Recently, multifunction devices produced by adding a number of functions to a digital copier serving as a base have been put to practical use. The multifunction devices have capabilities to conduct facsimile communications using scanner and printer functions inherent in the digital copier, convert code data sent from a computer into bitmap data and print out the resulting bitmap data on the printer, transmit images read by the scanner to other devices on a network, and print images delivered via the network on the printer.
Also, control panels of the multifunction devices have become larger in size and higher in resolution, making it possible not only to configure settings for the scanner and printer functions, but also to operate remote apparatus on a network and monitor equipment condition using their operation screens or display or print web content using a built-in browser. Incidentally, patent documents related to the present invention include Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-134125.
However, with built-in web-browser functions of a multifunction device such as those described above or a personal computer, results of web site searches by means of a search engine may vary with the database contents of the search engine even if the same keywords are used.
On the WWW, there are always web sites which appear newly, web sites which disappear, and web sites which change their contents. Data in databases of search engines are generally collected by crawling around the WWW automatically. The data are constituted of snapshots taken during the automatic crawling and the database contents can often vary depending on time. Thus, when a user performs a search using search criteria on a search engine, web sites which match the search criteria can vary with the time of the search.
Thus, by analyzing variations in search results with time, it is possible to tell sites which have appeared newly. However, search results are generally listed in an order irrespective of the time of appearance of web sites and if a user tries to analyze variations in search results (difference information) manually, checkups involve a great burden. Also, the user must check URLs one after another visually by comparing them between search results produced at two different times. Although recent multifunction devices and other information processing apparatus are equipped with relatively high-performance screens, they are insufficient in terms of screen size, viewability, or operability, increasing the burden on the user with increases in the volume of search results.