JPH10124422A - Internet information selection method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily input a long URL. An internet information selection device,
It has input means capable of inputting a numeric symbol string of up to 10 digits, and a database that describes the correspondence of URLs to the numeric symbol strings.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a WWW (World Wid
URL (Uniform Resource Locator) which is the form of the homepage of e Web)
And an Internet information selection method and apparatus that allows the user to input a character string of up to 10 digits corresponding to each individual URL.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The use of the Internet is becoming widespread in general, and individual URLs are introduced by media such as newspapers and magazines. A user who views the introduced URL inputs the URL into a terminal and obtains desired information. Is getting done. The individual URL is, for example, ht
tp: // www. machine. It has a description like site.

[0003]

As described above, inputting a URL is performed. However, when inputting a URL, it is generally necessary to input a large number of characters, and inputting the URL is complicated. Very inconvenient for the general public.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily input a long URL.

[0005]

According to the present invention, each URL (uniform resource locator) is stored in 10 URLs.
The object and the URL can be obtained by inputting the symbol string so as to correspond to a numeric symbol string within digits.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a method of simplifying URL access using a numeric symbol string.

URL (1) is a notation representing the position of a certain resource on the network, and ENC (2) is the URL
An encoder that encodes (1) into a numerical symbol string of 1 to 10 digits according to a certain rule, HCD (3) is an ENC
URL, HCDB encoded by (2)
(4) PMD, a network connection type database storing URL (1) and corresponding HCD (3)
(5) media such as magazines and newspapers, RMC (6) remote control for Internet access terminals, STB (7) set-top box for Internet access terminals,
ITV (8) is a television monitor connected to an Internet access terminal.

[0008] The business or individual wants to introduce the URL
(1) is encoded into HCD (3) by ENC (2) and stored in HCDB (4). URL and corresponding H
CDs are distributed through media PMD (5) such as magazines and newspapers. In this case, it is effective to add a simple introduction article on the URL. The user is P
HCD listed on MD (5) can be used for remote control RMC
Input using (6). BTSC (9) is an HCD
It is an example of a button sequence in the case of inputting (example: [12345678]).

HCD input by RMC (6)
Is connected to the database HCDB (4) via the communication line through the set-top box STB (7).
HCDB (4) is a URL corresponding to the input HCD.
Is extracted and sent to the STB (7). STB
(7) performs a connection operation on the returned URL,
The result is displayed on the monitor ITV (8).

Thus, the user can easily access the target URL without directly inputting a long URL. By directly converting the target URL (1) into a barcode format and placing it on the media PMD (5), it is possible to directly connect to the target URL without going through the HCDB (4). In this case, RM
C (6) needs to be provided with a dedicated barcode reader. Similarly, by providing an OCR (optical character reader) in the RMC (6), the URL on the PMD (5) can be changed.
It is also possible to read the character directly and connect.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a data flow in this embodiment. The STB (7) has its internal memory (DHC
DB) 10 contains a URL that is the destination of HCDB (4).
(Often in URL notation) and DPRT, which is a protocol for HCDB access. This DURL and DPRT can be converted to RMC (6) by simple operation.
Rewriting is possible from the network side.

HCD # input by RMC (6)
1 is interpreted by the STB (7), converted into the protocol DPRT format, and transmitted to the HCDB (4) indicated by DURL.

The HCDB (4) decodes the HCD # 1 input in the DPRT format, searches the database for the corresponding URL # 1, and sends it back to the STB. STB
Makes a connection to the information HP # 1 indicated by the returned URL # 1, and obtains the contents of the HP # 1.

In this embodiment, a dedicated RMC (6), ST
Although B (7) and ITV (8) are used, it can also be used using a conventional personal computer and a WWW browser. In this case, once connect to HCDB (4),
The target HCD (3) is input on the input screen. In this case, HCDB is added to Bookmark of the browser.
By registering a URL, it is possible to make a quick connection.
In addition, if the URL and the DPRT are stored in the browser, they can be referred to without connecting to the input screen of the HCDB, and the operability is almost the same as the case where the RMC is used.

An example of an encoding method in ENC (2) for creating HCD (3) from URL (1) will be described below. The number of digits of the HCD is variable from about 1 to 10 digits.
The shorter the HCD, the easier the input. When HCD is a digit string, the leading zero can be omitted, so that a long HCD can be expressed by inputting a short number of digits (for example, HC
If D is an eight-digit number, [00001234] becomes [1
234].

Although this "short HCD" is easy to input, its total number is limited, so it cannot be overused.
Frequently used URLs, such as indexes and popular URLs
It is desired to assign a short HCD to

By making the HCD the same as the telephone number, P
By posting only the telephone number on the MD (5), both telephone communication and URL communication can be performed. In addition, by using commonly known telephone numbers such as [117] (hourly signal), [177] (weather forecast), and [104] (number guide) for related HCDs, user convenience is improved. Can be improved.

Normally, there is no limitation on the length of the URL, and almost all alphanumeric characters can be used. Therefore, it is difficult to perform reversible conversion into a numeric symbol string of at most about 10 digits.
However, it is easy to perform the conversion mechanically ignoring the reversibility. In this case, a hash table creation method can be used. At the time of encoding, by specifying the number of digits after encoding, a short HC
D can be assigned.

When inputting an HCD by using the RMC (6) or the like, a [start] key is pressed to start inputting a code.
After completion, it is necessary to press a key such as [end] or [go]. Among them, the [end] key can be eliminated by embedding an end character in the HCD. If a specific character is simply specified as the end character, the user can easily detect it. On the other hand, a specific operation is performed on the HCD numeral symbol string inputted one digit at a time,
By determining the end condition, the [end] key can be eliminated without making the user aware. "Specific operation"
As an example, there is "adding the figures of each digit and terminating when a certain number (eg, 0) is reached".

Many of the URLs are raw and old URLs
Often does not make sense. In the HCDB (4), test connection is sequentially performed to URLs in the internal table during a time period when the line is free, such as at midnight, and U
No connection can be made to the RL. When an invalid URL is found, the operator of the database is notified of the invalid URL, so that the operator can respond quickly.

Further, by encoding the expiration date in the HCD, the RM can be connected without connecting to the HCDB (4).
The expiration date can be determined at the level of C (6) or STB (7), and unnecessary connections can be reduced.
As an example of the expiration date encoding method, [********
xyz] (valid until week yz of the year 199x AD). The method of encoding the expiration date may be either simple or easy for the user to judge in the state of the numeric symbol string, or may be difficult to judge.

As an example of the method of allocating the HCD, it is possible to form a hierarchical structure for each genre and content. (Example:
[1xxxxxxxxx] is a current affair, [2xxxxxxxxx] is a technology, and the like.
With simple settings on the C (6) or STB (7) side, access restrictions can be provided so as to prevent connection to special URLs for adults or requiring an additional charge. In addition, by adopting a hierarchical structure, a URL group related to the currently connected URL can be predicted, and for example, it is possible to propose a “related URL” from the server side. The encoding method of the hierarchical structure may be either simple or easy for the user to judge in the state of the numerical symbol string, or may be difficult to judge.

In connection using HCD, HCDB must be used.
Reference of (4) is performed. By collecting the reference state of the HCDB (4), it is possible to accurately know which URL is frequently referred to (popular). By using this data, a short HCD can be assigned to a URL that is likely to be popular. Also popular U
Aggregate RLs and use short HC as "Top 10 of this week" etc.
It is possible to assign D almost automatically.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, the UR
L can be easily input, and URL management becomes easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, in which a URL is designated using a paper medium and a remote controller.

FIG. 2 is an example of a data flow in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: URL 2: ENC 3: HCD 4: HCDB 5: PMD 6: RMC 7: STB 8: ITV 9: BTSC

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for easily inputting a URL (uniform resource locator) of the Internet, comprising: input means for inputting a numeric symbol string of 1 to 10 digits, and a URL for the numeric symbol string. An internet information selection device, comprising: a database describing correspondence. 2. An input device for inputting a numeric symbol string of 1 digit to 10 digits, a communication device for connecting to the Internet, an HTML obtained from the Internet,
Display means for interpreting and displaying Java or a protocol equivalent thereto, and URL for a numeric symbol string
And a URL server having a database describing the correspondence of the Internet information. 3. The URL server according to claim 1, further comprising: a means for sequentially collecting a numeric symbol string input by the user, extracting a URL frequently requested by the user based on the numeric symbol string, and outputting a list of popular connection destinations. The Internet information selection device according to claim 2, comprising: 4. The URL server periodically makes a connection request to a URL in a database, deletes a numeric symbol string corresponding to the URL if the connection request is unsuccessful, and manages the URL server. 4. A means for notifying the user of this fact is newly provided.
Internet information selection device according to the above. 5. The URL server according to claim 1, wherein the URL server has a variable length URL.
Is converted into a numeric symbol string of 1 to 10 digits, the expected reference frequency or importance of the URL is input, the number of digits of the numeric symbol string after conversion is determined, and the output of the number of digits is obtained. 3. A means for converting the URL into a numeric symbol string using a simple hash function is newly provided.
Or the Internet information selection device according to 3 or 4. 6. A method for easily inputting a URL of the Internet, comprising: inputting a numeric symbol string of 1 to 10 digits, and using the numeric symbol string as a key to describe a correspondence of the URL to the numeric symbol string. , Determining a target URL with reference to the URL, and connecting to the URL. 7. When the numeric symbol string is input, a specific operation is performed on the numeric symbol string input one digit at a time to determine the end of the numeric symbol string and connect without pressing an end key. The method according to claim 6, wherein the operation is started. 8. The Internet information selection method according to claim 6, wherein the numeral symbol string is made to correspond to an existing telephone number. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein a determination is made as to whether or not the connection validity period has passed before actually connecting to the URL server by inserting a validity period determining factor into the numeral symbol string. Item 6. The method for selecting Internet information according to Item 6, 7, or 8. 10. The method according to claim 6, wherein a genre determination factor is inserted into the numeric symbol string to determine whether connection to the homepage is possible before actually connecting to the URL server. 8. The method for selecting Internet information according to 8 or 9.