means for outputting information to be provided based on the evaluation by the evaluation means; An information providing device comprising:

6. An information providing device configured by a computer system, which outputs information to be provided based on a query input by a user, a storage means for storing provided information, a query configuration including a plurality of configurations referred to in the provided information, and evaluation information corresponding to the configurations referred to in the provided information; extraction means for extracting information to be provided based on a query; evaluation means for inquiring the provided information about a configuration of the query and evaluating the provided information based on the evaluation information corresponding to the configuration inquired about the provided information; an output means for outputting the provided information extracted by the extraction means based on the evaluation by the evaluation means; An information providing device comprising:

7. An information providing device configured by a computer system, which outputs information to be provided based on a query input by a user, a storage means for storing provided information, a query configuration including a plurality of configurations referred to in the provided information, and evaluation information corresponding to the configurations referred to in the provided information; evaluation means for inquiring the provided information about a configuration of the query and evaluating the provided information based on the evaluation information corresponding to the configuration inquired about the provided information; an output means for outputting provided information including the evaluation by the evaluation means; An information providing device comprising:

8. 1. An information providing method for outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, using a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means, comprising: The storage means stores provided information and query configurations including correspondence relationships between configurations referenced in the provided information, the computer system, an evaluation step of comparing the query configuration with provided information based on the correspondence between the configurations and evaluating the provided information; an output step of outputting information to be provided based on the evaluation in the evaluation step; An information providing method characterized by executing the above.

9. 1. An information providing method for outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, using a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means, comprising: The storage means stores provided information and query configurations including correspondence relationships between configurations referenced in the provided information, the computer system, an extraction step of querying provided information based on the correspondence between the query configurations and extracting the provided information; an output step of outputting the provided information extracted by the extraction step; An information providing method characterized by executing the above.

10. 1. An information providing method for outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, using a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means, comprising: The storage means stores provided information and query configurations including correspondence relationships between configurations referenced in the provided information, the computer system, an extraction step of extracting provided information based on the query; an evaluation step of comparing the query configuration with provided information based on the correspondence between the configurations and evaluating the provided information; an output step of outputting the provided information extracted in the extraction step based on the evaluation in the evaluation step; An information providing method characterized by executing the above.

11. 1. An information providing method for outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, using a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means, comprising: The storage means stores provided information and query configurations including correspondence relationships between configurations referenced in the provided information, the computer system, an evaluation step of comparing the query configuration with provided information based on the correspondence between the configurations and evaluating the provided information; an output step of outputting provided information including the evaluation by the evaluation step; An information providing method characterized by executing the above.

12. 1. An information providing method for outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, using a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means, comprising: the storage means stores provided information, query configurations including a plurality of configurations referred to in the provided information, and evaluation information corresponding to the configurations referred to in the provided information; the computer system, an evaluation step of querying the provided information for a configuration of the query, and evaluating the provided information based on the evaluation information corresponding to the configuration referenced in the provided information; an output step of outputting information to be provided based on the evaluation in the evaluation step; An information providing method characterized by executing the above.

13. 1. An information providing method for outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, using a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means, comprising: the storage means stores provided information, query configurations including a plurality of configurations referred to in the provided information, and evaluation information corresponding to the configurations referred to in the provided information; the computer system, an extraction step of extracting provided information based on the query; an evaluation step of querying the provided information for a configuration of the query, and evaluating the provided information based on the evaluation information corresponding to the configuration referenced in the provided information; an output step of outputting the provided information extracted in the extraction step based on the evaluation in the evaluation step; An information providing method characterized by executing the above.

14. 1. An information providing method for outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, using a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means, comprising: the storage means stores provided information, query configurations including a plurality of configurations referred to in the provided information, and evaluation information corresponding to the configurations referred to in the provided information; the computer system, an evaluation step of querying the provided information for a configuration of the query, and evaluating the provided information based on the evaluation information corresponding to the configuration referenced in the provided information; an output step of outputting provided information including the evaluation by the evaluation step; An information providing method characterized by executing the above.

15. A program for causing a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means to execute a process of outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, the program comprising: The computer system includes: a storing step of storing, in the storage means, provided information and a query configuration including a correspondence relationship between configurations referred to in the provided information; an evaluation step of comparing the query configuration with provided information based on the correspondence between the configurations and evaluating the provided information; an output step of outputting information to be provided based on the evaluation in the evaluation step; An information providing program characterized by causing the program to execute the above.

16. A program for causing a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means to execute a process of outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, the program comprising: The computer system includes: a storing step of storing, in the storage means, provided information and a query configuration including a correspondence relationship between configurations referred to in the provided information; an extraction step of querying provided information based on the correspondence between the query configurations and extracting the provided information; an output step of outputting the provided information extracted by the extraction step; An information providing program characterized by causing the program to execute the above.

17. A program for causing a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means to execute a process of outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, the program comprising: The computer system includes: a storing step of storing, in the storage means, provided information and a query configuration including a correspondence relationship between configurations referred to in the provided information; an extraction step of extracting provided information based on the query; an evaluation step of comparing the query configuration with provided information based on the correspondence between the configurations and evaluating the provided information; an output step of outputting the provided information extracted in the extraction step based on the evaluation in the evaluation step; An information providing program characterized by causing the program to execute the above.

18. A program for causing a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means to execute a process of outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, the program comprising: The computer system includes: a storing step of storing, in the storage means, provided information and a query configuration including a correspondence relationship between configurations referred to in the provided information; an evaluation step of comparing the query configuration with provided information based on the correspondence between the configurations and evaluating the provided information; an output step of outputting provided information including the evaluation by the evaluation step; An information providing program characterized by causing the program to execute the above.

19. A program for causing a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means to execute a process of outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, the program comprising: In the computer system a storage step of storing provided information, a query configuration including a plurality of configurations referred to in the provided information, and evaluation information corresponding to the configurations referred to in the provided information; an evaluation step of querying the provided information for a configuration of the query, and evaluating the provided information based on the evaluation information corresponding to the configuration referenced in the provided information; an output step of outputting information to be provided based on the evaluation in the evaluation step; An information providing program characterized by causing the program to execute the above.

20. A program for causing a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means to execute a process of outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, the program comprising: In the computer system a storage step of storing provided information, a query configuration including a plurality of configurations referred to in the provided information, and evaluation information corresponding to the configurations referred to in the provided information; an extraction step of extracting provided information based on the query; an evaluation step of querying the provided information for a configuration of the query, and evaluating the provided information based on the evaluation information corresponding to the configuration referenced in the provided information; an output step of outputting the provided information extracted in the extraction step based on the evaluation in the evaluation step; An information providing program characterized by causing the program to execute the above.

21. A program for causing a computer system having an input means, a storage means, and an output means to execute a process of outputting information to be provided based on a query input by a user, the program comprising: The computer system includes: a storage step of storing provided information, a query configuration including a plurality of configurations referred to in the provided information, and evaluation information corresponding to the configurations referred to in the provided information; an evaluation step of querying the provided information for a configuration of the query, and evaluating the provided information based on the evaluation information corresponding to the configuration referenced in the provided information; an output step of outputting provided information including the evaluation by the evaluation step; An information providing program characterized by causing the program to execute the above.

22. A program storage medium on which the information providing program according to any one of claims 15 to 21 is recorded.

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