Information searching apparatus, number deciding method, information searching program, information searching system and recording medium

• US 8,655,982 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2010
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamahara, Hisanori
• Primary Examiner(s): SALL, EL HADJI MALICK
• Application Number:
  US13/513,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20120239781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/224, 709/226, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

There are provided an information searching apparatus, a number deciding method, an information searching program, an information searching system and a recording medium, in which a user can efficiently browse search results. A first data group constituted of a predetermined number of pieces of data is transmitted to a terminal device in a data group which is data corresponding to an searched information group, a transmission request of data different from the first data group is received from the terminal device, a second data group different from the first data group is transmitted to the terminal device in the data group corresponding to the searched information group, a presence of a user interest in the first data group is determined based on contents of a user operation detected by the terminal device after the first data group is transmitted until the transmission request is received, and when the user is not interested in the first data group, the second data group constituted of a larger number of pieces of data than the number of pieces of data constituting the first data group is transmitted.

Claims

1. An information searching apparatus that searches information in response to a request from a terminal device and transmits search results to be displayed on the terminal device in unit of page to the terminal device via a network, comprising:

a search condition receiving unit that receives a search condition transmitted from the terminal device;

a searching unit that searches an information group meeting the search condition from a plurality of pieces of information for which data is stored in a data storage unit storing, in correspondence to each piece of the information, the data displayed as data about the information when the information is searched;

a first data transmitting unit that transmits, to the terminal device, a first data group constituted of a predetermined number of pieces of the data in a data group which is the data corresponding to the information group searched by the searching unit;

a data request receiving unit that receives a transmission request of the data different from the first data group from the terminal device;

a second data transmitting unit that transmits, to the terminal device, a second data group different from the first data group in the data group corresponding to the information group searched by the searching unit in response to the transmission request received by the data request receiving unit; and

a determining unit that determines a presence of a user interest in the first data group based on contents of a user operation detected by the terminal device after the first data group is transmitted until the transmission request is received,

wherein when the determining unit determines that the user is not interested in the first data group, the second data transmitting unit transmits the second data group constituted of a larger number of pieces of the data than the number of pieces of the data constituting the first data group.

2. The information searching apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the determining unit determines whether a user operation on the data constituting the first data group is detected by the terminal device after the first data group is transmitted until the transmission request is received, and

the second data transmitting unit transmits the second data group constituted of a larger number of pieces of the data than the number of pieces of the data constituting the first data group when the determining unit determines that the user operation is not detected.

3. The information searching apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the determining unit determines whether an elapsed time after the first data group is transmitted until the transmission request is received is equal to a predetermined threshold time or less, and

the second data transmitting unit transmits the second data group constituted of a larger number of pieces of the data than the number of pieces of the data constituting the first data group when the determining unit determines that the elapsed time is equal to the threshold time or less.

4. The information searching apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the second data transmitting unit increases the number of pieces of the data constituting the second data group by α

pieces (where, α

≧

1) more than the number of pieces of the data constituting the first data group when the determining unit determines that the user is not interested in the first data group.

5. The information searching apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the data request receiving unit receives a transmission request of the data different from the transmitted second data group from the terminal device,

the second data transmitting unit transmits, as the new second data group, a data group different from the previously-transmitted second data group to the terminal device when the transmission request of the data different from the second data group is received,

the determining unit determines a presence of a user interest in the second data group based on contents of a user operation detected by the terminal device after the second data group is transmitted until the transmission request is received, and

the second data transmitting unit increases the number of pieces of the data constituting the second data group to be next transmitted by a pieces more than the number of pieces of the data constituting the previously-transmitted second data group when the determining unit determines that the user is not interested in the second data group.

6. The information searching apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the second data transmitting unit increases the number of pieces of the data constituting the second data group by β

times (where, (β

>

1) more than the number of pieces of the data constituting the first data group when the determining unit determines that the user is not interested in the first data group.

7. The information searching apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the data request receiving unit receives a transmission request of the data different from the transmitted second data group from the terminal device,

the second data transmitting unit transmits, as the new second data group, a data group different from the previously-transmitted second data group to the terminal device when the transmission request of the data different from the second data group is received,

the determining unit determines a presence of a user interest in the second data group based on contents of a user operation detected by the terminal device after the second data group is transmitted until the transmission request is received, and

the second data transmitting unit increases the number of pieces of the data constituting the second data group to be next transmitted by β

times more than the number of pieces of the data constituting the previously-transmitted second data group when the determining unit determines that the user is not interested in the second data group.

8. The information searching apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sort condition receiving unit that receives a sort condition transmitted from the terminal device; and

a sorting unit that sorts an arrangement order of the information in the information group searched by the searching unit under the sort condition,

wherein the second data transmitting unit assumes, as the second data group, a data group of which the arrangement order of the information sorted by the sorting unit is successive to that of the first data group.

9. The information searching apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the searching unit searches product information, and

the sort condition is an ascending order of product price.

10. The information searching apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the searching unit searches product information, and

the sort condition is a descending order of product price.

11. The information searching apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the data request receiving unit receives a transmission request of the data different from the transmitted second data group from the terminal device,

the second data transmitting unit transmits, as the new second data group, a data group different from the previously-transmitted second data group to the terminal device when the transmission request of the data different from the second data group is received,

the determining unit determines a presence of a user interest in the second data group based on contents of a user operation detected by the terminal device after the second data group is transmitted until the transmission request is received, and

the second data transmitting unit increases the number of pieces of the data constituting the second data group to be next transmitted more than the number of pieces of the data constituting the previously-transmitted second data group when the determining unit determines that the user is not interested in the second data group.

12. The information searching apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the data request receiving unit receives a transmission request of the data different from the transmitted second data group from the terminal device,

the second data transmitting unit transmits, as the new second data group, a data group different from the previously-transmitted second data group to the terminal device when the transmission request of the data different from the second data group is received,

the determining unit determines whether a user operation on the data constituting the second data group is detected by the terminal device after the second data group is transmitted until the transmission request is received, and

the second data transmitting unit increases the number of pieces of the data constituting the second data group to be next transmitted more than the number of pieces of the data constituting the previously-transmitted second data group when the determining unit determines that the user operation on the data constituting the second data group is not detected,

the information searching apparatus further comprising:

an information display request receiving unit that, when an information display request is transmitted from the terminal device in response to the detected user operation of displaying the information corresponding to the data constituting the second data group, receives the information display request;

an information transmitting unit that transmits the information corresponding to the data selected by the user operation to the terminal device in response to the information display request received by the information display request receiving unit; and

a return request receiving unit that receives a return request of returning to the display of the search results from the terminal device having received the information transmitted from the information transmitting unit,

wherein the second data transmitting unit transmits the second data group constituted of a number of pieces of the data equal to or less than the number of pieces of the data constituting the first data group in response to the return request received by the return request receiving unit.

13. The information searching apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the data request receiving unit receives a transmission request of the data different from the transmitted second data group from the terminal device,

the second data transmitting unit transmits, as the new second data group, a data group different from the previously-transmitted second data group to the terminal device when the transmission request of the data different from the second data group is received,

the determining unit determines whether an elapsed time after the second data group is transmitted until the transmission request is received is a predetermined threshold time or less,

the second data transmitting unit increases the number of pieces of the data constituting the second data group to be next transmitted more than the number of pieces of the data constituting the previously-transmitted second data group when the determining unit determines that the elapsed time after the second data group is transmitted until the transmission request is received is equal to the predetermined threshold time or less, and

the determining unit makes a determination with longer threshold time as the number of pieces of the second data group transmitted by the second data transmitting unit becomes larger.

14. The information searching apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the elapsed time is a time obtained by assuming a time when the first data transmitting unit transmits a first data group to the terminal device as a time when the first data group is transmitted.

15. The information searching apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the elapsed time is a time obtained by assuming a time when the terminal device having received the first data group completes a processing of displaying the first data group as a time when the first data group is transmitted.

16. A number deciding method, for deciding the number of search results per page, in an information searching apparatus for searching information in response to a request from a terminal device and transmitting the search results to be displayed on the terminal device in units of page to the terminal device via a network, comprising:

a search condition receiving step of receiving a search condition transmitted from the terminal device;

a searching step of searching an information group meeting the search condition from a plurality of pieces of information for which data is stored in a data storage unit storing, in correspondence to each piece of the information, the data displayed as data about the information when the information is searched;

a first data transmitting step of transmitting, to the terminal device, a first data group constituted of a predetermined number of pieces of the data in a data group which is the data corresponding to the information group searched in the searching step;

a data request receiving step of receiving a transmission request of the data different from the first data group from the terminal device;

a second data transmitting step of transmitting, to the terminal device, a second data group different from the first data group in the data group corresponding to the information group searched in the searching step in response to the transmission request received in the data request receiving step; and

a determining step of determining a presence of a user interest in the first data group based on contents of a user operation detected by the terminal device after the first data group is transmitted until the transmission request is received,

wherein when it is determined that the user is not interested in the first data group in the determining step, the second data group constituted of a larger number of pieces of the data than the number of pieces of the data constituting the first data group is transmitted in the second data transmitting step.

17. An information searching system comprising:

a terminal device;

an information searching apparatus which searches information in response to a request from the terminal device and transmits search results to be displayed on the terminal device in unit of page to the terminal device via a network; and

a data storage unit which stores, in correspondence to each piece of the information, data displayed as data about the information when the information is searched,

wherein the information searching apparatus comprises;

a search condition receiving unit that receives a search condition transmitted from the terminal device;

a searching unit that searches an information group meeting the search condition from a plurality of pieces of information for which the data is stored in the data storage unit;

a first data transmitting unit that transmits, to the terminal device, a first data group constituted of a predetermined number of pieces of the data in a data group which is the data corresponding to the information group searched by the searching unit;

a data request receiving unit that receives a transmission request of the data different from the first data group from the terminal device;

a second data transmitting unit that transmits, to the terminal device, a second data group different from the first data group in the data group corresponding to the information group searched by the searching unit in response to the transmission request received by the data request receiving unit;

an operation notification receiving unit that receives an operation notification indicating that a user operation on the data constituting the first data group is detected by the terminal device from the terminal device; and

a determining unit that determines a presence of a user interest in the first data group based on contents of a user operation detected by the terminal device after the first data group is transmitted until the transmission request is received, and

the terminal device comprises;

a search condition transmitting unit that transmits the search condition to the information searching apparatus;

a first data receiving unit that receives the first data group transmitted from the information searching apparatus;

a first displaying unit that displays the first data group;

an operation detecting unit that detects the user operation on the data constituting the first data group displayed by the first displaying unit;

an operation notification transmitting unit that transmits the operation notification to the information searching apparatus when the user operation is detected by the operation detecting unit;

a data request transmitting unit that transmits the transmission request to the information searching apparatus when a user operation of requesting to transmit the data different from the first data group is detected;

a second data receiving unit that receives the second data group transmitted from the information searching apparatus; and

a second displaying unit that displays the second data group,

wherein when the determining unit determines that the user is not interested in the first data group, the second data transmitting unit transmits the second data group constituted of a larger number of pieces of the data than the number of pieces of the data constituting the first data group.

18. A non-transitory recording medium in which an information searching program is computer-readably recorded, the program causing a computer included in an information searching apparatus which searches information in response to a request from a terminal device and transmits search results to be displayed on the terminal device in units of page to the terminal device via a network to function as:

a search condition receiving unit that receives a search condition transmitted from the terminal device;

a searching unit that searches an information group meeting the search condition from a plurality of pieces of information for which data is stored in a data storage unit storing, in correspondence to each piece of the information, the data displayed as data about the information when the information is searched;

a first data transmitting unit that transmits, to the terminal device, a first data group constituted of a predetermined number of pieces of the data in a data group which is the data corresponding to the information group searched by the searching unit;

a data request receiving unit that receives a transmission request of the data different from the first data group from the terminal device;

a second data transmitting unit that transmits, to the terminal device, a second data group different from the first data group in the data group corresponding to the information group searched by the searching unit in response to the transmission request received by the data request receiving unit; and

a determining unit that determines a presence of a user interest in the first data group based on contents of a user operation detected by the terminal device after the first data group is transmitted until the transmission request is received,

wherein when the determining unit determines that the user is not interested in the first data group, the program causes the computer as the second data transmitting unit to transmit the second data group constituted of a larger number of pieces of the data than the number of pieces of the data constituting the first data group.