WO2024201546A1 - Phrase display control device and phrase display control method - Google Patents

Abstract

This phrase display control device (20) is provided with: a first phrase acquisition unit (22) for acquiring a plurality of first phrases (w1); a position-setting unit (24) for setting the position of each first phrase in a specific virtual space (S1) on the basis of the degree of association between the plurality of first phrases; a boundary-setting unit (25) for dividing the specific virtual space into a plurality of virtual regions and setting a boundary (L1) of each virtual region; a second phrase acquisition unit (23) for acquiring a second phrase (w2) located in a specific virtual region among the plurality of virtual regions and associated with the plurality of first phrases; and a display control unit (27) that causes a display unit (32) to display the plurality of first phrases so as to be positioned in the specific virtual space on the basis of the position of each first phrase set by the position-setting unit, and causes the display unit to display the second phrase so as to be positioned in the specific virtual region.

Description

Phrase display control device and phrase display control method

This disclosure relates to a word display control device and a word display control method.

A search system has been disclosed that extracts multiple keywords contained in multiple document data from the multiple document data, displays them on a two-dimensional plane, and searches for any of the multiple document data based on these extracted keywords (see Patent Document 1). This search system displays multiple extracted keywords on a two-dimensional plane so that the stronger the association between the keywords is, the closer the keywords are to each other, allowing the user to visually grasp the degree of association between the multiple keywords.

Special Publication No. 2008-250623

The search system described in Patent Document 1 has an issue in that the more document data (document information) to be targeted, the more keywords to be displayed on the two-dimensional plane (space). Depending on the number of keywords to be displayed, the displayed content may become cluttered, making it difficult for the user to find the keyword (phrase) they are looking for.

The present disclosure aims to solve the above problem by providing a word display control device and a word display control method that can make it easier than ever to find a desired word from multiple words located in a space.

The phrase display control device according to the present disclosure is characterized by comprising a first phrase acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of first phrases, a position setting unit that sets the position of each of the first phrases in a specific virtual space based on the degree of association between the plurality of first phrases, a boundary setting unit that divides the specific virtual space into a plurality of virtual regions and sets the boundaries of each virtual region, a second phrase acquisition unit that acquires second phrases related to the plurality of first phrases located in a specific virtual region among the plurality of virtual regions, and a display control unit that causes the display unit to display the plurality of first phrases so as to be located in the specific virtual space based on the positions of each of the first phrases set by the position setting unit, and causes the display unit to display the second phrase so as to be located in the specific virtual region.

According to the present disclosure, a specific space in which multiple first terms contained in multiple document information are located is divided into multiple regions, and the multiple first terms located in the multiple regions and second terms related to the multiple first terms located in a specific region among the multiple regions are displayed on a display unit, allowing a user to infer the content of the multiple first terms located in the specific region from the second terms, making it easier than ever to find a desired term from multiple terms located in the space.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a phrase display control system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the phrase display control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the phrase display control system according to the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the phrase display control device according to the first embodiment. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the phrase display control device according to the first embodiment arranges a plurality of first phrases in a two-dimensional space. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the phrase display control device according to the first embodiment divides a two-dimensional space into a plurality of virtual regions. 3 is a diagram showing a plurality of first phrases and a plurality of second phrases that the phrase display control device in the first embodiment causes to be displayed on a display unit; FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a phrase display control system according to a second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a phrase display control device according to a second embodiment. 13 is a diagram showing a plurality of first phrases, a plurality of second phrases, and search results based on the first phrases that are displayed on a display unit by a phrase display control device according to the second embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a phrase display control device according to the third embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a phrase display control device according to the fourth embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a phrase display control device according to a fifth embodiment. 13 is a diagram showing a plurality of virtual spaces that a phrase display control device according to a sixth embodiment causes to be displayed on a display unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
Embodiment 1.
First, a schematic configuration of a phrase display control system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the phrase display control system 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the phrase display control system 100 includes a database 10, a phrase display control device 20, and a user terminal 30, which are communicatively connected to each other. The phrase display control system 100 according to the first embodiment is a system for displaying, on the user terminal 30, information acquired by the phrase display control device 20 based on input signals from the database 10, the user terminal 30, and an external device electrically connected via a network (not shown).

The database 10 accumulates and stores a plurality of contents as a plurality of document information. For example, the database 10 acquires and stores a plurality of contents including HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) data of a website, research paper data, e-book data, and other information from an external device electrically connected via a network (not shown). Note that in the first embodiment, the content stored in the database 10 may be information that includes documents as at least a part of the information, and may also include still images, moving images, sounds, and other information in addition to documents.

As shown in FIG. 1, the user terminal 30 includes an input unit 31 and a display unit 32. The input unit 31 accepts an input operation by a user and outputs a signal corresponding to the input operation to the phrase display control device 20. For example, the input unit 31 is configured with an input device consisting of any one or a combination of a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, microphone, etc. The display unit 32 displays content corresponding to the input operation accepted by the input unit 31 and content corresponding to a signal input from the phrase display control device 20. For example, the display unit 32 is configured with a liquid crystal panel, an organic or inorganic EL (Electroluminescence) panel, or other display device.

The phrase display control device 20 is a device that controls the content to be displayed on the display unit 32 of the user terminal 30 based on input signals from the database 10 and the user terminal 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the phrase display control device 20 includes a content acquisition unit 21, a first phrase acquisition unit 22, a second phrase acquisition unit 23, a position setting unit 24, a boundary setting unit 25, a display control unit 27, and a memory unit 28.

The content acquisition unit 21, which serves as a document information acquisition unit, acquires multiple pieces of content. For example, the content acquisition unit 21 acquires multiple pieces of content stored in the database 10 from the database 10. Specifically, the content acquisition unit 21 acquires multiple pieces of content from the database 10 as search results when a user operating the user terminal 30 searches for one or more pieces of content stored in the database 10 in response to an input operation received by the input unit 31. The content acquisition unit 21 may be configured to acquire multiple pieces of content at once, or may be configured to perform a process of acquiring content one by one multiple times. In addition, when acquiring multiple pieces of content, the content acquisition unit 21 may be configured to acquire information related to the time of the content, such as the date and time when the content acquisition unit 21 acquired the content, the date and time when the database 10 acquired the content, and the date and time when the creator of the content created the content. The content acquisition unit 21 stores information about the acquired content in the storage unit 28.

The first phrase acquisition unit 22 acquires a plurality of first phrases. For example, the first phrase acquisition unit 22 acquires a plurality of first phrases, which are phrases having meanings related to the plurality of contents acquired by the content acquisition unit 21, from the database 10, the storage unit 28, or the user terminal 30. Also, for example, the first phrase acquisition unit 22 acquires a first phrase, which is a phrase corresponding to an input operation by the user accepted by the input unit 31, based on an input signal from the user terminal 30. Specifically, the first phrase acquisition unit 22 acquires a first phrase, which is a search phrase when a user operating the user terminal 30 searches for any of the plurality of contents stored in the database 10, in response to an input operation by the user accepted by the input unit 31. In other words, the first phrase acquisition unit 22 acquires a first phrase, which is a search phrase corresponding to an input operation accepted by the input unit 31, when the user searches for any of the plurality of contents stored in the database 10 by the user terminal 30.

When the first phrase acquisition unit 22 is configured in this manner, the multiple contents acquired by the content acquisition unit 21 are search histories when the user searches for content based on the first phrase, and include the first phrase acquired by the first phrase acquisition unit 22 or similar phrases to the first phrase. The first phrase acquisition unit 22 may be configured to acquire the multiple first phrases directly from the user terminal 30, or may be configured to acquire the multiple first phrases as needed from the storage unit 28 that stores the multiple first phrases based on an input signal from the user terminal 30. The first phrase acquired by the first phrase acquisition unit 22 may be a word, may be a combination of multiple words, may be a phrase, may be a combination of multiple phrases, may be a single sentence, may be a combination of multiple sentences, or may be a combination of these words, phrases, and sentences.

The second phrase acquisition unit 23 acquires second phrases, which are phrases having meanings related to the multiple first phrases acquired by the first phrase acquisition unit 22. For example, when a user searches for one or more of the multiple contents stored in the database 10 based on one of the first phrases, the second phrase acquisition unit 23 acquires second phrases, which are phrases extracted from the multiple contents acquired by the content acquisition unit 21 as search results. Specifically, the second phrase acquisition unit 23 acquires, as the second phrase, a phrase selected based on frequency of use from the TKD (Title Keyword Description) of the HTML data, which is the multiple contents that are the search results, by text mining such as morphological analysis. When the second phrase acquisition unit 23 is configured in this way, the multiple contents acquired by the content acquisition unit 21 include the second phrase acquired by the second phrase acquisition unit 23 or a similar phrase to the second phrase. The second phrase acquired by the second phrase acquisition unit 23 may be a word, may be a combination of multiple words, may be a phrase, may be a combination of multiple phrases, may be a single sentence, may be a combination of multiple sentences, or may be a combination of these words, phrases, and sentences. Details of the second phrase acquisition unit 23 and the second phrase will be described later.

The position setting unit 24 places each first phrase in a specific virtual space based on the degree of association between the multiple first phrases acquired by the first phrase acquisition unit 22. In other words, the position setting unit 24 sets the position of each first phrase in the specific virtual space based on the degree of association between the multiple first phrases acquired by the first phrase acquisition unit 22. For example, the position setting unit 24 sets the position of each first phrase in the specific virtual space according to the degree of association between the multiple first phrases such that the closer the positions of the first phrases are to each other, the higher the degree of association between the meanings of the first phrases acquired by the first phrase acquisition unit 22 are.

For example, the position setting unit 24 sets the position of each first phrase by vectorizing each first phrase acquired by the first phrase acquisition unit 22 based on the degree of relevance between the first phrases and arranging these vectors in a multidimensional space that is a specific virtual space. Specifically, the position setting unit 24 sets the position of each first phrase by vectorizing each first phrase acquired by the first phrase acquisition unit 22 based on the degree of relevance between the first phrases and arranging these two-dimensional vectors in a two-dimensional space that is a specific virtual space. More specifically, the position setting unit 24 converts multiple first phrases into vectors according to the degree of relevance between each first phrase by an algorithm such as Word2Vec based on multiple contents corresponding to the first phrases. The position setting unit 24 stores the position of each first phrase in the specific virtual space in the storage unit 28.

The boundary setting unit 25 divides the specific virtual space in which the position setting unit 24 places the multiple first words and phrases into multiple virtual regions and sets the boundaries of each virtual region. In other words, the boundary setting unit 25 sets which virtual region each first word or phrase is included in when the specific virtual space is divided into multiple virtual regions based on the position of each first word or phrase in the specific virtual space set by the position setting unit 24. In other words, the boundary setting unit 25 divides the specific virtual space into multiple virtual regions based on the position of each first word or phrase in the specific virtual space set by the position setting unit 24, and associates each first word or phrase with one of the virtual regions. For example, the boundary setting unit 25 divides the specific virtual space based on a preset number of divisions. Specifically, the boundary setting unit 25 divides the two-dimensional space, which is the specific virtual space in which the multiple first words and phrases are placed, into n×m regions based on the values of n and m, which are preset natural numbers. The boundary setting unit 25 stores information about the boundaries of each set virtual region in the storage unit 28.

The display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 of the user terminal 30 to display the multiple first phrases acquired by the first phrase acquisition unit 22 and the second phrases acquired by the second phrase acquisition unit 23 so as to be located in a specific virtual space. Details of the content that the display control unit 27 causes to be displayed on the display unit 32 will be described later.

The storage unit 28 stores information such as data, programs, and parameters required for the phrase display control device 20 to perform various processes.

Next, the hardware configuration of the phrase display control device 20 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the phrase display control device 20 according to the first embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the phrase display control device 20 according to the first embodiment, which is different from that shown in Fig. 2. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the phrase display control device 20 has a processor 20a, a memory 20b, and an I/O port 20c, and is configured so that the processor 20a reads and executes a program stored in the memory 20b. The memory 20b may be, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, an EPROM, or an EEPROM. The memory 20b may also be a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, a DVD, or the like. The memory 20b may also be an HDD or SSD.

Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the phrase display control device 20 has a processing circuit 20d, which is dedicated hardware, and an I/O port 20c. The processing circuit 20d is, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, a system LSI (Large-Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination of these. Each function of the phrase display control device 20 is realized by the processor 20a or the processing circuit 20d, which is dedicated hardware, executing a program that is software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware.

Next, the processing performed by the phrase display control device 20 to display various information on the display unit 32 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 7. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the phrase display control device 20 according to embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 4, when the phrase display control device 20 starts processing, it first acquires multiple pieces of content (step ST1). In this processing, the phrase display control device 20 acquires multiple pieces of content using the content acquisition unit 21 and stores them in the memory unit 28.

When the processing of step ST1 is performed, the phrase display control device 20 acquires a plurality of first words and phrases (step ST2). In this processing, the phrase display control device 20 acquires a plurality of first words and phrases to be displayed on the display unit 32 by the first word and phrase acquisition unit 22. When the processing of step ST2 is performed, the phrase display control device 20 sets the position of each first word and phrase in a specific virtual space (step ST3). In this processing, the phrase display control device 20 sets the position of each first word and phrase in the specific virtual space by the position setting unit 24 when displaying the plurality of first words and phrases on the display unit 32. For example, in this processing, the phrase display control device 20 sets the position of each first word and phrase in two-dimensional space by the position setting unit 24 when displaying the plurality of first words and phrases on the display unit 32.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the phrase display control device 20 according to the first embodiment has arranged a plurality of first words w1 in the virtual space S1. In FIG. 5, a plurality of first words w1 are arranged in the virtual space S1 based on the positions of the first words in the virtual space S1, which is a two-dimensional space as a specific virtual space, set by the position setting unit 24. The display control unit 27 may be configured to display the content shown in FIG. 5 on the display unit 32 in response to a user's input operation or based on a preset trigger, or may not be configured to display the content. After performing the process of step ST3, the phrase display control device 20 divides the virtual space S1 into a plurality of virtual regions and sets the boundaries of each virtual region (step ST6).

6 is a diagram showing a state in which the phrase display control device 20 according to the first embodiment divides the virtual space S1 into a plurality of virtual regions A1, A2, A3, and A4. For example, in the process of step ST6, the phrase display control device 20 divides the virtual space S1, which is set to a rectangle by the boundary setting unit 25, into n×m virtual regions A1 to A4, sets the boundary L1 of each virtual region, and sets which virtual region each first phrase w1 placed in the virtual space S1 is included in. This makes it possible for the phrase display control device 20 to determine which virtual region each first phrase w1 placed in the virtual space S1 is included in. The display control unit 27 may be configured to display the boundary L1 on the display unit 32 in response to a user's input operation or based on a preset trigger. The boundary setting unit may also be configured to divide the virtual space into a plurality of regions having shapes other than a rectangle, such as a hexagon, a rhombus, a square, or other shapes.

After performing the process of step ST6, the phrase display control device 20 acquires second phrases corresponding to each virtual area by the second phrase acquisition unit 23 (step ST7). For example, in this process, the second phrase acquisition unit 23 acquires second phrases, which are phrases related to the first phrases located in each virtual area, in each virtual area. Specifically, in this process, when a content search is performed based on each first phrase arranged in the virtual space S1, the second phrase acquisition unit 23 performs a process for each virtual area to extract multiple phrases included in the multiple contents acquired by the content acquisition unit 21 as search results. Furthermore, the second phrase acquisition unit 23 performs a process to acquire, for each virtual area, a predetermined number of phrases with the highest frequency of use among the extracted multiple phrases. At this time, the second phrase acquisition unit 23 acquires, as second phrases, a predetermined number of phrases that is preset to be less than the number of first phrases displayed in each virtual area. Specifically, the second phrase acquisition unit 23 performs a process of extracting the top three most frequently used phrases from among the extracted multiple phrases for each virtual area, and acquiring the three extracted phrases as second phrases.

After performing the processing of step ST7, the phrase display control device 20 displays the first phrase and the second phrase acquired by the first phrase acquisition unit 22 and the second phrase acquisition unit 23 on the display unit 32 of the user terminal 30 (step ST8).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a plurality of first words w1 and a plurality of second words w2 that the word display control device 20 according to the first embodiment causes the display unit 32 to display. For example, in the process of step ST8, the display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 to display the plurality of first words w1 so as to be positioned in the virtual space S1 based on the position of each first word w1 set by the position setting unit 24, and also causes the display unit 32 to display the second words w2 corresponding to each virtual region so as to be positioned in each virtual region. Also, for example, in the process of step ST8, the display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 to display the second words w2 corresponding to each virtual region so as to be positioned in the center of each virtual region.

For example, when the second phrase acquisition unit 23 acquires three second phrases w2, "recipe," "world," and "difficult," as phrases having meanings related to the multiple first phrases w1 located in the virtual area A1, the display control unit 27 displays these second phrases w2 side by side on the display unit 32 so that these second phrases w2 are located in the center of the virtual area A1. Also, when the second phrase acquisition unit 23 acquires three second phrases w2, "design," "UI," and "graphics," as phrases having meanings related to the multiple first phrases w1 located in the virtual area A2, the display control unit 27 displays these second phrases w2 side by side on the display unit 32 so that these second phrases w2 are located in the center of the virtual area A2.

Also, for example, when the second phrase acquisition unit 23 acquires three second phrases w2, "cold," "mask," and "infectious disease," as phrases having meanings related to the multiple first phrases w1 located in the virtual area A3, the display control unit 27 displays these second phrases w2 side by side on the display unit 32 so that the second phrases w2 are located in the center of the virtual area A3. Also, for example, when the second phrase acquisition unit 23 acquires three second phrases w2, "environment," "CO2," and "ozone layer," as phrases having meanings related to the multiple first phrases w1 located in the virtual area A4, the display control unit 27 displays these second phrases w2 side by side on the display unit 32 so that the second phrases w2 are located in the center of the virtual area A4. Note that the display control unit 27 displays these second phrases w2 side by side on the display unit 32 so that the second phrases w2 are located in the center of the virtual area A4.

The phrase display control device 20 may be configured such that the position setting unit 24 sets the position of each first phrase in the specific virtual space according to the degree of association between the first phrases acquired by the first phrase acquisition unit 22 so that the positions of the first phrases are closer to each other as the degree of association between the first phrases is higher, and then the display control unit 27 fine-tunes the positions of the first phrases and the second phrases in the virtual space S1, and causes the display unit 32 to display the first phrases and the second phrases whose positions have been fine-tuned. For example, the position setting unit 24 may be configured to fine-tune the positions of the first phrases and the second phrases so that the amount of overlap between the first phrases and the second phrases is reduced when the first phrases and the second phrases are positioned so as to overlap each other when the first phrases and the second phrases are arranged in the virtual space S1.

The display control unit 27 displays the second phrase w2, which is a phrase having a meaning related to the first phrases in each virtual area, on the display unit 32 so as to be located in each virtual area. For example, the display control unit 27 displays the second phrase w2, which is a characteristic word indicating the characteristics of the first phrases in each virtual area, on the display unit 32 so as to be located in each virtual area. Therefore, by reading the second phrase w2 displayed on the display unit 32, the user can understand the general meaning of the first phrases in the virtual area without reading all of the first phrases in the virtual area. In addition, the display control unit 27 displays each first phrase w1 on the display unit 32 based on the degree of association between the first phrases w1. Therefore, by reading the second phrase w2 displayed on the display unit 32, the user can infer the content of the first phrase w1 located around the second phrase w2. This allows the user to guess the approximate location in a specific virtual area of the first phrase that the user is looking for among the multiple first phrases displayed on the display unit 32, and the user can easily find the desired phrase from the multiple first phrases located in the virtual space S1.

Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 to display each first word w1 and each second word w2 in a different manner. For example, the display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 to display the first words w1 and the second words w2 such that each second word w2 is in larger letters than each first word w1. Also, for example, the display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 to display each first word w1 and each second word w2 in different colors. Specifically, the display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 to display the first words w1 and the second words w2 such that the visual difference in brightness, saturation, hue, etc. between each second word w2 and the background is greater than the visual difference between each first word w1 and the background.

Also, for example, the display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 to display the multiple first words w1 and the multiple second words w2 so that each second word w2 is in bolder characters than each first word w1. Also, for example, the display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 to display the multiple first words w1 and the multiple second words w2 so that the transparency of each second word w2 is lower than the transparency of each first word w1. Also, for example, the display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 to display the multiple first words w1 and the multiple second words w2 by adding an underline, border, frame, etc. to each second word w2 so that each second word w2 is easier to read than each first word w1. The display control unit 27 may be configured to display the first phrase w1 and each second phrase w2 on the display unit 32 in a manner in which any one of the following is different from each other: character size, brightness, saturation, hue, thickness, transparency, underline, border, and frame, or may be configured to display the first phrase w1 and each second phrase w2 on the display unit 32 in a manner in which any two or more of these are different from each other.

In this way, the display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 to display each first phrase w1 and each second phrase w2 in a different manner, which allows the user to distinguish whether the phrase displayed on the display unit 32 is a first phrase or a second phrase, and allows the user to easily find the desired phrase from among the multiple phrases located in the virtual space S1. After performing the processing of step ST8, the phrase display control device 20 ends the processing.

Note that since boundary L1 in FIG. 7 is not necessarily important information for the user, the display control unit 27 may be configured not to display boundary L1 on the display unit 32. This configuration allows the user to easily read the first phrase that is positioned at a position that overlaps boundary L1, and to easily find the desired phrase from among the multiple phrases positioned in the virtual space S1.

On the other hand, the display control unit 27 may be configured to display the boundary L1 on the display unit 32. With this configuration, even if the second phrase is not displayed in the center of the corresponding virtual area, the user can easily recognize the correspondence between each first phrase and each second phrase by visually checking the boundary of the virtual area corresponding to each second word. Furthermore, when the display control unit 27 is configured to display the boundary L1 on the display unit 32, the display control unit 27 does not need to display the second phrase in the center of the virtual area, and can, for example, position each second phrase at a position where it does not overlap with each first phrase or where the amount of overlap with each first phrase is small, thereby improving the visibility of the first phrase and the second phrase.

As described above, the phrase display control device 20 according to the first embodiment includes a first phrase acquisition unit 22 that acquires a plurality of first phrases w1, a position setting unit 24 that sets the position of each first phrase w1 in the virtual space S1 based on the degree of association between the plurality of first phrases w1, a boundary setting unit 25 that divides the virtual space S1 into a plurality of virtual regions A1 to A4 and sets the boundary L1 of each virtual region, a second phrase acquisition unit 23 that acquires second phrases w2 that are related to the plurality of first phrases w1 that are located in a specific virtual region among the plurality of virtual regions A1 to A4, and a display control unit 27 that causes the display unit 32 to display the plurality of first phrases w1 so as to be located in the virtual space S1 based on the position of each first phrase w1 set by the position setting unit 24, and causes the display unit 32 to display the second phrase w2 so as to be located in the specific virtual region.

By being configured in this manner, the phrase display control device 20 enables the user to infer the contents of multiple first words and phrases in the virtual area in which the second word and phrase w2 is displayed, based on the second word and phrase w2 displayed on the display unit 32, making it easier than ever to find a desired first word and phrase from multiple first words and phrases located in the virtual space S1. By being configured in this manner, the phrase display control device 20 also enables the user to grasp the trends and characteristics of the multiple first words and phrases displayed on the display unit 32, based on the second word and phrase w2 displayed on the display unit 32, making it possible to provide the user with new knowledge based on the multiple first words and phrases. For example, if the phrase display control device 20 is configured to acquire multiple first terms as search terms when searching for any of multiple contents using the first term acquisition unit 22, the phrase display control device 20 enables the user to grasp the trends and characteristics of the multiple first terms displayed on the display unit 32 based on the second term w2 displayed on the display unit 32, thereby enabling the user to become aware of the user's own latent interests and providing the user with new knowledge based on the multiple first terms.

The phrase display control device 20 according to the first embodiment also includes a content acquisition unit 21 that acquires a plurality of contents including a plurality of first words and phrases w1, and the second word acquisition unit 23 acquires the second words and phrases w2 by extracting the second words and phrases w2 included in a plurality of contents including a plurality of first words and phrases w1 located in a specific virtual area from the plurality of contents. By being configured in this manner, the phrase display control device 20 can more clearly identify the relationship between the plurality of first words and phrases w1 and the second words and phrases w2 in the virtual area corresponding to the plurality of first words and phrases w1, making it easier than ever to find a desired first word or phrase from the plurality of first words and phrases located in the virtual space S1.

In the first embodiment, the phrase display control device 20 is configured to acquire multiple contents by the content acquisition unit 21 as a search result when searching for any of the multiple contents by the first phrase w1, but is not limited to this. The multiple first phrases may be phrases having meanings related to the multiple contents, and for example, the phrase display control device may be configured to acquire multiple first phrases by acquiring multiple contents in advance by the content acquisition unit and extracting multiple first phrases from the multiple contents by the first phrase acquisition unit. At this time, the first phrase acquisition unit can extract multiple first phrases from the multiple contents in a manner similar to the above-mentioned method in which the second phrase acquisition unit extracts multiple second phrases from the multiple contents.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the phrase display control device 20 is configured to acquire multiple first terms w1 related to a search after acquiring multiple contents by the content acquisition unit 21 as a search result when searching for any of the multiple contents using the first term w1, but is not limited to this. The multiple first terms may be terms having meanings related to the multiple contents, and for example, the phrase display control device may be configured to acquire a first term as a search term by the first term acquisition unit each time the user performs an input operation on the input unit 31, and then acquire multiple contents as search results based on the first term by the content acquisition unit. In addition, the multiple contents acquired by the content acquisition unit are not limited to search results based on the first term, but may be content viewed by the user among search results when the user searches for content based on the first term.

Furthermore, the multiple first phrases acquired by the first phrase acquisition unit do not have to be phrases having meanings related to multiple contents, but may be multiple phrases acquired as a data set from a database, a memory unit provided in the phrase display control device, a user terminal, or other devices communicatively connected to the phrase display control device, or some of these multiple phrases may be phrases having meanings related to multiple contents.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the phrase display control device 20 is configured to extract a plurality of second phrases w2 from a plurality of contents by the second phrase acquisition unit 23, but is not limited to this. The second phrase may be any phrase having a meaning related to a plurality of first phrases, and for example, the phrase display control device may be configured to acquire, from a plurality of first phrases located in a specific virtual area, a second phrase having a meaning related to these plurality of first phrases by the second phrase acquisition unit. Specifically, the phrase display control device may be configured to acquire, from among the phrases extracted from a plurality of first phrases located in a specific virtual area, a phrase selected based on the frequency of use as the second phrase by the second phrase acquisition unit. When configured in this way, the phrase display control device does not need to include a content acquisition unit.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the phrase display control device 20 is configured to acquire three second phrases w2 for each virtual area by the second phrase acquisition unit 23, and to display three second phrases w2 for each virtual area by the display control unit 27, but is not limited to this. The number of second phrases displayed on the display unit 32 may be any number other than 3, including 0, and may be, for example, a different number for each virtual area, a number set according to the number of first phrases arranged in the virtual area or virtual space, or a number set by the user's input operation on the input unit 31. In addition, the phrase display control device may be configured so that the more first phrases are displayed on the display unit 32 in a virtual area, the more second phrases are displayed on the display unit 32, and a virtual area in which the number of first phrases displayed on the display unit 32 is less than a preset threshold may have zero second phrases displayed on the display unit 32.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the phrase display control device 20 is configured to set the positions of the multiple first words and phrases w1 in the virtual space S1 by the position setting unit 24 based on the relevance of the meanings of each first word and phrase w1, but is not limited to this. The phrase display control device may be configured to set the positions of the multiple first words and phrases in the virtual space by the position setting unit based on the relevance between the multiple first words and phrases, for example, the phrase display control device may be configured to set the positions of the multiple first words and phrases in the virtual space based on the relevance of the date and time when the first word and phrase acquisition unit acquired each first word and phrase, or based on the relevance of the meanings of each first word and phrase w1 and the relevance of the date and time when each first word and phrase was acquired. Specifically, the phrase display control device may be configured to set the positions of the multiple first words and phrases in the virtual space such that the closer the date and time when the first word and phrase acquisition unit acquired each first word and phrase, the closer the positions of the multiple first words and phrases in the virtual space. The phrase display control device may also be configured to set the positions of the multiple first phrases in the virtual space such that the more recent the date and time that the first phrase acquisition unit acquires each first phrase, the closer the positions of the multiple first phrases in the virtual space are to a predetermined position in the virtual space, for example, the center of the virtual space.

Embodiment 2.
Next, a phrase display control system 200 according to embodiment 2 will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 10. The phrase display control system 200 according to embodiment 2 differs from the phrase display control system 100 according to embodiment 1 in that the phrase display control device includes a search unit 26, but other configurations are similar, and configurations similar to those in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 8, the phrase display control system 200 according to the second embodiment includes a database 10, a phrase display control device 220, and a user terminal 30, which are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other. The phrase display control device 220 includes a content acquisition unit 21, a first phrase acquisition unit 22, a second phrase acquisition unit 23, a position setting unit 24, a boundary setting unit 25, a search unit 26, a display control unit 27, and a memory unit 28. Note that the hardware configuration of the phrase display control device 220 according to the second embodiment is similar to that of the phrase display control device 20 according to the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

The search unit 26 searches for one or more of the multiple contents based on an input signal from the user terminal 30. For example, the search unit 26 searches for one of the multiple contents acquired by the content acquisition unit 21 in response to an input operation by the user on the input unit 31. Specifically, based on an input signal indicating that an input operation to select one of the multiple first terms displayed on the display unit 32 has been performed, the search unit 26 searches for one of the multiple contents acquired by the content acquisition unit 21 using the first term as a search term. Note that when searching for a content, the search unit 26 may be configured to search for one of the multiple contents stored in the storage unit 28 when the storage unit 28 stores multiple contents, or may be configured to search for one of the contents from the database 10 or other external devices based on the reference destination of the multiple contents stored in the storage unit 28 when the storage unit 28 stores information regarding the addresses, URLs, and other reference destinations of the multiple contents.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the phrase display control device 220 according to embodiment 2. As shown in FIG. 9, the processing performed by the phrase display control device 220 according to embodiment 2 differs from the processing performed by the phrase display control device 20 according to embodiment 1 in that after performing processing in step ST8, processing in steps ST11 to ST13 is performed.

As shown in FIG. 9, after performing the processing of step ST8, the phrase display control device 220 judges whether or not there has been an input signal indicating a selection operation for any of the multiple first terms displayed on the display unit 32 (step ST11). In this processing, the phrase display control device 220 judges whether or not there has been an operation by the user to search for any of the multiple contents using any of the multiple first terms displayed on the display unit 32 as a search term. In the processing of step ST11, if there has been no input signal indicating a selection operation for any of the first terms (NO in step ST11), the phrase display control device 220 ends the processing.

If, in the process of step ST11, there is an input signal indicating a selection operation for any of the first terms (YES in step ST11), the phrase display control device 220 causes the search unit 26 to search for one of the multiple contents based on the selected first term (step ST12). In this process, the phrase display control device 220 saves the user the trouble of inputting the search term character by character each time the user searches for content. For example, if the first term displayed on the display unit 32 is a search term previously input by the user, it is possible to save the user the trouble of inputting the same term each time a search is performed in a search for content that uses the same term as a search term previously performed.

Note that in the process of step ST11, when an input signal indicating a selection operation for any of the first phrases is received, the display control unit 27 may be configured to display the selected first phrase and the other first phrases in different modes on the display unit 32. For example, in the process of step ST11, when an input signal indicating a selection operation for any of the first phrases is received, the display control unit 27 displays the selected first phrase and the other first phrases w1 in different colors on the display unit 32. Specifically, the display control unit 27 displays the multiple first phrases on the display unit 32 so that the visual difference in brightness, saturation, hue, etc. between the selected first phrase and the background is greater than the visual difference between the other first phrases and the background.

Also, for example, the display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 to display the multiple first phrases so that the selected first phrase is in larger letters than the other first phrases. Also, for example, the display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 to display the multiple first phrases so that the selected first phrase is in bolder letters than the other first phrases. Also, for example, the display control unit 27 causes the display unit 32 to display the multiple first phrases so that the transparency of the selected first phrase is lower than the transparency of the other first phrases.

Furthermore, in the process of step ST11, when an input signal indicating a selection operation for any one of the first phrases is received, the display control unit 27 may be configured to display on the display unit 32 other first phrases whose relevance to the selected first phrase is higher than a preset threshold value and the selected first phrase in a manner different from that of other first phrases whose relevance to the selected first phrase is lower than a preset threshold value. The difference in these display manners is similar to the difference in manner when the display control unit 27 displays the selected first phrase and other first phrases in different manners, as described above, and therefore will not be described here. After performing the process of step ST12, the phrase display control device 220 causes the display control unit 27 to display the search results for the content on the display unit 32 (step ST13).

10 is a diagram showing a plurality of first words w1, a plurality of second words w2, and a search result r1 based on the first word w1 that the phrase display control device 220 according to the second embodiment displays on the display unit 32. For example, in the process of step ST13, the phrase display control device 220 displays on the display unit 32 a list of search results r1 of content based on the selected first word w1 at a position that does not overlap with the virtual space S1. For example, when there is an input signal indicating an input operation by the user to select one of the search results r1 displayed on the display unit 32, the phrase display control device 220 causes the display control unit 27 to display content corresponding to the selected search result on the display unit 32. Note that in the process of step ST13, the phrase display control device 220 may be configured to display on the display unit 32 a list of the browsing history of the search results of content based on the selected first word w1, instead of displaying on the display unit 32 a list of search results r1 of content based on the selected first word w1. After performing the processing of step ST13, the word display control device 220 ends the processing.

As described above, the phrase display control device 220 according to the second embodiment includes a content acquisition unit 21 that acquires a plurality of contents including a plurality of first terms w1, and a search unit 26 that searches for any of the plurality of contents including a selected first term w1 based on an input signal indicating that any of the plurality of first terms w1 has been selected. By being configured in this manner, the phrase display control device 220 according to the second embodiment can improve operability when searching for content based on the first term w1 as the search term by making it easier to find the first term w1 desired as a search term for content among the plurality of first terms w1 displayed on the display unit 32.

In the second embodiment, the phrase display control device 220 is configured such that the search unit 26 searches for one of the multiple pieces of content acquired by the content acquisition unit 21 in response to a user's input operation on the input unit 31, but is not limited to this. The phrase display control device only needs to be configured to enable the search unit to search for content in response to a user's operation from among the multiple pieces of content. For example, the phrase display control device may be configured such that when an input signal indicating a selection operation for one of the multiple first words displayed on the display unit 32 is received, the search unit searches for new content via a network.

Embodiment 3.
Next, a phrase display control system according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. The phrase display control system according to the third embodiment differs from the phrase display control system 200 according to the second embodiment in the process performed by the search unit of the phrase display control device, but other configurations are similar, and the same reference numerals are used to designate the same configurations as those in the second embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the phrase display control device according to embodiment 3. As shown in FIG. 11, the processing performed by the phrase display control device 420 according to embodiment 3 differs from the processing performed by the phrase display control device 220 according to embodiment 2 in the processing of steps ST14 to ST16, which are the processing performed after step ST8.

As shown in FIG. 11, after performing the process of step ST8, the phrase display control device according to embodiment 3 determines whether or not there has been an input signal indicating a selection operation for any of the multiple second terms displayed on the display unit 32 (step ST14). In this process, the phrase display control device according to embodiment 3 determines whether or not there has been an operation by the user to search for any of the multiple contents using any of the multiple second terms displayed on the display unit 32 as a search term. In the process of step ST14, if there has been no input signal indicating a selection operation for any of the second terms (NO in step ST14), the phrase display control device according to embodiment 3 ends the process.

If, in the process of step ST14, an input signal indicating a selection operation for any of the second phrases is received (YES in step ST14), the phrase display control device according to embodiment 3 searches for any of the multiple contents based on the selected second phrase using the search unit 26 (step ST15). After performing the process of step ST15, the phrase display control device according to embodiment 3 causes the display control unit 27 to display the content search results on the display unit 32 (step ST16). After performing the process of step ST13, the phrase display control device 220 ends the process.

Embodiment 4.
Next, a phrase display control system 400 according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 12. The phrase display control system 400 according to the fourth embodiment is different from the phrase display control system 100 according to the first embodiment in that the boundary setting unit included in the phrase display control device is different, but other configurations are similar, and the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the phrase display control system 400 according to the fourth embodiment includes a database 10, a phrase display control device 420, and a user terminal 30, which are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other. The phrase display control device 420 includes a content acquisition unit 21, a first phrase acquisition unit 22, a second phrase acquisition unit 23, a position setting unit 24, a boundary setting unit 425, a display control unit 27, and a memory unit 28. Note that the hardware configuration of the phrase display control device 420 according to the fourth embodiment is similar to that of the phrase display control device 20 according to the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

The boundary setting unit 425 divides a specific virtual space in which the position setting unit 24 has placed a plurality of first words and phrases into a plurality of virtual areas and sets the boundaries of each virtual area. Furthermore, the boundary setting unit 425 changes the boundaries of each virtual area when dividing the virtual space into a plurality of virtual areas, based on a predetermined trigger. In other words, the boundary setting unit 425 moves the boundaries of each virtual area from a first position to a second position when dividing the virtual space into a plurality of virtual areas, based on a predetermined trigger. In other words, the boundary setting unit 425 selects either the first boundary or the second boundary as the boundary of each virtual area when dividing the virtual space into a plurality of virtual areas, based on a predetermined trigger.

For example, the boundary setting unit 425 sets the number of divisions when dividing the virtual space into a plurality of virtual regions, based on the number of first words and phrases in the virtual space. In other words, the boundary setting unit 425 sets the boundaries of each virtual region when dividing the virtual space into a plurality of virtual regions, based on the number of first words and phrases displayed on the display unit 32. Specifically, when the number of first words and phrases in the virtual space is greater than a preset threshold, the boundary setting unit 425 changes the number of divisions when dividing the virtual space into a plurality of virtual regions from a first number, which is an initial value, to a second number greater than the first number.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the phrase display control device 420 according to embodiment 4. As shown in FIG. 12, the processing performed by the phrase display control device 420 according to embodiment 4 differs from the processing performed by the phrase display control device 20 according to embodiment 1 in that, after performing the processing of step ST3, the processing of step ST4 and step ST5 are performed before performing the processing of step ST6.

As shown in FIG. 12, after performing the process of step ST3, the phrase display control device 420 judges whether the number of first words located in the virtual space is within a preset threshold value (step ST4). In this process, the phrase display control device 420 compares the number of first words located in the virtual space with the preset threshold value to judge whether the number of first words is too large to be easily seen when multiple first words are displayed on the display unit 32. In the process of step ST4, if the number of first words located in the virtual space is within the threshold value (YES in step ST4), the phrase display control device 420 performs the process of step ST6.

In the processing of step ST4, if the number of first words located in the virtual space is not within the threshold value (NO in step ST4), the phrase display control device 420 updates the number of divisions when dividing the virtual space. For example, if the number of first words located in the virtual space is not within the threshold value, the phrase display control device 420 updates one or both of the values of m and n, which are the number of divisions dividing the virtual space S1 (see FIG. 6). Specifically, if the number of first words located in the virtual space exceeds the threshold value, the phrase display control device 420 changes the number of divisions so that the number of divisions dividing the virtual space becomes greater than the number of divisions already set.

The threshold value referenced in the processing of step ST4 does not have to be a single value, and may, for example, indicate a range of numerical values. When the threshold value is set in this manner and the number of first words located in the virtual space is smaller than the lower limit of the range indicated by the threshold value, the word display control device 420 may be configured to change the number of divisions into which the virtual space is divided so that the number of divisions is smaller than the number of divisions already set. After performing the processing of step ST5, the word display control device 420 performs the processing of step ST6.

As described above, the phrase display control device 420 according to the fourth embodiment is configured such that the boundary setting unit 425 sets the boundary of each virtual area based on the number of multiple first words and phrases displayed on the display unit 32. By being configured in this manner, when the number of first words and phrases displayed on the display unit 32 is greater than a preset threshold, the phrase display control device 220 can increase the number of divisions into which the virtual space is divided, thereby preventing the desired first words and phrases from becoming difficult to find due to the large number of first words and phrases displayed on the display unit 32.

Furthermore, the phrase display control device 420 according to the fourth embodiment is configured to set the boundaries of each virtual area based on the user's input operation on the input unit 31. By being configured in this manner, the phrase display control device 220 can make it easier for the user to find a desired first phrase from among the multiple first phrases displayed on the display unit 32 by enabling the user to set the number of divisions into which the virtual space is divided, for example, according to the number and density of first phrases displayed on the display unit 32.

The boundary setting unit 425 is not limited to being configured to set the boundary of each virtual area based on the number of first words in the entire virtual space, but may be configured to set the boundary of each virtual area based on the number of first words located in each virtual area, or, if the word display control device is configured to be able to change the apparent size of the virtual space displayed on the display unit in response to a user's input operation on the input unit, may be configured to set the boundary of each virtual area based on the number of first words displayed on the display unit out of the first words in the entire virtual space.

Embodiment 5.
Next, a phrase display control system 500 according to embodiment 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 13. The phrase display control system 500 according to embodiment 5 is different from the phrase display control system 100 according to embodiment 1 in that the phrase display control device has a display control unit different therefrom, but the other configurations are the same. Configurations similar to those in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the phrase display control system 500 according to the fifth embodiment includes a database 10, a phrase display control device 520, and a user terminal 30, which are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other. The phrase display control device 520 includes a content acquisition unit 21, a first phrase acquisition unit 22, a second phrase acquisition unit 23, a position setting unit 24, a boundary setting unit 25, a display control unit 527, and a memory unit 28. Note that the hardware configuration of the phrase display control device 520 according to the fifth embodiment is similar to that of the phrase display control device 20 according to the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

The display control unit 527 changes the display mode of the first phrase and the second phrase displayed on the display unit 32 based on the user's input operation on the input unit 31. For example, the display control unit 527 changes the display mode of the multiple first phrases and the multiple second phrases displayed on the display unit 32 based on an input signal indicating that the user has performed an input operation of a new phrase on the input unit 31. Specifically, the display control unit 527 changes the display mode of the multiple first phrases and the multiple second phrases displayed on the display unit 32 based on an input signal indicating that the user has performed an input operation of a new phrase on the input unit 31 so that the first phrases and the second phrases whose relevance to the new phrase is lower than a preset threshold value become less noticeable than the display mode of the first phrases and the second phrases whose relevance to the new phrase is higher than a preset threshold value. By being configured in this manner, the phrase display control device 520 according to embodiment 5 can make it easier for the user to find the desired first phrase from among multiple first phrases by making other first phrases that are less related to the first phrase the user is looking for less noticeable.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the phrase display control device 520 according to embodiment 5. As shown in FIG. 13, the processing performed by the phrase display control device 520 according to embodiment 5 differs from the processing performed by the phrase display control device 20 according to embodiment 1 in that after performing processing in step ST8, processing in steps ST9 and ST10 is performed.

As shown in FIG. 13, after performing the processing of step ST8, the word display control device 520 determines whether or not a narrowing-down phrase that narrows down the first phrase has been input as a new word input operation by the user to the input unit 31 (step ST9). If a narrowing-down phrase has been input in the processing of step ST9 (YES in step ST9), the display control unit 527 changes the display mode of the first and second phrases displayed on the display unit 32 based on the relevance to the narrowing-down phrase (step ST10).

Embodiment 6.
Next, a phrase display control system according to a sixth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14. The phrase display control system according to the sixth embodiment differs from the phrase display control system 100 according to the first embodiment in that a plurality of first phrases and a plurality of second phrases are arranged in a plurality of virtual spaces, but the other configurations are the same.

As shown in FIG. 14, the phrase display control system according to the sixth embodiment places a plurality of first words and a plurality of second words in a plurality of virtual spaces including virtual spaces S1, S2, and S3. For example, the phrase display control system according to the sixth embodiment places each first word in one of the virtual spaces based on the date and time when the first word acquisition unit acquires the first word. Specifically, the phrase display control system according to the sixth embodiment places the first word in virtual space S1 when the date and time when the first word acquisition unit acquires the first word is included in a first period that is set in advance, and places the first word in virtual space S2 when the date and time when the first word acquisition unit acquires the first word is included in a second period that is a period prior to the first period that is set in advance. The phrase display control system may be configured to place the plurality of first words and a plurality of second words in one of the plurality of virtual spaces based on a genre that is highly related to the plurality of first words and phrases. For example, the phrase display control system may be configured to place first phrases highly related to sports and first phrases highly related to economics in different virtual spaces. By being configured in this way, the phrase display control system according to embodiment 6 can reduce the discomfort of viewing caused by placing many first phrases in a single virtual space, and can reduce the number of first phrases displayed on the display unit at one time, thereby reducing the processing load of the device.

Note that this disclosure allows for free combinations of the embodiments, modifications to any of the components of each embodiment, or the omission of any of the components of each embodiment.

The phrase display control device according to the present disclosure can be used, for example, to organize information relating to multiple phrases by displaying multiple acquired phrases on a display unit.

10 database, 20 phrase display control device, 21 content acquisition unit (document information acquisition unit), 22 first phrase acquisition unit, 23 second phrase acquisition unit, 24 position setting unit, 25 boundary setting unit, 26 search unit, 27 display control unit, 28 storage unit, 30 user terminal, 31 input unit, 32 display unit, 100 phrase display control system, 200 phrase display control system, 220 phrase display Control device, 400 phrase display control system, 420 phrase display control device, 425 boundary setting unit, 500 phrase display control system, 520 phrase display control device, 527 display control unit, A1 virtual area, A2 virtual area, A3 virtual area, A4 virtual area, L1 boundary, S1 virtual space, S2 virtual space, S3 virtual space, r1 search result, w1 first phrase, w2 second phrase.

Claims (9)

a first phrase acquiring unit that acquires a plurality of first phrases;
a position setting unit that sets a position of each of the first words in a specific virtual space based on a degree of association between the plurality of first words;
a boundary setting unit that divides the specific virtual space into a plurality of virtual regions and sets boundaries of each virtual region;
a second phrase acquiring unit that acquires second phrases related to a plurality of first phrases located in a specific virtual area among the plurality of virtual areas;
a display control unit that causes the display unit to display the first phrases so as to be located in the specific virtual space based on the positions of each first phrase set by the position setting unit, and causes the display unit to display the second phrases so as to be located in the specific virtual area. a document information acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of pieces of document information including the plurality of first words and phrases;
The phrase display control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second phrase acquisition unit acquires the second phrase by extracting the second phrase contained in a plurality of document information including a plurality of first phrases located in the specific area from the plurality of document information. a document information acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of pieces of document information including the plurality of first words and phrases;
The phrase display control device according to claim 1, further comprising a search unit that searches for any document information containing the selected first phrase among the plurality of document information based on an input signal indicating that any first phrase among the plurality of first phrases has been selected. The phrase display control device according to claim 3, characterized in that, based on an input signal indicating that one of the plurality of first phrases has been selected, the display control unit displays the selected first phrase and other first phrases in different manners on the display unit. The word display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first word acquisition unit acquires the plurality of first words by extracting the plurality of first words contained in the plurality of document information from the plurality of document information. The word display control device according to claim 1 , wherein the boundary setting unit sets the boundary of each virtual area based on the number of a plurality of first words displayed on the display unit. The word display control device according to claim 1 , wherein the boundary setting unit sets the boundary of each virtual area based on an input operation on an input unit. The phrase display control device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit causes the display unit to display the first phrases and the second phrases in different modes. A phrase display control method performed by an apparatus including a first phrase acquisition unit, a position setting unit, a boundary setting unit, a second phrase acquisition unit, and a display control unit, comprising:
a step of the first phrase acquiring unit acquiring a plurality of first phrases;
a step of the position setting unit setting a position of each of the first phrases in a specific virtual space based on a degree of association between the plurality of first phrases;
a step of the boundary setting unit dividing the specific virtual space into a plurality of virtual areas and setting a boundary of each virtual area;
a step of the second phrase acquiring unit acquiring second phrases related to a plurality of first phrases located in a specific virtual area among the plurality of virtual areas;
a step of causing the display control unit to display the plurality of first phrases on the display unit so as to be located in the specific virtual space based on the position of each first phrase set by the position setting unit, and causing the display control unit to display the second phrase on the display unit so as to be located in the specific virtual area.

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