Information retrieval device and program

Abstract

To provide an information search device capable of easily searching for information demanded by an operator from among a plurality of candidates searched by information search, and a program.SOLUTION: An e-mail transmission and reception device (information search device) comprises: an information database in which person names of e-mail transmission destinations (information name) and attributes of the persons are registered; an input information acquisition unit (acquisition unit) which acquires a name of a person to be searched; a search execution unit which searches for a name containing at least a part of a name of the person acquired by the input information acquisition unit from the information database; a search result display unit (display unit) which displays the search results by the search execution unit in an order and a format according to a degree of coincidence with the name of the person acquired by the input information acquisition unit; and a search result selection unit (selection unit) which selects one search result from the search results displayed by the search result display unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information search device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] When sending an e-mail, there is a possibility that an input error will occur when inputting an e-mail address. Therefore, a system is known that searches for e-mail addresses similar to the input e-mail address and displays the multiple e-mail addresses found to prompt the operator to confirm the e-mail address, thereby preventing the occurrence of input errors (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] However, with such a search device, a plurality of searched email addresses are displayed in the same display format, which causes a problem that it takes time for the operator to find the desired email address. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an information retrieval device and program that allows an operator to easily find desired information from among a plurality of candidates retrieved by an information search. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The information search device according to the embodiment includes an information database, an acquisition unit, a search execution unit, a display unit, and a selection unit. The information database stores at least the names of the information. and attributes associated with the name of the information The acquisition unit acquires the name of the search target. The search execution unit searches the information database for a name that includes at least a part of the name acquired by the acquisition unit. The display unit displays the search result by the search execution unit. and an identification symbol indicating that the attribute associated with the search result and the attribute associated with the second or subsequent search results are different from the attribute associated with the first candidate, if the attribute is different from the attribute associated with the first candidate. are displayed in an order and format according to the degree of match with the name acquired by the acquisition unit. Let The selection section is displayed Let Select one search result from the search results. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a hardware block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an email sending and receiving device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the email sending and receiving device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the information database. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a first diagram showing an example of a display form of the search results. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a second diagram showing an example of a display form of the search results. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method for selecting one result from among a plurality of search results. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an email transmission process performed by the email transmission / reception device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the search process. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of an information database provided in an email sending and receiving device according to a modified example of the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] (First embodiment) A first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an email sending / receiving device 10 will be described.

[0008] (Hardware configuration of email sending / receiving device) First, the hardware configuration of an email sending and receiving device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a hardware block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an email sending and receiving device according to an embodiment.

[0009] The email sending and receiving device 10 is a device that can create and view emails, and send and receive emails with other computers, etc., connected via a computer network. The email sending and receiving device 10 is an example of an information search device in the present disclosure.

[0010] The email sending / receiving device 10 includes a control unit 11 for controlling each unit. The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 112, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 113. The CPU 111 is connected to the ROM 112 and the RAM 113 via a bus line 15 such as an address bus and a data bus. The CPU 111 loads various programs stored in the ROM 112 and the storage unit 12 into the RAM 113. The CPU 111 controls the email sending / receiving device 10 by operating in accordance with the various programs loaded into the RAM 113. In other words, the control unit 11 has the configuration of a general computer.

[0011] The control unit 11 is connected to the storage unit 12, the input / output controller 13, and the communication controller 14 via a bus line 15.

[0012] The storage unit 12 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The storage unit 12 may also be a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory that retains stored information even when the power is turned off. The storage unit 12 stores a control program P and an information database D.

[0013] The control program P is a program that controls the overall operation of the email sending and receiving device 10.

[0014] The information database D is a table that registers the names of people to whom e-mail can be sent and the attributes of those people. The structure of the information database D will be described in detail later.

[0015] A display device 16 and an operation device 17 are connected to the input / output controller 13. The display device 16 displays a screen generated in response to an instruction from the control unit 11. The display device 16 is configured from a device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence). The operation device 17 acquires input operations from a user and transmits them to the control unit 11. The operation device 17 is configured from a device such as a keyboard or a touch panel.

[0016] The communication controller 14 is an interface for communicating with a computer or the like connected to a network via wireless communication such as a wireless LAN. The email sending / receiving device 10 sends and receives emails to and from other computers or the like via the communication controller 14.

[0017] (Functional configuration of email sending / receiving device) The functional configuration of the email sending and receiving device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the email sending and receiving device according to the embodiment.

[0018] The control unit 11 of the email sending / receiving device 10 deploys the control program P in the RAM 113 and runs it, thereby realizing the input information acquisition unit 21, search execution unit 22, search result display unit 23, search result selection unit 24, display control unit 25, operation control unit 26, and communication control unit 27 shown in Figure 2 as functional units.

[0019] The input information acquisition unit 21 acquires the name of the person to whom the email is to be sent, i.e., the name of the search target, input by the operation device 17. Note that the input information acquisition unit 21 is an example of an acquisition unit in the present disclosure. Note that the name is an example of the name of information in the present disclosure.

[0020] The search execution unit 22 searches the information database D for a name that includes at least a part of the name (name of information) acquired by the input information acquisition unit 21.

[0021] The search result display unit 23 causes the display control unit 25 to display the search results by the search execution unit 22 on the display device 16 in an order and format according to the degree of match with the name acquired by the input information acquisition unit 21. More specifically, the search result display unit 23 causes the search results by the search execution unit 22 to be displayed in descending order of the degree of match between the search results and the name acquired by the input information acquisition unit 21. Furthermore, when the search results by the search execution unit 22 exactly match the name acquired by the input information acquisition unit 21, the search result display unit 23 displays the search results in a format different from that of search results that do not exactly match. Furthermore, the search result display unit 23 displays the search results by the search execution unit 22, attributes associated with the search results, and, when attributes associated with the second and subsequent search results are different from the attributes associated with the first candidate, an identification symbol (see FIGS. 4 and 5) indicating that the attributes are different from the attributes of the first candidate. The search result display unit 23 is an example of a display unit in the present disclosure.

[0022] The search result selection unit 24 selects one search result from among the search results displayed by the search result display unit 23. The search result selection unit 24 is an example of a selection unit in the present disclosure.

[0023] The display control unit 25 displays the information instructed by the control unit 11 on the display device 16.

[0024] The operation control unit 26 acquires user operations relating to sending, receiving, and viewing of e-mails, and transmits the acquired operations to the control unit 11.

[0025] The communication control unit 27 controls the state of communication with computers etc. connected to the network by wireless communication such as wireless LAN or wired communication such as wired LAN etc. In this way, the email sending / receiving device 10 sends and receives emails to and from external computers etc.

[0026] (Information database structure) The structure of the information database D will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the information database.

[0027] 3, an ID 31, a name 32, an email address 36, and an affiliation 37 are registered in the information database D. The name 32, the email address 36, and the affiliation 37 are each registered as character data.

[0028] ID31 is an identification number that uniquely identifies data registered in information database D. ID31 may be composed of only numbers or only English letters, or may include both numbers and English letters.

[0029] Name 32 is the name of the person to whom the e-mail is to be sent. Name 32 is further registered in hiragana notation 33, kanji notation 34, and romanized notation 35. Note that a registration field for local language notation may also be provided to register data for foreigners.

[0030] In the hiragana notation 33, a family name 331 and a given name 332 are registered. In the kanji notation 34, a family name 341 and a given name 342 are registered. In the romanized notation 35, a family name 351 and a given name 352 are registered.

[0031] The email address 36 is the email address of the person in question.

[0032] The affiliation 37 registers the affiliation of the relevant person. The affiliation 37 further registers a company name 371, a department name 372, and a group name 373. The affiliation 37 is an example of an attribute associated with the name 32.

[0033] The contents registered in the information database D are not limited to those described above. For example, in addition to the department 37, attributes such as an employee number may be registered.

[0034] The horizontal axis of the information database D shown in FIG. 3 is generally called a record, and the vertical axis is generally called a field.

[0035] The search execution unit 22 provided in the email sending / receiving device 10 searches the information database D for a field corresponding to the name acquired by the input information acquisition unit 21, thereby searching for a record that includes at least a part of the name acquired by the input information acquisition unit 21.

[0036] (Example of search results) An example of displaying the search results performed by the email sending and receiving device 10 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a first diagram showing an example of the display format of the search results. Figure 5 is a second diagram showing an example of the display format of the search results.

[0037] An operator who sends an e-mail from the e-mail sending / receiving device 10 creates the title and body of the e-mail to be sent, sets the destination of the e-mail, and then instructs to send the e-mail. Here, a method for setting the destination of the e-mail will be described.

[0038] The operator selects a menu for setting the destination of the email from a menu screen (not shown) displayed on the display device 16. When the menu is selected, a destination search screen 40 shown in FIG.

[0039] The destination search screen 40 includes a search information input field 41, a search result display space 42, and a confirmed destination display field 43.

[0040] The search information input field 41 is a field where information (character strings) input by the user is displayed. The user inputs the name, attributes, or email address of the person to whom the user wishes to send an e-mail using the operation device 17. The name can be input in any of hiragana, kanji, and roman letters. Here, a case will be described where the name of the person to whom the user wishes to send an e-mail is input in hiragana.

[0041] The search result display space 42 is a space where the results of the search performed by the search execution unit 22 to search the information database D based on the information entered in the search information entry field 41 are displayed.

[0042] The confirmed destination display field 43 is a field in which information selected by the search result selection unit 24 from the information displayed in the search result display space 42 is displayed.

[0043] 4 is an example of a destination search screen 40 in which search results for the character string "haramika" entered by the operator are displayed in a search result display space 42. Specifically, search result display space 42 displays search result 421 and search result 422.

[0044] Search result 421 is the character string that most closely matches the character string entered in search information input field 41. Search result 422 is the character string that most closely matches the character string entered in search information input field 41. Note that search result display space 42 may also display character strings from the third candidate onwards.

[0045] In the example of Fig. 4, hiragana characters are entered on the destination search screen 40, so the search execution unit 22 calculates the degree of match with a string written in hiragana from the information database D. Therefore, the search execution unit 22 searches for the string written in hiragana that has the highest degree of match. Therefore, the search results should normally be displayed in hiragana in the search result display space 42, but in the example of Fig. 4, the string written in kanji characters is displayed so that comparison with other candidates can be easily made. Of course, the string written in hiragana may also be displayed.

[0046] The degree of match between two character strings represents the proximity of the character string entered in the search information input field 41 to the character string registered in the information database D. In the example of this embodiment, the closer the distance between the information entered in the search information input field 41 and the information registered in the information database D, the higher the degree of match.

[0047] The distance between the character string entered in the search information input field 41 and the character string registered in the information database D is calculated according to a known method. For example, the Levenshtein distance or the Jaro-Winkler distance between the character string "haramika" entered in the search information input field 41 and the character string registered in the information database D is calculated.

[0048] The Levenshtein distance is a distance that represents the number of editing operations required to convert one string into another, i.e., the number of insertions, deletions, and substitutions required.

[0049] The Jaro-Winkler distance is the distance between two strings, calculated from the number of characters that match between one string and the other and whether replacement is necessary.

[0050] By calculating the distance between such character strings, a search is made for character strings that contain at least a part of the character string entered in the search information input field 41. The search results are sorted in order of the degree of match, i.e., the closest distance, and a predetermined number of results are displayed in the search result display space 42 in order of the closest distance (the closest degree of match).

[0051] Next, a description will be given of the display form of search results 421 and 422. Search results 421 and 422 show names that contain character strings that closely match the character string entered in search information input field 41, and the affiliation of the person who has that name. In the example of Fig. 4, search result 421 is the name with the highest degree of match, and search result 422 is the name with the second highest degree of match.

[0052] In particular, the search result 421 is an exact match between the character string entered in the search information input field 41 and the search result. In this way, when the character string entered in the search information input field 41 and the search result are an exact match, the search result display unit 23 of the email sending / receiving device 10 displays the font (form) of the search result in bold.

[0053] The search result 422 is a search result in which only the character string "haramina" and "harami" match, which is the character string entered in the search information input field 41. The affiliation of the person corresponding to the search result 422 is different from that of the person corresponding to the search result 421 with the highest degree of match, in terms of the group name. In such a case, the search result display unit 23 of the email sending and receiving device 10 displays an identification symbol 45 at the end of the search result 422. The identification symbol 45 is assigned to search results in which the department name or group name is different from that of the person corresponding to the first candidate search result. By assigning the identification symbol 45, the operator of the email sending and receiving device 10 can recognize that the affiliation of the first candidate person is different from that of the candidate person to which the identification symbol 45 is assigned. Furthermore, the search result 422 is displayed in a thinner font (shape) than the search result 421 because the character string entered in the search information input field 41 and the search result do not completely match.

[0054] In this way, the email sending / receiving device 10 can display the search results of the person to whom the email is to be sent in an order and format according to the degree of match with the name or attribute entered in the search information input field 41.

[0055] The destination search screen 50 in FIG. 5 shows another example in which search results 421 and 422 for the character string "haramika" entered by the operator are displayed in the search result display space 42.

[0056] In Fig. 5, search result 422 is assigned an identification symbol 46 that is different from the identification symbol 45 described above. Identification symbol 46 is assigned to search results whose company name is different from that of the person corresponding to the first candidate search result. By assigning identification symbol 46, the operator of email sending and receiving device 10 can recognize that the company name of the first candidate person is different from the company name of the candidate person to which identification symbol 46 is assigned. This makes it possible to prevent the operator from mistakenly selecting a person from the wrong company and sending an email.

[0057] (How to select search results) Next, a method for selecting an email destination from among multiple search results will be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining a method for selecting one of multiple search results.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 6, when search results 421 and 422 are displayed on the destination search screen 40, a method for selecting the search result 421 will be described.

[0059] When the operator moves the cursor 47 on the destination search screen 40 and the cursor 47 approaches or overlaps (rolls over) the search result 421, the search result selection unit 24 operates to display a selection marker 48 that encompasses the search result 421, as shown on the destination search screen 60. Furthermore, although not shown, when the cursor 47 approaches or overlaps with the search result 422, the selection marker 48 that encompasses the search result 422 is displayed. Note that instead of displaying the selection marker 48, the color of the rolled-over object (search result) may be changed.

[0060] When a confirmation operation (mouse-on or keyboard enter key press, etc.) is performed while the cursor 47 is rolled over the search result 421 on the destination search screen 60, the rolled-over search result is selected, and the name in the search result is displayed in the confirmed destination display field 43, as shown on the destination search screen 70.

[0061] Instead of the confirmed destination display field 43, the selected name may be displayed in the send field on the email application screen.

[0062] (Processing flow performed by the email sending / receiving device) The flow of processing performed by the email sending and receiving device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of email sending processing performed by the email sending and receiving device of the embodiment. It is assumed that the body of the email has already been created.

[0063] The input information acquiring unit 21 acquires the name entered in the search information input field 41 (step S11).

[0064] The search execution unit 22 performs a search process to search the information database D for information that includes at least a part of the name acquired in step S11 (step S12). The detailed flow of the search process will be described later (see FIG. 8).

[0065] The search result display unit 23 causes the display control unit 25 to display the search results from the search process of step S12 in the search result display space 42 in an order and format according to the degree of match with the name obtained in step S11 (step S13).

[0066] The search result selection unit 24 selects one search result from among the search results displayed by the search result display unit 23. Then, the display control unit 25 displays the selected search result in the confirmed destination display field 43 (step S24).

[0067] The communication control unit 27 sends the e-mail to the destination selected in step S24 (step S25), and then ends the process of FIG.

[0068] Next, the flow of search processing performed by the email sending and receiving device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of search processing.

[0069] The search execution unit 22 identifies the type of information acquired by the input information acquisition unit 21 (step S21). Specifically, the search execution unit 22 identifies whether the name entered in the search information input field 41 is written in hiragana, kanji, or roman letters.

[0070] Next, the search execution unit 22 calculates the degree of coincidence of information for the field (vertical axis direction) corresponding to the spelling of the name identified in step S21 in the information database D shown in Fig. 3 (step S22). The calculated degree of coincidence is stored in, for example, RAM 113 together with the ID 31 corresponding to the name for which the degree of coincidence was obtained.

[0071] The search execution unit 22 determines whether all information in the field has been matched (step S23). If it is determined that all information in the field has been matched (step S23: Yes), the process proceeds to step S24. On the other hand, if it is not determined that all information in the field has been matched (step S23: No), the process returns to step S22.

[0072] If it is determined in step S23 that all information in the field has been matched, the search execution unit 22 sorts the IDs 31 stored in RAM 113 in descending order of degree of match (step S24). Then, the process proceeds to step S13 in Fig. 7. The ID 31 sorted to the top by the process of step S24 is the most likely search result.

[0073] As described above, the email sending and receiving device 10 (information retrieval device) of the first embodiment includes an information database D in which at least the names (names of information) of people to whom emails are to be sent are registered, an input information acquiring unit 21 (acquisition unit) that acquires the names of people to be searched, a search execution unit 22 that searches the information database D for names that include at least a part of the name of the person acquired by the input information acquiring unit 21, a search result display unit 23 (display unit) that displays the search results by the search executing unit 22 in an order and format according to the degree of match with the name of the person acquired by the input information acquiring unit 21, and a search result selection unit 24 (selection unit) that selects one search result from the search results displayed by the search result display unit 23. Therefore, even if similar names exist, the user can reliably select the desired email recipient without making a mistake.

[0074] Furthermore, in the email sending / receiving device 10 (information search device) of the first embodiment, the search result display unit 23 (display unit) displays the search results by the search execution unit 22 in descending order of the degree of match between the search results and the names of people acquired by the input information acquisition unit 21. Therefore, the user can easily select a destination for the email he or she wants to send by simply searching for the destinations in the order displayed.

[0075] Furthermore, in the email sending / receiving device 10 (information search device) of the first embodiment, when the search result by the search execution unit 22 exactly matches the name (name) of the person acquired by the input information acquisition unit 21, the search result display unit 23 (display unit) displays the result in a different format from search results that do not exactly match. This makes it even easier to select a destination.

[0076] Furthermore, in the email sending / receiving device 10 (information retrieval device) of the first embodiment, the information database D further registers the affiliation (attribute) associated with the name (name of information) of the person to whom the email is to be sent, and the search result display unit 23 (display unit) displays the search results by the search execution unit 22, the affiliation (attribute) associated with the first candidate, and, if the affiliation associated with the second candidate and subsequent search results differs from the affiliation associated with the search result with the highest degree of match, identification symbols 45, 46 indicating that the affiliation is different from that of the first candidate. Therefore, the user can select the recipient of the email taking into consideration the difference in affiliation.

[0077] (Modification of the first embodiment) A description will be given of a modified example of the first embodiment in which the present disclosure is applied to an email sending and receiving device 10. The email sending and receiving device 10 of the modified example of the first embodiment includes an information database D that can search for the name of the recipient of an email by either their current surname or maiden name.

[0078] The hardware configuration and functional configuration of the email sending / receiving device 10 of the modified example of the first embodiment are the same as the hardware configuration and functional configuration of the email sending / receiving device 10 described in the first embodiment, so the description will be omitted.

[0079] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of an information database provided in an email sending and receiving device according to a modified example of the first embodiment.

[0080] 3, an ID 31, a name 32, an email address 36, and an affiliation 37 are registered in the information database D. The name 32, the email address 36, and the affiliation 37 are each registered as character data.

[0081] The ID 31, email address 36, and affiliation 37 are the same as the data registered in the information database D provided in the email sending and receiving device 10 of the first embodiment (see FIG. 3).

[0082] The name 32 is the name of the person to whom the e-mail is sent. The name 32 further includes a current surname 38 and a maiden surname 39.

[0083] In the current family name 38, a hiragana notation 381, a kanji notation 382, ​​and a romanized notation 383 are registered. In the hiragana notation 381, a family name 3811 and a given name 3812 are registered. In the kanji notation 382, ​​a family name 3821 and a given name 3822 are registered. In the romanized notation 383, a family name 3831 and a given name 3832 are registered.

[0084] For the maiden name 39, a hiragana notation 391, a kanji notation 392, and a romanized notation 393 are registered. For the hiragana notation 391, a surname 3911 and a given name 3912 are registered. For the kanji notation 392, a surname 3921 and a given name 3922 are registered. For the romanized notation 393, a surname 3931 and a given name 3932 are registered.

[0085] If there is no maiden name, a NULL value indicating that the field is blank is registered in each field corresponding to the maiden name 39.

[0086] The search execution unit 22 searches for information that includes at least a part of either the current surname 38 or the maiden surname 39 in at least a part of the name (name of information) acquired by the input information acquisition unit 21.

[0087] In this way, the electronic mail sending and receiving device 10 of the modified example of the first embodiment can search for correct information regardless of whether a current or maiden name is entered. When a search is performed by entering a maiden name, the search result display unit 23 preferably causes the display control unit 25 to display the search results in the search result display space 42, along with the current name. This allows the operator to confirm the current and maiden names together.

[0088] In addition to the current and maiden names, names after name changes may also be registered in the information database D. This makes it possible to search for correct information even if the name has changed.

[0089] As explained above, in the email sending / receiving device 10 (information retrieval device) of the modified example of the first embodiment, the current surname and maiden surname are registered in the information database D as the name (name of information) of the person to whom an email is to be sent, and the search execution unit 22 searches for information containing at least a part of either the current surname or maiden surname acquired by the input information acquisition unit 21 (acquisition unit). Therefore, even if the name of the information to be searched for has changed, the operator can easily find the information he or she wants.

[0090] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions and their equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 10... E-mail sending / receiving device (information search device), 21... input information acquisition unit (acquisition unit), 22... search execution unit, 23... search result display unit (display unit), 24... search result selection unit (selection unit), 25... display control unit, 32... name (name of information), 37... affiliation (attribute), 38... current surname, 39... maiden surname, 40, 50... destination search screen, 41... search information input field, 42... search result display space, 43... confirmed destination display field, 45, 46... identification symbol, 48... selection marker, D... information database [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0092] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6419403

Claims

1. an information database in which at least the names of information and attributes associated with the names of the information are registered; an acquisition unit for acquiring a name of a search target; a search execution unit that searches the information database for a name that includes at least a part of the name acquired by the acquisition unit; a display unit that displays the search results by the search execution unit, the attributes associated with the search results, and, if the attributes associated with the second or subsequent search results are different from the attributes associated with the first candidate, an identification symbol indicating that the attributes are different from the attributes of the first candidate, in an order and form according to the degree of match with the name acquired by the acquisition unit; a selection unit for selecting one search result from among the search results displayed by the display unit; An information search device comprising:

2. The display unit displaying the search results by the search execution unit in order of the degree of match between the search results and the names acquired by the acquisition unit; 2. The information retrieval device according to claim 1.

3. The display unit When the search results by the search execution unit exactly match the name acquired by the acquisition unit, the search results are displayed in a format different from that of search results that do not exactly match.

3. The information retrieval device according to claim 1.

4. In the information database, the current surname and maiden surname are registered as the name of the information, the search execution unit searches for information that includes at least a part of either the current surname or the maiden surname in at least a part of the name acquired by the acquisition unit.

4. The information retrieval device according to claim 1.

5. Computer, an information database in which at least the names of information and attributes associated with the names of the information are registered; an acquisition unit for acquiring a name or attribute of a search target; a search execution unit that searches the information database for information that includes at least a part of the name acquired by the acquisition unit; a display unit that displays the search results by the search execution unit, the attributes associated with the search results, and, if the attributes associated with the second or subsequent search results are different from the attributes associated with the first candidate, an identification symbol indicating that the attributes are different from the attributes of the first candidate, in an order and form according to the degree of match with the name acquired by the acquisition unit; a selection unit for selecting one search result from among the search results displayed by the display unit; A program that makes it work.

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