Interactive-type user interface device having root scenario

An interactive-type user interface device for use with respect to a plurality of applications, the device comprising:

• control means for acquiring information needed by the applications through an interaction and sending the information to the applications, by executing interactive processing based on application scenario groups provided in one-to-one association with the applications, wherein:
• a root scenario is provided separately from the application scenario groups for realizing application branch processing which selects and starts an application corresponding to inputted information and loads the application scenario group associated with the started application;
• the control means is capable of executing interactive processing based on another of the application scenario groups part-way through the interactive processing based on one of the application scenario groups, by executing application branch processing based on the root scenario;
• each of the application scenario groups describes therein at least dialogue information made up of request information for making an input request requesting information needed by the respective application, expected input information expected to be inputted in response to the input request, and branch information corresponding to the expected input information;
• the control means carries out, as the interactive processing, input request processing based on the request information, comparison processing which compares inputted information with the expected input information, and branch processing based on results of this comparison;
• at least one of the request information, the expected input information and the branch information constituting the dialogue information is capable of being described outside the respective application scenario group;
• pointing information for pointing to the information described outside is described in the application scenario group;
• and
• the control means loads the information described outside on the basis of the pointing information, and makes an input request or performs branching based on the expected input information.