User support method and user support apparatus

• US 6,845,486 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Issued: 01/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kondo, Manabu, Yamada, Teruhiro, Ikeda, Mutsumi, Hazui, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US09/823,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20020054163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 345/700, 345/705, 345/706, 345/714, 345/733, 345/738, 345/764, 345/848, 345/968, 707/3, 707/10, 709/201, 709/217
• US Class Current: 715/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/968 interface for database querying and retrieval

Abstract

User support method and user support apparatus for facilitating a user to find desired information from an enormous size of Web sites in a user friendly manner so as to make efficient use thereof. A front processor functions at a level of interface with a user. A middle processor processes and stores information to be supplied to the user via the front processor. The front processor stores object data which describe a virtual three-dimensional space containing a plurality of virtual rooms, which respectively correspond to different concepts, and a specialized agent which performs a service related to the concept corresponding to each of the rooms. When the service is requested by the user, the specialized agent asks the middle processor about information necessary for providing the service.

Claims

1. A user support apparatus, comprising:

a front processor which handles data exchange between a user and the apparatus at an interface level;

a middle processor which processes and stores information to be supplied to the user via said front processor; and

a back processor which supplies the necessary information to said middle processor by externally acquiring the necessary information according to an instruction from said middle processor when the necessary information is not stored internally;

said front processor including;

an object storage unit which stores object data which describe a virtual three-dimensional space containing a plurality of virtual rooms, which respectively correspond to different concepts, and a personified specialized agent which performs a service related to the concept corresponding to each of the rooms; and

a three-dimensional object outputting unit which displays the virtual three-dimensional space and the specialized agent to the user,

wherein the specialized agent inquires of said middle processor about information necessary for providing the service when the service is requested by the user,

wherein said middle processor reads out the necessary information, if stored internally, and supplies read-out information to the specialized agent,

said middle processor comprising;

a meta-information generator which analyzes the necessary information supplied from said back processor as a page which is a collected set of data, and generates meta-information relative to the page; and

a write controller which relates the page to the meta-information, so as to be stored in a local memory device, and

wherein said middle processor further includes a search preprocessing unit which performs a predetermined processing on a keyword reflecting user'"'"'s preference,

said search preprocessing unit including;

a condition adding unit which adds an objective keyword according to a search preference of the user presumed from a keyword reflecting the user'"'"'s preference; and

a search formula setting unit which sets a conditional equation based on the keyword and the added keyword.

2. A user support apparatus, comprising:

a front processor which handles data exchange between a user and the apparatus at an interface level;

a middle processor which processes and stores information to be supplied to the user via said front processor; and

a back processor which supplies the necessary information to said middle processor by externally acquiring the necessary information according to an instruction from said middle processor when the necessary information is not stored internally;

said front processor including;

an object storage unit which stores object data which describe a virtual three-dimensional space containing a plurality of virtual rooms, which respectively correspond to different concepts, and a personified specialized agent which performs a service related to the concept corresponding to each of the rooms; and

a three-dimensional object outputting unit which displays the virtual three-dimensional space and the specialized agent to the user,

wherein the specialized agent inquires of said middle processor about information necessary for providing the service when the service is requested by the user,

wherein said middle processor reads out the necessary information, if stored internally, and supplies read-out information to the specialized agent,

said middle processor comprising;

a meta-information generator which analyzes the necessary information supplied from said back processor as a page which is a collected set of data, and generates meta-information relative to the page; and

a write controller which relates the page to the meta-information, so as to be stored in a local memory device,

wherein said middle processor further includes a search preprocessing unit which performs a predetermined processing on a keyword reflecting user'"'"'s preference,

said search preprocessing unit including;

a condition adding unit which adds an objective keyword according to a search preference of the user presumed from a keyword reflecting the user'"'"'s preference; and

a search formula setting unit which sets a conditional equation based on the keyword and the added keyword, and

wherein said middle processor further includes a pre-search controller which assumes information that the user will inquire based on user'"'"'s personal data.