1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a search result display technique for facilitating user's selection of a desired target from a search result.
2. Description of the Related Art
The spread of the Internet has enabled users to access a massive amount of data stored in web servers all over the world. At the same time, the increase in the capacities of storage apparatuses has enabled users to store a large amount of data into even his/her individually-owned computer. Further, with the widespread use of digital cameras and mobile phones equipped with a camera, and the popularization of blogs, social networking services, Twitter, and others, the data amount has been ever increasing drastically.
In this modern society, users have become able to readily acquire an enormous amount of data, but have been finding it difficult to pick out data valuable to the user from such an enormous amount of data.
One of possible scenes where a user searches for information is a search to get knowledge about a trend. Such a search is characterized in that a user does not have a clear image about an answer that the user wants to know, and although the final goal of the search is defined as, for example, “something interesting” or “important news”, the information itself aimed by the user is extremely ambiguous.
It is effective to display a search result in an organized and classified manner, when a user makes a search to know some trend from a huge amount of data. Further, it is desirable to provide hierarchically structured organization and classification, in consideration of such a use case that a user first grasps the overall view of the search result and then looks into details of an apparently relevant part therefrom. Further, in this case, because there is no clear answer that the user wants to know, the user should view data and collect information as much as possible. In such a case, it is useful to display data as thumbnails, by which the data is displayed as reduced images, so that the user can easily view a large amount of data.
Under such circumstances, methods for organizing and classifying a search result and displaying data as thumbnail images have been developed as a method for displaying a search result for a search that a user makes to know a trend of something. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-259130 discusses a technique for projecting search result data onto two-dimensional coordinate axes in such a manner that highly similar items are positioned close to each other, and displaying a plurality of screens in such a manner that the screens are arranged in the front-back direction of the display with the density in the information arrangement changed. A user can easily find out desired data by moving the viewpoint in a thus-constructed three-dimensional space.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-110360 discusses a method for displaying images of a hierarchically classified search result. In this method, in a state that the viewpoint is zoomed out, thumbnails classified into an upper layer are displayed in such a manner that they are grouped by each cluster. Zooming in a certain cluster causes thumbnails belonging to the lower layer of that cluster to be displayed.
However, the conventional techniques are not sufficiently effective as a method for displaying a hierarchically classified search result. In particular, users should grasp the overview of a search result at an abstract higher layer, and then narrow down the information therefrom. However, the conventional techniques fail to address a display method making it easier for users to narrow down the information. For example, they are not configured to provide a sufficient display of information helpful for narrowing down the information, such as the number and names of clusters belonging to a lower layer, and the amount of data contained in the lower layer.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a data display apparatus includes a thumbnail display unit configured to divide search result data according to classification and to display the search result data as a cluster of thumbnails of the search result data in a virtual three dimensional (3D) space, and an identification information display unit configured to display identification information indicating the classification of the search result data in the virtual 3D space.
Further features and aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Various exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
A concrete description will be given of what kind of situation a data search result display method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is performed in, assuming the following example. A user is drawing up a written plan about a tour to Hokkaido, and is now looking for sightseeing spots where they will visit during the tour. For a search for information with no clear answer determined as it like this example, it is often more effective to provide a view of information in a classified and organized manner, than displaying a list of items as search result data with ranking orders assigned thereto. In such a case, the data search result display method according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is utilized as a method for enabling a user to make an efficient search of information.
The information database 200 operates as a service program providing functions, which will be described below, to, for example, the applications of the data search/display system 210. The information handled by the information database 200 is multimedia data including documents, images, moving images, and audio data. Upon registration of multimedia data, the information database 200 assigns an index to the data, and then stores it into the mass storage unit 104 illustrated in
The data search/display system 210 is an embodiment of the data search result display method according to the present exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The processing performed by the data search/display system 210 is to search the information database 200 for relevant multimedia data based on a user's search request to provide the result thereof to the user, and to facilitate the user's retrieval of desired information from that result. It is effective to provide a search result under a classified and hierarchical structure so that a user can effectively search for information from a large amount of information. The data search/display system 210 is characterized by its function of displaying such a search result in a virtual three dimensional (3D) space in an intuitively and easily understood manner. This function uses the units 211 to 216, the contents of which will be described below along with a description of the processing according to the flowchart illustrated in
Next, a concrete example of the processing of the data search/display system 210 will be described according to the flowchart illustrated in
In step S301, a search result acquisition unit 211 acquires a search result set from the information database 200 based on the query input by the user. The data search/display system 210 is effective in providing a display of classified data and hierarchical data, but displaying hierarchical data is not necessarily an integral feature of the present exemplary embodiment. In the present exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that the search result acquisition unit 211 acquires a hierarchical clustering structure as illustrated in
Before the description of step S302 and the subsequent steps, a description will be given of an example of an initial display screen showing a search result of the data search/display system 210 according to the present exemplary embodiment, with reference to
In step S302, a cluster display unit 212 calculates, for each cluster, where thumbnails of data belonging to that cluster are displayed in a sphere. There are various possible methods for calculating these positions, and any method may be employed therefor. It is desirable that the thumbnails are positioned in such a manner that the individual thumbnails are displayed without overlapping each other, in consideration that a user will view the search result. In the present exemplary embodiment, the thumbnails are displayed only on the surface of the sphere, but may be also displayed inside the sphere. Further, in the present exemplary embodiment, the thumbnails have the same size, and the positions thereof are calculated so that the respective thumbnails are spaced at regular intervals, whereby the radius of the sphere varies depending on the number of data pieces belonging to the cluster. Therefore, a user can intuitively grasp the amount of data contained in each cluster. Further, it is desirable that the thumbnails of data pieces having a high degree of similarity to each other are positioned close to each other. This can be realized by, for example, assigning a front position of the sphere to the thumbnail of the data contained in a sub-cluster having the largest number of belonging data pieces among the sub-clusters contained in the cluster, and then disposing other sub-clusters around that sub-cluster in the order of degree of similarity to that sub-cluster from highest to lowest.
In step S303, the cluster display unit 212 calculates where the respective clusters are arranged in the 3D space. In the following, a description will be given with reference to
In step S304, first, a space drawing unit 216 draws a grid-like floor 507, which serves as the bottom surface of the space. Above the floor 507, the cluster display unit 212 draws the clusters of the search result as the spherical masses 501 constituted by the thumbnails 502 of the data pieces belonging to that cluster, based on the position calculation results obtained in steps S302 and S303. At this time, it is possible to prevent overlaps among the thumbnails from creating poor visibility by vertically randomly swaying the respective thumbnails. The thumbnails may be swayed not only vertically but also from side to side, in every direction, or in any manner. Further, the spheres of the clusters may rotate by themselves, or may orbit around the center of the circle along which the group of cluster spheres (the group of clusters) is arranged. Alternatively, the cluster spheres may perform both this rotational motion and this orbital motion. These motions enable a user to unfailingly view all thumbnails in a predetermined time.
In step S305, a cluster information display unit 213 projects a shadow 503 of the cluster sphere on the grid-like floor 507 drawn in step S304. How to display the shadow will be now described with reference to
In step S306, the cluster information display unit 213 displays a label 504 of the cluster on the circumference of the shadow 503 of the cluster sphere 701.
In step S307, the cluster information display unit 213 displays the information of the sub-clusters of the cluster as shadows 505 and labels 506 in such a manner that the shadows 505 and the labels 506 are contained in the shadow 503 of the cluster sphere 701 drawn in step S305. How to display the sub-cluster information will be now described with reference to
Further, the interval between the shadows 706 of the respective sub-clusters on the circumference is determined so that they are equiangularly positioned along the circumference in a similar manner to the calculation for determining the cluster layout performed in step S303. However, this does not limit the present exemplary embodiment at all, and the shadows 706 of the sub-clusters may be non-equiangularly positioned. For example, the shadows 706 of the sub-clusters may be positioned so that they are located below the mass of the thumbnails of the data pieces contained in that sub-cluster. Further, the cluster information display unit 213 displays the label 506 of the sub-cluster in a vertically erected manner on the circumference of the shadow 706 of the sub-cluster. These displays of the shadows and the labels of the sub-clusters, especially when there are a large number of sub-clusters, may lead to an untidy appearance, thereby discouraging a user to understand the information on the contrary. Therefore, the top M sub-clusters having the largest number of belonging data pieces among the sub-clusters may be displayed according to the above-described display method, and the remaining sub-clusters may be displayed in an abbreviated manner like a shadow 709 illustrated in
In the abbreviated display, the sub-cluster is displayed as only an appropriately reduced shadow. The shadow 709 displayed in the abbreviated manner is disposed at the inner side of the circle where the shadows of the top M sub-clusters are disposed, and on the circumference of a circle having a radius 710 calculated by multiplying the radius of the circle where the shadows of the top M sub-clusters are disposed by a multiplying factor α4 and then adding an offset β4 thereto. In this way, the sub-clusters of a cluster are displayed within the shadow of that cluster as the shadows and the labels, and the size of the shadow is set to become proportional to the number of data pieces belonging to that sub-cluster. As a result, a user can intuitively understand the hierarchical classification of the search result. Further, the position of the shadow and label of a sub-cluster may rotate according to a rotation of the cluster sphere. Especially, if the thumbnails of the cluster are grouped by each sub-cluster, and the shadow and the label of a sub-cluster are disposed below the corresponding grouped thumbnails, it is desirable that the shadow and the label of the sub-cluster rotates according to a rotation of the cluster sphere.
Hereinbefore, the flow until the display of the initial screen showing a search result of the data search/display system 210, and the respective component units illustrated in
Further, while a user is making a search by walking through the 3D space, the respective display units have the function to change the display according to the position of the viewpoint so that the user can easily understand the information. For example, the cluster display unit 212 displays a thumbnail in a blurred state according to the distance between the position of the viewpoint and the thumbnail as this distance is increasing. The blurred display of a thumbnail away from the viewpoint aids in highlighting of a nearer thumbnail, facilitating a user to view the information with full attention thereto. Further, the cluster information display unit 213 moves the label 504 of the cluster and the label 506 of the sub-cluster along the circumferences of the respective shadows in a sliding manner according to the position of the viewpoint, thereby arranging the labels to face the front relative to the viewpoint at anytime.
Further, a movement of the viewpoint may be controlled by not only a manual operation through a user's input but also a semi-automatic operation which works under a predetermined rule. For example, in the present exemplary embodiment, the viewpoint change unit 214 includes a semi-automatic operation for automatically moving the viewpoint to such a position that a cluster is displayed at the front in an enlarged manner, in response to selection of the shadow 503 of that cluster by, for example, a click operation of the mouse.
The initial display illustrated in
The timing when the cluster operation unit 215 narrows down the information to a lower cluster may be determined according to an explicit instruction from a user with a mouse operation. However, in the present exemplary embodiment, this timing is automatically determined based on the distance between the viewpoint and a cluster so as to realize a more intuitive expression in the 3D space. Further, this timing may be determined based on the degree of a zooming-in or zooming-out operation. More specifically, as illustrated in
After that, the information can be narrowed down by dividing the cluster up to the n-th layer in the same manner.
Further, the data search/display system 210 also has the function of combining clusters and displaying a cluster of a parent layer. The display method and the timing for the combination are arranged in such a manner that the data search/display system 210 provides a display as if the data search/display system 210 performs reverse reproduction of the division of the cluster, according to the same idea as the idea for a division of a cluster.
Dividing a cluster into sub-clusters and combining clusters into a parent cluster in this way enable a user to intuitively narrow down information while walking through the 3D space.
Further, the data search/display system 210 also has the display function of guiding a user to recommended information. Examples of recommended information include a cluster having the largest number of belonging data pieces among clusters that are currently being displayed, or a frequently viewed cluster that is calculated from the past history. After a not-illustrated recommended information calculation unit acquires recommended information to a user, the space drawing unit 216 highlights that cluster, as if a wave is caused from the left to the right on the grid-like floor 1102 right below the cluster 1101 containing the recommended information, as illustrated in
As mentioned above, in the data search result display method according to the present exemplary embodiment, it is possible to provide various user interfaces (UIs) in a 3D space, and allow a user to intuitively and efficiently search for desired information from a large amount of information.
In the above-described exemplary embodiment, a shadow is displayed on the floor below a cluster, but a displayed object here may be not a shadow. Since displaying a shadow of a cluster in a 3D space is easily understandable as a metaphor, this has been described as an example. However, a displayed object may have any shape such as a triangle shape or a rectangular shape, and further may be variously colored instead of having a single color like a shadow. The data search/display system 210 can further facilitate a user's information search by utilizing differences in shape and color to provide additional information useful for the user's search. For example, the data search/display system 210 may express a classification based on a different standpoint from the classification expressed as masses of clusters, or may highlight a cluster that the system recommends. Differences in color and shape are visually easily recognizable to users, and are suitable for expressing a classification.
It should be noted that the present exemplary embodiment can be also achieved by providing a system or an apparatus with a storage medium storing program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described exemplary embodiment, and causing a computer (or a CPU, a micro processing unit (MPU), and/or the like) of the system or the apparatus to read out and execute the program code stored in the storage medium. In this case, the program code readout from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described exemplary embodiment, and therefore the storage medium storing this program code constitutes the present exemplary embodiment.
Examples of the storage medium for providing the program code include a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), a compact disc recordable (CD-R), a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, a read only memory (ROM), and a digital versatile disc (DVD).
Further, the present exemplary embodiment includes not only a case in that the computer executes the read-out program code to realize the functions of the above-described exemplary embodiment, but also a case that, for example, an operating system (OS), which works on a computer, performs a part or the whole of actual processing based on the instruction of the program code, and this processing realizes the functions of the above-described exemplary embodiment.
Further, the present exemplary embodiment also includes such a case that, after the program code read out from the storage medium is written in a function expansion board inserted in a computer or a memory provided to a function expansion unit connected to a computer, a CPU or the like provided to the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs apart or the whole of actual processing according to an instruction of that program code, and this processing realizes the functions of the above-described exemplary embodiment.
According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, effectively displaying hierarchically classified search result data in a 3D space enables a user, who looks for ambiguous information, to efficiently retrieve optimal information.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all modifications, equivalent structures, and functions.
This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Applications No. 2010-189513 filed Aug. 26, 2010 and No. 2011-161054 filed Jul. 22, 2011, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2010-189513 | Aug 2010 | JP | national |
2011-161054 | Jul 2011 | JP | national |