Input support device, input support system and program

Abstract

To provide an input supporting device, an input supporting system and a program which can assist a user by providing input candidates even when the user whose native language is a first language inputs characters in a second language which differs from the first language and the characters are determined to be false according to the second language.SOLUTION: An input supporting device includes a processor, and when a character string inputted by a user whose native language is a first language is determined to be false according to a second language which differs from the first language, the processor obtains a relevant character(s) in the second language which is / are associated with the inputted character string and outputs character string candidates predicted based on the obtained relevant character(s).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an input support device, an input support system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a program that causes a computer to input a first original language in a first language system and a second original language in a second language system that is a bilingual translation of the first original language, and to output second co-occurring words in the second language system that are appropriate for use with the first original language. The program includes a first co-occurring word extraction means that uses a corpus dictionary of the first language system to extract a plurality of first co-occurring words that co-occur with the first original language, and a bilingual dictionary of the first language system to extract pairs of the first co-occurring words. The present invention discloses a program that causes a computer to function as a first bilingual co-occurrence word extraction means that extracts second bilingual co-occurrence words that serve as translations, a first occurrence frequency search means that uses a corpus dictionary of a second language system to search for the occurrence frequency for each word string that combines a second original language and a second bilingual co-occurrence word, and a co-occurrence word determination means that determines the second bilingual co-occurrence word in the word string that appears most frequently as a second co-occurrence word that is appropriate for use with the first original language.

[0003] Patent document 2 discloses an electronic dictionary characterized by comprising: an input means for inputting phonetic notations; dictionary main data consisting of headwords and their corresponding translations; pronunciation rule data indicating the correspondence between characters input by the input means and characters in the language of the headwords; phonetic notation-to-character conversion means for converting the phonetic notation input by the input means into characters in the language of the headwords using the pronunciation rule data; extraction means for extracting from the dictionary main data headwords that contain characters that match the characters converted by the phonetic notation-to-character conversion means; and display means for displaying the headwords extracted by the extraction means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-143907 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-317163 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention aims to provide an input support device, an input support system, and a program that can provide input candidate support when a user whose native language is a first language inputs characters in a second language different from the first language, even when the second language is judged to be invalid.

[0006] Here, "incorrect" refers to inputting a character string that is not used in the second language or inputting it incorrectly by the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention according to claim 1 is an input support device having an associated word storage unit that stores associated words in a second language corresponding to a character string in a first language, a user information storage unit that stores user information including native language information of the user, and a processor, wherein the processor identifies the native language of the user based on the user information acquired from the user information storage unit, and when a character string input by a user whose native language is the first language is determined to be invalid in light of the structure of a second language different from the first language, acquires associated words in the second language that are associated with the character string in the first language stored in the associated word storage unit, and outputs candidate character strings predicted by the acquired related words, and when there is a possibility that the character string input by the user whose native language is the first language is both invalid and not invalid in light of the structure of the second language different from the first language, also outputs candidate character strings predicted by the input character string in the first language. is. The present invention according to claim 2 is an input support device having an associated word storage unit that stores associated words in a second language corresponding to a character string in a first language, a user information storage unit that stores user information including native language information of the user, and a processor, wherein the processor identifies the native language of the user based on the user information acquired from the user information storage unit, and when a character string input by a user whose native language is the first language is determined to be invalid in light of a structure of a second language different from the first language, acquires associated words in the second language that are associated with the character string in the first language stored in the associated word storage unit, and outputs candidate character strings predicted by the acquired related words, and when there is a possibility that the character string input by the user whose native language is the first language is both invalid and not invalid in light of the structure of the second language different from the first language, preferentially outputs either the candidate character strings predicted by the acquired associated words or the candidate character strings predicted by the character string in the input first language is.

[0008] Note that the character string may include a single character.

[0009] The present invention according to claim 3 is 3. The input support system according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines that a character string input using the pronunciation in the first language is invalid in light of the structure of the second language. is.

[0010] The present invention according to claim 4 is 4. The input support system according to claim 3, wherein the processor analyzes the input character string in the first language to determine whether the character string is invalid in light of the structure of the second language. is.

[0011] The present invention according to claim 5 is 5. The input support system according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines that a character string input by an input device having a character arrangement corresponding to a first language is invalid in the second language. is.

[0012] The present invention according to claim 6 is 6. The input support system according to claim 5, wherein the processor acquires type information of the input device used by the user. is.

[0013] The present invention according to claim 7 is as follows.

[0014] The present invention according to claim 8 is as follows. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] Claim 1 or 7 According to the present invention, when a user whose native language is a first language inputs characters in a second language different from the first language, input candidate assistance can be provided even when the second language is determined to be incorrect. Furthermore, related words can be obtained whether the input is incorrect or correct. Also, claim 2 or 8 According to the present invention, when a user whose native language is a first language inputs characters in a second language different from the first language, input candidate support can be provided even when the second language is determined to be invalid. Furthermore, related words can be acquired by prioritizing either the invalid or correct answer.

[0021] Claim 3 According to the present invention, claim 1 or 2 In addition to the effect of the present invention related to (1), fraud can be determined when the user inputs using the pronunciation in the first language.

[0022] Claim 4 According to the present invention, 3 In addition to the above-mentioned effects of the present invention, fraud can be determined based on the state of the input character string.

[0023] Claim 5 According to the present invention, claims 1 to 4 In addition to the effects of any of the present invention, fraud can be determined based on the state of the character string input by the input device.

[0024] Claim 6 According to the present invention, 5In addition to the effects of the present invention related to the above, the arrangement state of the character strings can be obtained. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a document management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing a data structure of a user information database used in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram showing a data structure of a language correspondence database used in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing a data structure of a search keyword database used in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a block diagram showing hardware of an input support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart showing an operation flow in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a first example according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a second example according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a third example according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a fourth example according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a fifth example according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] The keyboard layouts are shown for comparison: (a) is a plan view showing a QWERTY keyboard (Japanese) and (b) is a plan view showing an AZERTY keyboard (French). [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation flow according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0030] 1 shows an entire input support system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The input support system 10 includes an input support device 12 configured, for example, as a server. A user information database 14, a language support database 16, a search keyword base 18, and a search target database 20 are connected to the input support device 12. The input support device 12 supports input performed by a user via a terminal device 22 based on data registered in these databases 14, 16, 18, and 20, and provides input support when searching in a second language different from a first language that is the user's native language.

[0031] A terminal device 22 is connected to the input support device 12 via a network such as a LAN (abbreviation for Local Area Network) or the Internet. The terminal device 22 is, for example, a personal computer, and has a display device 24 and an input device 26 consisting of, for example, a keyboard.

[0032] The input device 26 includes not only a keyboard but also a voice input device for inputting by voice.

[0033] The user information database 14 constitutes a user information storage unit, and user information is registered in the user information. As shown in Fig. 2, the user information includes a user ID for identifying the user, a password, information about the user's native language, which is the first language, and information about the type of keyboard used by the user.

[0034] The language correspondence database 16 constitutes an associated word storage unit, and is a database in which character strings in a second language are linked and registered with character strings in a first language, as shown in Fig. 3. For example, when the first language is Chinese and the keyboard layout is a Pinyin keyboard, "shi" in the second language, Japanese, is linked and registered to "Xi" and "Si." When the first language is Korean and the keyboard layout is Roman alphabetb, "che" is linked to "Choi" and "kin" is linked to "Gim." When the first language is French and the keyboard layout is AZERTY, "sa" is linked to "Sq" and "ka" is linked to "Kq."

[0035] As shown in Fig. 4, the search keyword database 18 is a database in which input predicted keywords are registered using input or converted related words as headings. For example, if the heading is "shi", "product", "new product", "new product", etc. are registered. The search target database 20 is a database in a second language that is the target of the search, and may be the same as the search keyword database.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware of the input support device 12.

[0037] The input support device 12 has a processor, a CPU 28, a memory 30, a storage device 32, an input / output interface 34, and a communication interface 36, and these CPU 28, memory 30, storage device 32, input / output interface 34, and communication interface 36 are connected via a bus 38.

[0038] The CPU 28 executes predetermined processing based on a control program stored in the memory 30. The storage device 32 is configured, for example, from a hard disk, and stores necessary software and data. The communication interface 34 is connected to the aforementioned network and inputs and outputs data via the network.

[0039] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart according to the first embodiment.

[0040] In step S10, when the user logs in, CPU 28 executes login processing. In the next step S12, CPU 28 acquires user information. As described above, the user information includes information on the type of the user's first language. In the next step S14, when the user inputs a character string, CPU 28 accepts input character string information.

[0041] In the next step S16, CPU 28 determines whether the character string received in step S14 is invalid in the second language. Structure information for the second language is stored in memory 32, and CPU 28 analyzes the structure of the input character string and determines whether the analyzed character string is invalid in light of the structure of the second language. For example, in Japanese, "xi" can be input as "ィ", but "ィ" is never used as the first character, so it is determined to be invalid. Furthermore, the character string "kexi" does not exist in Japanese, so it is determined to be invalid.

[0042] If it is determined in step S16 that the received character string is invalid in the second language, the process proceeds to step S18. In step S18, it is determined whether or not there is a related word corresponding to the received character string in the language correspondence database 16. As shown in FIG. 3, "xi" is linked to "shi" as a related word, so it is determined that there is a related word. If it is determined in step S18 that there is a related word, the process proceeds to step S20, where the character is converted into the linked second language.

[0043] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S16 that the received character string is not invalid in the second language, i.e., is correct, or if it is determined in step S18 that there are no related words corresponding to the received character string in the language association database 16, the process proceeds to step S22. In step S22, keyword candidates corresponding to the input character string are obtained from the search keyword database 18. In the next step S24, the keyword candidates obtained in step S22 are presented to the user, for example, by displaying them on the display device 24 of the terminal device 22.

[0044] In the next step S26, it is determined whether or not additional characters have been input. If it is determined that additional characters have been input, the process returns to step S16; if it is determined that no additional characters have been input, the process proceeds to step S28, where a search is performed using the input character string or the selected candidate, and the process ends.

[0045] FIG. 7 shows a first example according to the first embodiment.

[0046] A user's native language is Chinese and the keyboard layout is Pinin. Suppose the user inputs "xi." In step S16 described above, "xi" is determined to be invalid in Japanese, the user's second language. However, since the Japanese character "shi" is associated with "Xi" in the language correspondence database 16, it is determined in step S18 that there is a related word, and the character is converted to the Japanese character "shi" in step S20. The search keyword database 18 is searched for items, new products, and new arrivals for the heading "shi," and these are presented to the user. Next, the search target database 20 is searched for "shi," but this search target database 20 may be the same as the search keyword database 18.

[0047] Furthermore, if a Chinese pronunciation similar to "xi" is input using a voice input device, it will be converted to the Japanese "shi" in the same way as "xi" on the keyboard.

[0048] FIG. 8 shows a second example according to the first embodiment.

[0049] A user's native language is Japanese and the keyboard layout is a QWERTY (English) keyboard. Suppose this user types "pley." When a user whose native language is Japanese hears a second language, it is difficult for the user to distinguish between "l" and "r" in the second language, and they also easily confuse "e" and "a." For this reason, "Play," "pray," and "prey" are associated with "pley" in language correspondence database 16. Therefore, search keyword database 18 is searched using the headings "Play," "pray," and "prey," and the search results are presented to the user. Next, search target database 20 is searched for "Play," "pray," and "prey," but this search target database 20 may be the same as search keyword database 18.

[0050] FIG. 9 shows a third example according to the first embodiment.

[0051] A user's native language is Japanese and the keyboard layout is QWERTY (English). Suppose the user types "zyou." In the language correspondence database 16, "zhou" is associated with "zyou." Therefore, the search keyword database 18 is searched using the heading "zhou," and the search results, "zhou," "porridge," and "broom," are presented to the user. The search target database 20 is searched for "zhou," "porridge," and "broom," but this search target database 20 may be the same as the search keyword database 18.

[0052] FIG. 10 shows a fourth example according to the first embodiment.

[0053] A user's native language is Korean, and the keyboard layout is a Korean romaji keyboard. Suppose the user inputs "choi." In Japanese, "choi" is pronounced "choi," but in Korean, it is pronounced "che." Therefore, it is considered that the user intended to input "che" but mistakenly input "choi." In the language correspondence database 16, "che" is associated with "choi." Therefore, the search keyword database 18 is searched using the heading "che," and the search results presented to the user are "check out," "check in," and "chain store."

[0054] However, the user's intention may be "Choi" rather than "Che." Therefore, instead of using only "Che" as a headline, a search may be performed from the search keyword database using "Choi" as a headline. In other words, if a character string entered by a user whose native language is a first language is either incorrect or correct depending on the second language different from the first language, both may be presented. Furthermore, instead of presenting both the incorrect and correct answers, only one of them may be presented at the user's choice. Furthermore, the presentation may be time-delayed, such as presenting one first and the other later.

[0055] FIG. 11 shows a fifth example according to the first embodiment.

[0056] A user's native language is French, and the keyboard layout is an AZERTY keyboard. As shown in FIG. 12, when compared with a QWERTY keyboard (Japanese), the AZERTY keyboard (French) has a "q" instead of the "a" key on the QWERTY keyboard. Suppose the user types "sq." Although "sq" is not used in Japanese, it is considered that the user intended to type "sa" but mistakenly typed "sq." In the language correspondence database 16, "sa" is associated with "sq." Therefore, the search keyword database 18 is searched using the heading "sa," and the search results presented to the user are "restart," "check in," and "chain store."

[0057] FIG. 13 shows a flowchart according to the second embodiment.

[0058] The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it determines that a language is invalid if it cannot be used as a second language.

[0059] That is, in step S16 of the first embodiment, if it is determined that the input character string is not invalid in the second language, processing is performed in step S22 to obtain keyword candidates corresponding to the input character string, but there may be cases where there are no keyword candidates. In consideration of this case, in the next step S30, it is determined whether there are no keyword candidates. If it is determined in step S30 that there are no keyword candidates, the process returns to step S18 and determines whether there are any corresponding related words in the language correspondence database.

[0060] The subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment, so the same step numbers are used and the description will be omitted.

[0061] For example, if a user's native language is Chinese and their second language is Japanese, and they input "uxiga," even though "uiga" is not determined to be invalid in step S16, it is unfamiliar in Japanese, so there are no keyword candidates in step S30, and the process returns to step S18. Since "xi" is linked to "shi" in the language correspondence database 16, it is determined in step S18 that there is a corresponding related word, and in the next step S20, "uxiga" is converted to "ushiga." Then, in the next step S22, using "ushiga" as the heading, "ushiga," "ushigaeru," "ushikaeru," etc. are detected as keyword candidates and presented to the user.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0063] Furthermore, the operations of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be performed not only by a single processor but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments and may be changed as necessary. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 10 Input support system 12 Input support device 14 User Information Database Database available in 16 languages 18 Search Keyword Database 20 Searchable databases 22 Terminal equipment 24 Display device 26 Input Devices 28 CPU 30 memory 32 Storage device 34 Input / Output Interface 36 Communication Interface 38 Bus

Claims

1. A related word storage unit that associates and stores related words in a second language corresponding to a character string in a first language; a user information storage unit that stores user information including information on the user's native language; an input support device having a processor, The processor: Identifying the user's native language based on the user information acquired from the user information storage unit; When a character string entered by a user whose native language is a first language is determined to be invalid in light of the structure of a second language different from the first language, a related word in the second language associated with the character string in the first language stored in the related word storage unit is acquired; Outputs candidate strings predicted based on the related words obtained, If a character string entered by a user whose native language is a first language is either invalid or not in light of the structure of a second language different from the first language, candidate character strings predicted from the character string in the entered first language are also output. Input support system.

2. A related word storage unit that associates and stores related words in a second language corresponding to a character string in a first language; a user information storage unit that stores user information including information on the user's native language; an input support device having a processor, The processor: Identifying the user's native language based on the user information acquired from the user information storage unit; When a character string entered by a user whose native language is a first language is determined to be invalid in light of the structure of a second language different from the first language, a related word in the second language associated with the character string in the first language stored in the related word storage unit is acquired; Outputs candidate strings predicted based on the related words obtained, When a character string entered by a user whose native language is a first language may or may not be invalid in light of the structure of a second language different from the first language, the system preferentially outputs either a character string candidate predicted by the acquired related words or a character string candidate predicted by the character string in the entered first language. Input support system.

3. 3. The input support system according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines that a character string input using the pronunciation in the first language is invalid in light of the structure of the second language.

4. 4. The input support system according to claim 3, wherein the processor analyzes an input character string in the first language to determine whether the character string is invalid in light of the structure of the second language.

5. 5. The input support system according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines that a character string input by an input device having a character arrangement corresponding to a first language is invalid in the second language.

6. 6. The input support system according to claim 5, wherein the processor acquires type information of the input device used by the user.

7. A program for controlling the operation of an input support system having an associated word storage unit that stores associated words in a second language corresponding to a character string in a first language, a user information storage unit that stores user information including information on the user's native language, and an input support device, Identifying the native language of the user based on the user information acquired from the user information storage unit; a step of acquiring related words in the second language associated with the character string in the first language stored in the related word storage unit when the character string entered by the user whose native language is the first language is determined to be invalid in light of the structure of a second language different from the first language; a step of outputting character string candidates predicted by the acquired related words; a step of outputting candidate character strings predicted from the character string in the first language input by a user whose native language is the first language, when the character string may or may not be invalid in light of the structure of a second language different from the first language; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

8. A program for controlling the operation of an input support system having an associated word storage unit that stores associated words in a second language corresponding to a character string in a first language, a user information storage unit that stores user information including information on the user's native language, and an input support device, Identifying the native language of the user based on the user information acquired from the user information storage unit; a step of acquiring related words in the second language associated with the character string in the first language stored in the related word storage unit when the character string entered by the user whose native language is the first language is determined to be invalid in light of the structure of a second language different from the first language; a step of outputting character string candidates predicted by the acquired related words; a step of preferentially outputting, when there is a possibility that a character string input by a user whose native language is a first language may or may not be invalid in light of the structure of a second language different from the first language, a character string candidate predicted by the acquired related words or a character string candidate predicted by the character string in the input first language; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

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