Patent ID: 7908258

Claim:
A search keyword input device comprising: keyword type selection keys for selecting keyword types for distinguishing and narrowing down search keywords presented for selection, wherein the keyword types are organized in a hierarchy; a display unit for displaying one or more notification display elements corresponding to the keyword types, wherein the notification display elements indicate which of the keyword types are selected; and a control unit for controlling which of the notification display elements are displayed, and configured to: determine, at a first time, which of the keyword type selection keys is pressed, instruct the display unit to display the notification display element corresponding to a first keyword type associated with the first pressed keyword type selection key, determine, at a second time, which of the keyword type selection keys is pressed, when it is determined that the pressed keyword type selection key was pressed again, switch a keyword selection from a first keyword to a second keyword, the first keyword and the second keyword being of the first keyword type, when it is determined that the second keyword type selection key pressed is different from the first keyword type selection key, determine whether or not a second keyword type of a lower hierarchical level than the first keyword type, the second keyword type being associated with the different keyword type selection key, when it is determined that the second selected keyword type is of a lower hierarchical level than the first selected keyword type, instruct the display unit to display the notification display element corresponding to the second selected keyword type in addition to the notification display element corresponding to the first selected keyword type, and when it is determined that the second selected keyword type is of a higher hierarchical level than the first selected keyword type, instruct the display unit to display the notification display element corresponding to the second selected keyword type and to stop displaying the notification display element corresponding to the first selected keyword type.