Retrieval device, retrieval method and program

Abstract

A retrieval device comprises: a condition acquisition unit that acquires a retrieval condition designated by a first user; an authority acquisition unit that acquires authority information of the first user and set for information matching the search condition; and a history presentation unit that presents history information including the authority information to a second user who owns the information.

Description

Search device, search method, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a search device, a search method, and a program.

[0002] In order to share information within an organization, an information processing system capable of searching information stored within the organization is used. Among such information processing systems, there is one that is capable of searching information for which access rights are set.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes an information search system that sets access rights to a search index for indirectly searching information stored in storage, and displays search results on a display unit depending on the authentication results of the user's access rights.

[0004] JP 2011-123634 A

[0005] However, conventional technologies cannot verify whether access rights are appropriately granted to users who need information. For example, if it is recognized that access rights are not granted to users who need information, the access rights set for that information can be reviewed, thereby promoting information sharing within an organization.

[0006] An aspect of the present disclosure aims to make it possible to verify the validity of authority information set for information.

[0007] The present disclosure has the following configuration.

[0008] [1] A search device comprising: a condition acquisition unit configured to acquire search conditions specified by a first user; an authority acquisition unit configured to acquire authority information of the first user set for information that matches the search conditions; and a history presentation unit configured to present history information including the authority information to a second user who owns the information.

[0009] [2] The search device according to [1] above, wherein the history information includes statistical information compiled based on the presence or absence of access rights to the information.

[0010] [3] The search device according to [2] above, wherein the statistical information is compiled based on attributes of the first user for each of the presence or absence of the access right.

[0011] [4] The search device according to any one of [1] to [3] above, wherein the history information includes information indicating the first user who does not have access rights to the information.

[0012] [5] The search device according to [4] above, wherein the history information further includes the search condition specified by the first user who does not have the access right.

[0013] [6] The search device according to [4] or [5] above, wherein the history information further includes contact information of the first user who does not have the access right.

[0014] [7] The search device according to any one of [1] to [6] above, wherein the history presentation unit is configured to notify the second user that the information has been searched for by the first user who does not have access rights to the information.

[0015] [8] The search device according to [7] above, wherein the history presentation unit is configured to issue the notification when a predetermined notification condition is satisfied.

[0016] [9] A search method in which a computer executes the steps of: acquiring search conditions specified by a first user; acquiring authority information of the first user set for information that matches the search conditions; and presenting history information including the authority information to a second user who owns the information.

[0017]

[10] A program for causing a computer to execute the steps of: acquiring search conditions specified by a first user; acquiring authority information of the first user set for information that matches the search conditions; and presenting history information including the authority information to a second user who owns the information.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to output information for determining the validity of authority information set for information.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an information sharing system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information sharing system. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of user information. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of history information. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of acquisition processing. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of search processing. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an interactive screen. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of history presentation processing. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a management screen.

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0021] [Embodiment] One embodiment of the present disclosure is an information sharing system for sharing information within an organization. The information sharing system in this embodiment has a function of searching for document data, which is an example of information, based on search conditions specified by a user.

[0022] The information sharing system in this embodiment may have an interactive user interface. The information sharing system may search document data based on search criteria acquired from a user's question, and output an answer to the user's question based on the search results. The interactive user interface may be, for example, a chat-style screen. The chat-style screen may have a display area in which input information (e.g., a question) and output information (e.g., an answer) are displayed in chronological order.

[0023] In this embodiment, the organization that shares information may be any organization to which multiple people belong, such as a company, a department within a company, or a group that includes multiple companies or departments.

[0024] In this embodiment, the information to be shared may be any information existing within the organization. The information existing within the organization may be information that has been made public outside the organization and that has been accumulated within the organization. The information existing within the organization may be, for example, a web page posted on a portal site, technical information registered in a technical information database, or an electronic lab notebook that electronically records experimental results.

[0025] In recent years, generative models such as large-scale language models (LLMs) have been attracting attention. Generative models can perform various language processing tasks. For example, information processing systems that perform question-answering tasks based on generative models are used. This type of information processing system is also called a "chatbot."

[0026] In order to share information within an organization among users belonging to the organization, chatbots that search for information in response to user questions have been proposed. Some chatbots of this type periodically crawl information within the organization and build a database that can be accessed by a generative model.

[0027] However, much of the information stored within an organization is confidential, and the user who owns the information (hereinafter also referred to as the "owner") usually sets permission information for other users. Permission information is information that indicates access rights to document data. Note that "owning document data" means having permission to perform any operation on the document data. Operations on document data include, for example, creating, viewing, editing, and deleting.

[0028] When information with permission information set is stored in a database, the search results may include information to which the user searching for the information (hereinafter also referred to as the "searcher") does not have access rights. In such cases, the searcher may know that the desired information exists, but may not be able to view that information. On the other hand, if only information without permission information set is stored in a database, the searcher may be able to view all information included in the search results. However, there is a possibility that useful information may not be obtained solely from information without permission information set.

[0029] The purpose of this embodiment is to enable verification of the validity of the authority information set for information. To this end, in this embodiment, the authority information of the searcher set for information included in the search results is obtained and the authority information of the searcher is presented to the owner of the information.

[0030] In one aspect, this embodiment allows the owner to verify the validity of the permission information set for the information. For example, the owner can know that there is a user who needs the information among users to whom access rights have not been granted. In addition, the owner can review the access rights set for the information and change them appropriately. In another aspect, this embodiment promotes information sharing within an organization.

[0031] <Overall Configuration> The overall configuration of the information sharing system in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the information sharing system.

[0032] 1, the information sharing system 1000 includes an information management device 10, a search device 20, a searcher terminal 31, and an owner terminal 32. The information management device 10, the search device 20, the searcher terminal 31, and the owner terminal 32 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate data with each other via a communication network N such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet.

[0033] The information management device 10 is an example of an information processing device such as a personal computer, workstation, or server that manages document data, which is an example of information. The document data is, for example, text data or electronic data containing text information. The information management device 10 stores document data received from the owner terminal 32. In response to a request from the owner terminal 32, the information management device 10 sets authority information for the document data. In response to a request from the search device 20, the information management device 10 transmits the document data to the search device 20.

[0034] The search device 20 is an example of an information processing device such as a personal computer, workstation, or server that searches document data managed by the information management device 10. The search device 20 acquires document data from the information management device 10 and stores feature data extracted from the document data. The search device 20 acquires search conditions based on a question received from the searcher terminal 31 and searches for document data that matches the search conditions. The search device 20 acquires the searcher's authority information set for the document data included in the search results. The search device 20 generates an answer based on the search results and the authority information and transmits it to the searcher terminal 31.

[0035] Furthermore, the search device 20 stores, for each document data, history information indicating the history of searches for that document data. The history information includes authority information of the searcher. The search device 20 transmits the history information to the owner terminal 32. The search device 20 may process the history information before transmitting it to the owner terminal 32. The processing of the history information may include, for example, adding other information or performing statistical processing.

[0036] The searcher terminal 31 is an example of an information processing terminal, such as a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet terminal, operated by a searcher. The searcher is an example of a first user. The searcher terminal 31 transmits a question entered by the searcher to the search device 20. The searcher terminal 31 presents the answer received from the search device 20 to the searcher.

[0037] The owner terminal 32 is an example of an information processing terminal such as a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet terminal operated by the owner. The owner is an example of a second user. The owner terminal 32 transmits a request to register document data to the information management device 10 in response to the owner's operation. The owner terminal 32 transmits a request to set authority information for the document data to the information management device 10 in response to the owner's operation. The owner terminal 32 presents the history information received from the search device 20 to the owner.

[0038] The overall configuration of the information sharing system 1000 shown in Figure 1 is one example, and various system configuration examples are possible depending on the application and purpose. For example, the information sharing system 1000 may include multiple units of one or more of the information management device 10, search device 20, searcher terminal 31, and owner terminal 32. For example, the information management device 10 or search device 20 may be implemented by multiple computers, or may be implemented as a cloud computing service. The device classifications shown in Figure 1, such as the information management device 10, search device 20, searcher terminal 31, and owner terminal 32, are one example.

[0039] <Hardware Configuration> The hardware configuration of the information sharing system 1000 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0040] <Computer> The information management device 10, the search device 20, the searcher terminal 31, and the owner terminal 32 in this embodiment are realized by, for example, a computer. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer.

[0041] 2, the computer 500 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 502, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 503, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 504, an input device 505, a display device 506, a communication I / F (Interface) 507, and an external I / F 508. The CPU 501, the ROM 502, and the RAM 503 form a so-called computer. The hardware components of the computer 500 are connected to each other via a bus line 509. The input device 505 and the display device 506 may be connected to the external I / F 508 for use.

[0042] The CPU 501 is a computing device that reads programs and data from a storage device such as the ROM 502 or the HDD 504 onto the RAM 503 and executes processing to realize overall control and functions of the computer 500 .

[0043] The ROM 502 is an example of a non-volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that can retain programs and data even when the power is turned off. The ROM 502 functions as a main storage device that stores various programs, data, etc. required for the CPU 501 to execute various programs installed in the HDD 504. Specifically, the ROM 502 stores boot programs such as a Basic Input / Output System (BIOS) and an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) that are executed when the computer 500 starts up, as well as data such as OS (Operating System) settings and network settings.

[0044] The RAM 503 is an example of a volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) in which programs and data are erased when the power is turned off. The RAM 503 is, for example, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or a static random access memory (SRAM). The RAM 503 provides a working area in which various programs installed in the HDD 504 are expanded when executed by the CPU 501.

[0045] The HDD 504 is an example of a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data. The programs and data stored in the HDD 504 include an OS, which is basic software that controls the entire computer 500, and applications that provide various functions on the OS. Note that the computer 500 may use a storage device that uses flash memory as a storage medium (e.g., an SSD (Solid State Drive)) instead of the HDD 504.

[0046] The input device 505 includes a touch panel, operation keys and buttons, a keyboard and mouse, a microphone for inputting sound data such as voice, and the like, which are used by the user to input various signals.

[0047] The display device 506 is composed of a display such as a liquid crystal display or organic electroluminescence (EL) display for displaying a screen, a speaker for outputting sound data such as voice, and the like.

[0048] The communication I / F 507 is an interface that connects to a communication network and enables the computer 500 to perform data communication.

[0049] The external I / F 508 is an interface with external devices, such as a drive device 510.

[0050] The drive device 510 is a device for loading a recording medium 511. The recording medium 511 here includes media that record information optically, electrically, or magnetically, such as CD-ROMs, flexible disks, and magneto-optical disks. The recording medium 511 may also include semiconductor memories that record information electrically, such as ROMs and flash memories. This allows the computer 500 to read from and / or write to the recording medium 511 via the external I / F 508.

[0051] The various programs to be installed in the HDD 504 are installed, for example, by setting the distributed recording medium 511 in a drive device 510 connected to the external I / F 508 and reading the various programs recorded on the recording medium 511 by the drive device 510. Alternatively, the various programs to be installed in the HDD 504 may be installed by being downloaded via the communication I / F 507 from the communication network or a network different from the communication network.

[0052] <Functional Configuration> The functional configuration of the information sharing system 1000 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the information sharing system.

[0053] <Information Management Device> As shown in FIG. 3, the information management device 10 includes a data storage unit 101 and an authority storage unit 102.

[0054] The data storage unit 101 and the authority storage unit 102 are realized by the HDD 504 shown in FIG.

[0055] The data storage unit 101 stores a plurality of document data in advance. The document data is stored in response to a registration request transmitted from the owner terminal 32. The document data may be collected from an external device or system. Note that an external device or system refers to a device or system that is not included in the information sharing system 1000.

[0056] The authority storage unit 102 stores a plurality of pieces of authority information in advance. The authority information is information indicating access rights to document data stored in the data storage unit 101. The authority information is set in response to a setting request transmitted from the owner terminal 32. The authority information may be set for each user, or may be set for a group including multiple users. The authority information may be able to set whether or not to allow access for each operation on document data.

[0057] <Search Device> As shown in FIG. 3 , the search device 20 includes a data acquisition unit 201, a first feature extraction unit 202, a feature storage unit 203, a user storage unit 204, an authentication unit 205, a condition acquisition unit 206, a second feature extraction unit 207, a search execution unit 208, an authority acquisition unit 209, an answer generation unit 210, a history storage unit 211, and a history presentation unit 212.

[0058] The data acquisition unit 201, the first feature extraction unit 202, the authentication unit 205, the condition acquisition unit 206, the second feature extraction unit 207, the search execution unit 208, the authority acquisition unit 209, the answer generation unit 210, and the history presentation unit 212 are realized by processing that is executed by the CPU 501 using a program expanded from the HDD 504 shown in Figure 2 onto the RAM 503.

[0059] The feature storage unit 203, the user storage unit 204, and the history storage unit 211 are realized by the HDD 504 shown in FIG.

[0060] The data acquisition unit 201 acquires document data managed by the information management device 10. The data acquisition unit 201 may read out document data from the data storage unit 101 of the information management device 10. The data acquisition unit 201 may transmit a request to transmit document data to the information management device 10, and receive document data transmitted by the information management device 10 in response to the transmission request.

[0061] The first feature extraction unit 202 extracts feature data from the document data acquired by the data acquisition unit 201. The feature data may be, for example, an embedding vector generated based on a trained model. The trained model may be, for example, pre-stored in a storage device of the search device 20. Examples of the trained model include language models such as word2vec, BERT, or GPT. Hereinafter, the feature data extracted from the document data will be referred to as "document feature data."

[0062] The feature storage unit 203 stores a plurality of document feature data extracted by the first feature extraction unit 202. The document feature data is associated with document information about the document data from which the document feature data was extracted. The document information may include, for example, information indicating the location of the document data, information indicating the owner of the document data, information indicating the attributes of the document data, etc.

[0063] The user storage unit 204 stores user information about users of the information sharing system 1000. The user information may include, for example, identification information for identifying the user, authentication information for authenticating the user, attribute information indicating the user's attributes, and contact information indicating the user's contact information.

[0064] (User Information) User information in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of user information.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 4, the user information includes data items such as a user ID, password, department, job title, and email address. The user ID is an example of identification information that identifies a user. The password is an example of authentication information. The password may be encrypted. The department and job title are examples of attribute information. The email address is an example of contact information.

[0066] Returning to Fig. 3, the authentication unit 205 authenticates the searcher based on the authentication information input by the searcher. The authentication unit 205 may authenticate the searcher by, for example, comparing the authentication information input by the searcher with authentication information read from the user storage unit 204.

[0067] The condition acquisition unit 206 acquires search conditions specified by a user. The condition acquisition unit 206 may acquire search conditions included in a question input by a user. The condition acquisition unit 206 may acquire the user's question as a search condition. The condition acquisition unit 206 may generate search conditions based on the user's question.

[0068] The second feature extraction unit 207 extracts feature data from the search criteria acquired by the condition acquisition unit 206. Hereinafter, the feature data extracted from the search criteria will be referred to as "condition feature data." Similar to the document feature data, the condition feature data may be an embedding vector generated based on a trained model.

[0069] The search execution unit 208 searches for document data that matches the search conditions acquired by the condition acquisition unit 206. The search execution unit 208 may search for document data based on the similarity between the condition feature data extracted by the second feature extraction unit 207 and the document feature data stored in the feature storage unit 203. The similarity may be, for example, cosine similarity. The search execution unit 208 may extract a predetermined number of document feature data that have a high similarity to the condition feature data. The search execution unit 208 may extract document feature data whose similarity to the condition feature data is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0070] The authority acquisition unit 209 acquires the authority information of the searcher set for the document data included in the search results by the search execution unit 208. The searcher who acquires the authority information is the searcher who specified the search conditions. In other words, the searcher who acquires the authority information is the searcher who entered the question. The authority acquisition unit 209 acquires the authority information of the searcher for each document data included in the search results.

[0071] The authority acquisition unit 209 may read out authority information from the authority storage unit 102 of the information management device 10. The authority acquisition unit 209 may transmit a transmission request for authority information to the information management device 10, and receive the authority information transmitted by the information management device 10 in response to the transmission request.

[0072] The answer generation unit 210 generates an answer to the searcher's question based on the document data included in the search results by the search execution unit 208 and the authority information acquired by the authority acquisition unit 209. The answer generation unit 210 may generate an answer based on, for example, a generative model. The generative model may be, for example, a large-scale language model. The generative model may be provided by an external device or system. The generative model may be stored in advance in a storage device of the search device 20.

[0073] The answer generation unit 210 controls the presentation of the generated answer to the searcher. The answer generation unit 210 may present the answer to the searcher by transmitting the answer to the searcher terminal 31 and displaying the answer on the display device 506 of the searcher terminal 31.

[0074] The history storage unit 211 stores history information indicating the history of searches performed by the search execution unit 208. The history information may be stored for each document data. The history information may include, for example, information indicating the searcher, search conditions, and authority information of the searcher. Hereinafter, information indicating the searcher will also be referred to as "searcher information." The searcher information is, for example, identification information that identifies the searcher.

[0075] (History Information) History information in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of history information.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 5 , the history information includes data items such as search date and time, searcher, search conditions, authority, and viewing. The search date and time is the date and time when the search was performed. The searcher is identification information that identifies the searcher and is an example of searcher information. The search conditions are search conditions specified by the searcher. The authority is information indicating whether the searcher has access rights to the document data and is an example of authority information. The viewing is information indicating whether the searcher viewed the document data.

[0077] 3 , the history presentation unit 212 controls the presentation of the history information read from the history storage unit 211 to the owner. The history presentation unit 212 may present the history information to the owner by transmitting the history information to the owner terminal 32 and displaying the history information on the display device 506 of the owner terminal 32.

[0078] The history presentation unit 212 may process the history information and present it to the owner. The history presentation unit 212 may include statistical information compiled based on authority information in the history information. The statistical information may be compiled based on the presence or absence of access rights. The statistical information may be compiled based on the attributes of the searcher for each presence or absence of access rights.

[0079] The history presentation unit 212 may add information about the searcher to the history information. For example, the history presentation unit 212 may add attribute information or contact information of the searcher to the history information. The history presentation unit 212 may present history information about a searcher who does not have access rights.

[0080] The history presentation unit 212 may perform control to notify the owner that the document data has been searched for by a searcher who does not have the access right. The history presentation unit 212 may notify the owner that the document data has been searched for by a searcher who does not have the access right by transmitting a signal indicating the notification to the owner terminal 32 and displaying the notification on the display device 506 of the owner terminal 32.

[0081] The history presentation unit 212 may notify the owner when a predetermined notification condition is met. The notification condition may be a condition based on the number of searches by a searcher who does not have access rights. The notification condition may be, for example, that the number of searches in a predetermined time period exceeds a predetermined threshold. The time period may be, for example, the most recent one week, one month, or three months. The threshold may be 1 or greater. If the threshold is set to 1, the history presentation unit 212 notifies the owner of a search by a searcher who does not have access rights.

[0082] <Processing Procedure> An information sharing method executed by the information sharing system 1000 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6 to Fig. 10. The information sharing method includes an acquisition process (see Fig. 6), a search process (see Fig. 7), and a history presentation process (see Fig. 9).

[0083] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the acquisition process, in which the search device 20 acquires document data.

[0084] Steps S1 and S2 of the acquisition process are executed as needed in response to an operation by the owner. Steps S3 to S6 of the acquisition process are repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals. Steps S3 to S6 of the acquisition process may be executed daily, for example, during the late night hours when there are fewer users.

[0085] In step S1, the owner terminal 32 accepts a document data registration operation by the owner. In the registration operation, the document data to be registered is specified. Next, the owner terminal 32 transmits a registration request including the document data specified in the registration operation to the information management device 10.

[0086] The information management device 10 receives a registration request from the owner terminal 32. The information management device 10 stores in the data storage unit 101 the document data included in the received registration request.

[0087] In step S2, the owner terminal 32 accepts an operation for setting authority information by the owner. In the setting operation, permission or denial of access to document data is specified for each user. Next, the owner terminal 32 transmits a setting request including the authority information specified in the setting operation to the information management device 10.

[0088] The information management device 10 receives the setting request from the owner terminal 32. The information management device 10 stores the authority information included in the received setting request in the authority storage unit 102.

[0089] In step S3, the data acquisition unit 201 of the search device 20 extracts a list of document data for which feature data is stored in the feature storage unit 203. Next, the data acquisition unit 201 reads out document data for which feature data is not stored in the feature storage unit 203 from the data storage unit 101 of the information management device 10. The data acquisition unit 201 sends the read document data to the first feature extraction unit 202.

[0090] In step S4, the first feature extraction unit 202 of the search device 20 receives the document data from the data acquisition unit 201. Next, the first feature extraction unit 202 acquires text data from the received document data. The first feature extraction unit 202 may acquire the text data from content such as the body of the document data, the title, metadata, and figures and tables. The first feature extraction unit 202 may further include in the text data a recognition result of image data or audio data attached to the document data.

[0091] In step S5, the first feature extraction unit 202 of the search device 20 reads the trained model from the storage device. Next, the first feature extraction unit 202 extracts document feature data from the text data acquired in step S4 based on the trained model.

[0092] In step S6, the first feature extraction unit 202 of the search device 20 generates document information based on the document data. Next, the first feature extraction unit 202 associates the document feature data with the document information and stores them in the feature storage unit 203.

[0093] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the search process. The search process is a process in which the search device 20 searches for document data. The search process is executed whenever necessary in response to an operation by a searcher.

[0094] In step S21, the searcher terminal 31 accepts input of authentication information by the searcher. The authentication information is input on an authentication screen provided by the search device 20. The authentication information may be, for example, a password preset by the user. The searcher terminal 31 transmits the input authentication information to the search device 20. The searcher terminal 31 may encrypt the authentication information before transmitting it.

[0095] In step S22, the authentication unit 205 of the search device 20 receives authentication information from the searcher terminal 31. Next, the authentication unit 205 reads out user information from the user storage unit 204. Subsequently, the authentication unit 205 compares the authentication information included in the read out user information with the received authentication information. If the authentication information matches, the authentication unit 205 determines that the authentication is successful. On the other hand, if the authentication information does not match, the authentication unit 205 determines that the authentication is unsuccessful.

[0096] If the authentication is successful, the authentication unit 205 acquires the identification information included in the user information as searcher information. The authentication unit 205 sends the searcher information to the authority acquisition unit 209. The following description will continue assuming that the authentication is successful.

[0097] In step S23, the searcher terminal 31 accepts input of a question by the searcher. The question is input on an interactive screen provided by the search device 20. The interactive screen is an example of an interactive user interface, and may be, for example, a chat-style screen. The searcher terminal 31 transmits the input question to the search device 20.

[0098] In step S24, the condition acquisition unit 206 of the search device 20 receives the user's question from the searcher terminal 31. Next, the condition acquisition unit 206 acquires search conditions from the received question. The condition acquisition unit 206 sends the acquired search conditions to the second feature extraction unit 207.

[0099] In step S25, the second feature extraction unit 207 of the search device 20 receives the search conditions from the condition acquisition unit 206. Next, the second feature extraction unit 207 acquires the trained model from the storage device. Next, the second feature extraction unit 207 extracts condition feature data from the received search conditions based on the trained model. The second feature extraction unit 207 sends the extracted condition feature data to the search execution unit 208.

[0100] In step S26, the search execution unit 208 of the search device 20 receives the condition feature data from the second feature extraction unit 207. Next, the search execution unit 208 reads out the document feature data from the feature storage unit 203. Next, the search execution unit 208 calculates the similarity between each of the read document feature data and the condition feature data.

[0101] Furthermore, the search execution unit 208 extracts document feature data based on the calculated similarity. Next, the search execution unit 208 acquires document information associated with the extracted document feature data from the feature storage unit 203. The search execution unit 208 sends the search results including the acquired document information to the authority acquisition unit 209.

[0102] In step S27, the authority acquisition unit 209 of the search device 20 receives the search results from the search execution unit 208. The authority acquisition unit 209 also receives the searcher information from the authentication unit 205. Next, the authority acquisition unit 209 acquires the authority information of the searcher set in the document data based on the document information and searcher information included in the search results. The authority acquisition unit 209 sends the search results and the authority information to the answer generation unit 210.

[0103] In step S28, the answer generation unit 210 of the search device 20 receives the search results and authority information from the authority acquisition unit 209. Next, the answer generation unit 210 acquires document data based on the document information included in the search results. Subsequently, the answer generation unit 210 generates an answer to the searcher's question based on the acquired document data and authority information.

[0104] The answer generation unit 210 generates an answer to the question based on document data to which the searcher has access rights. On the other hand, if the search results include document data to which the searcher does not have access rights, the answer generation unit 210 includes in the answer information that the document data to which the searcher does not have access rights may contain useful information and information about the owner of the document data. The information about the owner may include information indicating the owner, information indicating the owner's contact information, information for obtaining access rights, etc. The answer generation unit 210 transmits the generated answer to the searcher terminal 31.

[0105] In step S29, the searcher terminal 31 receives the answer from the search device 20. The searcher terminal 31 displays the received answer on the interactive screen.

[0106] By referring to the answers displayed on the interactive screen, the searcher can recognize that the desired information may be present in document data to which the searcher does not have access rights. The searcher may contact the owner to obtain the document data. The searcher may also take action to obtain access rights to the document data. Actions to obtain access rights include requesting additional access rights or contacting the owner directly.

[0107] In step S30, the search device 20 generates history information based on the user information acquired in step S22, the search conditions acquired in step S24, and the authority information acquired in step S27. The search device 20 stores the generated history information in the history storage unit 211.

[0108] (Dialogue Screen) The dialogue screen in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the dialogue screen.

[0109] 8, the interactive screen 600 has a question input field 601 and an interactive display area 602. The question input field 601 accepts input of a question by a searcher.

[0110] The dialogue display area 602 has a question display field 603 and an answer display field 604. The question display field 603 is added to the dialogue display area 602 every time a question from a searcher is accepted. The answer display field 604 is added to the dialogue display area 602 every time an answer is received from the search device 20. The question display field 603 and the answer display field 604 are arranged in chronological order from top to bottom.

[0111] 8 displays a question inquiring about how artificial intelligence (AI) is utilized within the company. This question can be used as a search criterion for searching document data that contains information about how artificial intelligence (AI) is utilized within the company.

[0112] 8 shows information 605 indicating that document data (consideration of technological trends and utilization of generated AI) to which the searcher does not have access rights may contain information on how to utilize generated AI within the company. The answer display field 604 also shows contact information 606 for the owner of the document data. The answer display field 604 also shows an operation 607 for requesting additional access rights to the document data.

[0113] <History Presentation Process> Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the history presentation process. The history presentation process is a process in which the search device 20 presents history information to the owner. The history presentation process is executed as needed in response to an operation by the owner.

[0114] In step S41, the history presentation unit 212 of the search device 20 reads history information indicating that the authority does not have access rights from the history storage unit 211. The history presentation unit 212 may read enough history information to determine a predetermined notification condition. For example, if the notification condition is based on the number of searches within a predetermined time period, the history presentation unit 212 may extract history information whose search date and time are included in the time period.

[0115] In step S42, the history presentation unit 212 of the search device 20 determines whether a predetermined notification condition is met based on the history information read in step S41. The notification condition may be a condition based on the number of searches. The number of searches can be considered the same as the number of pieces of history information. For example, the notification condition may be that the number of searches in a predetermined time period exceeds a predetermined threshold. The threshold may be, for example, a fixed value. The threshold may be adjustable by the owner.

[0116] If it is determined that the notification condition is met (YES), the history presentation unit 212 proceeds to step S43. On the other hand, if it is determined that the notification condition is not met (NO), the history presentation unit 212 skips step S43.

[0117] In step S43, the history presentation unit 212 of the search device 20 transmits to the owner terminal 32 a notification signal indicating that the document data has been searched for by a searcher who does not have the access right.

[0118] The owner terminal 32 receives the notification signal from the search device 20. Next, based on the received notification signal, the owner terminal 32 displays on the display device 506 that the document data has been searched for by a searcher who does not have the access right.

[0119] By referring to the notification displayed on the display device 506, the owner can recognize that the document data has been searched by a searcher who does not have access rights. The owner may perform an operation to launch the management screen to check information about the searcher who searched the document data. The management screen is a screen for displaying history information.

[0120] In step S44, the owner terminal 32 accepts an operation by the owner to launch the management screen. The owner may launch the management screen in response to the notification received in step S43. The owner may also launch the management screen voluntarily, regardless of whether or not the owner has received a notification.

[0121] In response to an operation to launch the management screen, the owner terminal 32 displays the management screen on the display device 506. Next, the owner terminal 32 transmits a transmission request for the history information to be displayed on the management screen to the search device 20. The transmission request includes information indicating the document data.

[0122] In step S45, the history presentation unit 212 of the search device 20 receives the request to transmit history information from the owner terminal 32. The history presentation unit 212 reads out, from the history storage unit 211, history information relating to the document data indicated in the received transmission request.

[0123] In step S46, the history presentation unit 212 of the search device 20 processes the history information read in step S45. First, the history presentation unit 212 may read user information about the searcher from the user storage unit 204 based on the searcher included in the history information, and add the information about the searcher to the history information. The information about the searcher may include attribute information and contact information of the searcher, etc.

[0124] Next, the history presentation unit 212 may generate statistical information by aggregating the history information based on the authority information and include the generated statistical information in the history information. The history presentation unit 212 may generate statistical information by aggregating the history information based on the attributes of the searcher for each access right holder. The history presentation unit 212 transmits the history information including the statistical information to the owner terminal 32.

[0125] In step S47, the owner terminal 32 receives the history information including the statistical information from the search device 20. Next, the owner terminal 32 displays the received history information on the management screen.

[0126] (Management Screen) The management screen in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the management screen.

[0127] 10 , the management screen 700 has a title display field 701, a statistics display area 702, and a list display area 703. The title display field 701 displays the title of the document data. The statistics display area 702 displays statistical information included in the history information. The list display area 703 displays a list of the history information.

[0128] The list of history information includes searcher information, searcher attribute information, searcher contact information, and the number of searches. The number of searches is the number of times the document data has been searched by the searcher. When the owner selects any of the history information in the list display area 703, a list of search conditions specified by the searcher may be displayed.

[0129] When the owner selects whether or not they have access rights or attribute information in the statistics display area 702, the list display area 703 may be narrowed down to history information that has the selected access rights or attribute information. For example, when the unauthorized area 704 is selected in the statistics display area 702, the list display area 703 may display only history information related to searchers who do not have access rights. Also, for example, when the "X Department" area 705 is selected in the statistics display area 702, the list display area 703 may display only history information related to searchers who belong to "X Department" and do not have access rights.

[0130] The owner can know the number of searches for each with and without access rights by referring to the statistical information displayed on the management screen 700. For example, if there are many searches by searchers who do not have access rights, the access rights may not be appropriate. In addition, the owner can know the attributes of searchers to whom access rights should be added by referring to statistical information based on the attribute information of searchers who do not have access rights.

[0131] The owner can find out which searchers do not have access rights by referring to the list of history information displayed on the management screen 700. The owner can also analyze the intention or purpose of the search by referring to the search criteria specified by the searcher who does not have access rights. Furthermore, the owner can directly contact the searcher by referring to the searcher's contact information.

[0132] <Effects of the embodiment> The search device 20 in this embodiment acquires the permission information of the searcher set for document data that matches the search criteria specified by the searcher, and presents history information including the permission information to the owner of the document data. In one aspect, this embodiment enables the owner of the document data to verify the validity of the permission information set for the document data. In another aspect, this embodiment promotes information sharing within an organization.

[0133] The history information may include statistical information compiled based on whether or not a searcher has access rights to document data. The statistical information may be compiled based on the attributes of the searcher for each access right. According to this embodiment, the owner can know the trends of searchers who have searched the document data owned by the owner. In particular, the owner can know in detail the trends of searchers who do not have access rights.

[0134] The history information may include information indicating searchers who do not have access rights to the document data. The history information may further include search conditions specified by searchers who do not have access rights. The history information may further include contact information for searchers who do not have access rights. According to this embodiment, the owner can know the searchers who searched the document data owned by the owner. In particular, the owner can analyze the searchers' intentions or purposes. Furthermore, the owner can directly contact the searchers who searched the document data.

[0135] The search device 20 may provide the owner with a notification indicating that the document data has been searched by a searcher who does not have access rights to the document data. The search device 20 may provide the notification when a predetermined notification condition is met. According to this embodiment, the owner can easily know that the document data he or she owns has been searched by a searcher who does not have access rights. For example, the owner can easily know when the number of searches by searchers who do not have access rights increases.

[0136] [Supplementary Note] Each function of the above-described embodiments can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Here, the term "processing circuit" in this specification includes a processor programmed to execute each function by software, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) implemented by an electronic circuit, as well as devices such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and conventional circuit modules designed to execute each of the above-described functions.

[0137] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. The embodiments can be modified and improved in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. The matters described in the above embodiments can be configured in other ways as long as they are not inconsistent, and can be combined as long as they are not inconsistent.

[0138] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-213318, filed on December 18, 2023, with the Japan Patent Office, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0139] 10: Information management device 20: Search device 31: Searcher terminal 32: Owner terminal 101: Data storage unit 102: Authority storage unit 201: Data acquisition unit 202: First feature extraction unit 203: Feature storage unit 204: User storage unit 205: Authentication unit 206: Condition acquisition unit 207: Second feature extraction unit 208: Search execution unit 209: Authority acquisition unit 210: Answer generation unit 211: History storage unit 212: History presentation unit 1000: Information sharing system

Claims

1. A search device comprising: a condition acquisition unit configured to acquire search conditions specified by a first user; an authority acquisition unit configured to acquire authority information of the first user set on information that matches the search conditions; and a history presentation unit configured to present history information including the authority information to a second user who owns the information.

2. A search device according to claim 1, wherein the history information includes statistical information compiled based on the presence or absence of access rights to the information.

3. A search device according to claim 2, wherein the statistical information is compiled based on attributes of the first user for each presence or absence of the access right.

4. A search device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the history information includes information indicating the first user who does not have access rights to the information.

5. A search device according to claim 4, wherein the history information further includes the search conditions specified by the first user who does not have the access right.

6. A search device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the history information further includes contact information of the first user who does not have the access right.

7. A search device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the history presentation unit is configured to notify the second user that the information has been searched for by the first user who does not have access rights to the information.

8. A search device according to claim 7, wherein the history presentation unit is configured to perform the notification when a predetermined notification condition is satisfied.

9. A search method in which a computer executes the steps of: acquiring search conditions specified by a first user; acquiring authority information of the first user set in information that matches the search conditions; and presenting history information including the authority information to a second user who owns the information.

10. A program for causing a computer to execute the steps of: acquiring search conditions specified by a first user; acquiring authority information of the first user set in information that matches the search conditions; and presenting history information including the authority information to a second user who owns the information.

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